Biamp VOCIA VA-8600 User manual

Biamp Systems 9300 S.W. Gemini Drive, Beaverton, Oregon 97008U.S.A. [phone] www.biamp.com
Vocia®
VA-8600/VA-8600c
Manual

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
VOCIA AMPLIFIER 8600/8600c (VA-8600/VA-8600c)................................... 3
FEATURES ................................................................................... 3
FRONT PANEL .............................................................................4-5
SetupandUse................................................................................ 4
System Indicators ............................................................................. 4
Chassis Indicators............................................................................. 5
REAR PANEL...............................................................................6-9
DeviceIDSwitches............................................................................ 6
Power Entrance ............................................................................... 6
NM-1........................................................................................ 6
ResetButton ................................................................................. 6
Logic I/O ..................................................................................... 6
Ethernet..................................................................................... 6
NetworkConnection........................................................................... 7
AM-600 and AM-600c........................................................................... 7
Output....................................................................................... 7
Amplier-to-Amplier Failover .................................................................. 8
Channel-to-ChannelFailover.................................................................... 9
VA-8600/VA-8600c & AM-600/AM-600c CARD SPECIFICATIONS ...................10
BLOCK DIAGRAM ..........................................................................11
WARRANTY .................................................................................13

3
VOCIA AMPLIFIER 8600/8600c (VA-8600/VA-8600c)
The VA-8600 and VA-8600c are digital networked multi-channel ampliers. Both the VA-8600 and the VA-8600c are CobraNet®enabled
and feature eight channels of modular amplication, and DSP with optional channel-to-channel or device-to-device failover. The VA-8600c
is designed to be used specically with EN 54-16 certied systems, with the AM-600c card. It can support up to eight amplier cards that
are individually software congurable from 100–600 Watts for up to 2400 Watts of power per chassis, with software-selectable 70V, 100V,
and low-impedance outputs per card. The on-board DSP provides comprehensive xed-chain digital signal processing within the device,
including volume control, ducking, equalization, compressor/limiter, speaker crossover, delay, and output gain. Emergency messages for
life-safety compliant systems are stored in non-volatile memory within the VA-8600 and VA-8600c. Intuitive software provides audio system
design via PC computer. Two RJ45 connectors on the rear panel of the VA-8600 and VA-8600c provide redundant connectivity to control
data and audio over a single Ethernet cable.
Setup and Use
The Vocia software provides the interface for conguring and programming the VA-8600 and VA-8600c. The information supplied by this
manual relates to hardware installation, physical connections, and device and channel failover concerns. For more details on software
setup, please consult the Vocia Software Help File.
FEATURES
Modular based design•
Amplication modules have software congurable power •
levels/load options
– 8 amplication modules per frame with 100W to 600 Watts
per module (maximum of 2400W per chassis)
– 70 V or 100 V with direct drive capability, or low-impedance
(4 or 8Ω) operation
– Maximum of 2400 watts of power in 3 rack unit device
Failover capability between channels and ampliers•
Local non-volatile storage of emergency messages•
LED Indication:•
– Amplier failure
– Clip present
– Fan stuck-rotor
– Heat sink temperature fault
– Signal Peak
– Signal present
Software Monitoring Features:•
– Amplier failure
– Excessive clipping
– Fan stuck rotor
– Heat sink temperature fault
– Peak present
– Short circuit on output
Software-congurable signal processing including •
volume control, lters, compressor/limiting, delay,
speaker equalization, and output sensitivity
CobraNet audio/control with dynamic use •
of available bundles over single Ethernet cable
Dual CobraNet ports for redundancy•
Heavy duty removable terminal block connectors•
for speaker line connections
Rotary switches for unit identication•
CE• marked, UL listed and RoHS compliant
Covered by • Biamp Systems’ warranty

4
VA-8600/VA-8600c FRONT PANEL
Figure 1. Front Panel
System Indicators
The LED indicators on the front panel provide information about the function and operational status of the VA-8600 and VA-8600c chassis
and any installed AM-600 or AM-600c amplier modules. Columns one through eight correspond to the eight amplier module slots. The
remaining LEDs correspond to the VA-8600 and VA-8600c chassis.
Figure 2. System Indicators
Channel Indicators
Amp Fault is a yellow LED that illuminates when a channel fault has occurred. Two types of channel faults can be reported, depending
on the severity of the problem. Flashing yellow indicates a Warning, which means that some aspect of the AM-600 or AM-600c amplier
module is not performing within normal specication. Audio may still be passing, but if the condition causing the Warning is not corrected,
channel failure may occur. Solid yellow indicates a fault, which means that some aspect of the AM-600 or AM-600c amplier module has
failed and audio is no longer passing on that channel. Use Vocia software to determine the specic type of channel warning or fault that
has occurred.
Activity is a two-color LED that illuminates in green when that channel is congured and actively passing audio and yellow when that
channel is congured and in standby. Standby only occurs when a channel has been designated as redundant channel in a conguration
where failover is enabled.
amp fault
activity
signal status power
Channel Indicators Chassis Indicators

