Polycom Vortex EF2210 Troubleshooting guide

Installed Voice Business Group
RS-232 Command Set:
Vortex EF2210 Programming Guide
Copyright © 2003 Polycom, Inc.
Polycom  and the Polycom logo are registered trademarks of Polycom, Inc.
ASPI, Vortex, VS4000, Viewstation, and iPower are
registered trademarks of Polycom, Inc.
All other brand names, product names, and trademarks are the
sole property of their respective owners

Vortex EF2210 Programming
Guide
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. RS-232 Hardware
3. Programming Tips
3.1. Initialization
3.2. Wildcard Characters
3.3. Using Acknowledgements
3.4. Macros and Presets
4. Command Structure
4.1. Device Type
4.2. Device ID
4.3. Command Name
4.4. Command Data
4.5. Command Terminator
4.6. Examples
5. Status Messages
6. Command Types
6.1. Boolean Commands
6.2. Integer Commands
6.3. Channel Commands
6.4. Matrix Commands
6.5. Miscellaneous Commands
7. Command List
8. Command Reference
8.1. ACKMOD -- Enable or Disable Acknowledgment Mode
8.2. AEC -- Enable or Disable Acoustic Echo Cancellation
8.3. AECMODE -- Set Amount of Double Talk Suppression used in the AEC.
8.4. AGC -- Enable or Disable Mic/Line Input Automatic Gain Control
8.5. AGCMAX -- Set Maximum Allowed Mic/Line Input AGC Gain
8.6. AGCMIN -- Set Minimum Allowed Mic/Line Input AGC Gain
8.7. AGCRATE -- Set Ramp Rate of Mic/Line Input AGC
8.8. AMASGN -- Assign Inputs to an Automixer
8.9. AMAUTO -- Select Automatic or Manual Gating for each Automixer Input
8.10. AMBUSID -- Set Automixer Groupings for EF Bus
8.11. AMCHAIR -- Enable Chairman Mode for Specified Automixer
8.12. AMCHNUM -- Set Chairman Mic
8.13. AMDECAY -- Set Decay Time for Automixers

8.14. AMGATEC -- Set Automixer Gating Control Mode
8.15. AMGATER -- Set Automixer Gate Ratio
8.16. AMGATET -- Set Automixer Gate Threshold
8.17. AMGNOM -- Set Global Maximum Number of Open Mics for Bus Automixer
8.18. AMHOLD -- Set Automixer Hold Time
8.19. AMLMM -- Set Last Mic On Mode for Specified Automixer
8.20. AMLMN -- Set Microphone That Will Remain On in Manual Last Mic On Mode
8.21. AMNOM -- Set Local Maximum Number of Open Mics for Automixer
8.22. AMNOMAT -- Select NOM Attenuation on Each Output
8.23. AMOFFAT -- Set Off Attenuation for the Specified Automixer
8.24. AMPRIOR -- Set Gating Priority for the Specified Mic
8.25. AMREFB -- Set Automixer Reference Bias for the Specified Automixer
8.26. AMREFE -- Enable Automixer Reference for Specified Automixer
8.27. BAUD -- Set Baud Rate for RS-232 Port
8.28. BLAUTO -- Enable Automatic BLDATA Messages
8.29. BLDATA -- Request Level Information
8.30. BLINFO -- Select Information to be Reported in BLDATA
8.31. BROAD2 -- Broadcast Arbitrary Command Strings to RS-232 Port
8.32. BROADA -- Broadcast Commands to Other Connected Devices
8.33. BUSREF -- Set Which AEC Reference is Placed on EF Bus
8.34. CGATE -- Query Camera Gating Status Information
8.35. CGATEEN -- Enable Automatic Camera Gating Messages
8.36. CGATET -- Set Camera Gating Hold Time
8.37. DELAYO -- Set Output Delay
8.38. DELAYOE -- Enable Output Delay
8.39. DSPAUTO -- Enable Automatic DSPLOAD Status Messages
8.40. DSPLOAD -- Query Percentage of Variable DSP Resources Used
8.41. ERROR -- Enable or Disable Error Messages
8.42. FADERGIL -- Set Fader Gain of Line Inputs as a Group
8.43. FADERI -- Set Input Gain Fader
8.44. FLOW -- Set Flow Control Mode for RS-232 Port
8.45. FPLOCK -- Lock/Unlock Front Panel
8.46. FPPSWD -- Change Front Panel Password
8.47. GAINGIL -- Set Gain of Line Inputs as a Group
8.48. GAINI -- Set Input Gain
8.49. GAINO -- Set Output Gain
8.50. GATE -- Query Gating Status Information
8.51. GATEEN -- Enable Automatic Gating Messages
8.52. GMUTEO -- Mute All Outputs
8.53. ID -- Set Device ID
8.54. LABEL -- Set or Query one of the Device Labels
8.55. LAGC -- Enable or Disable Line Input Automatic Gain Control
8.56. LAGCLINKAB -- Enable or Disable Stereo AGC Linking on Inputs A and B
8.57. LAGCMAX -- Set Maximum Allowed Line Input AGC Gain
8.58. LAGCMIN -- Set Minimum Allowed Line Input AGC Gain

