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Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 CUSTOM SECTION Page 2 Remove this page and add the printout from the database. Issue 1.02 edited: 12 February 2004 Page 3...
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Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Safety WARNING: Dangerously high voltages are present inside this equipment. WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture. WARNING: This equipment uses power/mains connectors fitted with earth pins. It is most important as a matter of personal safety that the equipment is properly earthed.
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Serial Control, Single Chassis..................37 Serial Control, Multiple Chassis..................37 SC-1000 Control, Single Chassis................... 38 SC-1000 Control, Multiple Chassis ................39 INSTALLATION........................ 41 Unpacking the Q256-DA/AA ................... 41 Operating Conditions & Cooling..................41 Power Supplies ......................41 Audio Connections......................43 Reference ........................46 Serial RS232 Port (front of processor)................
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Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Q-Link Ports (rear panel) ....................49 Audio Monitoring Connectors ..................49 Alarm Connector......................49 Multi-rack Systems......................50 Signal Monitoring ......................50 Connecting The Inter-Rack Cables ................. 50 Typical Q256 AES3id System: 512 Inputs by 512 Outputs..........51 Typical Q256 System: 1024 Inputs by 1024 Outputs ............
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Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Serial Port Diagnostics (cmd: InterfaceDump x).............. 71 Issue 1.02 edited: 12 February 2004 Page 9...
This guide is intended as a reference to the use of the Q256-DA/AA audio routing switcher, and should contain all the information you will want to know about using these products. In the event of further product information or assistance being required, please contact Quartz or your local Quartz distributor.
Supports all common digital audio standards, 32K, 44K, 48K. • Supports the newer 96K digital audio standard. • Supports Dolby-E • Flexible control system, can work stand-alone or with the Quartz System Controller, SC-1000 • System-wide environmental monitoring. • Optional input and output signal monitoring.
In these cases it is necessary to specify the exact part number. As this is a complex process and mistakes are likely to be costly it is best to seek advice directly from Quartz. The following table clarifies which...
Any system with more than 128 outputs requires 2 x Q256-A-PS for normal operation and 4 x Q256-A-PS for backup power supplies. Systems above 256x256 For system above 256x256 contact the Quartz sales office. Multi-rack routers are built from 4 basic chassis types, designated A, B, C, and D frames. Router Type (A, B, C, or D)
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Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 The Q256-DA/AA routers have a matching video router, the Q256-SV/HD. This is available in both an 8U chassis for 128x128, and a 16U chassis for 256x256. Contact Quartz for more information. Issue 1.02 edited: 12 February 2004...
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Technical Specification General AC voltage: 85-264V AC frequency: 50/60 Hz Power consumption: 300W maximum (AES, 8U, fully loaded) 600W maximum (Analog, 8U, fully loaded) 600W maximum (AES, 16U, fully loaded) 1200W maximum (Analog, 16U, fully loaded) Power Factor: 0.94...
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Nomenclature Expansion refers to expanding the number of outputs of a system beyond 256. This is achieved by copying the inputs to one or more additional chassis. Cascade refers to increasing the number of inputs of a system beyond 256. This is achieved by utilising the in- built combiner switch at the output of the crosspoint card.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Input Fin: AES Balanced (D-Type) Input signals are handled via the rear mounted ‘input fins’. These provide the interface between signals arriving from the D-Type connectors. Cable D -Type inputs are equipped with Sample Rate Conversion on the fins and the digital signals are then buffered before driving the crosspoint modules via the motherboard and the ‘expansion out’...
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Input Fin: AES3id Un-balanced (BNC) Input signals are handled via the rear mounted ‘input fins’. These provide the interface between signals arriving from the BNC connectors. Note that input 1 is top right; this is the opposite of the companion serial video router.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Input Fin: Analog Input signals are handled via the rear mounted ‘input fins’. These provide the interface between signals arriving from the D-Type connectors. Cable D-Type inputs are equipped with Gain Range stages to allow three gain ranges to be set, 18dB, 21dB, and 24dB, see ‘piset’...
