Telos ZephyrExpress manual

Portable ISDN Digital Audio Transceiver / Mixer The Best Way to Hear from There ™ User’s Manual Manual Version: 1.0 / April, 1999 (v1.2.1 software)[...]

i i Introduction What you’ve got here: ZephyrExpress is a portable, one-box solution for high-quality broadcast audio remotes via ISDN. It combines a flexible stereo digital mixer, two stereo monitor mixers, coder and decoder for international-standard audio data compression, and an ISDN interface. · You can plug microphones and a headphone in o[...]

Introduction ii i Customer Service We support you... · By phone/Fax in the USA. Customer service is available from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM USA Eastern Time, Monday through Friday at +1 216.241.7225. We’re often here at times outside of these, as well – please feel free to try at any time! Fax: +1 216.241.4103. · By phone/Fax in Europe. Service is [...]

iv Introduction Blank Screen? If ZephyrExpress’ LEDs light when you first apply power but the LCD screen appears dark, or the LCD screen lights but no characters appear, the last user may have left its brightness or contrast at an extreme setting. To reset: p d • Press the DROP button and hold that button in while turning the Edit knob clockwis[...]

Introduction v Updates How ZephyrExpress works is almost entirely determined by software. This booklet is based on software version 1.2.1. Power Supply ZephyrExpress is powered by a separate modular power supply, which is self- adjusting to any voltage between 100 - 250 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz. It connects to a 4-pin XLR connector on the rear panel. The su[...]

vi Introduction Repairs You must contact Telos before returning any equipment for repair. Telos Systems will issue a Return Authorization number which must be written on the exterior of your package. Be sure to adequately insure your shipment. Packages without proper authorization may be refused. US customers should contact Telos customer support a[...]

Introduction vi i Table of Contents More comprehensive tables of contents, with page numbers, are at the start of each section. A complete index follows section 11. Section 1: Quick Results Part I: Instant Gratification, or “How to hear stereo music on a phone line” Gather information about your ISDN line Set up the hardware Configure ZephyrExp[...]

viii Introduction Section 7: ISDN Reference ISDN BASICS Background The Basic Rate Interface (BRI) HOW TO ORDER ISDN ZephyrExpress ISDN Compatibility Ordering: Central Office Switches and Protocols Section 8: System Functions Software Updates ZephyrExpress data ports The Serial Port The Parallel Port Section 9: Troubleshooting First Steps GENERAL Th[...]

Introduction i x A Note From the President... Waaay back in 1984, Telos’ first product was being designed on a Radio Shack TRS-80 and the attached modem was considered to be respectably state-of-the- art, operating at the impressive speed of 300 bits per second. This was nearly three times the speed of the 110 bps, twenty-five pound, phone compan[...]

x Introduction Notes About this Manual ZephyrExpress and the studio Zephyr unit share a lot of features in common, particularly in how they code audio and are connected to ISDN lines. In general, things you already know or learn here about one unit will apply to the other. We use the following symbols to draw your attention to particularly importan[...]

Introduction x i Block Diagram[...]

x i i Introduction Menu Structure Utility Menu Com p atibilit y Codec Transmit Receive Bitrate Sam p le Rate Ancill Data Status Out Loop Mode Contacts Out Codec Setu p s ISDN Switch type SPID #1 SPID #2 DN #1 DN #2 MSN #1 MSN #2 Outside Line Panic Dial Channel Assi g n Safe Mode Codec Audio ISDN S y stem Manual Dial Autodial Master Autodial Audio L[...]

QUICK RESULTS 1 - 1 SECTION 1: QUICK RESULTS Part I: Instant Gratification, or “How to hear stereo music over a phone line” 1-2 Gather information about your ISDN line 1 - 3 Set up the hardware 1-5 Configure ZephyrExpress for your ISDN line. 1 - 7 Call yourself (testing your unit and the line) 1 -9 Configure the Codec 1- 9 Set up an audio input[...]

1-2 QUICK RESULTS If you’re in a hurry... This part of the manual will get you started quickly. It presents answers to the questions that come up often when using ZephyrExpress. It’s not a thorough technical guide — that’s what the rest of this book is about — but a way to get you through most operating situations. If you need to put the [...]

QUICK RESULTS 1 - 3 was installed exactly as specified in the ISDN order instructions found at Telos’ web site and at the end of this manual. · Have circuit information supplied by the phone company. This must include the type of switch on the circuit and the telephone number(s) 1 . In the US, it will probably also include two SPID numbers. In E[...]

1 - 4 QUICK RESULTS 1. If you’re given two SPIDs by the phone company, enter just those numbers into ZephyrExpress. This is the most common case in North America. 2. If you’re given just one SPID, don’t enter it: instead, use the PTP setting for Switch Type . 3. If you’re in Europe you don’t have to enter anything. However, if you’re gi[...]

QUICK RESULTS 1 - 5 Set up the hardware You’ll need: · A ZephyrExpress · The ZephyrExpress Modular Power Supply with an appropriate power cord for your local AC supply. The supply is self-adjusting for any voltage between 100 - 250 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz. It connects to a 4-pin XLR connector on the rear panel. The modular supply must be turned off at [...]

1-6 QUICK RESULTS w WARNING! ZephyrExpress units sold in North America provide power for an external NT1. If you’re using one of these, disconnect any other power supply connec- ted to the NT1. If both ZephyrExpress and the NT1 are providing power, both will be damaged. You can tell if a ZephyrExpress will supply power by looking at the ISDN conn[...]

QUICK RESULTS 1 - 7 Configure ZephyrExpress for your ISDN line. h HOT TIP! There are two boxes on the bottom of ZephyrExpress’ screen. If you see the word Ready in both of them, your unit is probably already configured for the ISDN line. Skip this step, and go right to “Calling Yourself” on page 1 -9 . If you see the word inact in both of the[...]

1 - 8 QUICK RESULTS U Turn the EDIT knob three clicks clockwise, to highlight ISDN . T Then tap the knob in toward the panel. The display will change to look like this: Turn the edit knob clockwise to highlight either SPID#1 , DN#1 , or MSN#1 , depending on which type of number you entered in the form on page 1-4. The menu scrolls down as you keep [...]

QUICK RESULTS 1-9 Turn the knob to select the switch type for this line, and tap to confirm. h HOT TIP! The currently-selected switch type will have brackets around it (like [PTP] ). If the current switch is correct for your line, select a different type and tap the knob to confirm. Then wait a few seconds, and select the proper one and confirm. Th[...]

1-10 QUICK RESULTS u Press the UTIL button. A screen like this will appear. If you don’t see it, turn the EDIT knob counterclockwise. U Turn the EDIT knob clockwise, to select Codec. Tap the knob towards the panel to confirm that choice. The display will change to look like this: Turn the knob one click clockwise, to select the first text line ( [...]

QUICK RESULTS 1-11 Set up an audio input and output Plug the microphone into the MIC 1 INPUT jack on the back panel. Plug a stereo headphone into the MON 2 OUT headphone jack on the front panel. Mon i tor 2 Rece i ve routing switch Monitor 2 Receive volume Monitor 2 Head p hone Jack Monitor 2 Send volume Mic 1 Volume Mic 1 Routing Switch Tap the MI[...]

1-12 QUICK RESULTS Now tap the EDIT knob toward the panel. The display will change to look like this: Using the numeric keypad, enter the local number — usually without an area code — for line 2 of this ISDN circuit. You want to enter line 2, because you’ll be calling it from line 1. If you’ve placed a manually-dialed call since turning Zep[...]

QUICK RESULTS 1-13 Tap the EDIT knob to hang up. Now you’re ready to really rock! Tune into one of our test lines Our US test line originates less than a mile from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, Ohio. There’s always something interesting playing through it. We also maintain a European test line in Freising, Germany. Here’s [...]

1-14 QUICK RESULTS Press the small gray MONITOR 2 RECEIVE routing button until the letters A and B directly above it light up. This button is located along the bottom of the front panel, above the printed words MONITOR 2 MIX . M onitor 2 Receive button M onitor 2 volume Monitor 2 Head p hone Jack Turn up the MONITOR 2 volume knob, and you should he[...]