8.59. LAGCRATE -- Set Ramp Rate of Line Input AGC
8.60. MACROA -- Add Command to Current Macro
8.61. MACROK -- Delete One or All Macros
8.62. MACROL -- List All Commmands in a Macro
8.63. MACROQ -- Execute Macro Quietly
8.64. MACROS -- Start a New Macro
8.65. MACROW -- Write Macro to Non-Volatile Memory
8.66. MACROX -- Execute Macro
8.67. METER -- Select which Signal is Displayed on the Front Panel LED Meter
8.68. MGAIN -- Set Crosspoint Gains in Main Matrix or Submatrix
8.69. MGATE -- Select Gated or Ungated Microphone Signal in Matrix
8.70. MIC -- Enable Microphone Gain Stage on Input 1
8.71. MINI -- Enable Modem Initialization String
8.72. MINISTR -- Set Modem Initialization String
8.73. MMUTE -- Mute Crosspoint in Main Matrix or Submatrix
8.74. MUTEGIL -- Set Mute Status of Line Inputs as a Group
8.75. MUTEI -- Mute One or More Inputs
8.76. MUTEO -- Mute One or More Outputs
8.77. NC -- Enable Noise Cancellation
8.78. NCL -- Set Noise Cancellation Attenuation
8.79. NVINIT -- Reinitialize Non-Volatile Memory
8.80. NVLOCK -- Lock/Unlock Non-Volatile Memory
8.81. NVPSWD -- Change Non-Volatile Memory Password
8.82. PEQIA -- Set All Parameters for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
8.83. PEQIB -- Set Bandwidth Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
8.84. PEQIE -- Set Enabled Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
8.85. PEQIF -- Set Frequency Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
8.86. PEQIG -- Set Gain Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
8.87. PEQIS -- Set Slope Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
8.88. PEQIT -- Set Type Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
8.89. PEQOA -- Set All Parameters for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
8.90. PEQOB -- Set Bandwidth Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
8.91. PEQOE -- Set Enabled Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
8.92. PEQOF -- Set Frequency Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
8.93. PEQOG -- Set Gain Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
8.94. PEQOS -- Set Slope Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
8.95. PEQOT -- Set Type Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
8.96. PHANTOM -- Enable Phantom Power on Input 1
8.97. PING -- See Which Devices Are Present
8.98. PRESETK -- Delete One or All Presets
8.99. PRESETL -- List All Commmands in a Preset
8.100. PRESETP -- Set Which Preset Will Be Activated At Power-Up
8.101. PRESETQ -- Execute a Preset Quietly
8.102. PRESETW -- Save a Preset
8.103. PRESETX -- Execute a Preset

8.104. REFASGN -- Assign AEC Reference to Input Channel
8.105. REFGAIN -- Set Reference Output Gain
8.106. SGGAIN -- Set Gain of Signal Generator
8.107. SGMUTE -- Mute Signal Generator
8.108. SGTYPE -- Set Type of Signal Produced by Signal Generator
8.109. SSDELAY -- Set Delay Between Screen Saver Screens
8.110. SSEN -- Enable or Disable Screen Saver
8.111. SSSTART -- Set Idle Time Required for Screen Saver to Start
8.112. SSTEXT -- Set Text to be Displayed by Screen Saver
8.113. SWRESET -- Perform Soft Reset of System
8.114. SWVER -- Query Software Version
8.115. VTXMODI -- Enable VTX Mode on Specified Inputs
8.116. VTXMODO -- Enable VTX Mode on Specified Inputs
1. Introduction
This document describes the command protocol that is used to communicate with the Vortex EF2210
via its RS-232 port.
2. RS-232 Hardware
The communication between the Vortex and a host controller is conducted via the RS-232 port on the
back panel of the Vortex. The Vortex's RS-232 port operates at the following settings:
●Bit Rate (bps): 9600 (default), 19200, or 38400
●Data Format: 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit (8N1)
●Flow Control: none (default) or hardware (RTS, CTS)
Note that although the flow control setting is user selectable to none or hardware, hardware flow
control must be used when updating the firmware of the Vortex. This means that while a 3-wire RS-
232 cable (RX, TX, GND) is acceptable for control of the Vortex, the minimum cable for updating
firmware should contain 5 wires (RX, TX, RTS, CTS, GND).
3. Programming Tips
3.1. Initialization
During power up of the Vortex device or initialization of the host program, electrical fluctuations on
the RS-232 lines may cause the Vortex to receive spurious data. After initialization, the host program
should send a few carriage return characters (^M, ASCII 13) to the connected Vortex to flush out any
spurious characters it may have received. Failure to do this could result in the Vortex ignoring the first
command received after initialization.
As part of the host program initialization, the host will want to synchronize the status of its controls

