Rane RPM 2m User manual

Manual-1
RPM 2m
PROGRAMMABLE MULTIPROCESSOR
HARDWARE MANUAL
WEAR PARTS: is product contains no wear parts.
QUICK START
is section is intended to help you make the physical con-
nections and software manipulations necessary to get up and
running with your sleek new RPM 2m. If you don’t read the en-
tire Hardware Manual, at least read this section. It is also recom-
mended that you read the Quick Start section of the Drag Net
Software Manual. If the Drag Net software is not yet installed
on your computer, please install it now.
To be safe, leave the audio connections until last. Begin by
connecting the IEC power cord. Observe that the POWER LED
on the front panel illuminates. After a few seconds, the STATUS
LED should turn from red to yellow to green, and the PRESET
display should have a number in it (00, if it’s the first time you’ve
powered the device). If the POWER comes on, but the STATUS
LED does not turn green, contact the factory.
Connect one end of the Ethernet crossover cable (supplied
with the unit) to the 10Base-T jack on the rear panel. Connect
the other end of the cable to an Ethernet port on your computer.
e LINK LED on the rear panel should be lit. If it is not, verify
that you are indeed using a crossover cable, not a standard Ether-
net cable. Only use a standard Ethernet cable if you are connect-
ing the RPM 2m and a computer indirectly using an Ethernet
switch. Launch the Drag Net application and follow the steps
to create a new project and new RPM 2m device configuration.
Double-click the Configure Hardware IP shortcut and follow
the instructions to set the unit’s IP address to be compatible with
your computer’s Network settings. Tip: If you aren't sure what IP
to use, try the address 192.168.69.69 and subnet 255.255.255.0.
is finds the default factory address 192.168.69.22 on the RPM
unit,without manually setting it.
PROGRAMMABLE
MULTIPROCESSOR
INPUT OUTPUT
1 2 1 2
AES3
A B
VIP POWER ETHERNET STATUS
RPM 2m
PRESET
Now click on the Poll button in the toolbar to find for all
devices. A device name and IP address should appear under the
Live folder in the Project window. If a device does not appear,
consult Drag Net’s online Help for instructions on configuring
and verifying your computer’s Network settings.
e audio path within the RPM 2m is displayed in Drag
Net’s Device Configuration window as a collection of blocks
wired together to form a Processing Map. ese maps are cre-
ated offline as Storage configurations, which are then trans-
ferred to a Live unit. Drag blocks from the Palette onto the
Processing Map and wire them together to create the audio
path. Save this file frequently using the File > Save command.
Transfer the selected Storage configuration to a Live unit using
the Transfer Config button in the Project window. A new,
minty green Device Configuration window opens once the
transfer is complete, indicating you are now online with a Live
device. Double-click a processing block to display and adjust its
Properties (parameters) in real time on a Live device — there
is no need to go offline to make parameter changes.
Once you have a useful configuration in the unit, connect
balanced audio INPUTS to the Euroblock or XLR connectors,
and connect either or both jack types (if you wish) to the OUT-
PUTS. en turn on the amplifier. As a precautionary measure,
all outputs are muted during and after a configuration transfer.
Unmute each output individually, or use the handy Mute Out-
puts button in the toolbar. Once all outputs are unmuted, audio
passes through the unit along the connections you defined.

Manual-2
Rear Panel Description
Front Panel Description
� Signal/Overload LED meters indicate the presence of significant audio signal or overload for Inputs and Outputs. ese 3-color
meters indicate the available headroom once the analog signal has been converted to digital: -4 dBFS (red, near clipping), -12
dBFS (yellow, high normal level), and -48 dBFS (green, low level). e signal level in the RPM 2m depends on the input and
output settings and is displayed in Drag Net’s Meter window when the Converters tab is selected.
� PRESET LED displays the number of the most recently recalled Preset, numbered 0 through 24.
� VIP LED flashes when a change is detected on the Versatile Input Port (VIP). is port is used for direct electrical connections to
potentiometers, switches or other logic ports. See page Manual-4 for details.