5
VA-8600/VA-8600c FRONT PANEL
Signal is a tri-color LED that indicates audio signal presence on the channel. Green indicates that the audio signal level is between
-50 dBFS and -3 dBFS, yellow indicates a signal level between -3 dBFS and 0 dBFS, and red indicates clipping.
Chassis Indicators
Amp Fault is a yellow LED that illuminates when a chassis fault has occurred. There are two types of chassis faults that can be reported,
depending on the severity of the problem. Flashing yellow indicates a Warning, which means that some aspect of the VA-8600 or VA-8600c
chassis is not performing within normal specication. Audio may still be passing, but if the condition causing the Warning is not corrected, chassis
failure may occur. Solid yellow indicates a fault, which means that some aspect of the VA-8600 or VA-8600c chassis has failed and audio
may no longer be passing through the device. Use Vocia software to determine the specic type of chassis warning or fault that has occurred.
Activity is a tri-color LED that illuminates to show the conguration status of the VA-8600 and VA-8600c unit. If the LED is dark, there is
no conguration in the unit. A green LED indicates that the unit is congured and a yellow LED indicates that the unit is congured and in
standby. Standby only occurs when a unit has been designated as a redundant device in a conguration where failover is enabled. A red
LED indicates a conguration load failure.
Status is a tri-color LED that indicates the health of the VA-8600 and VA-8600c hardware. A green LED indicates that the unit powered
up normally. A ashing yellow LED is shown briey during the power-up self test and should turn solid green upon successful start. A red
LED indicates that the unit experienced a problem during the power-on self test.
Power is a green LED that illuminates when power is applied to the unit.
Table 1. Channel Indicators
Table 2. Chassis Indicators
1. Only applicable on amplier modules congured for redundancy operation
2. Only applicable on amplier modules congured for redundancy operation
LED Row Label Red Yellow Green Dark
1AMP FAULT Never Flashing-Warning
Solid-Fault
Never No Amp Faults
2ACTIVITY Never Congured
and in standby1
Congured and active Not congured
3SIGNAL Signal above clip
threshold (>= 0dBFS)
Signal above peak but
below clip threshold
(> -3dBFS & < 0dBFS)
Signal above min. but
below peak threshold
(> -50dBFS & < -3dBFS)
Signal below min.
threshold (< -50dBFS)
4— — — — —
LED Row Label Red Yellow Green Dark
1AMP FAULT Never Flashing-Warning
Solid-Fault
Never No Amp Faults
2ACTIVITY Conguration
load failure
Congured
and in standby2
Congured and active Not congured
3 STATUS POST Failure Booting (ashing) Boot succeeded Did not boot
4 — — — — —

6
VA-8600/VA-8600c REAR PANEL
Figure 3. Rear Panel Layout
Device ID Switches
The rotary ID switches are located on the back of the VA-8600 and VA-8600c and give the unit a unique Device ID. The switches are in
hexadecimal format. All VA-8600 and VA-8600c units must have a unique Device ID to function properly within a Vocia Paging World (i.e.,
it is not possible to have two VA-8600 and VA-8600c units with the same Device ID of hex 07). To assign a Device ID of hex 07, turn the
LSB switch to 7 and leave the MSB switch on 0. To create an ID of hex B7, turn the LSB switch to 7 and turn the MSB switch to B. Device
ID switches should be set using a 0.1 inch (2.5mm) to 0.12 inch (3.0mm) flat blade screwdriver. More information on setting IDs and
the hexadecimal numbering scheme used in Vocia can be found in the Vocia Help File.
Power Entrance
The Power Entrance provides for connection of the appropriate power cord (included with unit). A switch selects the operating voltage
for the power supply, 110–120V or 220–240V at 50/60 Hz.
NM-1
NM-1 is the Network Module that is included with VA-8600 and VA-8600c. This module provides connectivity for control and audio via the
dual CobraNet interface and logic ports for the device failover functionality. The RJ45 connector labeled "Ethernet" is not used at this time.
Reset Button
Reset button, when held down for 5 seconds, performs a chassis restart. The Status indicator will ash yellow during restart and will turn
solid green once the process is complete.
Logic I/O
The Logic I/O connector on the NM-1 facilitates redundant device failover only. It is not a general-purpose contact closure interface.
See the Amplier-to-Amplier Failover section below.