QUICK RESULTS 1-15 Part II: Fast Answers to Frequently-Asked Questions This section covers common operating issues. Chances are it’ll tell you all you need to know about setting up ZephyrExpress and using it in the field. Scan through the topics now, so you’ll know what you can find here. Of course, the rest of this manual will tell you a lot m[...]

1-16 QUICK RESULTS 2: How do I use the menus? u ZephyrExpress uses a series of nested menus to set how it works. T o open the menu system, press the UTIL button to the right of the Edit knob. The Utility Screen, with a list of submenus, will appear: Scrollbar Highlighted Item Description of Highlighted Item To access any menu item, turn the EDIT kn[...]

QUICK RESULTS 1-17 right. To exit any menu, hold the E DIT knob in for at least three seconds... · or, select the icon in a submenu and tap the EDIT knob. · or, hold the EDIT knob in and turn it to the left: each click will take you one step back through the menu structure, until you return to the Status screen. · or ignore the menu. After a whi[...]

1-18 QUICK RESULTS 6: How do I create my own Setups and Master Setups? h HOT TIP! You can capture a “snapshot” of all your current settings by using the Auto- Create function, described in step 4 below. 1. Make sure all the parameters within a menu page are set the way you want them for this Setup. Then enter the Setups submenu at the bottom of[...]

QUICK RESULTS 1-19 h HOT TIP: Create an Autodial that calls a Master Setup you’ve created for a specific r e mote venue. Then go to the Utility: Safe Mode menu and block everything except Autodialing. The remote operator can then just press the DIAL button for (virtually) fool proof remotes. ISDN connections 7 : How do I connect ZephyrExpress to [...]

1-20 QUICK RESULTS 8: How do I manually enter a network setup? You’ll need to know the type of ISDN protocol your local phone company uses for the ISDN circuit, and any other numbers that are needed: SPIDs or Directory Numbers are required by some US installations, and MSNs by some European ones (your local phone company will have to tell you wha[...]

QUICK RESULTS 1-21 Alternate test procedure This won’t test whether you’re set up properly to send audio, but does test the ISDN setup and ZephyrExpress receive circuits. 1. Press the DIAL button and select Auto... 2. In the Dial a Setup screen that appears, select either US testline* o r Euro testline* . 3. Tapping the Edit knob at the Setup w[...]

1-22 QUICK RESULTS Audio setup 1 1 : How do I set ZephyrExpress for my microphones? From the Utility screen, select the Audio menu and then the Microphones submenu. Each microphone has its own submenu, where you can: · set sensitivity ( 60 dB , 45 dB , or 30 dB for various ribbon, dynamic, and condenser microphones; or line to use that input with [...]

QUICK RESULTS 1-23 The small gray routing button next to the line 1&2 gain pot lets you turn the line off, select A B to send both inputs as a stereo pair to both codec channels, or A+B to sum both inputs to mono and send it to both channels. If you want separate gain or routing controls for multiple line-level sources, you can temporarily conv[...]

1-24 QUICK RESULTS you can reach the right average level but peaks are too loud, make sure the limiter is turned on. To test the digital compression engine, verify in the Status Screen that both transmit and receive are set to the same coding method (use L3 -Stereo as a generic receiver when transmitting with L3-Dual , L3-Stereo , or L3-Joint ). If[...]

QUICK RESULTS 1-25 h HOT TIP: If your phone system requires an access code to get an outside line, you can enter up to three digits in ISDN settings: Outside line prefix . This code will then be automatically applied to every call you make. If you can’t place a call, check the prefix setting. 3 . After you tap the EDIT knob to confirm the number,[...]

1-26 QUICK RESULTS 2. Are they set to a receive coding method that matches your send method? Try changing Codec settings while they listen. 3. Try changing the Codec: Bitrate and redialing. Some connections will pass one rate but not the other. 4. If you're working in stereo, make sure both ISDN lines are connected. If one of them hasn't [...]

QUICK RESULTS 1-27 1 9: Where do I find answers to other questions? Question Manual Section How do I order my ISDN line? ISDN information and order forms: Appendix How do I connect ZephyrExpress? Hardware Details in Section 3; also Audio Details in Section 4; How do the controls work? Hardware: Section 3 What are the meanings of all the menu items?[...]

1-28 QUICK RESULTS 2 2B+D · 1-2 A analog calls · 1-2, 1-25 audio setup · 1-10 Autodial · 1-18, 1-19, 1-24 B Basic ISDN · 1-2 BRI · 1-2 C call yourself · 1-11 calling · 1-20 circuit information · 1-4 coding methods · 1-21 D directory number · 1-20 display · 1-7, 1-8, 1-10 DN · 1-8 drop button · 1-7, 1-13, 1-26 DTMF · 1-25 E edit knob [...]

1-2 QUICK RESULTS safe mode · 1-17 sensitivity · 1-22 setup · 1-5, 1-16, 1-18, 1-21, 1-24 SPID · 1-3, 1-4, 1-8, 1-20 status screen · 1-10, 1-20 T test · 1-9 test lines · 1-9, 1-21 testline · 1-21 text entry · 1-16, 1-17 troubleshooting · 1-19 U U interface · 1-19[...]

Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE 3 - 1 SECTION 3 Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE About our hardware... 3- 2 Front Panel 3- 2 The Mixer Section 3-3 Send Mixer 3-3 Monitor Mixers 3-4 Display section 3-5 Send and Receive Meters 3 - 5 Lock LEDs 3-5 LCD Display 3-6 Blank Screen? 3-6 SAFE indicator 3-6 Control section 3-7 Edit knob 3-7 DIAL button 3-8 DROP button 3-9[...]

3-2 Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE About our hardware... ZephyrExpress, like almost everything else these days, is a software-driven device. This lets us put more features into the system, and means new updates can be installed without opening the case. But hardware’s important too. We put a lot of effort into making a system that would be compact and[...]

Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE 3 - 3 The Mixer Section MIXERS: Send Monitor 1 Monitor 2 Routing Switches Assi g n LEDS Mic 1 Gain Mic 2 Gain Line In Gain Monitor 2 Head p hone Jack Send Mixer Mic 1 and Mic 2 Routing Switches Press these buttons to cycle whether each mic’s signal will be sent to channel A , channel B , both channels, and off. The lette[...]

3-4 Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE h HOT TIP! If you need line inputs with separate gain or routing controls, you can convert either or both microphones to line level: set the Audio: Microphone Sensitivity adjustments to line +1 dB. Level Controls The three large knobs, with black caps, control the send level for their respective inputs. MIC 1 and MIC 2[...]

Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE 3 - 5 Display section Send Meters LCD Dis p la y SAFE Indicator Receive Meters Locked Indicators Send and Receive Meters The SEND meters indicate the levels being sent to the audio encoders. This is important, because codecs work best when they’ve got a reasonably high signal to work with. Adjust the mixer so that most o[...]

3-6 Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE audio will be muted if the coded audio bitstream is corrupted because of transmission problems. dp l When you press the DIAL , DROP , UTIL , or HELP buttons, the screen changes to show that function. Dial, Drop, and Help are self-explanatory. Util opens ZephyrExpress’ Utility menu, where you can change system paramet[...]

Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE 3 - 7 The SAFE indicator flashes briefly when changing codec modes. If SAFE is blinking, it may mean that someone left ZephyrExpress in one of its loopback modes when they last turned the system off. Normal operation will be impossible until you use the Codec menu to turn Loopback: Off . Blinking is normal if you have a Eu[...]

3-8 Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE h HOT TIP The EDIT KNOB is frequently called JOG on ZephyrExpress’ screens. That’s simply because it takes less space to write it that way. Dialing is a screen-driven software function. We’ve included complete instructions here, in the Hardware section of this manual, because the DIAL and DROP buttons don’t mak[...]

Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE 3 -9 analog POTS call, as described in Section 4 (Audio Operations). Once you’ve changed one of these fields, press EDIT again. Then turn the knob to re-highlight the Go! field, and press EDIT to place the call. If only one line is in use, it will be pre-selected when the screen appears (such as Line 2 , above). If both [...]