� ETHERNET LED flashes when an Ethernet data packet for this device is received.
� STATUS LED reflects the overall status of the unit:
Red - initializing (briefly) or possible internal error (steady).
Yellow - working, but not yet processing audio.
Green - processing audio.
� POWER LED lights yellow when the unit is powered on.
� POWER IEC jack connects to AC line voltage, 100-240 VAC ±10%.
� Balanced analog audio INPUTS 1 and 2 on Euroblock and XLR connectors. See “Audio Connections” on the following page.
� Balanced analog audio OUTPUTS 1 and 2 on Euroblock and XLR connectors.
� AES3 digital audio OUTPUT uses a fixed 48 kHz sample rate and 24-bit word length. See “Audio Connections.”
e VERSATILE INPUT PORT provides 8 logic or voltage inputs for remote level control and Preset recall on a Euroblock.
f LAN and LINK reflect the state of the Ethernet connection. LINK lights solidly when a valid connection to another Ethernet
device (e.g., a PC or network) is detected. LAN flashes when communicating with another Ethernet device.
g 10Base-T jack accepts a standard Ethernet cable with a RJ-45 connector.
h DEFAULT button recalls Preset 1 when pressed. Holding this button while applying power puts the unit into a special codeload
mode for updating firmware.
PROGRAMMABLE
MULTIPROCESSOR
11
12
34
56
INPUT OUTPUT
1 2 1 2
AES3
A B
VIP POWER ETHERNET STATUS
RPM 2m
PRESET
RPM 2m
ACN 001 345 482
DEFAULT
100-240V
20 WATTS50/60 Hz
LISTED
COMMERCIAL
AUDIO EQUIPMENT
24TJ
R
CUS
MADE IN U.S.A.
RANE CORP.
10Base-T AES3 OUTPUT
LINK
+5V
100 mA
0-5V
VERSATILE INPUT PORT
REF 1 2 3 4 5 76 8 GND
REF
1 2 3 4 5 76 8 GND
–+ + –
–+ + –
THIS DEVICE
COMPLIES
WITH PART
15 OF THE
FCC RULES
FOR A
CLASS 'B'
COMPUTING
DEVICE.
INPUTSOUTPUTS
2 1
LAN
FOR CONTINUED
GROUNDING
PROTECTION
DO NOT REMOVE
SCREW
–+ + –
–+ + –
2 1
1
8
7
5
4
3
2
6

Manual-3
Audio Connections
As a safety precaution, turn all devices (especially power
amplifiers) OFF when making connections. Doing so gives you a
chance to find and correct wiring mistakes and prevent damage
to your amplifiers, speakers, ears, pets, etc.
Analog Inputs and Outputs
e RPM 2m has two balanced analog Inputs, two balanced
analog Outputs and one AES3 digital Output.
XLR and euroblock connectors are both provided for your
convenience. Feel free to use either (but not both!) for each
Input. Both Output types may be used if desired. For each Input
or Output Euroblock connector:
• Connect the (positive) audio line to the ‘+’ terminal.
• Connect the (negative) audio line to the ‘–’ terminal.
• Connect the cable shield to the terminal.
For those installations where the RPM 2m internal shield-
to-chassis connection causes interference, connect each shield
directly to the chassis screw located above each Euroblock con-
nector, keeping the shield wrapped around the audio conductors
as much as possible.
For optimum Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) immunity,
connect the shields at both ends of the cable. See the RaneNote
“Sound System Interconnection” for more information on system
connections and proper grounding practices.
Analog Input Stage
Each analog input uses a studio-grade microphone preamp
and an independent line-stage input. e input connectors are
switched between the mic pre and the line stage by a relay that is
controlled by the user interface.
e mic pre has two analog gain stages. e input stage
controls gain in large 15 dB steps. e second analog-gain stage
makes the fine 1 dB gain adjustments. Gain is optimized for
best overload characteristics. If noise performance is of greater
importance, then overload performance can be traded for the
best noise performance by using microphone gains of 15, 30, 45
and 60 dB.
As an example: if the desired mic pre gain is 40 dB, best
overload performance is obtained by setting mic gain to 40 dB
and setting the digital trim to 0 dB. Best noise performance is
obtained by setting mic pre gain to 45 dB and setting the digital
trim to -5 dB (this will cut the top-end headroom by 5 dB). If
this is confusing, just leave the digital trim alone (set to 0 dB)
and use the mic-pre gain slider to set mic gain. For the best noise
performance, only use the digital trim to cut gain.
A high-performance line stage is provided that happily ac-
cepts the hot +24 dBu signals from professional audio sources all
day. When using non-pro -10 dBV audio sources, select the +12
dB line gain level, or for even better noise performance, use the
mic pre at the 15 dB setting and set digital trim to -3 dB. When
you’re hooking up a consumer CD player with a single-ended
output (for example) and you really need an extra 6 dB of gain
(for a total of 18 dB of front-end gain), set the mic pre to 18 dB.
WARNING: when using the mic pre as a low-noise line
stage, make sure the phantom power is turned off!
Analog Output Stage
Analog output is real easy. ere is a Digital Trim control lo-
cated immediately before the D/A converter. It’s as simple as that.
AES3 Output
AES3 is a popular 2-channel (stereo) digital audio inter-
face commonly found on professional digital audio equipment
(digital mixers, DAT machines, etc.). Each channel of the AES3
digital stream is treated independently within the RPM 2m.
See the RaneNote “Interfacing AES3 and S/PDIF”, available
from Rane’s website (www.rane.com/library.html), for informa-
tion about interfacing consumer S/PDIF gear to the professional
AES3 standard.
Use the AES3 Output to:
• Feed audio to RPM 88/44/22/26z’s to create a 2-channel digi-
tal “bus” between devices.
• Connect directly to the AES3 input of a digital mixing console.
• Connect directly to the AES3 input of a DAT machine for
recording purposes.
• Connect to an external D/A converter, effectively adding two
more analog outputs.
Control Connections
Versatile Input Port (VIP)
Eight logic input pins are provided, each capable of accept-
ing DC voltage between 0-5 VDC. VIP pins are used with
contact closure switches for Preset recall, or with potentiometers
for remote Level control. e functionality (Preset recall versus
control) of each pin is assignable as part of the Device Configu-
ration.
• e maximum allowable voltage on any VIP pin is 5.3 VDC.
• Use of twisted pair cable is recommended for lower noise.
• If an external device is used to generate a 0 to 5 volt signal,
connect the ground of the external device to the VIP GND.
Preset Recall Using Contact Closure Switches
e minimum “low” voltage required to detect a contact
closure and change Presets is 2.5 V. Since the internal pull up is
100 kΩ to +5 V, it is possible to calculate the maximum allow-
able cable length, provided the wire resistance per foot (or meter)
is known.
Example:
To be safe, let’s allow a maximum of 80 kΩ worth of cable
resistance. is value keeps the voltage divider formed by the
100 kΩ internal resistance and 80 kΩ cable resistance from
dropping below 2.5 V.
(5 V * 100 kΩ) / (100 kΩ + 80 kΩ) = 2.777 V
If the cable resistance is 30 Ω per 1,000 feet (305 meters)
(1,000 ft / 30 Ω) * 80,000 Ω = 2,666,666 ft (813 km)
us, you can only use 2,666,666 feet (505 miles) of twisted
pair cable before the Preset recall functionality becomes inter-
mittent (assuming the cable is properly twisted and not run
through excessive magnetic or electric fields).
Remote Level Control Using Potentiometers

Manual-4
e VIP inherently prefers linear taper 20 kΩ potentiometers
(Rane VR 2), which provide a nice audio taper “feel” for the
end user. When used with suitable twisted pair wiring, the 10
kΩ value also offers acceptable noise immunity and long cable
lengths.
