BSS Audio FPC-800 User manual

BSS Audio FPC-800 User
Manual
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FPC-800
User Manual
We have written this manual with the aim of helping installers and sound
engineers to get to grips with the FPC-800 and obtain its maximum capability. If
you are new to BSS products, we recommend that you begin at the start of the
manual.
We welcome any comments or questions regarding the FPC-800 or other BSS
products, and you may contact us at the address or World Wide Web site given
in the warranty section.

BSS Audio FPC-800 User
Manual
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Contents
1 INRODUCTION 3
2 UNPACKING 3
3 INTERFACE INSTALLATION 4
3.1 Interface Fitting 4
3.2 EPROM Fitting 4
4 FPC-800 POWER UP 5
5 CONTROLS, CONNECTIONS AND DOWNLOAD 5
6 TCS CONTROL 6
7 PARAMETER ADJUSTMENT 7
7.1 Delay distance 7
7.2 Level 7
7.3 Mute 7
7.4 Program store/recall 7
8 FM RADIO LINK 8
9 MASTER/SLAVE OPERATION 9
10 APPENDIX 10
10.1 Error Messages. 10
10.2 Control Code Implementation. 10
10.3 Specification 10
11 WARRANTY INFORMATION 11

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1INRODUCTION
The FPC-800 is a battery powered hand held remote control unit that will control
up to sixteen TCS-804 units by a standard 3 wire audio lead or by a FM radio
wireless system. In the latter case the user is then free to roam around an
auditorium unrestricted by cables.
The FPC-800 will allow adjustment and display of delay distances on all
outputs. In addition it can call up and access all 12 memories in each of sixteen
different TCS-804 units that are suitably interconnected by their rear panel
sockets. Output gain trims and output mutes are also accessible. Any stereo
linking or relative modes selected on any TCS-804 will be automatically
transferred to the remote during the download routine. In addition, a MEASURE
facility is included which, with the aid of a built in microphone, will automatically
measure the delay time necessary for auditorium distributed loudspeaker
clusters.
Please read this manual carefully to ensure that you receive the most benefit.
2UNPACKING
As part of BSS Audios’ system of quality control, this product is carefully
checked before packing, to ensure flawless appearance.
After unpacking the unit, please inspect for any physical damage and retain the
shipping carton and all relevant packing materials for use should the unit need
returning.
Supplied with the FPC-800 and carrying case will be four AA size batteries, and
optionally the TCS-804 FSK interface module and replacement EPROM. If any
damage has occurred, please notify your dealer immediately, so that a written
claim for damages can be initiated. See the Warranty section of this manual.

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3INTERFACE INSTALLATION
To enable the FPC-800 to communicate with a TCS-804, it is necessary for the
standard MIDI interface module fitted to the rear of the unit to be replaced with
the FSK module. Please inspect the rear panel of the TCS-804 to confirm if it is
fitted. It will also be necessary for the TCS-804 to be fitted with EPROM v1.04 or
greater. This can be easily checked by watching the start-up messages of the
unit at power up. Should you need to do either of these, please proceed as
follows.
3.1 Interface Fitting
Disconnect power cord from the mains supply and remove the top and bottom
cover plates; Remove the MIDI interface card by withdrawing the three top
screws, and then remove the three underside screws which secure the nylon
pillars. Remove the metal MIDI cover plate by releasing the two screws that
secure it.
Fit the long nylon spacer supplied with the FSK interface into the central position
on the TCS-804 board and secure with one of the screws. Carefully plug the free
end of the FSK interface ribbon cable into the vacant 14 way socket which is
next to the temperature probe socket making sure that the red stripe is towards
the rear of the unit. Now offer the interface card, component side down, into its
position and secure with one of the screws into the nylon pillar. Finally secure
the interface metal plate to the TCS-804 rear panel using two screws.
Refit the top and bottom cover plates making sure that the bottom cover
insulator is in place. Switch the unit on, and check that the startup message
now shows ‘rem’, rather than Midi, indicating the change of interface module.
3.2 EPROM Fitting
Disconnect power cord from the mains supply and remove the top
cover plate. Locate and remove the existing EPROM, IC 56, which is just behind
the large IC towards the right-front, and replace with the new version. Please
ensure anti-static conditions during handling and fitting, and that it is inserted
with the correct orientation and that all pins are properly seated into the
socket.
Replace the cover plate and then switch the unit on checking that the start-up
message now shows the new version number.

