Protea System Software Troubleshooting Tips

Are you having trouble getting your computer to talk to your Protea System? Here are some helpful hints to get your system communicating. 1. Make sure all units are set to the same baud rate a. Set all units to RS232 rate whenever Protea System Software is used b. Set all units to MIDI rate when a 4.24G Master, 4.24RD Remote, or< third party MIDI controller is used. Notes: Some slave devices have a switch, labeled switch “A”, on the back panel, which is used to set the baud rate. Push it in for RS-232 rate, or out for MIDI. The 4.24G baud rate (mode) selection is found on its UserPrefs screen. A 4.24G uses MIDI baud rate when set to Master mode. The 4.24RD Remote always uses MIDI baud rate. The 4.24C and 4.24D automatically configure themselves to the proper rate. 2. Make sure that there is only one Master Control interface in the system. In other words, you can only use one of the following devices in the system: Protea System Software, 4.24RD Remote, 4.24G set to Master, or a third party MIDI controller. Note: a 4.24G set to Slave mode (in UserPrefs screen) will work with a Master Control interface. 3. Make sure that the Data Config switch, located on the back of each unit, is in the "out" position. There is just one exception to this rule: the Data Config switch gets pushed in only when both the RS232 cable and XLR Data I/O cables are connected to the unit. Any unit that doesn’t have both data cable types connected to it must have its Data Config switch in the "out" position. Note: the Data Config switch is labeled switch “B” on some slave units. 4. Make sure that each slave unit has appropriate channel identification settings (aka MIDI Channel assignments). Each audio channel in any Protea box must be assigned a unique logical channel id, so that the Control interface can send/receive commands to/from it. Note: some slave devices have recessed switches on the front panel to set the channel id, use a pen tip or paper clip to access them. Other devices have screens called Util or Midi, where you can change the channel id. 5. Test your data cables. You must use standard RS232 data cables with all 9 conductors wired straight through. Monitor cables and Null Modem cables use non-standard wiring schemes, they will not work with the Protea. Check your XLR cables, only use standard XLR cables with pin 1 wired to pin 1, pin 2 to pin 2, and pin 3 to pin 3. 6. Use a valid serial port. You must use a serial port that is not in use by any other program or device, such as a mouse, modem, or another program. To determine your available COM ports look in: Control Panel - System - Device Manager - Ports. Also, check your modem’s properties, to make sure it isn’t using the same port. There is no need to change the port settings because Protea System Software will do this automatically. Just select the correct port in Protea System Software, in the Communications menu – Comm Port Assignment. Note: the following software is known to permanently take control of your COM Port whenever you start your computer: Franklin Hot Sync for Palm Pilots, White Board Software, Light Pen & Drawing Grid Drivers. You should contact the manufacturer, to find out how to release the port when the application is not in use. 7. When all else fails perform a Factory Reset on the Protea(s). Before you do this, try to single out the unit in the chain that is causing the system to fail. Start with the simplest configuration possible (such as a Master & just one slave). Then add one unit at a time until you find the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Note: a Factory Reset will erase all presets and working settings. 8. If you make it to this step and you’re still not communicating with your Protea it’s time to contact Ashly Service! We’ll help you determine what could be wrong. To contact Ashly Service, click here <top>