Control Circuits; User Control Interface And Lcd Display Circuits - Orban OPTIMOD-FM 8500S Operating Manual

Digital audio processor
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OPTIMOD-FM DIGITAL
A block diagram of the DSP signal processing appears on page 6-52.
The Power Supply provides power for all 8500S circuit sections.

Control Circuits

The control circuit is based on an AMD Elan SC520 microprocessor, which is a 586-
class processor running an Orban executable program over a third-party real-time
operating system. A flash memory emulates a hard drive. The memory is non-volatile
and does not rely on a battery to retain information when mains power is off.
The flash memory holds the operating system, the Orban executable program, and
all preset files, both factory and user. It also contains a write-protected "boot seg-
ment" that functions as a boot ROM.
The control circuits process and execute user-initiated requests to the system. The
source of these requests is the front panel buttons and rotary encoder, the rear
panel RS-232 port, Ethernet port, and the remote contact closures. These changes
affect hardware function and/or DSP processing. The control circuits also send in-
formation to the LCD display.
The control circuit communicates with display circuitry through the SC520's general-
purpose bus and with the DSP via an SPI serial connection.
The SC520 periodically refreshes a watchdog timer. If the timer times out without
being refreshed, it assumes that the control program has crashed and automatically
reboots the SC520. The DSP chips will continue to process audio until the time comes
to reload DSP program code into them. At this point, the audio will mute for about
a second until the DSP code download has finished. If you hear a brief audio mute
on air and you know that its input was not interrupted, you can assume that the
8500S has rebooted for some reason. Be prepared to convey this fact to Orban cus-
tomer service if you call for technical assistance.
The control board contains interface circuitry, the CPU, the Ethernet interface chip,
the flash memory, the DRAM, the RS-232 serial interface circuitry, the GPI/O interface
circuitry, and the real-time clock, which keeps time for the 8500S's automation func-
tions. The real-time clock is backed up by a DL2032 battery so that it keeps accurate
time even when the 8500S is powered down. The battery is socketed and can be
readily accessed by removing the 8500S's top cover; the battery is located on the
control board.

User Control Interface and LCD Display Circuits

The user control interface enables the user to control the 8500S's functionality. A
rear panel GPI connector allows optically-isolated remote control of certain func-
tions, such as recalling presets, via contact closure. An RS-232 serial port and an
Ethernet port allow you to connect a modem or computer to the 8500S. Front panel
pushbutton switches select between various operational modes and functions. A ro-
tary encoder allows the user to adjust parameters and enter data.
6-7
TECHNICAL DATA

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