3-10 Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE Used to enter numbers for dialing, and text for setup names. Dialing works like a telephone. To enter text characters, press the key with the appropriate letter printed on it. Keep tapping it to cycle through the possible choices. For example, tapping the 2 -key in a text field will first enter A . Repeated taps will [...]

Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE 3-11 MODE switches SAFE MODE Turn ON to protect menu settings against accidental changes. This switch can be turned off with a small screwdriver blade or ballpoint pen. w IMPORTANT! Don’t attempt to move the SAFE MODE switch with a pencil. if the point breaks off, a piece of conductive graphite may fall inside ZephyrExpr[...]

3-12 Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE The S interface is a standard modular RJ-45 style jack. Ethernet 10Base-T cables work best for this application, and are available at most computer stores. S Interface Pinouts PIN FUNCTION 1 N/C 2 N/C 3 S Transmit to network + 4 S Receive from network + 5 S Receive from network - 6 S Transmit to network - 7 PS2 Power [...]

Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE 3-13 w IMPORTANT! North American ISDN connections are unterminated and not protected from line surges. These surges — from lightning and other causes —can damage electronic equipment, including ZephyrExpress’ U interface . Telephone-line protectors are available from electronics and computer stores. It’s your re[...]

3-14 Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE RS-232 Pinouts PIN FUNCTION 2 Rx (Computer to ZephyrExpress) 3 Tx (ZephyrExpress to Computer) 4 DTR (ZephyrExpress ready output) 5 Ground h HOT TIP! This port is configured as DTE, not DCE. This means pins 2 and 3 are wired like a computer instead of as a modem. You can plug in a standard modem, set for auto-answer, t[...]

Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE 3-15 +5 V +30 V M a x Parallel logic input circuit. Outputs The outputs are open-collector closures to ground, active low. They require a pull-up resistor to use with logic-circuit inputs. The pull-up may be built into the external device; if not, use a 2.2k W resistor to the port’s +5v supply. Current should be limited [...]

3-16 Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE ZephyrExpress XLR connectors are electronically balanced with pin 1 ground, pin 2 hot, and pin 3 return. Line inputs are bridging, high-impedance. Outputs are active-differential balanced, at a nominal +4dBu; an external resistive pad may be necessary for consumer amplifiers. All XLR Pinouts PIN FUNCTION 1 Ground 2 Au[...]

Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE 3-17 microphones), -45dBu (most dynamic and condenser mics), or -30dBu (very hot condenser mics or dynamics in loud environments). Either microphone input’s sensitivity can also be set to line , with a nominal level of +1dBu, for use as an additional line input. When line is selected, phantom power is not available. w IM[...]

3-18 Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE Monitor 1, Monitor 2 Headphone outputs Stereo jacks with left on the tip, right on the ring, and ground on the sleeve. Monitor 2’s front- and rear-panel headphone jacks have separate output buffers, so one can be used to drive low-impedance headphones while the other drives high-impedance ones or an unbalanced monit[...]

Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE 3-19 Power Input PIN Voltage 1 +5Vdc @ 5A 2 +12Vdc @ 1.5A 3 -12Vdc @ .5A 4 System Ground A separate modular power supply is provided with ZephyrExpress. Make sure it is not turned on, or check to make sure it isn’t connected to an AC line. Then plug its 4-pin XLR connector into the jack on the right side of the rear pane[...]

3-20 Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE w IMPORTANT: Never connect or disconnect the modular supply while it is powered! Make sure the power supply’s green LED is dark before plugging or unplugging its XLR connec tor. Connecting or disconnecting the modular supply while powered can erase memory settings or even damage ZephyrExpress. e NOTE: WARNING! There[...]

Z EPHYR E XPRESS HARDWARE 3-21 A A B switch · 3-3 Autodial · 3-8 B blank screen · 3-6 D DB-9 · 3-13 diagnostic · 3-5 Dial button · 3-6, 3-8 direct receive outputs · 3-17 Drop button · 3-6, 3-9 DTMF · 3-10 E Edit knob · 3-6 F front panel · 3-2 G G.722 · 3-3 H hardware overview · 3-2 headphone jacks · 3-4, 3-18 Help button · 3-6, 3-9 J[...]

AUDIO OPERATIONS 4 - 1 SECTION 4 AUDIO OPERATIONS A console at your fingertips... 4- 2 The Send Mixer 4-3 Microphone Inputs 4-3 Mic Routing Switches 4 - 5 Line Inputs 4-6 Line Routing Switch 4- 6 Send Level Controls 4-7 SEND Meters 4-7 The Monitor Mixers 4-8 Monitor Routing Switches 4 - 8 About Monitor Panning 4-9 Adjusting individual monitor panni[...]

4-2 AUDIO OPERATIONS A console at your fingertips... ZephyrExpress includes three separate 4-input stereo mixers, designed to make remote broadcasting easier. They incorporate both digital and analog technology, giving you the best of both worlds. We used sophisticated analog circuits for: ¥ Wide input range ¥ Smooth limiting, with the ability to[...]

AUDIO OPERATIONS 4 - 3 to feed a local PA system or DAT recorder, along with a rear-panel stereo headphone jack. The other monitor mixer has dual stereo headphone outputs to feed producer and talent simultaneously. If we sound proud of the design of ZephyrExpress’ mixers, we are. But if you’d prefer to bypass them entirely, there are also separ[...]

4 - 4 AUDIO OPERATIONS w BEWARE THE PHANTOM! While properly-wired balanced microphones can’t be damaged by phantom power, improperly-wired ones will cause trouble. Plugging in an unbalanced mic, using a “cough button” that shorts the mic’s signal to ground, and some kinds of cable shorts can damage the microphone, ZephyrExpress, or both. If[...]

AUDIO OPERATIONS 4 - 5 t DEEP TECH NOTE! The limiter activity depends on the peak-to-average ratio of the program material and may appear to operate at less than 15 dB above nominal level, depending on the audio being limited. Why you might want to leave the limiter off: · Dynamic range increases by about 7 dB, which may be desirable for non- broa[...]

4-6 AUDIO OPERATIONS Line Inputs The two line inputs can be used for a single stereo or one or two mono signals. Routing Stereo (A B) / Mono (A+B) / off To Channel A Codec, Monitors, SEND Meter To Channel B Codec, Monitors, SEND Meter BOLD FACE: Front Panel Hardware NORMAL FACE: Menu-item Software Switches Line A XLR/TRS + – +4 / -10 select Gain [...]

AUDIO OPERATIONS 4 - 7 Send Level Controls The three large black knobs control the level of their respective signals to the send bus. They are calibrated in arbitrary gray dots that don’t mean much, since the best way to mix is by using your ears and the SEND meters. SEND Meters The two 14-segment SEND level meters have a fast attack and slow dec[...]

4 - 8 AUDIO OPERATIONS The Monitor Mixers MONITOR 1 Send Routing Level Receive Routing Level Receive Meters Lock Indicators Mon 2 Headphone Jack MONITOR 2 Routing Level Send Routing Level Receive There are two independent monitor mixers. ¥ MONITOR 1 has a stereo headphone jack and two XLR output jacks on the rear panel. Its jacks are marked with g[...]

AUDIO OPERATIONS 4-9 ¥ B routes the signal from the Channel B send bus to the monitor. ¥ A B routes both channel send busses to the monitor. ¥ (OFF) disconnects the send signal from the monitor. The two Monitor RECEIVE routing switches ( MONITOR 1 RECEIVE , MONITOR 2 RECEIVE ) do the same thing, only with the signal from the A and B Receive Deco[...]

4-10 AUDIO OPERATIONS Monitor 1 Receive Monitor 1 Send Select A Only A-on l y Pan B-onl y Pan Select A+B A+B A Pan Select B Only A+B B Pan From Send A From Send B From Rec A From Rec B To rest of Monitor 1 Circuitry Adjusting individual monitor panning Scroll down the Audio settings screen and you’ll see four submenu entries, one for each of the [...]

AUDIO OPERATIONS 4-11 You don’t have to pan mono signals to the middle: ¥ Separating the microphones slightly to match their physical positions may make it easier to reach for the right knob when mixing a live show... even if you’re sending their signals in mono to the studio. ¥ If you need more than two separate monitor mixes, you can use th[...]