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4FPC-800 POWER UP
Power is provided by four AA cells, which should be installed into the rear of the
unit by releasing the two battery compartment cover screws. Please observe
correct polarity when fitting. Alkaline cells should provide an average life of 40
hours under normal use and the flashing battery low indicator light will advise
when the cells need changing. The FPC-800 internal memory will not be lost
during battery replacement provided it is not left without batteries for longer than
about one minute.
To switch the unit on, a jack plug must first be present in either one of the two
sockets marked FSK INPUT or FSK OUTPUT. This ensures that the unit cannot
be inadvertently left on when inside its’ storage case. Press and hold the
ON/CHECK button, releasing it as soon as the startup messages begin to
appear. After 30 seconds or so of disuse, the display will automatically switch
of, so saving battery power. To switch on again simply press the ON/CHECK
button.
In the unlikely event of a processor 'crash', where the unit becomes stuck. And
with garbage on the display, removing one of the batteries for a few seconds or
so will allow the unit to reset properly.
5CONTROLS, CONNECTIONS AND DOWNLOAD
The FPC-8OO is connected to the TCS-804s by standard audio grade balanced
line cables with 3 pin XLR connectors at one end and 0,25" RTS jack plugs at
the other end. Wiring convention is not important provided the screen is
terminated to pin 1 of the XLRs. One male XLR/RTS jack and one female
XLR/RTS jack lead are required for download, while one male XLR/RTS lack is
required for normal operation. For interlinking several TCS-804 units together in
a chain, normal male/female XLR leads are required.
Following download, it is also possible to operate the FPC-800 over a FM
wireless link giving total freedom of use for the remote control. Please refer to a
latter section for instructions on use.
The interface data link between TCS units and the FPC-800 is unidirectional, so
it is important that the remote unit be loaded with all the relevant data currently
held by each TCS unit to be remotely controlled. This is essential not only for the
current delay and level settings, but also for the STEREO and RELATIVE status
of the TCS-804. This is achieved by initiating a download routine before
commencing to use the unit.
If more than one TCS-804 is to be controlled, commence by 'daisy chaining'
each one together such that the FSK out socket on the rear panel is connected
to the FSK input socket on the rear panel of the next TCS unit, and so on.

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Connect the FSK IN socket of the first TCS unit to the FSK OUT socket of the
FPC-800, and the FSK OUT socket of the last (or only) TCS unit to the FSK IN
socket of the FPC-800. This is the only time when the FSK INPUT socket on the
FPC-800 will be used.
If more than one TCS-804~is being controlled ensure that they are all set to
different channel numbers, through the UTILITY option. At the same time set the
last, or only, TCS-804 unit to transmit mode 'Tr -', with all other units to any other
mode, such as 'Tr.Pr’.
Now press and hold the ON/CHECK button until the message 'd 1.0' appears.
The FPC-800 will interrogate each channel in turn, and if a TCS-804 is present
on this channel, it will extract all current parameters and the contents of all
programs, During this download routine, the display shows the channel number
being downloaded, and also gives an indication of progress by the suffix 0-9.
The process takes approximately 8 seconds per active channel.
If a data error occurs, a re-try will be made. If the download fails, 'Err.7' will be
reported. Once the download is complete, all of the TCS-804s will go into their
SAFE mode, to inhibit any front panel changes which would cause a mismatch
between FPC-800 and the TCS-804.
If download is accidentally initiated without any connection to the FSK INPUT
socket of the FPC-800, the 'Load' message will be displayed for all channels,
but previously stored data will not have been lost. Incrementing/decrementing a
parameter such as DELAY will remove the message and restore the previous
parameters for the selected channel.
Once download is complete, connection to the FSK INPUT socket of the FPC-
800 can be removed, as it is no longer required.
6TCS CONTROL
TCS-804s’ are selected for control by pressing the SELECT button to point to
the CHANNEL parameter. Use the DOWN/UP buttons to set the required
channel number. The SELECT button is then used to select the parameter to be
adjusted, such as DELAY. If the selected channel has not been downloaded, the
message 'load' will appear. The DOWN/UP buttons are used to step through
values by 'stabbing' them, or if held the selected value will repeatedly be
incremented/decremented at a rate which accelerates.
If there is some uncertainty about the quality of communications between the
FPC-8OO and the TCS-804s, pressing the ON/CHECK button momentarily will
cause all interconnected TCS-804 units to display ‘----' when the line is good.
This can be done at any time, without danger.