with the current status of the Vortex devices that are being controlled. The host could initialize its
controls to default values and then send commands to the Vortexes to set them to the same state.
This approach has significant disadvantages since initializing the host program could undo settings
made by other host programs or by the front panel controls of one of the linked Vortex devices. A
better approach is to query the linked Vortex devices for their status and set the host program
controls based on the return values.
3.2. Wildcard Characters
The use of the wildcard character, '*', can make programming the host controller much easier. Be
careful when using wildcards, however, since they can generate a lot of traffic on the digital bus.
3.3. Using Acknowledgements
It is a good idea for the host program or control system to make sure that all connected Vortex
devices have acknowledgment mode enabled (see the ACKMOD command). When acknowledgment
mode is on, a Vortex device will send an acknowledgment for each command it receives. Proper use
of acknowledgments makes the host program more robust and makes supporting multiple hosts
effortless. The rest of this section describes how to use acknowledgments to achieve these goals.
As a convenient example, let us imagine a host program with a graphical user interface (GUI). The
user presses buttons on the GUI to enable or disable features of various linked Vortex devices. The
buttons on the GUI reflect the current status of the corresponding feature.
When the user presses a button on the GUI to enable or disable a feature, the host program should
send the corresponding command to the selected Vortex device. It may be tempting to update the
status of the GUI button at this point, but this can cause problems if there are transmission errors or
if there are multiple host controllers. The proper way to handle this is to only update the GUI controls
based on acknowledgments received from the Vortex device.
To implement this, organize your code so that the functions that send commands are totally separate
from the functions that receive responses from the Vortex devices. This also enables your host
program to support the presence of multiple host controllers. For example, consider the following
sequence of events.
1. Another host sends a command to a Vortex device.
2. The Vortex device responds with an acknowledgment that is broadcast to all of the other hosts.
3. Your host program receives the acknowledgment and updates the status of the corresponding
control.
The result of this programming model is that all hosts and linked Vortex devices will always be
synchronized.
For simple on/off features, your host program can make use of the toggle arguments to some
commands (e.g., 'SSEN2'). By sending a toggle command when a button is pressed, and updating the
button based on acknowledgments, your host program will not have to keep track of the status of the
button.

In a similar fashion, many of the integer commands (such as gains) can be controlled by incrementing
or decrementing them by a specific amount. For example, the command ' ' increments the input gain
on channel by 1 dB. The acknowledgment for this command will return the actual value that the gain
was incremented to. Thus, to implement a volume control, your control program can send a
command to increment the gain by 1 dB when the "up" button is pressed and decrement the gain by
1 dB when the "down" button is pressed. The control can update its level indicator based on the
acknowledgment that is received.
3.4. Macros and Presets
Although macros and presets are similar, there are times when using one is better than the other.
Presets store the absolute values of all of the non-global settings of the device. This includes, but is
not limited to, input and output gain settings, matrix settings, algorithm settings, parametric EQ
settings, and automixer settings. See Section 7 for a list showing all the commands and which are
saved to presets.
Presets should be used when you really want to change all the settings in a device. One example
would be when you want to have one unit be able to control different rooms. In this case, having a
preset for each different room is the easiest solution.
Macros are like mini-presets. You can define them to change only the settings you are interested in.
One advantage of macros over presets is that macros can make relative changes in addition to
absolute changes. An absolute change is something like "set the input gain to -3 dB". A relative
change is something like "raise the input gain by 3 dB". One example of using macros for a relative
change is stereo volume ramping. If you have two outputs setup to have left and right program
audio, then you could build a macro that contains two commands: one to increment the left channel
by 1 dB and the other to increment the right channel by 1 dB. Then, by calling that macro, you can
ramp the stereo outputs. A similar thing can be done with decreasing the volume.
Another thing to consider when using macros and presets is to use the MACROQ and PRESETQ
commands instead of the MACROX and PRESETX commands. Both the Qand Xversions execute the
macro or preset, but the Xversions produce acknowledgements for the settings that change, while
the Qversions don't. If your control system updates its status by looking at the acknowledgements
that come back, then you'll probably want to use the Xversions. Another option would be to use the
Qversions and then manually query the values you're interested in. If your control system does not
need use acknowledgements, or if you are manually querying the values you're interested in, using
the Qversions is better since it doesn't generate acknowledgements and thus reduces RS-232 traffic.
4. Command Structure
A Vortex command consists of a series of ASCII characters with the following structure.
Description Number of Characters Range of Values
Device Type 1 0-9, A-Z, *
Device ID 2 0-9, *

Command Name 1-7 0-9, A-Z
Command Data 0-64 ASCII characters
Command Terminator 1 ^M (ASCII 13)
4.1. Device Type
A single alphanumeric character is used to indicate the device type. The devices in Polycom's
EchoFree family have the following device types.
Device Device Type
EF200 A
EF1210 C
EF2280 F
EF2241 B
EF2211 S
EF2210 Q
EF2201 T
Device type '*' can be used to send a command to all device types simultaneously.
4.2. Device ID
Two numeric characters are used to indicate the device ID. The Vortex can be configured for device
IDs from '00' to '07'. Note that even though the device ID is less than 10, the leading '0' must be
included. Device ID '**' can be used to send a command to all device IDs simultaneously. Some
examples of using wildcard characters are given below.
●'Q**' broadcasts to all EF2210 devices that are linked together.
●'*07' broadcasts to all devices with device ID 07 (this format is not commonly used).
●'***' broadcasts to all devices that are linked together.
4.3. Command Name
The command name can be from 1 to 7 characters long. Command names will be specific to device
types. In other words, the EF2280 has its own command set, which is different from the EF2241's,
which is different from the EF1210's, etc. There are some commands, such as 'PING', that are
common among all the various command sets.
4.4. Command Data
The command data is a series of 0-64 characters containing payload data for the command.
Obviously, the command data will be specific to the command type. note that the maximum number

