CB ELECTRONICS A-Mon User manual

CB Electronics
A-Mon
Analogue Monitor Control Unit
User Guide
Preliminary

A-Mon Analogue Monitor Control Unit
Contents
INTRODUCTION 1
INSTALLATION 2
C ONNECTING THE TMC-1 TO A-M ON 2
GPIO CONNECTIONS 3
TMC-1 HD15 (VGA) CONNECTOR 4
SYSTEM SETUP 5
M ONITORING O PTIONS 5
OPERATION 6
TALKBACK 7
TMC-1 T ALKBACK M ICROPHONE 7
A-MON BLOCK DIAGRAM 7
M ONO M INI O UTPUT 9
A DDING P HANTOM POWER TO L ISTEN 1, L ISTEN 2 AND E XTERNAL T ALKBACK . 9
USB PORT 1
C ONFIGURATION 10
F IRMWARE U PDATES 10
R ECOVERY M ODE 10
CB XPAND 11
XPand External connections 11
TMC-1 XPand Surround Format Selector 12
5,1/7.1/7.1. 12
5.1/7.1/9.1.2 13
7.1 TO 5.1 S WITCHING 13
S URROUND B ASS E XTENSION 13
C ONNECTING THE TMC-1 TO A-M ON AND XP AND 13
C ONNECTING THE TMC-1 TO XM ON AND XP AND 14
U SING EXISTING A VID C ABLE 14
NPUT C ONNECTIONS (25 PIN ‘D’) 14
O UTPUT C ONNECTIONS (25 PIN ‘D’) 15
NTERNAL L INKS 15
GLOSSARY 17
SPECIFICATION 18

A-Mon Analogue Monitor Control Unit
Inputs: 18
Outputs: 18

A-Mon Analogue Monitor Control Unit
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In nt tr ro od du uc ct ti io on n
The A-Mon analogue monitor control unit is housed in a 1U rack mount box. Designed for
stereo, 5.1 and 7.1 this ersatile unit corrects some of the problems of the X-Mon and is
a ailable as a stand alone unit.
•6 Inputs: 1 x 7.1/5.1, 1 x 5.1 and 4 x Stereo,
•Input Summing
•3 outputs: 1 x7.1/5.1, 1x5.1 and 1xStereo
•3 x Stereo Cue inputs
•4 x Stereo Cue Outputs: Studio L/S, Headphones and cue 1, cue 2
•2 x Talkback Mic I/P, 2 x Listen Mic I/P
•Stereo I/P 3 & 4 may be routed to Studio L/S
•Metering selected input(s) or Left, Right, Center, Studio L/S and Headphone
•Rear surround switching for 5.1 or 7.1

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In ns st ta al ll la at ti io on n
The A-Mon is a 1U rack mounting, care should be taken that it is not mounted in a position
where it will o erheat.
Connecting the TMC-1 to A-Mon
Connect the TMC-1 to A-Mon using a DDC VGA Cable, a 7.5 meter cable is supplied with
the system. Where ery long cables are used (>15m) we recommend using a separate
Talkback Microphone cable to pre ent cross talk between the Mic input and the digital
signals resulting in noise on the Talkback feed.
A-Mon
TMC-1 Long DCC VGA Cable
All input and output connections to the A-Mon are made ia 25 way ‘D’ connectors wired
to the Tascam standard. All inputs and outputs are electronically balanced.
A-Mon Audio Input/Output Connections
Input Connections (25 ‘D’)
C annel
No. (+) (-) Gnd
Stereo
I/P’s 1-4
Aux I/P, Cue I/P 3
7.1 or 5.1 + Cue 3
Main I/P
7.1 I/P
T/B L/B
Cue I/P 1 & 2
1 24 12 25 1 Left 5.1 Left Left Int. T/B (TMC-1)
2 10 23 11 1 Right 5.1 Right Right Ext. Talk/Back
3 21 9 22 2 Left 5.1 Center Center Listen/Back 1
4 7 20 8 2 Right 5.1 LFE LFE Listen/Back 2
5 18 6 19 3 Left 5.1 L.side L.side Cue 1 Left
6 4 17 5 3 Right 5.1 R.side R.side Cue 1 Right
7 15 3 16 4 Left L.back or Cue 3 L L.back Cue 2 Left
8 1 14 2 4 Right R.back or Cue 3 R R.back Cue 2 Right
Gnd 13
Note. Aux I/P may be configured as 7.1 to special order, Cue I/P 3 is then disabled.