7
VA-8600/VA-8600c REAR PANEL
Network Connection
The VA8600 and VA-8600c are CobraNet devices. All CobraNet routing and bundle assignments are processed by the Vocia devices
locally. Vocia makes dynamic use of available bundles in CobraNet. Vocia devices are currently not interoperable with non-
Vocia devices. A 10/100Base-T Ethernet switch (not repeater hub) is required when networking multiple units. CobraNet utilizes
standard CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6, or CAT7 cabling, which has a specied maximum length of 328 feet (100 meters). Additional Ether-
net switches, or switches which provide fiber-optic interface, can be used to extend the physical distance between units within a
network. Please note that CobraNet limits network extensions to seven hops (one-way transmissions) within a network.
The primary and secondary CobraNet ports are provided to facilitate connection redundancy. Each connector provides two LEDs that
indicate Ethernet link and network activity (see table below).
Table 3. CobraNet interface status LEDs
AM-600/AM-600c
AM-600 or AM-600c is the Amplier Module card. A VA-8600 or VA-8600c chassis can be populated with up to eight AM-600 or AM-600c
cards. The AM600c reports a fault if it detects a short to ground on a speaker line, where this short would compromise the capability of the
amplier to deliver emergency messages
Output
Use the yellow plug-in barrier strip connectors to connect loudspeaker level outputs. If stranded speaker wire is used, be sure to incorporate
all strands into the connector, as stray strands can short to the adjacent terminal or chassis. Do not leave excessive bare wire outside
the terminals, as this can lead to shorts.
Left LED Right LED Description
None None No data connectivity.
None Green Link established.
Flashing
yellow
Green Link established and CobraNet activity detected; the unit is acting as a CobraNet performer.
Flashing
yellow
Flashing
green
Link established and CobraNet activity detected; the unit is operating as a CobraNet conductor.
Flashing
yellow
None CobraNet fault. Check cabling and conguration for errors.
Please note: The VA-8600 and VA-8600c are powerful ampliers
and can damage loudspeakers. Please treat the VA-8600
and VA-8600c outputs as you would AC mains power outlets.
Always check the loudspeaker’s continuous and peak power
capabilities and match the amplier settings accordingly.

Amplier-to-Amplier Failover
Vocia supports one-to-one automatic amplier failover in case of fault. Failover is triggered by one of the following conditions:
Chassis fault•
Channel fault•
Loss of power•
Loss of CobraNet link•
Loss of Logic I/O•
Only faults (e.g., heat sink fault and channel failure fault) trigger the failover mechanism. Warnings indicate abnormal system conditions that
do not immediately impair audio and do not trigger the failover mechanism.
The redundant amplier must have the same conguration as the primary amplier (i.e., amplier module count, watts per module, load
conguration). A wire failover link cable must be connected between the primary and the redundant amplier as shown below. Connect ground
to ground and logic 4 of the primary amplier to logic 3 of the redundant amplier; connect logic 3 of the primary amplier to logic 4 of the
redundant amplier. Leave logic 1 and 2 disconnected. The redundant amplier can be wired in parallel to the existing speaker line or it can
be connected to a redundant speaker line (see gure below). Relays isolate the output terminals on the secondary VA-8600 or VA-8600c
unit. Relays are normally open. When a conguration is received, relays close on the primary VA-8600 or VA-8600c and remain open on
the redundant VA-8600 or VA-8600c. On failover, the relay position is switched.
After replacing the faulty amplier, a power cycle is required to recover from failover. The primary device will resume control after the fail
condition is cleared and the unit is re-powered.
8
VA-8600/VA-8600c REAR PANEL
Logic I/O
Class 2 Wiring
1 2 3 4
Logic I/O
Class 2 Wiring
1 2 3 4
Primary VA-8600/8600c
Redundant
Redundant VA-8600/8600c
Logic I/O
Class 2 Wiring
1 2 3 4
Logic I/O
Class 2 Wiring
1 2 3 4
Redundant VA-8600
Redundant VA-8600
Primary VA-8600
Primary VA-8600
Speakers A
Speakers B
Logic I/O
Class 2 Wiring
1 2 3 4
Logic I/O
Class 2 Wiring
1 2 3 4
Redundant VA-8600
Redundant VA-8600
Primary VA-8600
Primary VA-8600
Parallel