of payload characters for the EF200 and EF1210 is 32, but the Vortex devices support up to 64
characters in the payload. This increase was necessary to accommodate the matrix gain and
macro/preset commands.
4.5. Command Terminator
The command terminator is a single character indicating the end of a command. ASCII 13 (^M) was
chosen as the terminator to allow manually typing commands using a simple text terminal.
4.6. Examples
In the following examples, Vortex commands are enclosed in single quotes, 'like this'. Also, the
terminator character is not explicitly shown, but its presence is implied.
Consider the command '***PING'. The device type and ID for this command are wildcards, thus the
command will be sent to all devices. The command name in this case is 'PING', and there are no data
characters (payload). Note that the 'PING' command is supported by all of the Vortex devices, thus
broadcasting the command to all devices makes sense.
Consider the command 'Q**GAINIA10'. The device type for this command is 'Q' and the device ID is
a wildcard, thus the command will be broadcast to all EF2210 devices linked together. The command
name in this case is 'GAINIA' and the command data (payload) is '10'. This command sets the gain
on input A of all connected EF2210's to 10 dB.
Command Effects
***PING Requests PONG response from all linked Vortex devices.
Q**GAINIA10 Sets the gain on input A of all connected EF2210 devices to 10 dB.
5. Status Messages
The Vortex sends status messages via RS-232 and EF Bus any time one of its internal parameters
changes. This means that the host program does not need to continually poll the Vortex in order to
detect status changes. Status messages are in the same format as the commands used to set the
corresponding parameter.
For example, suppose you send the command 'Q**GAINIA10' and there are two EF2210's linked
together with device IDs 3 and 7. The EF2210's will respond with 'Q03GAINIA10' and
'Q07GAINIA10', respectively. Now, someone uses the front panel of the EF2210 set to ID 7 to
decrease input A's gain by 1 dB. When this happens, the EF2210 will respond with 'Q07GAINIA9'.
This example illustrates that status messages can be sent as the result of an RS-232 command or as
the result of some other change in the Vortex device such as front panel adjustments, logic inputs,
etc.
Status messages can be turned off via the ACKMOD command. ACKMOD refers to acknowledgement
mode since the term status message and acknowledgement are synonymous for our purposes.

6. Command Types
Many of the Vortex commands have similar formats. The main formats are described here in order to
provide a better understanding of the command set.
6.1. Boolean Commands
Boolean commands take one of the three following arguments.
●'0' indicates that the parameter should be turned off.
●'1' indicates that the parameter should be turned on.
●'2' indicates that the parameter should be toggled (i.e., '0' becomes '1' and '1' becomes '0').
Parameters associated with boolean commands can be queried using the '?' character. For example, if
input A is muted, and you send ' Q04MUTEIA? ', the EF2210 will respond with a status message of '
Q04MUTEIA1 '. When a status message is generated for a boolean command, the command data will
either be a '0' or '1', since '2' is obviously not a valid state.
6.2. Integer Commands
Integer commands can take one of two types of arguments. The first argument type is absolute,
meaning that the parameter will be set to the specified number. For example, ' Q04GAINIA10 '
means that the gain on input A will be set to 10 dB. In this case, the device will respond with a status
message of ' Q04GAINIA10 '.
The second argument type is relative, meaning that the parameter will be incremented or
decremented by the specified amount. The increment character is '>' and the decrement character is
'<'. For example, ' Q04GAINIA>3 ' increments the gain on input A by 3 dB. If the input's gain was
previously set to 6 dB, then it would now be set to 9 dB. In this case the device would respond with a
status message of ' Q04GAINIA9 '.
The numeric part of both the absolute and relative arguments can contain a '+' or '-' to indicate the
algebraic sign of the argument. If no sign is given, '+' is assumed.
The parameters associated with integer commands have maximum and minimum values associated
with them. If you try to set a parameter above its maximum or below its minimum, the parameter will
be set to its maximum or minimum value, respectively.
Parameters associated with integer commands can be queried using the '?' character. For example, if
input A 's gain is set to 12, and you send ' Q04GAINIA? ', the device will respond with a status
message of ' Q04GAINIA12 '.
6.3. Channel Commands