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Output Connections (25 ‘D’)
C annel (+) (-) Gnd Cue O/Ps Alt/Mini O/P Main O/P GPIO AFL DMix
1 24 12 25 Cue 1 Left 5.1 Left Left AFL Left I/P
2 10 23 11 Cue 1 Right 5.1 Right Right AFL Right I/P
3 21 9 22 Cue 2 Left 5.1 Center Center DMix Left O/P
4 7 20 8 Cue 2 Right 5.1 LFE LFE DMix Right O/P
5 18 6 19 SLS Left 5.1 L.side L.side T/B O/P(Slate)
6 4 17 5 SLS Right 5.1 R.side R.side See GPIO
7 15 3 16 H/P Left Mini Left L.back See GPIO
8 1 14 2 H/P Right Mini Right R.back See GPIO
Gnd 13
DMix Left = L+C(-3dB)+Ls(-3dB)+Lb(-5dB), DMix Right = R+C(-3dB)+Rs(-3dB)+Rb(-5dB),
SLS = Studio Loudspeakers, H/P = Headphones
G
GP PI IO O C Co on nn ne ec ct ti io on ns s
GPIO Connections (25 ‘D’)
Pin Type Function
5 GPO 6
17 GPI/GPO 5
4 GPI/GPO 4
16 GPI/GPO 3
3 GPI/GPO 2
15 GPI/GPO 1
2 GPI/GPO 0
14 GPI 6
1 GPI 7
13 Ground
To Be updated

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TM MC C- -1 1 H HD D1 15 5 ( (V VG GA A) ) C Co on nn ne ec ct to or r
Pin No. In/Out (TMC-1) Function Note
1 Output TMC-1 T/B Mic +
Unbalanced
Ground
TMC-1 T/B Mic Gnd Default Jumper J13 between pins 1
and 2
6
Balanced
Output
TMC-1 T/B Mic - Option Jumper J13 between pins 2
and 3 – Use Pin 7 for Screen
11 Input Midi Rx-
2 Input H/P Right I/P
7 Ground H/P Right Gnd
12 Input Midi Rx+
3 Input H/P left I/P
8 Ground H/P left Gnd
13 Input RS422 Rx+
4 Output Midi Tx-
9
14 Output RS422 Tx+
5 Input RS422 Rx-
10 Output RS422 Tx-
15 Output Midi Tx+
Midi o er RS422 or MIDI Optical
See RS422/MIDI select in TMC-1
menu.
XMon uses RS422 by default, Midi is
used for software updates
A-Mon uses RS422 only
XPand uses RS422 only

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Sy ys st te em m S Se et tu up p
Monitoring Options
The A-Mon pro ides three options
that may only be enabled/
disabled using TMC-1-win or TMC-
1-mac ia the USB port. By Default
all three options are OFF.
No LFE: When checked the LFE
channel is sent to Left and Right
No Center: When checked the
Center channel is send to Left and
Right
No Rear Speakers: When enabled
the Lb and Rb signals are added
to the Ls and Rs.

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Op pe er ra at ti io on n
The A-Mon powers up with hardware mutes acti ated, depressing the Mute key on the
TMC-1 or the Mute key on the A-Mon will disable the Hardware mutes, to enable the
Hardware mutes use Ctrl-Mute on the TMC-1 or the Mute key on the A-Mon.
The three LED’s on the front of the A-Mon indicate the following
•Power: On when connected to power
•Mute: On when Hardware Mute is acti ated and ALL inputs and outputs are
muted.
•Comms: Indicates communications recei ed from TMC-1. When key is
depressed or the knob is turned the LED will flash as the commands are
recei ed, otherwise the LED will flash about once a second.
•Mute Switch: Enable/Disable Hardware Mute, the Mute and Un-mute command
from the TMC-1 remote will also disable the Hardware Mute.
Read the TMC-1 manual for information on controlling the A-Mon.
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St te er re eo o D Do ow wn n m mi ix x
The A-Mon Stereo Down Mix feature is used to monitor 7.1 and 5.1 on a Stereo system or to
check how a 5.1 or 7.1 mix will sound in stereo. The A-Mon design allows for ariable ratios
but they are currently fixed as follows:
Left Centre Left Surround Left Rear
Ratio 0.69 0.47 0.47 0.39
Left Out
dB -3.2 -6.56 -6.56 -8.14
Right Centre Right Surround Right Rear
Ratio 0.69 0.47 0.47 0.39
Right Out
dB -3.2 -6.56 -6.56 -8.14

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Ta al lk kb ba ac ck k
The A-Mon has two talkback inputs; by default the internal talkback input is connected to
the TMC-1 talkback microphone ia the HD15 remote connector. The two inputs ha e
indi idual gain settings that can be adjusted from TMC-1.
The Talkback is enabled by the TMC-1 user keys [T/B 1] and [T/B 2] (internal) and [T/B 1x]
and [T/B 2x] (external) which enable talkback microphones. GP Inputs may also be
assigned ia the menu to enable the internal and external talkback. The two Talkback GP
Outputs may be used to dri e relays that switch the talkback output destination. T/B 1 and
T/B 2 are routed to the 4 cue sends using the TMC-1 cue send enable matrix.
T/B
Ext.
SLS
H/P
GAIN
CUE 2
T/B 2
T/B
Int
Ext
Int.
Disconnect to
use 25 'D'
CUE 1
25 'D'
GAIN
15 'D'
T/B 1
A-Mon Talkback Block System
TMC-1 Talkback Microphone
Both talkback inputs are also connected to the rear panel 25 pin ‘D’ connector, if you want
to replace the TMC-1 microphone with a different microphone connected ia the rear
panel 25 ‘D’ connector you must disconnect the connection to the HD15 connector by
unplugging the 10 way ribbon cable to the talkback input card. Alternati ely if you are not
using the External microphone input as the producers talkback input you could use the
External talkback input.
A
A- -M Mo on n B Bl lo oc ck k D Di ia ag gr ra am m
See next page

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Case Studys
These modifications were made in actual installations
Mono Mini Output
There was only space for one speaker, although the Mono key can be used this does not
work when using AFL or PFL.
Adding Phantom power to Listen1 Listen2 and External
Talkback.

A-Mon – Analogue Monitor Control Unit
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US SB B P Po or rt t
The USB port is used for the following functions
Configuration
Use the TMC-1-mac/win configuration software to set the system options.
Firmware Updates
The USB Port is also used to update the A-Mon firmware. Updates are posted on the A-Mon
product page. See the A-Mon Reference and MidiUPD program for more information:
http://www.colinbroad.com/cbsoft/amon/amon.html
The Mute LED is used to indicate the Programming mode as follows
•Mute LED Flashing approximately once per second – Ready to program
•Mute LED Flashing approximately twice per second – Programming
•Mute LED Flashing approximately once per two seconds – Finished programming
Recovery Mode
If for any reason there is a problem when reprogramming (eg. Power Failure whist
programming) a reco ery mode is pro ided.
To enter reco ery mode, disconnect the power for at least 5 seconds, then reconnect with
the Mute key depressed. You will need to reselect the USB port used by MidiUpd.
The Mute LED will flash at approximately 1 second inter als to indicate that the de ice is
ready to program.

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CB B X XP Pa an nd d
The CB XPand con erts a 7.1 A-Mon system to a 7.1.4 or 9.1.2 ATMOS system by adding 8
extra channels to your existing system.
XPand External
connections
In 8 channel mode up to 16
channels are controlled with
indi idual speaker trim solo and
mute.
x8
MAIN O/P
x2
ALT O/P
x16
MINI O/P
XPand
MAIN I/P
x8
ALT I/P
x8
ST1 I/P
x8x16
x8
ST2 I/P
XMon
ST3 I/P
ST4 I/P
TMC-1
O/P
or
I/P
ICON
REMOTE
REMOTE
x8

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TMC-1 XPand Surround
Format Selector
The XPand format may be set ia
the USB port or from the TMC-1
8 C annel: All 8 channels are used
with a common gain control and
indi idual Mute and Gain trim
5.1/7.1/7.1.4 or 51./7.1/9.1.2:
Channels 1-4 are used for the for
the Atmos Speakers
Channels 5 & 6 ate used for L/R
Surround or L/R rear bass extension
Channels 7 & 8 are used for the L/R
Rear surround.
5,1/7.1/7.1.4
Atmos: XPand pro ides the control
for the four ceiling speakers.
Surround Bass Extension: Left and
Right sum and low pass of all the
surround channels
7.1 to 5.1 Routing: Switch the rear
speakers to Ls and Rs for 5.1 (TMC-1
pro ides the 5.1 gain Trim).
RBack
Right Top Back
5.1
7.1
7.1.4
Left Surround
Right Surround
Left Back
Left Rear Base
Right Back
Gnd
Left top Front
Right Rear Base
XMon
Right top Front
LSur
Left Top Back
RSur
Left Top Front
XPand
Right Top Back
LBack
Right Top Front
Left Top Back