4-12 AUDIO OPERATIONS Normally both LOCK LEDs work together. If the receive mode is G.722 , however, they’ll operate independently to indicate the status of individual channels. Analog (G.711) phone calls ZephyrExpress can send or receive standard analog (or POTS 1 ) calls on either ISDN line, eliminating the need for a separate telephone and ana[...]

AUDIO OPERATIONS 4-13 up, you’ll be able to hear the caller through the internal speaker. Otherwise, you can bring up caller audio through one of the monitor circuits as RECEIVE A or RECEIVE B , depending on which line the call came in on. h HOT TIP! ZephyrExpress places most mono codec calls using the Channel A send bus and ISDN Line 1. It’s a[...]

4-14 AUDIO OPERATIONS Dealing with Delay Mix-Minus All perceptual coders have too much delay for talent on remote to hear themselves via a round-trip loop. Therefore, a special mix-minus arrangement is required – exactly the same as has been used with satellite linked remotes for years. The principle is this: The remote performers do not hear the[...]

AUDIO OPERATIONS 4-15 REMOTE SITE STUDIO M ain P rogram O utput + + T elephone M ix-Minus R emote M ix-Minus Studio Console Other Sources for music, etc. Phone Hybrid + Local send plus ISDN receive Zephyr or ZephyrExpress Remote anncr to studio Music + phone to remote Diagram showing system set-up for remotes with delay in the transmission path and[...]

4-16 AUDIO OPERATIONS A analog circuits · 4-2 analog phone calls · 4-12 C coding delay · 4-14 coding methods · 4-12 D delay · 4-14 G G.711 · 4-12 G.722 · 4-12 H headphone jacks · 4-8 L Layer 3 · 4-5, 4-11 limiter · 4-4, 4-5 line inputs · 4-2, 4-6 LOCK lights · 4-11 low cut · 4-4 M meters · 4-4, 4-7, 4-11 microphone inputs · 4-2, 4-3 [...]

CODING 5 -1 SECTION 5 AUDIO CODING OVERVIEW 5 - 2 Introduction to Audio Coding 5-2 Basic Principles of Perceptual Coding 5 -3 ISO/MPEG LAYER 3 5 - 5 Layer 3 Features 5-5 Psychoacoustic Masking 5- 5 Redundancy Reduction 5-6 Bit Reservoir Buffering 5-6 Ancillary Data 5-6 Layer 3 Joint Stereo 5-7 ISO/MPEG LAYER 2 5-7 Layer 2 Joint Stereo 5-8 Layer 2 M[...]

5-2 CODING OVERVIEW Introduction to Audio Coding Audio takes up a lot of data. Without data reduction, CD-quality quality audio — 16 bits at 44.1kHz sample rate — requires a transmission capacity of about 705 thousand bits per second (kbps) for each audio channel. But the wires we use for remote broadcasting are on a telephone system designed f[...]

CODING 5 - 3 finalized in November 1992 with three related algorithms, called Layers, defined to take advantage of psychoacoustic effects when coding audio. Layer 1 and 2 are intended for compression factors of about 4:1 and 6 or 8:1 respectively, and these algorithms have become popular in satellite and hard-disk systems. Layer 3 achieves compress[...]

5 -4 CODING 90 60 40 20 0 deciBels .02 .05 .1 .2 .5 1 2 5 10 20 kiloHertz Masking Threshold Threshold in q uiet Inaudible Signal Masker Masked Sound Masking effects in the frequency domain. A masking signal inhibits audibility of signals adjacent in frequency and below the threshold. To benefit from the masking effects, perceptual coders use a filt[...]

CODING 5 - 5 w IMPORTANT! Due to a perceptual coder’s reliance on precise principles of human perception, audio to be coded should not be processed with any non-linear dynamics- processing such as clipping, multi-band compression or limiting. Wideband compression or AGC is acceptable and may be desirable if a consistent level cannot otherwise be [...]

5-6 CODING main bands into 18 more. At a 32 kHz sampling rate, the resulting bandwidth is 27.78 Hz – allowing very accurate calculation of the masking threshold values. Sufficient frequency resolution is available to exceed the width of the ear’s critical bands (100 Hz below 500 Hz; 20% of the center frequency at higher frequencies) across the [...]

CODING 5 - 7 Layer 3 Joint Stereo A joint stereo mode permits advantage to be taken from the redundancy in stereo program material. The encoder switches from discrete L/R to a matrixed L+R/L-R mode dynamically, depending upon the program content. The matrixed mode of operation takes of advantage of the usual redundancy of the “center” channel i[...]

5 -8 CODING Layer 2 Joint Stereo The Layer 2 joint stereo mode uses an “intensity coding” method. This method has high coding power and is quite effective, but hurts stereo separation on some program material. Audio above 3 kHz or so is combined to mono and panned to one of seven positions across the stereo stage. Layer 2 Mono-128 ZephyrExpress[...]

CODING 5-9 G.722 uses a procedure called “statistical recovery timing” or “statistical framing” to lock the decoder to the data stream. (We use the procedures specified in ANSI standard T1.306-1989.) This process usually happens instantaneously, but can take up to 30 seconds. Other strange effects may be observed. Tones and noises may be pr[...]

5-10 CODING • The goal is to get as much “coding headroom” as possible at each stage. This is achieved when you: 1. Use the most possible bits at each stage, with the least possible compression (for example, by lowering the sample rate, and using 64kbps rather than 56kbps connection), and/or 2. Use the more powerful coding method of those ava[...]

CODING 5-11 CHOOSING THE CODING METHOD FOR YOUR APPLICATION This chart describes and compares some of the important characteristics of each method. Because ZephyrExpress includes all three popular coding methods, it’s possible to choose the most appropriate one for each application. Audio Coding Comparison Chart Layer 3 Layer 2 G.722 Algorithm Pe[...]

5-12 CODING Delay vs. Quality Looking at the chart, one thing that should be apparent is that there is a trade-off between delay and audio performance. Layer 3’s excellent audio performance requires a significant delay. This is because some of its power comes from the ability to analyze the audio over a relatively long period, and because the aud[...]

CODING 5-13 w IMPORTANT! The Layer 3 decoder in L3 STEREO mode requires that both ISDN lines be connected and operating in order for the decoder to function. Until both lines are present, the decoder will not output anything, even if the transmission mode at the distant studio is not stereo. Any data drop outs would cause interruption in both audio[...]

5-14 CODING • L2 JOINT (Joint Stereo) mode uses the “intensity coding” method in order to provide maximum quality for stereo program material. Delay is also compensated to preserve phase. Sampling Rate This option sets the sample rate for the transmitted and received coded audio. Input/output is independent and is set in the AES menus. The La[...]

CODING 5-15 Compatibility Between Telos Codecs The table below shows which Zephyr or ZephyrExpress transmit and receive modes may operate with each other, the resulting audio bandwidth for each, and information which describes what happens to the audio channels when they are output from the decoder. Xmt Mode Rcv Mode Audio Resp. Notes: L3 DUAL (one[...]

5-16 CODING While Layer 3 is a more complex algorithm to implement and so took longer to be supported, some non-Telos boxes can now communicate with Layer 3. Our implementation follows the strict ISO/MPEG standard. ZephyrExpress’ G.722 mode offers compatibility with almost all codecs which use this coding method, and which do not use the rare H.2[...]

CODING 5-17 A APT-X · 5-2 audio coding · 5-2 B bandwidth · 5-14 bit reservoir · 5-6 C cascading coders · 5-9 CCITT · 5-8 coding methods · 5-2 coding methods, comparing · 5-11 compatibility · 5-15 D delay · 5-12 dual mono · 5-13 dynamic range · 5-2 F filterbank · 5-4, 5-5 Fraunhofer · 5-7, 5-10 G G.722 · 5-2, 5-8, 5-11, 5-15, 5-16 I I[...]