A command can be a channel command in addition to being one of the other types of commands
(integer or boolean). A channel command means that the command applies to a specific input or
output channel. The channel is specified by a single character (e.g., '1', 'A', 'B', etc.) occurring before
any other payload data.
An example of a boolean channel command is the 'AGC' (Automatic Gain Control) command. '
Q04AGC10 ' disables the AEC on input channel 1 . After sending this command, the device will
respond with a status message of ' Q04AGC10 '.
An example of an integer channel command is the 'GAINI' command, which adjusts the gain on the
input channels. ' Q04GAINIA12 ' sets the input gain of channel A to 12 dB. After sending this
command, the device will respond with a status message of ' Q04GAINIA12 '.
A wildcard character ('*') can be used as the channel specifier for many of the channel commands. If
this is the case, there are two options for specifying the values for the channels. The first method is
to specify a single value that will be applied to all the channels.
Take the MUTEI command for example: ' Q04MUTEI*1' mutes input channels 1 and A-B After
sending this command, the device will respond with a status message of ' Q04MUTEI*111'. In this
status message, the device reports the status of all the channels. Since the MUTEI command applies
to channels 1 and A-B the status of all 3 channels. The first (left most) value corresponds to channel
1 and the last (right most) value corresponds to channel B.
This leads us to the second method of using a wildcard character: specifying the values for each of
the channels. For example, ' B04MUTEI*101' mutes channels 1, B and unmutes channel A. In this
case, the device will respond with a status message of ' B04MUTEI*101'.
As an interesting example, consider sending ' Q04MUTEI*2' after the above example. The device will
respond with a status message of ' Q04MUTEI*010'. Notice that all the states have been toggled.
Queries using the '?' character are straightforward. For example, ' Q04MUTEI1?' might return '
Q04MUTEI11', while ' Q04MUTEI*?' might return ' Q04MUTEI*100'.
Using the wildcard character with integer channel commands is similar to using it with boolean
commands, but there are some differences. If we sent ' Q04GAINI*10', the input gains on channels
1 and A-B will all be set to 10 dB. The device will respond with a status message of '
S04GAINI*ÄÄÄ'. Those weird characters are the main difference between using wildcards with
integer channel commands versus boolean channel commands. When reporting multiple integer
values, the Vortex uses a binary format with one byte per integer value. This allows for more compact
commands and reduces RS-232 and bus traffic. To convert from an integer value to a byte value, we
add 132 to the integer value. In the above example, where the gain is set to 10 dB, we have: 10 +
132 = 142 = 0x8E (hex) = Ä (ASCII). The reason for adding 132 is to allow us to conveniently
represent negative numbers as well as avoid the use of special characters that are normally used in
RS-232 and EF Bus communications.
When using a wildcard character to specify separate values for each channel, you must also use the
binary format. For example, ' Q04GAINI*Äää' sets the input gain of channel 1 to 10 dB and the input
gain of channels A-B to 0 dB. (10 + 132 = 142 = 0x8E (hex) = Ä (ASCII), 0 + 132 = 132 = 0x84

(hex) = ä (ASCII))
As an interesting example, consider sending ' Q04GAINI*>3' after the above example. This will result
in all the input gains being incremented by 3 dB so that channel 1 is at 13 dB and channels A-B are at
3 dB. The Vortex will respond with a status message of ' Q04GAINI*æçç'. (13 + 132 = 145 = 0x91
(hex) = æ (ASCII), 3 + 132 = 135 = 0x87 (hex) = ç (ASCII))
Queries using the '?' character are straightforward. For example, ' Q04GAINI1?' might return '
Q04GAINI110', while ' Q04GAINI*?' might return ' Q04GAINI*Äää'.
6.4. Matrix Commands
Matrix commands are used for controlling parameters that exist at the crosspoints of the mixing
matrices. Typical parameters include gain and mute. Before describing the matrix commands, it is
necessary to give a description of the matrices involved. During the following discussion, it will be
helpful to refer to the figure below, which shows all the matrices with their input and output labels.

The EF2210 has three analog outputs labeled 1, A, and B. These outputs are all at line level. This
yields a total of three physical outputs. The EF2210 also has a power amplifier output, however the
power amplifier does not have a separate output in the matrix -- it is tied to output 1. Thus the signal
routed to output 1 will also be routed to the power amplifier output.
The EF2210 has three analog inputs labeled 1, A, and B. Input 1 is mic/line selectable, and inputs A-B
are line level only. Input 1 can also have phantom power enabled and contain channel processing,
which includes the following DSP algorithms: Acoustic Echo Cancellation, Noise Cancellation, and AGC.
Inputs 1, A, and B yield a total of three physical inputs.
Vortex devices can be linked together so that they can share control information and digital audio
signals. The audio signals are shared on four digital busses labeled P, W, X, Y, and Z. All Vortex
devices can receive signals from all of these busses. Only certain devices can transmit on the busses.
This information is given in the following table.
Device Transmit on P Bus Transmit on W, X, Y, Z
Busses Receive P Bus Receive W, X, Y, Z Busses
EF2280 No Yes Yes Yes
EF2241 Yes Yes Yes Yes
EF2211 Yes Yes Yes Yes
EF2210 No Yes Yes Yes
EF2201 Yes No Yes Yes
The P bus is meant for routing telephone audio between the devices. The W, X, Y, and Z busses are
meant for routing microphone and auxiliary audio between the devices. The W, X, Y, and Z busses
also carry NOM (Number of Open Microphones) information from the automixer so that outputs
created from these busses can be appropriately attenuated for the number of open microphones.
The digital inputs consist of all of the signals placed on the EF Bus by the other connected Vortex
devices. Each P, W, X, Y, and Z bus can carry channels from up to eight other devices, so we have
the following digital inputs to each Vortex device: PB0-PB7, WB0-WB7, XB0-XB7, YB0-YB7, and ZB0-
ZB7. The inputs are designated by three characters: the bus letter (P, W, X, Y, or Z), a B indicating
that it is a bus input, and a number between 0 and 7 indicating the channel of the bus.
There is also an internal signal generator, labeled SG, that is capable of producing white or pink
noise. this signal is fed into the matrix so that it can be routed to the appropriate outputs for
calibration or testing.
The mixing capabilities of the Vortex devices can be broken down into two parts: the EF Bus
submatrices and the main matrix.
For each of the W, X, Y, and Z signal busses, there is a 7 x 3 matrix that allows the user to define up
to three mixes of each of the four signal busses. The reason the matrix is 7 x 3 instead of 8 x 3 is that
since we can transmit on the W, X, Y, and Z busses, we do not need to mix our own channels in

these matrices. The inputs and outputs for the 7 x 3 matrices are as follows.
W Submatrix
●Inputs: WB0-WB7 (with one invalid)
●Outputs: WM0-WM2
X Submatrix
●Inputs: XB0-XB7 (with one invalid)
●Outputs: XM0-XM2
Y Submatrix
●Inputs: YB0-YB7 (with one invalid)
●Outputs: YM0-YM2
Z Submatrix
●Inputs: ZB0-ZB7 (with one invalid)
●Outputs: ZM0-ZM2
For the P signal bus, there is an 8 x 2 matrix that allows the user to define up to two mixes of the P
signal bus. This matrix has a full 8 inputs since the EF2210 does not transmit on the P bus. The inputs
and outputs for the 8 x 2 P bus matrix are as follows.
P Submatrix
●Inputs: PB0-PB7
●Outputs: PM0-PM1
The crosspoint gains on all outputs are user adjustable. The "M" in the output labels of the
submatrices indicates that the signals are being fed into the Main Matrix.
The main matrix consists of the following inputs: analog inputs 1, A, and B, the signal generator (SG),
the outputs of the EF Bus submatrices PM0-PM1, WM0-WM2, XM0-XM2, YM0-YM2, and ZM0-ZM2.
This is a total of 18 inputs.
The main matrix consists of the following outputs: analog outputs 1, A, and B, AEC reference signal
R1, and the EF bus outputs W, X, Y, and Z. This is a total of 8 outputs.
The matrix commands can adjust two types of parameters: integer and boolean. We will introduce
the matrix commands by using the MGAIN command as an example. This is an integer matrix
command that is used to set the gain (in dB) at any of the crosspoints in the main matrix or EF Bus
submatrices.
Matrix commands are similar to channel commands except that instead of specifying a single channel,
it is necessary to specify a crosspoint (or range of crosspoints). In order to specify a single crosspoint,
you use the input and output labels discussed in this section. The first label always specifies the input

to the matrix and the second label always specifies the output of the matrix. For example, to set the
gain of the crosspoint (1, A) to -3 dB, you would send ' Q04MGAIN1,A,-3 ' which sets the gain at
the crosspoint to -3 dB. In this case, a status message will be generated similar to ' Q04MGAIN1,A,-
3'.
It is also possible to use the wildcard character ('*') to specify ranges of crosspoints with the matrix
commands. The only restriction is that you can only use a wildcard to specify the input or output, but
not both simultaneously. Thus you could specify all the inputs going to a specific output (one column)
or the value of an input to all of the outputs (one row), but not the entire matrix. One example of
using a wildcard for an integer matrix command would be ' Q04MGAINSG,*,0 '. This will set all the
crosspoints in the signal generator row of the main matrix to 0 dB. Thus, the signal generator will be
added to all of the outputs of the main matrix with a gain of 0 dB. In this case a status message will
be generated that looks like ' Q04MGAINSG,*,ääääääää '. The binary representation used here is
the same method described in Section 6.3.
You can also use the wildcard character to set the crosspoints of a row or column individually. For
example, 'Q04MGAIN1,*,äzzxxxxx' sets the crosspoints of input 1 to 0 dB for output 1, -10 dB for
outputs A and B, and -12 dB for outputs R1, and W-Z. In this case, the EF2210 will respoind with a
status message of 'Q04MGAIN1,*,äzzxxxxx'.
Queries using the '?' character work in the usual manner. For example, ' Q04MGAIN1,A,? ' might
return ' Q04MGAIN1,A,-6 ', while ' Q04MGAIN1,*,? ' might return ' Q04MGAIN2,*,ääääääää '.
Boolean matrix commands work as you would expect. They use the characters '0', '1', and '2' as
described in Section 6.1. Here are some examples.
●' Q04MMUTE1,A,1 ' mutes crosspoint (1, A) of the main matrix. In other words, the signal at
input 1 will not be heard on output A A status message will be generated of the form '
Q04MMUTE1,A,1 '.
●'Q04MMUTEA,*,11100000' sets the mutes for input A of the main matrix. The signal path
from input A to outputs 1, A, and B is muted, while the signal path from input A to outputs R1
and W-Z is unmuted. The EF2210 will respond with a status message of
'Q04MMUTEA,*,11100000'.
●'Q04MMUTEA,*,2' toggles the mutes for input A of the main matrix. If this command follows
after the command in the above example, the EF2210 will respond with a status message of
'Q04MMUTEA,*,00011111'.
●'Q04MMUTEA,*,?' queries the status of the mutes for input A of the main matrix. If this
command follows after the commands in the above examples, the EF2210 will respond with a
status message of 'Q04MMUTEA,*,00011111'.
6.5. Miscellaneous Commands
Miscellaneous commands are those that don't fall under any of the other categories. See the
description of a given command for specific details on how it operates.
7. Command List

