Specifications

AE/LZB 119 1897 R1A HARDWARE OVERVIEW
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certain area of the screen but the touch may be interpreted as a touch in an area just above the touched area. However, with
proper touch-screen calibration (via software) and stable monitor-to-eye-level placement, parallax error can be minimized to
an insignificant amount.
Currently, a 14-inch touch-screen monitor is available from the factory as optional equipment; it may be substituted for
the standard 14-monitor when the console equipment package is ordered from the factory. Larger touch-screen monitors may
be available in the future.
Touch-screen monitors utilized with the C3 Maestro console for Windows NT employ a nearly invisible matrix sensor
embedded on the monitor’s screen surface. Touch-screen monitor-to-PC interfacing electronics consist of either a standard
RS-232 serial link from the monitor to one of the PC’s COM ports or a special controller board installed in one of the PC’s
expansion slots. An interface cable between the monitor and the PC carries touch data from the monitor to the PC. As of the
writing of this manual, touch-screen monitors are factory-supplied and configured for COM port serial interfacing; therefore,
no special touch-screen controller board is required.
2.2 AUDIO SYSTEM
A C3 Maestro console for Windows NT equipment package includes from the factory, an audio unit called an “Enhanced
Audio Enclosure.” Previous MS-DOS-based C3 Maestro console systems were supplied with either this later-design audio
unit or an earlier-design audio unit referred to as the "Audio Tower."
The Audio Tower was phased-out of production prior to the introduction of the C3 Maestro console for Windows NT; it
was replaced by the Enhanced Audio Enclosure. Therefore, a C3 Maestro console for Windows NT console system is not
available from the factory with an Audio Tower. However, support for the Audio Tower is provided in the Windows NT-
based console exclusively for customers upgrading from the MS-DOS-based console to the Windows NT-based console but
not upgrading the console’s audio unit. Each audio unit is/was supplied with other audio-related accessories such as speakers,
headset jack boxes and cables on either a standard equipment basis or on an optional equipment basis. In most cases, audio-
related accessories are compatible between the Enhanced Audio Enclosure and the Audio Tower audio systems.
2.2.1 “Enhanced Audio Enclosure” Vs. Earlier-Design “Audio Tower”
When compared to the Audio Tower, the Enhanced Audio Enclosure provides additional features in a neater package
than the earlier-design Audio Tower. In addition, the Enhanced Audio Enclosure is considerably smaller and more durable
than the Audio Tower. This size reduction eases installation space requirements which, in many installations, reduces system
costs when compared to a C3 Maestro console equipped with an Audio Tower.
An optional rack-mount hardware kit is available which allows installation of the Enhanced Audio Enclosure into a
standard 19-inch rack-mount cabinet or case. The Audio Tower was not rack mountable. Speakers used with the Enhanced
Audio Enclosure may also be rack mounted.
The Enhanced Audio Enclosure utilizes an RS-232 serial control data link between it and the PC. This is in contrast to
the earlier Audio Tower design which utilized a specialized Logic Board within the PC and a large, bulky interconnect cable
between the Logic Board and the Audio Tower. This Logic Board-to-Audio Tower interface was parallel, not serial. The
Logic Board is sometimes referred to as a “Console Logic Board” (CLB).
The specialized dispatch keyboard—sometimes referred to as a “custom keyboard” or a “custom dispatch keyboard”—
used with the C3 Maestro console system operates on a serial data link. A C3 Maestro console equipped with an Audio Tower
utilized a serial port at the Logic Board for dispatch keyboard interfacing. A C3 Maestro console equipped with an Enhanced
Audio Enclosure utilizes a serial port provided by the Enhanced Audio Enclosure.
2.2.2 Enhanced Audio Enclosure
The C3 Maestro's Enhanced Audio Enclosure contains all audio interface, audio routing and dispatch keyboard interface
circuitry for the console system. The unit consists of:
•
a metal case assembly
•
an ac-to-dc power supply located inside the case
•
an I/O Backplane Board located inside the case