MENUS 6-1 SECTION 6 MENU REFERENCE The Menu System 6-2 A typical menu 6-2 Navigation Shortcuts 6-3 Getting HELP 6-4 Menu Overview 6-5 Using Setups 6-6 Applying a Setup 6-6 Creating or Changing a Setup 6 - 6 Master Setups 6-7 Applying a Master Setup 6-7 Creating or Changing a Master Setup 6 - 8 Auto-creating a new Master Setup 6 -8 Manually creating[...]

6 - 2 MENUS The Menu System ZephyrExpress’ operating parameters are set through a series of nested menus, organ- ized by function. Many menu items are “live” — changing the value makes an immedi- ate change in ZephyrExpress’ behavior — and every item is supported by specific, unique online HELP. To find out what a item menu does (withou[...]

MENUS 6-3 • If the item is all text or numbers (such as Line sens Profess ), it directly changes this operating parameter. Select it by pressing EDIT , and you can change its setting.. • If the item has an arrow icon (such as Microphones ), it opens up a submenu when you press EDIT . Here you’ll find additional choices related to the item (in[...]

6- 4 MENUS • Hold EDIT in and turn it one click counter-clockwise, to jump to the top item on any menu. In menus, this is , taking you to the next higher menu or the Utility screen. In the Utility screen, this takes you back to the Status screen. h HOT TIP! The shortcut above means you can hold EDIT in and spin it many clicks counter- clockwise t[...]

MENUS 6-5 Menu Overview Utility Menu Com p atibilit y Codec Transmit Receive Bitrate Sam p le Rate Ancill Data Status Out Loop Mode Contacts Out Codec Setu p s ISDN Switch type SPID #1 SPID #2 DN #1 DN #2 MSN #1 MSN #2 Outside Line Panic Dial Channel Assi g n Safe Mode Codec Audio ISDN S y stem Manual Dial Autodial Master Autodial Audio Line Sensit[...]

6-6 MENUS Using Setups Codec Setup Items The first text item in any menu is an automatic Setup function, which applies pre- programmed values to all the items in that menu. Setups can be preset at the factory or created by the user. Factory-built setups are indicated with an asterisk at the end of their names. Custom setups are saved through a menu[...]

MENUS 6-7 Select the Action field and choose from Create new , Update , Activate , View, or Delete . Then confirm. If you’re creating a new setup, you’ll then be able to enter a name using the keypad. After you confirm the name, the Go! box will be selected. Press EDIT again to confirm, and all the current settings for this menu will be stored [...]

6- 8 MENUS When you find the desired setup, press EDIT to confirm. You’ll see a confirmation screen with the message Do you really want to activate this setup? Turn EDIT to highlight Yes , and press it to confirm. You can still change individual menu items setting manually, even after applying a Mas- ter setup. h HOT TIP! Auto-Dial Setups (page 1[...]

MENUS 6-9 Manually creating a Master Setup You can also create Master Setups by picking and choosing individual setups, letting the system auto-create setups only for specfic menus, and telling the system not to change other menus when the Master Setup is applied. After you select Create New and enter a setup name, the screen will scroll down to sh[...]

6-10 MENUS Autodial Setups The last item in the Utility screen lets you pre-program numbers for auto-dialing (see the dialing instructions in Section 3, Hardware). When you select it, you’ll see a screen like this: In the Action field, you can select Create new , Update , View , and Delete . Creating a new Autodial If you select Create New , you?[...]

MENUS 6-11 Menu Details Codec menu The first item in this menu is the Codec Setup. See page 6-6. — Transmit Selects the transmit coding algorithm 1 : L3-DUAL L3-STEREO L3-JOINT G.722 L2-MONO64 L2-MONO128 L2-DUAL (may appear as L2-STEREO ) L2-JOINT L2-HALF/24 — Receive Selects the receive coding algorithm 2 : L3-STEREO L3-MONO G.722 L2 L2-HALF/2[...]

6-12 MENUS i ISDN TIP! Some long-distance connections don’t support 64kbps. If ZephyrExpress won’t lock under these circumstances, both you and the distant site should change to 56kbps. — Sample Rate 32kHz or 48kHz . Codec sampling rates can be selected for Layer III (32kHz or 48kHz) and Layer II (48kHz only). Layer II can also operate at 24 [...]

MENUS 6-13 — Loop Mode Used for testing (see Troubleshooting, section 9) Off (Normal operation is possible) Far (Incoming ISDN immediately routed back to ISDN line) Near (Local encoded audio immediately routed to local decoder) w IMPORTANT NOTE! Normal operation is impossible unless Loop Mode is Off . When this mode is on, [Loop Mode] is displaye[...]

6-14 MENUS — Phantom Power Applies +48vdc in a phantom configuration 1 . On Off Phantom power is automatically turned off when you select Sensitivity: line . w WARNING! If you apply phantom power to an unbalanced microphone, or to a mic with shorted wiring or cables, you may damage the microphone and ZephyrExpress. Don’t use phantom power unles[...]

MENUS 6-15 — Mon1 XMT pan Opens the Monitor 1 Send panning submenu. — A setting Sets how the Send A bus signal is panned when Monitor 1’s A -only routing is used. — B setting Sets how the Send B bus signal is panned when Monitor 1’s B -only routing is used. — AB setting A Sets how the Send A bus signal is panned when Monitor 1’s AB ro[...]

6-16 MENUS i ISDN TIP! When you confirm a change of Switch Type , ZephyrExpress tries to resynchronize the line. If you’re sure you’ve entered the correct type but the Status screen doesn’t show Ready Ready , try changing the type to something else and confirming. Then change it back and confirm again: this often fixes a balky line. — SPID#[...]

MENUS 6-17 — Panic dial Lets you choose a dialing setup to be activated when pin 7 of the par- allel remote control is pulled to ground. Pin 7 must be held to ground until you want to drop the call. h HOT TIP! It’s not just for panics. You can use the Panic Dial feature for automatic backup of a satellite or alternative ISDN system by connectin[...]

6-18 MENUS 15 seconds 30 seconds 1 minute 5 minutes 30 minutes Never — Baud rate Sets the rate in bits per second 1 for RS-232 remote control. The serial format is always 8 bits, no parity, one stop bit (8N1). See section 6, System Level functions. — System Setups See Setups, page 6-6 — Set time ZephyrExpress’ clock will keep track of the t[...]

MENUS 6-19 When you select either choice, you’ll see a confirmation screen. Se- lect Yes to reset ZephyrExpress. — About... When you select this item, you’ll see a screen like this: V1.2.1/2.36 is the version number. 16.07.1998 12:39 reflects when the software was compiled. If your ZephyrExpress’ About screen shows a lower version number, y[...]

6-20 MENUS A access code · 6-16 arrow icon · 6-3 autodial · 6-10 D Dialog4 · 6-12 G G.722 · 6-11 H help button · 6-2 Help system · 6-4 K keypad · 6-7 L line inputs · 6-14 lock · 6-2 Loop Mode · 6-13 M menu navigating · 6-3 menu overview · 6-5 menu system · 6-2 menu, detailed description · 6-11 S SAFE · 6-2 safe mode · 6-19 Settings[...]

ISDN 7-1 SECTION 7 ISDN ISDN BASICS 7-2 Background 7-2 The Basic Rate Interface (BRI) 7 - 3 SPIDS 7-4 Directory Numbers (DNs) 7- 6 Long-Distance Digital Connectivity 7 - 6 HOW TO ORDER ISDN 7 - 7 Dealing with The Phone Company 7- 7 Details, Details 7-8 ZephyrExpress ISDN Compatibility 7 -9 Protocols 7-9 Ordering: Central Office Switches and Protoco[...]

7 -2 ISDN ISDN BASICS Background Like just about every other aspect of our high-tech world, telephones have been making a transition from analog to digital. Digital telephone transmission services — originally intended just to make basic voice calls more cost-effective — have also made the high- quality transmissions of ZephyrExpress possible. [...]

ISDN 7- 3 i ISDN TIP! While ISDN uses existing copper wires, its high frequencies mean the signal isnÕt as robust as conventional analog over those wires. How much cable there is from the telco switch or repeater is critical: in most cases, ISDN wonÕt work if the site is more than three miles from the switch. Your local telephone company must det[...]