The following table is a list of the commands recognized by the EF2210 Detailed descriptions of each
command are given in the next section.
The Storage column contains one of the following values indicating when and where the parameter is
stored.
●"Global"
●"Preset"
●"-" = not stored or not applicable
Globally stored parameters are not changed when a preset is executed. Only one copy of a global
parameter is stored. Global parameters are written to non-volatile memory each time they are
changed. Globally stored parameters retain their values when the power is cycled.
Parameters stored in presets are changed each time a new preset is restored/executed. Preset
parameters are not saved in non-volatile memory until a PRESETW command is executed. Parameters
stored in the power-on preset (see PRESETP) are restored when the power is cycled.
Command Storage Description
ACKMOD Global Enable or Disable Acknowledgment Mode
AEC Preset Enable or Disable Acoustic Echo Cancellation
AECMODE Preset Set Amount of Double Talk Suppression used in the AEC.
AGC Preset Enable or Disable Mic/Line Input Automatic Gain Control
AGCMAX Preset Set Maximum Allowed Mic/Line Input AGC Gain
AGCMIN Preset Set Minimum Allowed Mic/Line Input AGC Gain
AGCRATE Preset Set Ramp Rate of Mic/Line Input AGC
AMASGN Preset Assign Inputs to an Automixer
AMAUTO Preset Select Automatic or Manual Gating for each Automixer Input
AMBUSID Preset Set Automixer Groupings for EF Bus
AMCHAIR Preset Enable Chairman Mode for Specified Automixer
AMCHNUM Preset Set Chairman Mic
AMDECAY Preset Set Decay Time for Automixers
AMGATEC Preset Set Automixer Gating Control Mode
AMGATER Preset Set Automixer Gate Ratio
AMGATET Preset Set Automixer Gate Threshold
AMGNOM Preset Set Global Maximum Number of Open Mics for Bus Automixer
AMHOLD Preset Set Automixer Hold Time
AMLMM Preset Set Last Mic On Mode for Specified Automixer
AMLMN Preset Set Microphone That Will Remain On in Manual Last Mic On Mode

AMNOM Preset Set Local Maximum Number of Open Mics for Automixer
AMNOMAT Preset Select NOM Attenuation on Each Output
AMOFFAT Preset Set Off Attenuation for the Specified Automixer
AMPRIOR Preset Set Gating Priority for the Specified Mic
AMREFB Preset Set Automixer Reference Bias for the Specified Automixer
AMREFE Preset Enable Automixer Reference for Specified Automixer
BAUD Global Set Baud Rate for RS-232 Port
BLAUTO Preset Enable Automatic BLDATA Messages
BLDATA - Request Level Information
BLINFO Preset Select Information to be Reported in BLDATA
BROAD2 - Broadcast Arbitrary Command Strings to RS-232 Port
BROADA - Broadcast Commands to Other Connected Devices
BUSREF Preset Set Which AEC Reference is Placed on EF Bus
CGATE - Query Camera Gating Status Information
CGATEEN Preset Enable Automatic Camera Gating Messages
CGATET Preset Set Camera Gating Hold Time
DELAYO Preset Set Output Delay
DELAYOE Preset Enable Output Delay
DSPAUTO -Enable Automatic DSPLOAD Status Messages
DSPLOAD - Query Percentage of Variable DSP Resources Used
ERROR Global Enable or Disable Error Messages
FADERGIL Preset Set Fader Gain of Line Inputs as a Group
FADERI Preset Set Input Gain Fader
FLOW Global Set Flow Control Mode for RS-232 Port
FPLOCK Global Lock/Unlock Front Panel
FPPSWD - Change Front Panel Password
GAINGIL Preset Set Gain of Line Inputs as a Group
GAINI Preset Set Input Gain
GAINO Preset Set Output Gain
GATE - Query Gating Status Information
GATEEN Preset Enable Automatic Gating Messages
GMUTEO Preset Mute All Outputs
ID Global Set Device ID
LABEL Global Set or Query one of the Device Labels

LAGC Preset Enable or Disable Line Input Automatic Gain Control
LAGCLINKAB Preset Enable or Disable Stereo AGC Linking on Inputs A and B
LAGCMAX Preset Set Maximum Allowed Line Input AGC Gain
LAGCMIN Preset Set Minimum Allowed Line Input AGC Gain
LAGCRATE Preset Set Ramp Rate of Line Input AGC
MACROA - Add Command to Current Macro
MACROK Global Delete One or All Macros
MACROL - List All Commmands in a Macro
MACROQ - Execute Macro Quietly
MACROS - Start a New Macro
MACROW Global Write Macro to Non-Volatile Memory
MACROX - Execute Macro
METER Preset Select which Signal is Displayed on the Front Panel LED Meter
MGAIN Preset Set Crosspoint Gains in Main Matrix or Submatrix
MGATE Preset Select Gated or Ungated Microphone Signal in Matrix
MIC Preset Enable Microphone Gain Stage on Input 1
MINI Global Enable Modem Initialization String
MINISTR Global Set Modem Initialization String
MMUTE Preset Mute Crosspoint in Main Matrix or Submatrix
MUTEGIL Preset Set Mute Status of Line Inputs as a Group
MUTEI Preset Mute One or More Inputs
MUTEO Preset Mute One or More Outputs
NC Preset Enable Noise Cancellation
NCL Preset Set Noise Cancellation Attenuation
NVINIT - Reinitialize Non-Volatile Memory
NVLOCK Global Lock/Unlock Non-Volatile Memory
NVPSWD - Change Non-Volatile Memory Password
PEQIA Preset Set All Parameters for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
PEQIB Preset Set Bandwidth Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
PEQIE Preset Set Enabled Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
PEQIF Preset Set Frequency Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
PEQIG Preset Set Gain Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
PEQIS Preset Set Slope Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage
PEQIT Preset Set Type Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Input Stage

PEQOA Preset Set All Parameters for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
PEQOB Preset Set Bandwidth Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
PEQOE Preset Set Enabled Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
PEQOF Preset Set Frequency Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
PEQOG Preset Set Gain Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
PEQOS Preset Set Slope Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
PEQOT Preset Set Type Parameter for Specified Parametric EQ Output Stage
PHANTOM Preset Enable Phantom Power on Input 1
PING - See Which Devices Are Present
PRESETK Global Delete One or All Presets
PRESETL - List All Commmands in a Preset
PRESETP Global Set Which Preset Will Be Activated At Power-Up
PRESETQ - Execute a Preset Quietly
PRESETW Global Save a Preset
PRESETX - Execute a Preset
REFASGN Preset Assign AEC Reference to Input Channel
REFGAIN Preset Set Reference Output Gain
SGGAIN Preset Set Gain of Signal Generator
SGMUTE Preset Mute Signal Generator
SGTYPE Preset Set Type of Signal Produced by Signal Generator
SSDELAY Preset Set Delay Between Screen Saver Screens
SSEN Preset Enable or Disable Screen Saver
SSSTART Preset Set Idle Time Required for Screen Saver to Start
SSTEXT Preset Set Text to be Displayed by Screen Saver
SWRESET - Perform Soft Reset of System
SWVER - Query Software Version
VTXMODI Preset Enable VTX Mode on Specified Inputs
VTXMODO Preset Enable VTX Mode on Specified Inputs
8. Command Reference
8.1. ACKMOD -- Enable or Disable Acknowledgment Mode
This command controls whether or not status messages are sent. See Section 5 for more information
on status messages. This parameter is enabled by default, and it is rarely turned off by the host

controller.
This command is a boolean command. See Section 6.1 for more information on this type of
command.
This command is saved to global non-volatile memory and is not part of a preset. Its value is saved
each time it is changed. It will retain its value after power-down. Since this command writes to non-
volatile memory, there will be a delay before an acknowledgment is returned.
Example Description Status Message
Q01ACKMOD1 Enable acknowledgement mode. Q01ACKMOD1
Q01ACKMOD0 Disable acknowledgement mode. Q01ACKMOD0
Q01ACKMOD2 Toggle acknowledgement mode. Q01ACKMODx , where xis 0or 1depending on the
current state of acknowledgement mode.
Q01ACKMOD? Query acknowledgement mode. Q01ACKMODx , where xis 0or 1depending on the
current state of acknowledgement mode.
8.2. AEC -- Enable or Disable Acoustic Echo Cancellation
This command sets or queries the status of the Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) algorithm on input
channel 1.
This command is a channel boolean command. See Section 6.3 and Section 6.1 for more information
on this type of command.
This command is saved to non-volatile memory only as part of a preset. The state of this command
will be restored after power-up only if a preset is saved and that preset is set to be the power-on
preset.
Example Description Status Message
Q01AEC11 Enable AEC on input channel 1. Q01AEC11
Q01AEC10 Disable AEC on input channel 1. Q01AEC10
Q01AEC12 Toggle AEC state on input channel 1. Q01AEC1x, where xis 0or 1depending on the
current state of the AEC on input channel 1.
Q01AEC1? Query AEC state on input channel 1. Q01AEC1x, where xis 0or 1depending on the
current state of the AEC on input channel 1.
8.3. AECMODE -- Set Amount of Double Talk Suppression
used in the AEC.
This command sets the amount of double talk suppression used in the AEC on input channel 1. The
values correspond to the following settings.