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7PARAMETER ADJUSTMENT
7.1 Delay distance
To adjust delay on a selected channel, use the SELECT switch to point to
DELAY, and then press one of the four delay buttons so that the appropriate
green indicator lights. Operate the DOWN/UP buttons to achieve the delay
required.
NOTE: THERE IS NO OPTION ON THE FPC-800 TO SELECT WHICH UNITS
ARE USED FOR THE DELAY DISPLAY. THE DISPLAY IS ALWAYS SET TO
METRES, AND ADJUSTMENT IS THEREFORE DONE IN METRES.
If the TCS-804 has stereo linked delays or is in relative mode, the FPC-800 may
display flashing delay indicators to show that some delays are being 'pulled'
with the one being adjusted.
7.2 Level
Use the SELECT switch to point to LEVEL, and then press one of the four delay
buttons so that the appropriate green indicator lights. The DOWN/UP buttons
will then adjust the relative output level in dBs, to that required. The range is
normally ±6dB, but depending on the TCS-804 headroom setting the output level
range might be restricted. As with the TCS-804, a muted output is identified by
the '//' symbol on the display.
7.3 Mute
Use the SELECT switch to point to MUTE. Those outputs that are muted will be
identified by the green indicators above the delay buttons. To mute/de-mute a
delay output press the appropriate delay button.
7.4 Program store/recall
To store a set-up for the selected channel, press the STORE button, which will
cause the display to flash the current program number. To re-store in the same
location simply press STORE a second time. To store in a different location, use
the DOWN/UP buttons to change the program number, then press STORE.
Parameters will be stored both locally within the FPC-800, and in the TCS-804.
The recall process is very similar, but use the RECALL button. When a program
is recalled1 parameters are pulled both from the memory in the TCS-804 and
locally from downloaded data within the FPC-800. If the data was stored in the
TCS-804 in a different STEREO mode from the current mode, then the 'ERR 5'
message will be displayed for a while.
Measure Distance measurement, and automatic delay time adjustment is
possible with the FPC-800 by using its internal microphone, and a special test
tone taken from the FSK OUT socket of the last interconnected TCS-804 unit

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which is fed into the POH speaker system (or reference time zero system). If
this speaker system is also using one of the TCS-804 units within the
interconnected system, then ensure that it is set to channel 16.
Set the FPC-800 channel to that of the TCS-804 controlling the delay tower
being measured, and select MEASURE mode. There should not be any
appreciable background noise for the measure function to operate correctly, and
a 'Shh' message appearing at this time would indicate too much noise.
While standing at the delay tower position, press the DELAY button
corresponding to the delay which requires setting, and the measurement
process will begin. Note that if the TCS-804 is in a relative mode, such as in a
time-aligned system, the reference delay must be selected so that the delays
relative to it are adjusted by an equal amount. While the measurement is in
progress, as indicated by the 'BUSY' message, hold the FPC-800 still and
pointing at the main POH (or reference) stack, to which there must be an
unobstructed line-of-sight. The automatic process begins by muting all the
outputs of the TCS-804s, except that set to channel 16 which may be used for
FOH time alignment, The FPC-800 then instructs the last TCS-804 in the chain
to emit a tone from its’ FSK output, which is broadcast on the main POH stack.
The microphone in the FPC-8OO detects the onset of the tone and calculates
the time delay, and hence distance from the main POH stack to the FPC-800. A
second measurement is made, and if this agrees with the first, the distance is
shown on the FPC-800 display, and the delay value is sent to the appropriate
TCS-804, which then installs the new value. If the two measurements do not
agree the process is automatically repeated up to four more times until a steady
reading is obtained, otherwise 'Err 8' will indicate measurement failure. The
process is terminated by the mutes being restored to their original settings.
To achieve an accurate reading the signal received at the microphone should be
at a comfortable listening level, at least 6dB more than it takes to light the
RECEIVING indicator. In general, more accurate readings are obtained with
higher levels.
NOTE: To ease the setting up of this level, operation of the ON/CHECK
button forces the TCS-804 to emit the measurement tone at the same level
as is used during an actual measure sequence).
8FM RADIO LINK
Since during use the FPC-800 is likely to be some distance from the TCS-804s,
it may not be practical to use a microphone cable for communication. In this
case a FM radio link may be used to relay the FS~ data to the TCS-804s. A
beltpack style guitar transmitter would be ideal and the receiver microphone
output is likely to carry the appropriate level for the TCS-804 FSK interface. The