9
VA-8600/VA-8600c REAR PANEL
Channel-to-Channel Failover
In addition to entire amplier failover, Vocia supports channel-to-channel failover, which is triggered by one of the following conditions:
Heat Sink fault•
Short Circuit fault•
Channel Failure fault•
The wire failover link cable is not required when wiring channel-to-channel failover.
The redundant channel can be wired in parallel to the existing speaker line (shown above) or connected to a redundant speaker line.
The primary amplier module will resume control after the fault condition is cleared and the unit is re-powered.
OUTPUT
Class 2 Wiring
AM-600
OUTPUT
Class 2 Wiring
AM-600
12
OUTPUT
Class 2 Wiring
AM-600
OUTPUT
Class 2 Wiring
AM-600
12
Primary
Redundant
Redundant WiringParallel Wiring

10
VA-8600/VA-8600c SPECIFICATIONS
AM-600/600c Card SPECIFICATIONS
Supported Loads: 4Ω, 6Ω, 8Ω, 70-Volt or 100-Volt Line direct drive Frequency
response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz frequency
response flat +/-1 dB
Continuous operation:
in chassis with fans running
normally and unrestricted
intake and exhaust
600 W: 1 kHz continuous sine wave indefinitely Distortion and
Noise: ≤0.3% THD+N (20 Hz – 20k Hz) all
loads and power levels
Signal-to-Noise Ratio:
(unweighted over 22 Hz – 20 kHz)
100W
200W
300W
400W
500W
600W
Low-
impedance 70V 100V
>95 dB >100 dB >101 dB
>98 dB >101 dB >102 dB
>99 dB >101 dB >102 dB
>101 dB >102 dB >103 dB
>102 dB >102 dB >103 dB
>102 dB >103 dB >104 dB
Intermodulation
distortion
(SMPTE): <0.2%
Inter-channel
Isolation: >75 dB
(20 Hz-20 kHz, full power out)
DC offset: <10mV
Vocia Amplier 8600/8600c SPECIFICATIONS
Memory: 5.625 MB Power: 110-120 & 220-240VAC 50/60Hz
Inputs: 20 bits, 48 kHz, 5-1/3 ms (fixed) Overall Dimensions:
Height:
Width:
Depth:
5.25 inches (133mm)
19 inches (483mm)
17.25 inches (438mm)
Connection: RJ45 with shielded Ethernet/PoE cable
(CAT5, CAT 5e, CAT6, or CAT7)
Weight:
Chassis:
AM 600 card:
50 lbs. (22.68 kg)
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg)
Total Output Power: 2400W maximum per chassis
(Burst Mode only. Protective thermal limiting
will reduce long-term power output
Compliance: EU Directive 2002/95/EC, RoHS Directive
UL listed
CE marked
Environment
Ambient Operating
Temperature Range:
Ambient intake humidity:
Altitude:
18-80 degrees F (-8 – 42° C)
0 – 100% non-condensing
0 – 10,000 Feet MSL

11
VA-8600/VA-8600c SPECIFICATIONS
Vocia Amplier 8600/8600c Block Diagram
NETWORK
MODULE
AMPLIFIER
CARD
CLASS D
AMPLIFIER
DSP
DSP
Display
CobraNet
processor
uC
CobraNet
Audio and
control data
ID switches
FAN
CONTROL
FAN
1
SLOT 1
SLOT 2
SLOT 3
SLOT 4
SLOT 5
SLOT 6
SLOT 7
SLOT 8
SLOT 1
SLOT 2
SLOT 3
SLOT 4
SLOT 5
SLOT 6
SLOT 7
SLOT 8
TEMPERATURE
DC
DETECTION
FAN
2
Logic I/O
Failover
link