AMX and Crestron Control
ere are two ways to control a Drag Net device from an
AMX or Crestron system. Use either Ethernet connectivity or
use the rear panel Versatile Input Port (VIP). Each of the eight
VIP pins supports either switch closure Preset recall or 0-5 volt
control of Level.
Many AMX/Crestron applications require simple Level con-
trol and/or Preset recall. is is most easily accomplished using
the VIP (Versatile Input Port) found on all Drag Net devices.
ere are always more Drag Net products coming — both hard-
ware and software, so check our home page for the most recent.
VIP Preset Recall
Connect a switch closure or relay to a VIP pin and short it to
the ground (GND) pin to recall the corresponding Preset. For
example, shorting VIP pin 1 to the GND terminal recalls Preset
1; pin 2 recalls Preset 2, etc. ere are more details about this
functionality in the Drag Net Help file and on our Drag Net Ap-
plications page. Be certain to appropriately set the VIP Alloca-
tion in Drag Net's Parameter Window.
If GND contention of two or more pins simultaneously
occurs, the highest-numbered VIP pin takes precedence. For
example, if pin 3 is shorted to GND and pin 6 is then shorted
to GND, Preset 6 is recalled. If pin 3 is closed and then pin 2,
nothing happens -- Preset 2 is not recalled. is permits a hier-
archy of Presets when using VIP pin closures for tiered priority
paging. Since there are only eight VIP pins, you can only recall
up to eight Presets using switch closures.
ere are two ways to recall more than eight presets. Either
use the Drag Net software Recall button which is only intended
for the system installer/designer, or use an Ethernet command
from an AMX or Crestron Ethernet-equipped product.
When using Drag Net's Auto Mixer/Ducker block, you have the
ability to link a VIP pin closure to a push-to-talk switch in a paging
or boardroom application. When using the Ducker block in these
applications, the VIP pins act independently provided you Group
the appropriate VIP pin with the Auto Mixer/Ducker's Input in
Drag Net's Remote Map. Again, see our Drag Net Applications for
examples.
VIP Level control
Connect a 0-5 VDC source to a VIP pin from an AMX or
Crestron card to adjust any or all Level blocks placed in the
Processing Map. Use Groups in Drag Net's Remote Map to link
one or more Level blocks so they track each other when using a
VIP pin. Be certain to appropriately set the VIP Allocation in
Drag Net's Parameter Window. When using VIP pins with Level
blocks, set the minimum and maximum for each Level block by
double-clicking it while it's in a Remote Map Group. is keeps
the max and min burdens within the Drag Net device — but
only when using the VIP pin to control Levels, not when adjust-
ing Levels from Ethernet commands.
You can use up to eight voltage control inputs linked to
Level(s) using the rear panel VIP pins. Combinations of Preset
switches & voltage Level “pots” are possible as long as combined,
they do not exceed the eight pins provided.
Since you can Group any or all Level blocks in Drag Net's
Remote Map, it's much easier to implement a stereo level control
since the Drag Net device is burdened with the task of tracking
many Levels. You can use this to your advantage when using VIP
pins to adjust multiple zones or levels. Since you can place the
Level block anywhere within the Drag Net Processing Map, you
can Group Level blocks at the input, at the output or anywhere
in-between — just place the Level block where you want it.
Ethernet control
To download the AMX or Crestron control code and docu-
mentation, visit these web pages:
For AMX NetLinx code:
www.rane.com/dnamx.html
For Crestron code:
www.rane.com/dncrest.html
Ethernet Port
e Ethernet port is used to configure, monitor, and control
the RPM 2m via standard 10Base-T Ethernet communication.
Use an Ethernet crossover cable (one is included with each unit)
to connect the RPM 2m directly to a computer. Use a standard
(non-crossover) Ethernet cable if the RPM 2m and computer are
connected indirectly using an Ethernet switch.
All devices connected to the Ethernet port, including
switches and the computer’s Network Interface Card (NIC) must
support 10Base-T communication.
pin 1
GND
Contact
Closure
20 kΩ (linear)
Level Control
Potentiometer
VIP CONNECTION
(examples for VIP pin 1)
GND
REF
pin 1
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