7-4 ISDN t DEEP TECH NOTE! The actual 2 B channels of the BRI are assigned on a per call basis. Therefore, from a theoretically correct viewpoint, Lines 1 and 2 do not fully correspond to B1 and B2. SPIDS i ISDN TIP! European users should disregard all references to SPIDs. Euro ISDN does not have SPIDs! If you want, use the MSNs instead. Service Pr[...]

ISDN 7- 5 Ready Wait means incorrect SPID2 Ready Ready This is what you want to see. ISDN is working. Realtors remind buyers that the three most important factors of real-estate success are Location, Location, and Location! We want to remind you that the three most important factors to ISDN success are: Get the SPIDs, Get the SPIDs, GET THE SPIDS! [...]

7 -6 ISDN t DEEP TECH NOTE! SPIDs were designed to let telephone switches support different feature requirements by sensing the different identifier of each device on a BRI circuit. For example, mul- tibutton phones could retain functions when moving from line to line. (In this case, the line number would probably not be used as the SPID.) This let[...]

ISDN 7- 7 commercials remind us for voice calls, you can choose an ISDN long-distance company on a per-call basis by prefixing the number with the “1010-xxx” carrier code. You must dial the full number, including the 1 or 011 + country code, following the 1010- xxx numbers. i ISDN TIP! If you want to temporarily switch carriers, try prefixing t[...]

7-8 ISDN Bell companies offer a single point of contact number for switched digital services. Some Telcos use “Resellers” or “Agents”. If so, you should be sure to ask what experi- ence the particular agent has with ordering lines for high fidelity audio codecs. If in doubt, go direct to the Telco. And always order your line in writing, usi[...]

ISDN 7 -9 NT1s The ISDN standard specifies two reference points, the ‘U’ and the ‘S’ interfaces. The U is the single-pair bare copper from the Telco central office. A device called a ‘Network Termination, Type 1’ (NT1) converts this to the two-pair S interface. In Europe and Asia the NT1 is always provided by the phone company, and only[...]

7-10 ISDN will work with ZephyrExpress, the differences need to be taken into account when lines are ordered and the equipment set up. In the USA, telephone companies use either AT&T 5ESS, Northern Telecom DMS100, or Siemens EWSD switches. Each of these can support the National ISDN 1 (NI-1) protocol standard, which has been specified by Bellco[...]

ISDN 7-11 Terminal Type: A 1010XXX: Yes Turn off features such as: packet mode data, multiline hunt, multiple call appearances, Elec- tronic Key Telephone Sets (EKTS), shared directory number s, accept special type of number, intercom groups, network resource selector (modem pools), message waiting, hunting, in- terLata competition, call waiting, e[...]

7-12 ISDN ZEPHYREXPRESS SETTINGS (FOR YOU TO ENTER): Set Switch type to: PTP SPIDs : Not required AT&T Point-to-Multipoint (Custom) Available on AT&T 5ESS CO switches version 5E6 and above. This is becoming essentially obsolete as NI-1 has the same capabilities. It is not supported by ZephyrExpress. Order AT&T Point-to-Point (Custom) or[...]

ISDN 7-13 Euro-ISDN (Europe, Hong Kong, some others) ZephyrExpress works with any ISDN line which conforms to the Euro-ISDN, ETS300 standard. Fortunately, this protocol is standardized and there are no further details to worry about. Bearer Service: CSD and/or CSV as desired (see above) ZEPHYREXPRESS SETTINGS (FOR YOU TO ENTER) Set Switch type to: [...]

7-14 ISDN 1 1010-xxx · 7-7 A alternative long distance · 7-7 B bearer channel · 7-3 BRI · 7-3 C CSD, CSV · 7-8 D directory number · 7-11, 7-12 directory numbers · 7-6 DN · 7-6 E Euro-ISDN · 7-10 I Inact · 7-4 Init · 7-4 ISDN basics · 7-2 ISDN ordering · 7-7 ISDN wiring · 7-3 N NT1 · 7-3, 7-9 P phone company · 7-7 power supply · 7-9[...]

SYSTEM FUNCTIONS 8- 1 SECTION 8 SYSTEM FUNCTIONS Software Updates 8- 2 ZephyrExpress data ports 8-3 The Serial Port 8-3 Communicating 8-4 Security Levels 8-5 Command Help 8-6 Command Language Details 8 - 7 The Parallel Port 8-12[...]

8-2 SYSTEM FUNCTIONS Introduction This section covers system-level functions that have aren’t part of normal audio or ISDN operations: updating the software, and using the serial and parallel ports. One other system function — setting the internal clock — is so simple that it’s covered in a few paragraphs as System menu: Set time in section[...]

SYSTEM FUNCTIONS 8 - 3 3. Select System Software: Set default . This restarts ZephyrExpress. Since the newer version was previously running (because of step 2), it becomes the default. The older version is erased from system memory. w WARNING! Try new , Revert , and Set default all reboot the system. This drops any current calls, and causes ZephyrE[...]

8 - 4 SYSTEM FUNCTIONS h HOT TIP! This port is configured as DTE, not DCE. This means pins 2 and 3 are wired like a computer instead of as a modem. You can plug in a standard modem, set for auto-answer, to remotely control ZephyrExpress for automated remote broadcasts. If you want to connect directly to a computer, you’ll need a null modem (a mol[...]

SYSTEM FUNCTIONS 8 - 5 • The terminal program’s baud rate settings. If you have the latter problem, you will probably see some “garbage” text. Verify the setting in the System: baud rate item (default is 9600 baud), or try different rates at your computer. • COM port selection at the computer. ZephyrExpress echoes any data sent to it, to [...]

8-6 SYSTEM FUNCTIONS To log in, wait for the prompt. Then type login followed by the password for the desired level and press Enter: >> login user ¶ If it recognizes the password, ZephyrExpress will respond with: Welcome to ZephyrExpress control system user level. Press ? for help. >> w WARNING! If ZephyrExpress does not respond to use[...]

SYSTEM FUNCTIONS 8 - 7 The reply will always take the same format: • The first line is the name of the command ZephyrExpress is describing. • The second line is the argument — a word or number that modifies the command. Anything within brackets [ ] is optional. Some commands have the entire argument within brackets; if you send this command w[...]

8 - 8 SYSTEM FUNCTIONS w WARNING! baud changes the port speed as soon as you send Return. You must immediately change your terminal program’s speed to match, or communication can’t continue. bye none Log out from ZephyrExpress control system. Example bye ¶ No commands will be accepted until the next logon. conn <1|2> <number> Using[...]

SYSTEM FUNCTIONS 8-9 t DEEP TECH NOTE! Remote control values for LCD contrast and backlighting are only vaguely related to the 0-100% settings in the System menu. level none Display current encoder input & decoder output level, for testing the meter calibration. log [<GEN> <SYS> <ISDN> <IMON> <DEB> <off>] Use[...]

8-10 SYSTEM FUNCTIONS [<br56|br64|->] [<sr32|sr48|->] kept. Sets the ISDN bitrate to 56kbps or 64kbps, or keeps the current value. Sets the audio sample rate to 32kHz or 48kHz, or keeps the current value. You must specify all four arguments. Example mop - l3mo br64 sr32 ¶ Set the receive mode to L3-mono, the bitrate to 64kbps, and the [...]

SYSTEM FUNCTIONS 8-11 In addition, Expert level includes these commands: numbase <dec|hex|bin|none> Set default number base to either decimal, hexadecimal, binary or none. If none is selected all numbers must be preceded by explicit specifiers. The default base can always be overridden by explicit specifiers: % for binary $ for hex # for deci[...]

8-12 SYSTEM FUNCTIONS The Parallel Port ZephyrExpress’ parallel port has five contact-closure outputs and four logic or contact- closure inputs. Voltages and connection details are in Section 3, Hardware. Parallel Port PIN FUNCTION PIN FUNCTION 1 Ground 9 N/C 2 Output 2 10 Output 0 3 Status Out 11 Output 1 4 Output 3 12 N/C 5 N/C 13 Input 2 6 Inp[...]

SYSTEM FUNCTIONS 8-13 C codec mode · 8- 9 , 8-9 D DB-15 · 8-12 DB-9 · 8-3 diagnostic · 8-5 G G.722 · 8-9, 8-9 L locked · 8-12 M meters · 8-9 O oscillator · 8-11 P parallel port · 8-12 password · 8-6, 8-9 phantom power · 8-9 POTS · 8-8 R remote control · 8-3, 8-8 remote control language · 8-4 RS-232 · 8-3 S security levels · 8-5 seri[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING 9-1 SECTION 9 TROUBLESHOOTING First Steps 9-2 GENERAL 9-3 Thinking About Problem Solving 9 - 3 Diagnostic Aids 9-5 Look into the Lights 9- 5 LOOPBACK modes 9-6 Some Error Conditions 9-10 No functionality; the box is totally or partly dead. 9-10 Condition: ISDN Connecting OK, But No Audio 9-11 Condition: No Audio In Both Directions 9[...]

9- 2 TROUBLESHOOTING First Steps You don’t want to be reading this. Chances are, you reached for these pages because something isn’t working the way you expect it to. Cheer up. Most ZephyrExpress and ISDN problems are easily resolved, either by yourself or with the help of the telephone company. Unless you see blue smoke pouring out of the unit[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING 9- 3 i ISDN TIP! You can check ISDN continuity with an ordinary telephone or pair of 600 ohm headphones. Disconnect ZephyrExpress, and briefly place the phone (or phones) across the line. You should hear a rhythmic clicking — about once per second — or a loud, continuous white noise. If you hear a dial tone, it’s not an ISDN l[...]

9-4 TROUBLESHOOTING 3. Round up the usual suspects; 4. Generate a hypothesis; 5. Generate an experiment to test the hypothesis; 6. Fix the problem; Then, repeat, if necessary, to attack additional problems. Let’s cover each step of the troubleshooting sequence in detail. • Step 1. Observe the behavior to find the apparent bug. In other words, d[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING 9- 5 Other Ideas Constantly apply sanity checks. Almost thirty years ago, the Firesign Theater put out an album called “Everything You Know is Wrong”. Use that as your guiding philosophy in troubleshooting a Zephyr set-up. For example, just because you checked the Telco line last night and it was fine doesn’t mean it’s OK no[...]

9 -6 TROUBLESHOOTING this way, you’ve probably got a software problem... but there’s a possibility something has gone wrong with the hardware. If the LEDs light up but you can’t see any text on the LCD display, the most probable cause is that someone left the backlighting or contrast at an inappropriate setting. p Press the DROP button and ho[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING 9- 7 Block diagram of the audio circuitry during Far Loopback In Far Loopback, you should be able to: 1. Route the mic to one or both send circuits; 2. Shout into the mic, and see the A or B routing LED turn red to indicate overload 1 ; 3. Turn off the Monitor 2 SEND switch, set its RECEIVE switch to AB , raise the level, and hear t[...]

9-8 TROUBLESHOOTING Near Loopback for codec testing When the Codec: Loopback menu item is set to Near , incoming audio gets coded in the usual manner, sent into the ISDN interface but then looped directly back to the decoder. This checks over 90% of ZephyrExpress’ functionality with no ISDN line present. w IMPORTANT NOTE! If you are using the Eur[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING 9 -9 When Near Loopback is engaged and the coding methods match, the LOCK LEDs should light. Audio can be routed to the send bus, and monitored through the RECEIVE routing switches. Normal coding delays will be present. In Near Loopback, you should be able to: 1. Route the mic to one or both send circuits; 2. Shout into the mic, and[...]

9-10 TROUBLESHOOTING • If either unit can lock to itself, consistently, while looping through the other unit’s Far Loopback, then the ISDN connection is good. • If neither unit can lock to itself then the ISDN connection is failing somewhere. This can be because some part of the connection doesn’t support the bitrate you’ve chosen. It can[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING 9-11 During the initializing period, a self-test is performed. If there is a problem, this is re- ported on the LCD and progress is halted. The message should be noted for discussion with Telos customer support. If the unit does not reach the INITIALIZING stage, suspect a problem with the system processor, system clocks, or EPROMS C[...]

9-12 TROUBLESHOOTING Condition: No Audio In Both Directions Does ZephyrExpress’ loopback isolate the problem? See above for tips on using the loopback modes. Is the ZephyrExpress mode set properly? Your Codec: transmit mode must match their receive mode. Their transmit mode must match your Codec: receive mode. Sometimes cycling between modes can [...]

TROUBLESHOOTING 9-13 Some mics — and many direct boxes and press feeds — will choke if phantom power is turned on when they don’t expect it. Send gain set OK? With Audio: Limiter turned off, check the SEND meters for proper indication. The top two LEDs shouldn’t be lighting at all. Do the sample rates match? If the rates don’t match — i[...]

9-14 TROUBLESHOOTING setup or SPIDs haven’t been entered. Init Init can also appear when a European ISDN connection has been idle for a while. This is normal, and Ready will appear when you start using the connection again. Ready Init means only one working ISDN channel Ready Wait means incorrect SPID2 Ready Ready This is what you want to see. IS[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING 9-15 they may have given you a 2 B-channel AT&T “Custom Point to Multipoint” line with 2 phone numbers and 2 SPIDS. ZephyrExpress does not support this co n- figuration. If you have Custom Point to Multipoint, you can often get things working temporarily by following these steps: 1. Remove both SPIDS and both directory numbe[...]

9-16 TROUBLESHOOTING h HOT TIP! If you suspect the SPIDs given you are wrong, or the basic line provisioning (configuration) is incorrect, call the Telco and ask them to verify the SPIDS and provisioning from the switch . They’ll probably need to have someone call you back. Verify this person is logged into the switch. Get their fax number and fa[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING 9-17 You should also try the call at different bit rates (56/64 Kbps): that can affect how the call gets routed through the network. What does the ISDN “Cause” phrase say? This phrase or something similar will appear on the LCD after dialing. It comes directly from the telephone company equipment and can be valuable for troubles[...]

9-18 TROUBLESHOOTING • Terminal Error . Lights red to indicate a problem on the terminal (ZephyrExpress) side. Could be a problem with the cable or with ZephyrExpress itself. • Line Error . Lights red to indicate a problem with the Telco line. This means a very ba- sic kind of problem; usually no physical connection. h HOT TIP! You can use an a[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING 9-19 Note that in some cases there may be more than one meaning. This can frequently be evaluated by whether the message has been received by the calling party or the called party. Cause No. 1 - Check number, redial This cause indicates that the called party cannot be reached because, although the called party number is in a valid f[...]

9-20 TROUBLESHOOTING called user or by the network. In the case of user determined user busy it is noted that the user equipment is compatible with the call. Cause No. 18 - No far end response This cause is used when a called party does not respond to a call establishment message with either an alerting or connect indication within a prescribed per[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING 9-21 Cause No. 30 - Result of a STATus ENQuiry/Special Intercept announcment:# unassigned This cause is included in the STATus message the user sends to the switch when the rea- son for generating this message was a prior receipt of a STATus ENQuiry message or This value indicates that a user from outside a special business group (i[...]

9-22 TROUBLESHOOTING Cause No. 47 - Resource unavailable This cause is used to report a resource unavailable event only when no other cause in the resource unavailable class applies. Cause No. 50 - Requested facility not subscribed This cause is used to report that the cannot use this feature because s/he has not sub- scribed to it. Cause No. 51 - [...]

TROUBLESHOOTING 9-23 Cause No. 97 - Message type nonexistent or not implemented This cause indicates the equipment sending this cause received a message with a mes- sage type it does not recognize because the message is undefined, or it is defined but not implemented by the equipment sending this cause. Cause No. 99 - Information element non existe[...]

9-24 TROUBLESHOOTING A audio problems · 9-11 C Customer Service · 9-2 D diagnostic · 9-20 directory number · 9-15 E error message · 9-13 I Inact · 9-13 Init · 9-13, 9-14 ISDN “Cause” · 9-17 ISDN analyzer · 9-18 ISDN continuity · 9-3 ISDN problem · 9-13 L Layer 3 · 9-11 loopback modes · 9-6 loopback, far · 9-7 loopback, near · 9-9[...]