12
VA-8600/VA-8600c SPECIFICATIONS
VA-8600/8600c 115 VAC current draw and heat output
To determine the AC line current draw and heat output for the conguration, start by nding the total power for the congured Vocia chassis.
Then refer to the column that describes the type of audio levels the amplier will be producing. If your conguration uses more amplier
modules than the number shown, add 0.1 amps and 37 BTU for each additional module in the chassis.
Notes:
For 230 VAC, multiply the current by 0.5.
PN = Pink Noise
For each additional module above 4, add 0.1 A to the current draw and 37 BTU to the heat output.
* Burst mode only. Protective thermal limiting will reduce long-term AC current and continuous power output.
IDLE 1/8 POWER PINK NOISE 1/3 POWER PINK NOISE FULL POWER SINE WAVE
Total Output Power
(watts)
VA-8600
Modules Amps BTU Amps BTU Amps BTU Amps BTU
No cards 0 0.3 106 NA NA NA NA NA NA
100 1 0.4 143 0.7 227 0.9 244 1.6 406
200 1 0.4 143 0.8 239 1.3 271 2.7 491
300 1 0.4 143 1.0 251 1.6 300 3.8 590
400 1 0.4 143 1.1 263 2.0 333 4.9 668
500 1 0.4 143 1.3 278 2.4 356 6.1 788
600 1 0.4 143 1.4 297 2.8 413 7.3 910
700 2 0.5 177 1.8 418 3.4 551 8.9* 1211
800 2 0.5 177 2.0 430 3.8 577 10.0* 1296
900 2 0.5 177 2.1 442 4.2 607 11.1* 1395
1000 2 0.5 177 2.2 454 4.5 640 12.2* 1473
1100 2 0.5 177 2.4 469 4.9 663 13.4* 1592
1200 2 0.5 177 2.5 488 5.3 720 14.5* 1715
1300 3 0.5 211 3.0 609 6.0 858 16.2* 2015
1400 3 0.5 211 3.1 621 6.3 884 17.3* 2101
1500 3 0.5 211 3.2 633 6.7 914 18.4* 2199
1600 3 0.5 211 3.4 644 7.1 947 19.5* 2278
1700 3 0.5 211 3.5 660 7.4 970 20.6* 2397
1800 3 0.5 211 3.7 679 7.8 1026 21.8* 2520
1900 4 0.6 246 4.1 800 8.5 1165 23.4* 2820
2000 4 0.6 246 4.2 812 8.8 1191 24.5* 2905
2100 4 0.6 246 4.4 824 9.2 1221 25.7* 3004
2200 4 0.6 246 4.5 835 9.6 1254 26.7* 3083
2300 4 0.6 246 4.7 851 9.9 1276 27.9* 3202
2400 4 0.6 246 4.8 870 10.4 1333 29.1* 3325
585.0267.90A

13
VA-8600/VA-8600c WARRANTY
BIAMP SYSTEMS IS PLEASED TO EXTEND THE FOLLOWING 5-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY TO THE ORIGINAL PURCHASER OF
THE PROFESSIONAL SOUND EQUIPMENT DESCRIBED IN THIS MANUAL
1. BIAMP Systems warrants to the original purchaser of new products that the product will be free from defects in material and
workmanship for a period of 5 YEARS from the date of purchase from an authorized BIAMP Systems dealer, subject to the
terms and conditions set forth below.
2 If you notify BIAMP during the warranty period that a BIAMP Systems product fails to comply with the warranty, BIAMP Systems
will repair or replace, at BIAMP Systems’ option, the nonconforming product. As a condition to receiving the benets of this warranty,
you must provide BIAMP Systems with documentation that establishes that you were the original purchaser of the products. Such
evidence may consist of your sales receipt from an authorized BIAMP Systems dealer. Transportation and insurance charges to
and from the BIAMP Systems factory for warranty service shall be your responsibility.
3. This warranty will be VOID if the serial number has been removed or defaced; or if the product has been altered, subjected to
damage, abuse or rental usage, repaired by any person not authorized by BIAMP Systems to make repairs; or installed in any
manner that does not comply with BIAMP Systems’ recommendations.
4. Electro-mechanical fans, electrolytic capacitors, gooseneck microphones, cords connecting handheld microphones, hard-drives,
displays, and normal wear and tear of items such as paint, knobs, handles, keypads and covers are not covered under this warranty.
All server-based devices are warranted for 3 years only.
5. This warranty is in lieu of all other warranties, expressed or implied. BIAMP Systems disclaims all other warranties, expressed
or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and tness for a particular purpose.
6. The remedies set forth herein shall be the purchaser’s sole and exclusive remedies with respect to any defective product.
7. No agent, employee, distributor or dealer of BIAMP Systems is authorized to modify this warranty or to make additional warranties on
behalf of BIAMP Systems. Statements, representations or warranties made by any dealer do not constitute warranties by BIAMP
Systems. BIAMP Systems shall not be responsible or liable for any statement, representation or warranty made by any dealer or
other person.
8. No action for breach of this warranty may be commenced more than one year after the expiration of this warranty.
9. BIAMP Systems shall not be liable for special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including lost prots or loss of use
arising out of the purchase, sale, or use of the products, even if BIAMP Systems was advised of the possibility of such damages.

1414
COMPLIANCE

1515
COMPLIANCE

16
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

17
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

18
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS