ASTi ACE-RIU Manual

Revision K
Version 4
April 2022
Document DOC-HW-RIU-UG-K-4
Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
500A Huntmar Park Drive •Herndon, Virginia 20170 USA
[phone] •asti-usa.com
ACE-RIU
Technical User
Guide

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ProductName:ACE-RIU
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ACE-RIUTechnicalUserGuide
©CopyrightASTi2022
Restrictedrights:copyanduseofthisdocumentaresubjecttotermsprovidedinASTi’sSoft-
wareLicenseAgreement(www.asti-usa.com/license.html).
ASTi
500AHuntmarParkDrive
Herndon,Virginia20170USA

iii
Revision history
Date Revision Version Comments
4/26/2019 J 1 Converted content to XML. Updated content for gram-
mar and accuracy.
1/27/2022 K 0 Added "Bottom mounting diagram."
3/9/2022 K 1 Specified the RJ-45 Ethernet port speed/duplex
requirements in "RJ-45 ACENet connection."
3/21/2022 K 2 Further clarified the RJ-45 Ethernet port and cabling
requirements.
4/4/2022 K 3 Removed the solid green light from "Status indicator
lights."
4/26/2022 K 4 In "Memory devices," added User Modifiable, Func-
tion, and Process to Clear columns to the table.
Fixed multiple display errors throughout the doc-
ument.

iv
Contents
1.0 Introduction 1
2.0 Physical description 2
2.1 Dimensions 2
2.2 Weight 2
2.3 Front panel 2
2.4 Rear panel 3
2.5 RJ-12 serial port pinout 3
2.6 DB-9 connector pinout 4
2.7 Terminal block pinout 4
2.8 Status indicator lights 5
2.9 Dip switch positions 5
3.0 ACENet connection 6
3.1 RJ-45 ACENet connection 6
3.2 ACENet indicator lights 7
4.0 Audio input and output 8
4.1 Audio input 8
4.1.1 Input gains 8
4.1.2 Microphone power 9
4.2 Audio output 10
5.0 Digital input and output 13
5.1 Digital input 13
5.2 Digital output 14
5.2.1 Surge protection for digital output circuitry 14
6.0 Software configuration 15
7.0 ACE-RIU rack mounts 16
7.1 Bottom mounting diagram 17

v
8.0 Additional information 18
8.1 Access the ACE-RIU's internal board 18
8.2 Earth-ground the ACE-RIU 18
8.3 Update firmware 20
9.0 Specifications 21
9.1 Power requirements 21
9.2 Memory devices 21
9.3 Temperature and humidity ranges 22
9.4 Reliability 22
Appendix A: Set up Radio Bridge and Remote Control 23
A-1 Set up internal jumpers 23
Appendix B: Warranty information 24
B-1 Repairs and returns 24

1.0 Introduction
TheACE-RIUisacompact,48kHzdigitalandaudiodistributionmodulethatconnects
remotelylocatedoperatorstationsandliveradiostotheAudioCommunicationsEnvironment
Network(ACENet).TheACE-RIUiscompatiblewiththeTelestraandVoisusplatforms.The
ACE-RIUprovideslow-noiseanalog-digitalconversionandlow-latencyaudiodistribution.
TheACE-RIUintegratespress-to-talk(PTT)units,volumecontrols,simulatedcom-
municationspanels,handheldterminals,andliveradiosintothesimulatedcommunications
environment.
TheACE-RIUincludesthefollowingfeatures:
lFourdigitalinputs(i.e.,oneperchannel,fourchannelstotal)
lFourdigitaloutputs(i.e.,oneperchannel,fourchannelstotal)
lTwoRS-422serialports
Figure1,"ACE-RIUnetworkconfiguration"belowshowsanexampleofanACE-RIUnet-
workconfiguration:
Figure 1: ACE-RIU network configuration
Copyright © 2022 Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 1
ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

2.0 Physical description
ThischapterprovidesaphysicaldescriptionoftheACE-RIU:
lDimensions
lWeight
lDiagrams
lFrontandrearpanels
lPinouts
2.1 Dimensions
7.5″length×5.55″width×1.55″height
2.2 Weight
ApackagedACE-RIUweighs1.5lbs.ThepowersupplyincludedwiththeACE-RIUweighs
0.5lbs.
2.3 Front panel
ThefrontpanelfeaturesfourDB-9connectorsthatprovidedigitalandaudioinputand
output:
Figure 2: Front panel of ACE-RIU
2 Copyright © 2022 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