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5.1/7.1/ .1.2
Atmos: XPand pro ides the control
for the two ceiling speakers and
two front speakers
Surround Bass Extension: Left and
Right sum and low pass of all the
surround channels.
7.1: XPand switches the Front
surrounds to Ls and Rs.
7.1 to 5.1 Routing: Switch the rear
speakers to Ls and Rs for 5.1 (TMC-1
pro ides the 5.1 gain Trim).
Right Surround
Right Front Surround
Left Back
Left top
Right Back
Right top
Left Front Surround
Right Front Surround
Gnd
XMon
Left Top
LSur
Right Top
RSur
XPand
LBack
RBack
Left Rear Base
Right Rear Base
5.1
7.1
9.1.2
Left Surround
Left Front Surround
Note: Other combinations may be added at a later date, for example a 9.1.4 system if the
rear speaker switching is not required.
7.1 to 5.1 Switching
The XPand pro ides surround switching between Atmos, 7.1 and 5.1. When switching from
7.1.4 to 5.1 the rear surrounds speakers are connected to the side surrounds. When
switching from 9.1.2 to 7.1 the front side speakers are connected to the side surrounds.
When switching from 9.1.2 to 5.1 the rear surrounds are connected to the side surrounds.
Surround Bass Extension
Two internal links are used to select outputs 5 and 6 between inputs 5&6 or the sum of the
left and right surround channels followed by a low pass filter to pro ide left and right
surround bass extension outputs.
Connecting the TMC-1 to A-Mon and XPand
Short VGA Cable
Long DCC VGA Cable
TMC-1 XPand
A-Mon

A-Mon – Analogue Monitor Control Unit
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Connecting the TMC-1 to XMon and XPand
XMon
XPand
Male
Long DCC VGA Cable
Short DCC VGA Cable
TMC-1
Converter
Using existing Avid Cable
AVID Cable
Female
Male +
XPand
Short
ICON
DCC VGA
Cable
XMon
Converter
XPand Audio Input/Output Connections
Input Connections (25 pin ‘D’)
C annel (+) (-) Gnd 8 C annel 7.1.4 9.1.4
1 24 12 25 1 Top Front Left Front side Left
2 10 23 11 2 Top Front Right Front Side Right
3 21 9 22 3 Top Rear Left Top Left
4 7 20 8 4 Top Rear Right Top Right
5 18 6 19 5 Left side Left side
6 4 17 5 6 Right side Right side
7 15 3 16 7 Left back Left back
8 1 14 2 8 Right back Right back
Gnd 13

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Output Connections (25 pin ‘D’)
C annel (+) (-) Gnd 8 C annel 7.1.4 9.1.4
1 24 12 25 1 Top Front Left Front side Left
2 10 23 11 2 Top Front Right Front Side Right
3 21 9 22 3 Top Rear Left Top Left
4 7 20 8 4 Top Rear Right Top Right
5 18 6 19 5 Left side/Left Sub Left side/Left Sub
6 4 17 5 6 Right side/Right Sub Right side/Right Sub
7 15 3 16 7 Left back Left back
8 1 14 2 8 Right back Right back
Gnd 13
Internal Links
The two internal links shown below are used to connect Outputs 5 and 6 to :
•Away from edge: Inputs 5 and 6
•Next to edge: Surround Bass Extension, Low pass sum of left and right surround
channels.

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Gl lo os ss sa ar ry y
Listen 1, Listen 2
Listen back channels, microphones installed in the Studio, machine room or o erdub
booth which can be monitored on the control room speakers.
L/B1, L/B2, L/B 1+2
Listen back channels 1 and/or 2 are enabled
T/B 1, T/B 2, T/B 1+2
Talkback channels 1 and/or 2 are enabled,
Mono
Mono is enabled: The mono attenuator is enabled, user programmable attenuation
from 0dB to 4dB in 0.5dB steps.
SLS-A, SLS-B
SLS = Studio Loudspeaker
There are two user keys associated with the Studio Loudspeakers SLS Mute and SLS
A/B, SLS A/B allows you to switch quickly between two Studio Loudspeaker Selections
Fn-1, Fn-2, Fn-3
Keys 9, 10, 11 User assignable Function Keys
DMix
Stereo sum of L+R+C+Ls+Rs+Lb+Rb
H.Mute
Hardware Mute: the Hardware mute GPO is acti e to dri e mute relays on the
power amp inputs to protect your speakers and ears from digital noise and power
on/off clicks
Default Input names
Main ip, Alt ip , St-1…St4
Default Speaker Set Names
Main, Alt, Mini