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FPC-800 FSK OUTPUT should be connected to the transmitter input, and the
receiver output connected to the TCS-804 FSK IN.
WARNING! Before the receiver connection is made to the FSK IN socket of the
TCS-804, ensure that either the receiver is switched off, the TCS-804 is
switched off, or the transmitter is switched on.
NEVER ALLOW THE RECEIVER TO INJECT ITS 'OPEN' SIGNAL STATIC
NOISE INTO THE TCS-804 OTHERWISE THE SETTINGS COULD BECOME
CORRUPTED.
9MASTER/SLAVE OPERATION
Operation is the same as for the standard MIDI equipped TCS-804 except that
there is no THRU socket since the FSK interface has a 'soft-thru' feature which
is completely automatic. The FSK OUT of the master TCS-804 is connected to
the FSK IN of the first slave, and so on in a 'daisy-chain’.
If a temperature probe is connected to the master unit, it will transmit
temperature data across ALL CHANNELS, so one TCS-804 may be equipped
with a temperature probe and all subsequent units will track the same
temperature, regardless of channel number.
If an active FPC-800 is connected to the master, the master will not transmit
master-slave information or temperature information. Any such changes will be
stored and then transmitted, approximately 15 seconds after the FPC-800 has
become inactive.
Please refer to the TCS-803/804 user manual for further information on the
master/slave modes.

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10 APPENDIX
10.1 Error Messages.
DISPLAY MESSAGE
Err.3 FSK interface timing error.
Err.5 Incompatible stereo mode.
Err.7 Download failure.
Err.8 Measurement failure.
If any other error messages persistently occur, make a note and consult your
dealer.
10.2 Control Code Implementation.
A TCS-804 fitted with the FSK interface will operate with the same control codes
as for the standard MIDI interface, with the following enhancements:
CONTROL CODE FUNCTION
8nH Download request
F3H, ttH Probe temperature
F8H Show '----' and if TR-, send measure tone
PBH Terminate download
PCH Remote sentinel
10.3 Specification
Serial transmission rate 244 baud
Data '0' frequency 1838 Hz
Data '1' frequency 1359 Hz
Data format 8 bit, 1 start, 1 stop, no parity
Output level -6dBu balanced
Optimum input level -15dBu to -3dBu balanced

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Manual
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11 Warranty Information
When sold to an end user by BSS Audio or a BSS Audio Authorised Reseller,
this unit is warranted by the seller to the purchaser against defects in
workmanship and the materials used in its manufacture for a period of one year
from the date of sale.
Faults arising from misuse, unauthorised modifications or accidents are not
covered under this warranty. No other warranty is expressed or implied.
If the unit is faulty it should be sent to the seller of the equipment, in its original
packaging with shipping prepaid. The unit will be returned to you when the
repair has been completed. If the unit was purchased in the European Union,
you may, as an alternative, return the unit to any other BSS distributor in the
European Union.
You should include a statement listing the faults found. The units’ serial number
must be quoted in all correspondence relating to a claim.
We recommend that you record your purchase information here for future
reference.
Dealer Name:
Dealer Address:
Post/Zip Code:
Dealer Phone No:
Dealer Contact Name:
Invoice/Receipt No:
Date of Purchase:
Unit Serial Number:
In keeping with our policy of continued improvement, BSS Audio reserves the
right to alter specifications without prior notice.
The FPC-800 was designed and developed by BSS Audio, Hertfordshire,
England.
Phone (+44) (0)1707 660667. Fax (+44) (0)1707 660755.
World Wide Web address: http://www.bss.co.uk