2.4 Rear panel
Figure3,"RearpanelofACE-RIU"belowshowstheACE-RIUrearpanel:
Figure 3: Rear panel of ACE-RIU
Number Description
Earth ground
Power
Two RJ-12 serial ports
Status indicator lights
Dip switches
One RJ-45 ACENet connection
Table 1: ACE-RIU rear panel callouts
2.5 RJ-12 serial port pinout
Figure4,"RJ-12portpinout"belowshowstheRJ-12portpinout:
Figure 4: RJ-12 port pinout
Copyright © 2022 Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 3
ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

2.6 DB-9 connector pinout
Figure5,"ACE-RIUDB-9connectorpinout"belowshowstheACE-RIU'sDB-9connector
pinout:
Figure 5: ACE-RIU DB-9 connector pinout
2.7 Terminal block pinout
Figure6,"ACE-RIUterminalblockpinout"belowshowstheACE-RIU'sterminalblockpin-
out:
Figure 6: ACE-RIU terminal block pinout
4 Copyright © 2022 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

2.8 Status indicator lights
TheACE-RIULEDindicatorlightsdisplaytheACE-RIU'sstatus:
LED Lights Location Status
Flashing green Bottom Normal operation.
Red Top Internal board failure.
Table 2: ACE-RIU status indicator lights
2.9 Dip switch positions
Thedipswitchesareusedtotogglebetweennormaloperationmodeandfirmwareupdate
mode.GotoSection8.0,"Additionalinformation"onpage18forguidanceregardingfirm-
wareupdates.
Table3,"Dipswitchpositions"belowshowstheACE-RIU'sdipswitchpositions:
Position Status
One down allows for firmware updates.
Default position for normal operation.
Table 3: Dip switch positions
Copyright © 2022 Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 5
ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

3.0 ACENet connection
TheACE-RIU'sACENetportconnectstoanACENet-compatibleswitchviaaCategory5e
(CAT5e)cableorbetter.
Device Cable Length
ACE-RIU 100 meters (328 feet)
Server 100 meters (328 feet)
Table 4: Maximum cable length to ACENet switch
Important: Customer-made cables are the primary reason for product failure. ASTi recom-
mends high-quality, manufactured CAT5e cables.
Alternatively,theACE-RIUcanconnectdirectlytotheorVoisusserverusingacrossover
cable.TheACE-RIUdoesnotsupportdaisy-chainingtoadditionalunitsorinternalswitching
acrossnetworks.
3.1 RJ-45 ACENet connection
TheRJ-45Ethernetportspeed/duplexrequirementsare100megabitspersecond(Mbps),full
duplex.Figure7,"RJ-45ACENetconnectionpinout"belowshowsanRJ-45ACENetcon-
nectionpinout:
Figure 7: RJ-45 ACENet connection pin out
6 Copyright © 2022 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

3.2 ACENet indicator lights
TheACENetLEDindicatorlightsdisplaytheportstatus:
LED Light Status
Solid green Network link.
Flashing green Network activity.
Solid or flashing
amber
One ACENet device per network functions as the ACENet master and is iden-
tified with a flashing amber light. All other ACENet devices should report a solid
amber light.
Table 5: ACENet indicator lights
Copyright © 2022 Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 7
ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

4.0 Audio input and output
ThechapterdiscussesACE-RIUaudioinputandoutputspecifications.
4.1 Audio input
TheACE-RIUiscapableofreceivingaudioinputsfromawidevarietyofdevices,suchas
microphones(freestandingandheadsetmics),PCsoundcards,VCRs,andtapedrives.The
nominalinputimpedanceofeachstageis1k.
4.1.1 Input gains
Toadjusttheinputgains,youwillneedtoaccesstheACE-RIUinternalboard.GotoSection
8.0,"Additionalinformation"onpage18forinstructions.Theinputgainsforeachchannel
aresetusingjumperblocksJ1(ChA),J2(ChB),J3(ChC)andJ4(ChD).Gainvaluesare:no
jumper=0dB(linelevelinput),20,30,40,or60dB.
8 Copyright © 2022 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

Witha0dBgainsetting,themaximuminputsignallevelthatcanbeappliedwithoutdis-
tortionbytheACE-RIUis2.5Vpp.Theoretically,aninputsignalassmallas+/-5mVpeak
couldbeappliedtotheaudioinput.However,itmightnotbepossibletoactuallyusea+/-5
mVpeaksignalinputtotheACE-RIUduetoon-boardcircuitnoise,ambientnoise(bothaudio
andelectronic),interfacecablingconstruction,andmicrophonecharacteristics.
Note: If you are unsure of your headset's compatibility with the ACE-RIU, ASTi provides a
headset evaluation service.
Figure8,"ACE-RIUinputfrequencyresponse"belowshowstheACE-RIU'sinputfrequency
response:
Figure 8: ACE-RIU input frequency response
4.1.2 Microphone power
TheACE-RIUcanprovidemicpowervoltagetoelectret-typemicrophones.A+10VDC
potentialiscreatedacrosstheaudioin+andlinesbypopulatingresistorpacksinconnectors
J24andJ32.InstallingresistorsinJ24providesmicpowertoACE-RIUchannelsAandB,
whereinstallingresistorsinJ32providespowertochannelsCandD.
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ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

Theresistorvaluesrangefrom470–10kbasedonthetypeofmicrophoneused.Resistor
selectionisbasedonthecurrentrequiredtodrivethemicrophonepreamplifier.
4.2 Audio output
EachACE-RIUchannelfeaturesahigh-performancedifferentialaudioamplifierthatiscap-
ableofdrivingawidevarietyofaudiointerfaces.
10 Copyright © 2022 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

TheACE-RIUaudiooutputcandrivebridgedloadsorsingle-endedloads.Bridgedloadsare
notconnectedtoanexternalgroundpoint.Examplesincludedifferentialinputstopro-
fessionalaudiorecorders,mixers,amplifiers,headsetsand“floating”speakers.Single-ended
loadshavesignalreturnsthatareconnectedtoanexternalgroundpoint.Examplesinclude
inputstoconsumer-gradeaudiodevicesliketaperecordersandPCsoundcards.
Eachchanneliscapableofsupplying1WattRMSintoabridgeconnected8Wload.Ifa
single-ended8loadisconnectedtotheoutput,theACE-RIUiscapableofsupplying250
mWattsRMS.
Theoutputimpedanceofeachchannelistypically0.1intoan8load.
EachACE-RIUchannelprovidesabalancedoutputwithamaximumsignallevelof10Vpp.
Whenusedtodriveasingleendedload,theoutputmaximumsignallevelis5Vpp.When
drivingbridge-connectedloads(differential,withnogroundconnection),connectboththe
AudioOut+(pin2)andAudioOut(pin7)totheload.
Whendrivingsingle-endedloads(withexternalgroundconnection),connectonlytheAudio
Out+(pin2)totheinputsideoftheloadandGround(pin5)tothegroundedsideofthe
load.AudioOut(pin7)mustbeleftunconnected.Thesingle-endedconfigurationtiesthe
ACE-RIUsignalreturngroundtotheexternalground,whichmayintroducenoisefromthe
externalgroundintotheACE-RIUaudiocircuit.Ifexternalgroundnoiseisintroducedinto
theACE-RIUinthesingle-endedconfiguration,itmaybenecessarytoconnecttheACE-RIU
outputtotheloadthroughabridge-connectedisolationtransformer(seefigureabove).By
default,theACE-RIUhasaDCblockingcapacitorinline.ASTidoesnotrecommendadding
thejumpertoremovetheDCblockingcapacitor.
Caution: Failure to follow the installation instructions for single-ended applications may
result in ACE-RIU damage that is not covered by the product warranty.
Copyright © 2022 Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 11
ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

Figure9,"ACE-RIUoutputfrequencyresponse"belowshowstheACE-RIUoutputfre-
quencyresponse:
Figure 9: ACE-RIU output frequency response
12 Copyright © 2022 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

5.0 Digital input and output
ThischapterdiscussestheACE-RIU'sdigitalinputandoutput.
5.1 Digital input
TheACE-RIUprovidescontact-sensingdigitalinputs.Nopowerisrequired.Connectingthe
digitalinputanddigitalinputgroundlinestogethertriggersthedigitalinput.
Figure 10: ACE-RIU digital input
ThedigitalinputsontheACE-RIUareusefulforprovidingadirectinterfacewithpress-to-
talk(PTT)switches.ThePTTinputisfeddirectlyintothemodel,therebyeliminatingcontrol
latencyassociatedwithhostI/Osystems.
Figure 11: Hand-held PTT and foot switch
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ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)

5.2 Digital output
Thedigitaloutputcircuitryconsistsofanopto-isolated,solid-staterelayforswitchingpower
toexternalloads.
Eachdigitaloutputcircuithasacontinuouscurrentratingof120mAmaximumandamax-
imumpowerdissipationratingof180mW.Whileproviding10mAofloadcurrent,the
MOSFETon-stateresistanceistypically21.Therelay'smaximumresponsefrequencyis500
Hz.
Type Opto-isolated
Maximum continuous current rating 120 mA
Maximum power dissipation 180 mW
Maximum frequency response 500 Hz
5.2.1 Surge protection for digital output circuitry
Whendrivinganinductiveload(e.g.,arelaycoil),alwaysuseaC/Rsnubberorclamping
diodeinparallelwiththeloadtosuppresslargespikes.
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ACE-RIU Technical User Guide (Rev. K, Ver. 4)