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Input Fin: Expand Audio To expand the number of outputs beyond a single rack frame requires the input signals to be buffered and passed on to additional frames. The Expand Fin performs this function. These Fin provide the interface between signals arriving from the expansion cables and the ‘crosspoint motherboard’.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Crosspoint Module The crosspoint card is organised as a 256 input by 32 output crosspoint. The 256 input signals o n the motherboard of a 16U chassis are driven directly to one large programmable logic chip. The first 128 inputs to each card are from the inputs local to that half of the frame, with the next 128 provided from the other half of the frame.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Output Fin: AES Balanced (D-Type) The balanced output fin translates the signals from the crosspoint card back to normal AES balanced format. It also provides the ‘cascade in’ path and can provide an output signal monitor.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Output Fin: AES3id Un-balanced (BNC) The balanced output fin translates the signals from the crosspoint card back to normal AES3is un-balanced format. It also provides the ‘cascade in’ path and can provide an output signal monitor. Note that output 1 is top right;...
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Output Fin: Analog The Analog output fin translates the signals from the crosspoint card back to stereo analog audio format. It also provides the ‘cascade in’ path and can provide an output signal monitor. Clock1 Clock2 Clock3...
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Output Fin: Cascade Audio To expand the number of inputs beyond a single rack frame requires the output signals from additional frames to be combined. The Cascade Fin performs this function. The ‘cascade output fin’ is fitted to the chassis providing for inputs beyond 128 or 256. It also provides a ‘cascade input’...
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Control Module The Q256 processor module, part M-FU-0012, is based around a PowerPC microprocessor. The module is designed to operate in an optional redundant configuration. Set to ISP Reset Switch Empty Power status Led’s Memory SDRAM SIMM...
Has a modified main connector pin-out and audio oscillator to support the Q256-DA router. Uses the M-FU-0012-0100 ‘DE’ type connector. Front edge D9 pin-out now conforms to Quartz standard. (Feb-2003) M-FU-0012-0010 Not useable on this product. Uses the ‘DE’ type main edge connector that has a better keyway arrangement.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Reference Rear I/O Module The Q256 audio is fitted with a rear Reference Module. There are two types available, one supported AES Balanced (shown below) and the other supporting AES3id un-balanced. For routers with AES only Fins, no analog fins, there should be an external AES audio or video reference present to ensure the internal system audio clocks are locked to house reference.
If both processors are to be joined on the same network then an external 10-Bast-T or 100-Base-T hub should be used. Each control processor has a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address which will be set to the Quartz default address of 192.0.2.200 on the master (lower) processor and 192.0.2.201 on the backup (upper) processor.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Serial Rear I/O Module The control cards connect to a number of rear I/O modules including a Serial Module. Internal communication is over a high speed PCI bus, with two busses being used in dual redundant controller systems. The Serial Module has three separate D9 female connectors that are allocated as shown below.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Q-Link Rear I/O Module The control cards connect to a number of rear I/O modules including a Q-Link Module. Internal communication is over a high speed PCI bus, with two busses being used in dual redundant controller systems. The Q-Link Module has five BNC connectors to allow connection to one looping Q-Link and three terminated Q-Links.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Monitor Module Available Q2 2004. The optional Monitor Module provides down stream routing of Output Monitor from each Output ‘Fin’, the Input Monitor form the Crosspoint and the Monitor Loop Input to eventually produce the Monitor Output.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Power Supply Each Q256 power supply Q256-A-PS (PS-0016) has it’s own independent IEC inlet. A thermal circuit breaker is built in to each PSU On/Off switch to protect the power supply and associated mains cabling and therefore no external main fuse is fitted to this product.
TCP/IP (upr): 192.0.2.201 Single Chassis TCP/IP (lwr): 192.0.2.200 As Quartz is only supplying a router in this example and not a control system, all input and output mapping must be handled by the third party control system. Serial Control, Multiple Chassis This architecture involves a third party (non Quartz) control system such as BBC BNCS, Omnibus, or BFE, and two or more Q256 chassis’s.
TCP/IP (up r): 192.0.2.209 TCP/IP (lwr): 192.0.2.208 As Quartz is only supplying the routers in these examples and not a control system, all input and output mapping must be handled by the third party control system. SC-1000 Control, Single Chassis This architecture uses the Quartz System Controller, SC-1000.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 SC-1000 Control, Multiple Chassis This architecture uses the Quartz System Controller, SC-1000. In 1-256 In 257 -512 Third Party Control System SC-1000 Quartz Q-Link RS422 Q-Link Q-Link such as System Rear Rear BBC BNCS, Controller...