SCHEMATICS and DATA SHEETS 10-1 SECTION 10 SCHEMATICS and DATA SHEETS[...]

APPENDIX 11-1 SECTION 11 APPENDIX ABOUT AUDIO LEVELS 11-2 “Nominal” Levels 11-2 Level, Gain, dBu and dBm 11-2 CODEC COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION 11-3 Comprehensive ZephyrExpress Compatibility List 11-5 FINDING PUBLIC ISDN SITES 11-7 List of Known Working SPIDs by Telephone Company 11-9 Ameritech 11-9 Bell Atlantic 11-9 Bell South 11-9 Cincinatti B[...]

11-2 APPENDIX ABOUT AUDIO LEVELS “Nominal” Levels The following will help to understand what we mean by nominal : A mixing console has its analog VU meter calibrated so that a test tone set to the 0 dB red-green junction outputs +4 dBu to ZephyrExpress. The mixer is adjusted so that the VU meter looks “normal” on a music or voice program. A[...]

APPENDIX 11-3 100Ω 100Ω +4 dBu 20kΩ +4 d Bu Here, the output is loaded with a high impedance, as would be the case with modern equipment. ZephyrExpress’ voltage level is conveyed to the load with no noticeable attenuation. 100Ω 100Ω +4 dBu 600Ω +1.5dBu When a 600 Ω load is used, the voltage divides, with 2.5 dB being lost in Zephyr-[...]

11-4 APPENDIX CC S CCS C C S CC S C CS — COMREX — INTRAPLEX CDQ2000 CDQ1000 CDQPrima Roadrunner Micro 56 DX200 DXP/DXR 4400 Micro 64 NEXUS LAYER 3 N/S N / S Y ES YE S N/S N/S N/S N/S LAYER 2 J-STEREO YE S N/ S YES N / S N / S YE S N/ S N O DUAL YES N / S YES N/S N /S YES N/ S N/ S MONO YE S YES YES YE S N/S YE S N /S N/S 128 MONO YE S N / S Y E[...]

APPENDIX 11-5 A E Q — DIALOG 4 — GLEN NAGRA R E PHILLIPS YouCom ACD3001 MUSICTAXI REPORTER SOUND ARES-C 660/661 Baby Blue ReporterSet LAYER 3 N / S LIMITED MONO N/S N/S N/S N/S N/S LAYER 2 J-STEREO N / S N O NO N / S N O see note N/S N / S DUAL N/ S NO NO N /S N O see note N/S N / S MONO YES NO N O N/S YES YE S YES Y ES 128 MONO N / S N O N O N[...]

11-6 APPENDIX L2-Mono@24 : must be set to ISO bitstream. L2-Stereo : - L2-M128 : - G.722 : yes! ZephyrExpress can always receive. CDQ must have H.221 switched off in order to receive from ZephyrExpress • CCS CDQ2000 CDQ2000: Decoder DIP switch 6 up (decoder independent from encoder). L3-Mono : - L3-Stereo : - L2-Mono@48 : yes! L2-Stereo : yes! L2[...]

APPENDIX 11-7 L2-Stereo : ? L2-M128 : ? G.722 : ? • PKI G.722 phone G.722 : no? Because of H.221 and SETUP indicator. • PKI Magic Completely incompatible because of J.52? L3-Mono : ? L3-Stereo : ? L2-Mono@48 : ? L2-Stereo : ? L2-M128 : ? G.722 : ? • Philips MPR LIIBlue TrueBlue: : Must be switched to “CCS compatibility” mode for modes tha[...]

11-8 APPENDIX • Telos World Wide Web site http://www.zephyr.com will connect you to a variety of information about Zephyr- Express and ISDN, including site pointers. • Audiobahn A list of broadcasters and sound studios using codecs, maintained by Jay Rose’s Digital Playroom, a broadcast promo studio in Boston. These sites have submitted their[...]

APPENDIX 11-9 List of Known Working SPIDs by Telephone Co mpany Your SPIDs may be different! The phone company can assign any darned thing they want to as a SPID... but they usually adhere to these standards. Note, for each line there is only one configuration which will work. Your SPID is dis- tinct from your telephone number and does not necessar[...]

11-10 APPENDIX GTE XXXYYYZZZZ0101 — or — 01YYYZZZZ000 — or — XXXYYYZZZZ00 — or — SPID1 XXXYYYZZZZ01 SPID2 XXXYYYZZZZ02 Northern Pittsburgh Tel e - phone XXXYYYZZZZ000 Nynex See BellAtlantic Pacific Bell XXXYYYZZZZ0101 — or — SPID1 XXXYYYZZZZ01 SPID2 XXXYYYZZZZ02 — or — 01YYYZZZZ000 — or — SPID1 XXXYYYZZZZ1 SPID2 XXXYYYZZZZ2 [...]

APPENDIX 11-11 From the perspective of the telephone network, each channel appears to be a separate line with its own number and independent dial-out capabilities. Since each has to be di- aled or answered separately, they appear to be “lines” to users also. We refer to a B chan- nel as a “line” on ZephyrExpress menus. ZephyrExpress’ inte[...]

11-12 APPENDIX Pacific Bell 800-4PB-ISDN (800-472-4736) http://www.pacbell.com For questions or assistance 403-944-8130 SNET 800-420-4736 http://www.ntplx.net Stentor (Canada) Fax server 800-578-4736, document #200 has list of local ordering numbers. 403-944-8130 (questions/assistance). Southwestern Bell 800SWB-ISDN (800-792-4736) http://www.sbc.co[...]

APPENDIX 11-13 SPIDs Service Profile Identification (SPID) numbers are required in all but one the AT&T proto- cols. This number is given to the user by the phone company and must be entered cor- rectly into ZephyrExpress in order for the connection to function. SPIDs usually consist of the phone number plus a few prefix or suffix digits. There[...]

11-14 APPENDIX If you find that you have the 56 kbps limit on your line, you might want to request the Telco to upgrade the “RBOC-to-IXC tandem” circuit. NT1s The ISDN standard specifies two reference points, the “U” and the “S” interfaces. The U is the single-pair bare copper from the Telco CO. A device called a “Network Termina- tio[...]

APPENDIX 11-15 The Faxable ISDN Order Form (for use in US only) The following three pages can be copied, filled out, and faxed to the phone company to order an ISDN line. They should give the phone company all the information they need. The majority of installations, if ordered in writing, with this information, go smoothly. If you do experience pr[...]

11-16 APPENDIX FAXABLE ISDN BRI LINE ORDER FORM Page 1 of 3 To :______________________________________________________ Telephone Company Attention: From: Location for line: Company: Company: Address: Address: City/State/ZIP: City/State/ZIP: Phone: Phone: Contact: Contact: Long distance carrier: Date needed: Termination Date (if known: We request an[...]

APPENDIX 11-17 Fax page 2 of 3 PROTOCOL: National ISDN-1 From AT&T 5Ess, Northern Telecom DMS100, and Siemens EWSD. If you use IOC Capability Packages, please use Capability Package “S” CO Values: Line Type: National ISDN-1 Bearer Service: CSD/CSV on both channels TEI: One dynamic per number 10XXX Long Distance Prefix: Yes Turn off features[...]

11-18 APPENDIX Fax page 3 of 3 Number Display: No Call Appearance Pref:Idle 10XXX Long Distance Prefix: Yes Turn off features such as: packet mode data, multiline hunt, multiple call appearances, Electronic Key Tel e- phone Sets (EKTS), shared directory numbers, accept special type of number, intercom groups, network resource selector (modem pools)[...]

APPENDIX 11-19 A analog levels · 11-2 Audiobahn · 11-8 C compatibility · 11-3 CSD/CSV · 11-13 D Digifon · 11-8 E EdNet · 11-8 I IOC · 11-12 ISDN finding sites · 11-7 ISDN order form · 11-16 ISDN ordering · 11-10 L line input/output · 11-2 Long Distance · 11-14 P phone company · 11-10 phone company contact info · 11-11 protocol · 11-1[...]