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Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 The Q-Link address refers to the inter-frame Q-Link and not the SC-1000 Q-Link. For expansion with 8U chassis the Q-Link address becomes 0x10 in place of 0x00. Issue 1.02 edited: 12 February 2004 Page 40...
`ears' only. Ensure that all cards are located in their guides and pushed fully home. WARNING: A fully loaded Q256-DA/AA 8U rack weighs 46 kg; one person should not attempt to lift the router. WARNING: A fully loaded Q256 16U rack weighs 94 kg; one person should not attempt to lift the router.
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Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Audio Connections The Q256-DA-256256-U router is available in an 8U or 16U configuration. The 8U AES balanced (D-Type) chassis is shown below. All audio inputs are terminated in 110R, all audio outputs are single outputs. An analogue video reference signal should be connected to the Ref 1 input and this is terminated in 75R.
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Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 The 8U AES3id un-balanced (BNC) chassis is shown below. All audio inputs are terminated in 75R, all audio outputs are single outputs. An analogue video reference signal should be connected to the Ref 1 input and this is terminated in 75R. The Q256 supports dual references for combined 525/625 operation and in these systems the Ref 2 connector should be used for the other reference signal.
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Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 The 8U Analog Stereo (D-Type) chassis is shown below. All audio inputs are hi-impedance; all audio outputs are single outputs. An analogue video reference signal should be connected to the Ref 1 input and this is terminated in 75R. The Q256 supports dual references for combined 525/625 operation and in these systems the Ref 2 connector should be used for the other reference signal.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Reference The Q256 audio frame is fitted with a rear Reference Module. There a re two types available; one supporting AES Balanced: And the other supporting AES3id un-balanced: For routers with AES only Fins, no analog fins, there should be an external AES audio or video reference present to ensure the internal system audio clocks are locked to house reference.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Ethernet Port The Q256 Ethernet port is a standard RJ45 connector supporting twisted pair Ethernet (10BaseT or 100BaseT). The port can be connected via a standard network hub if required. When a network cable is connected to the router the rear panel Green LED will illuminate to indicate a physical connection.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Serial RS422/485 Ports (rear panel) The Q256 can be supplied with the Q256-RS option, which adds three RS422/485 ports for serial control of the router. The serial ports have a rear panel LED that indicates data is being received by the D9 connector, but this LED does not indicate the validity of the data.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Q-Link Ports (rear panel) The Q256 can be supplied with the Q256-QL option, which adds one main looping Q-Link and three terminated Q-Links. Audio Monitoring Connectors There are four audio monitoring RJ45 connectors on the rear panel and a stereo headphone jack. These connectors are only enabled once the Signal Monitoring module is installed.
The Inter-Rack Cables which connect the 'Expand' Outputs to the 'Expand' Inputs, and the ‘Cascade’ Outputs to the ‘Cascade’ Inputs are provi ded by Quartz in Standard lengths, part AK-0013. Because of the cable length, the racks should be closely located, either directly above one another, or side by side in adjacent rack frames (with no obstruction between rack frames so cables can run directly between routers).
C’ Chassis D’ Chassis All inter-rack connections are via Quartz Expansion Cables, only 8 cables shown for clarity, 64 cables required in total. The ‘A’ chassis refers to the letter at the end of the Q256-SV part number. Issue 1.02...
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Typical Q256 System: 1024 Inputs by 1024 Outputs A 1024x1024 system built from Q256 frames occupies 256RU of rack space. In systems of this size it is unlikely that all outputs need access to all inputs. In this case a saving can be made by not using all of the ‘D’...
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Typical Rack Layouts The typical rack sizes used in studios have 43U, 45U or 47U of useable rack space. These racks will accommodate two Q256-DA 16U chassis without patch bays or one chassis with 336 patch fields.
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Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 A typical Q256 512x512 installation is shown below. With four Q256 units the power density is high and there is 6.5KW of heat to be dissipated. The cooling air is drawn from right to left so in this example racks A and C will be getting the hot exhaust air from racks B and D.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Maintenance Q256 series products are designed to require minimal maintenance. To aid fault diagnosis there are a large number of internal temperature sensors, fan speed sensors, and signal present sensors. All of the diagnostic information can be accessed either through the WinSetup software, directly using an Ethernet Telnet port, or through a serial port.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 WinSetup Diagnostics To use WinSetup diagnostics it is first necessary to configure WinSetup for a Q256 router and set the communications to be either Ethernet (recommended) or Serial (single device only). The ‘ p iset’ command should already have been used on the Q256 to tell the router its exact configuration (number of PSU’s fitted,...
Serial link, useful if the Ethernet address of the router is not known. The Q256 supports two TCP/IP port numbers, port 23 is a Telnet port, and port 5001 is a Quartz standard protocol port. The WinSetup dialog to enable Ethernet/Telnet communications is shown below.
Again test the communications link by using the WinSetup PC Comms Window. With the cursor in the large text box press the Acknowledge button and the router should respond with the ‘.A’ reply. The Quartz protocol commands can also be used over a serial link and the WinSetup dialog to enable Serial communications is shown below.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Power supply Each Q256 power supply Q256-A-PS (PS-0016) has it’s own independent IEC inlet. A thermal circuit breaker is built in to each PSU On/Off switch to protect the power supply and associated mains cabling and therefore no external main fuse is fitted to this product.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Adjusting the PSU voltages The 5V and 12V rails are factory set to 5.00V on the motherboard (approximately 5.30V inside the PSU) and 12.50V. In the unlikely event that these need to be adjusted then use the following notes.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Appendix 1: Telnet Commands Help General Help (cmd: hw) Example of ‘Telnet’ display for general help. -> hw ------------------------------------------------------------------- | Help | confighelp Displays help on configuring the router | monhelp Displays help on monitoring functions.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Monitoring Help (cmd: monhelp) All signal monitoring functions require the presence of a monitor card. Example ‘Telnet’ display for monitoring help. -> monhelp ------------------------------------------------------------------- | Monitoring Help | xptstd Displays xpt standards for all cards.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Output Fin Carrier Detect (cmd: opcd) Example of ‘Telnet’ display, for Fin 1, Outputs 1,12, & 32 are ‘good’, Fin 2 is missing/failed >opcd OUTPUT FIN CARRIER DETECT OUTPUT FIN 1 FIN 2 Not Fitted...
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 BANK HIGH BANK (OP 1-16) (OP 17-32) FIN 1 PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS Monitor All Inputs (cmd: monallip <duration>,<Mon op>,<xpt>) Performs test as above, but on all input fins fitted. Monitor Outputs (cmd: monop <output fin>,< duration>,<Mon op>)
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Fan Status (cmd: fans) Example of ‘Telnet’ display >fans PSU FAN SPEEDS SPEED 5037 NOT FITTED 0000 5152 FRONT MAIN - FRNT BACK SLOT 1/2 3107 3144 SLOT 3/4 3141 3236 SLOT 5/6 3095 3183...
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Configuration Configuration Status (cmd: config) Example of ‘Telnet’ display for a 16U 128x256 >config ROUTER CONFIGURATION SOFTWARE HARDWARE Q256-16U PSUS CONTROLLERS MONITOR INPUT FINS CROSSPOINTS OUTPUT FINS MAIN FANS CTRL FANS REAR FANS Product Inventory Set (cmd: piset) Asks the user a series of questions to ascertain what type of router the control card is in (eg 8/16U) and what cards should be fitted –...
Then type commssetup and answer the following questions (typical user responses in bold). Note that normal Quartz protocol settings are 38400 baud, no parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit. Normal Pro- bel settings are 38400 baud, even parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Interrogate and Set Routes Interrogate Route (not implemented) This command is not implemented. Set Route (cmd: take <source>,<destination> Makes route source to destination. The source and destination numbers correspond to the ranges set for port 0 using the commssetup command.
Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 Miscellaneous Commands Software Version (cmd: ver) Firmware and software version read back. Example of ‘Telnet’ display: -> ver Time: 00:38:34. FIRMWARE VERSION: 1.04 CONTROLLER XILINX VERSION: 5 XPT 1 XILINX VERSION: 2 XPT 2 XILINX VERSION: 2...
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Quartz Q256-DA/AA System Manual MANUAL-09 -> getdate Date: 05-06-2001. Serial Port Diagnostics (cmd: InterfaceDump x) Where x is the number of the serial comms interface at the rear (counts from 0). NOTE: all telnet commands use data for serial port 0 (eg monitor output destinations) Issue 1.02...
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