Owner`s manual

RS-232 Control
Connection of a control system or computer to the Vaux switcher’s Control (RS-232) serial port allows you to fully control the system
using a selection of “Commands,” and to obtain immediate or polled feedback on system status by listening to “Messages.” This
Command/Message language is called VauxProtocol.
Using VauxProtocol, and/or infrared remote control commands, you may control Vaux systems to distribute audio/video signals
throughout a house or building. Vaux switchers are available in sizes up to 16-by-16, and switchers may be combined, for up to 255
audio and/or video zones, driven by up to 16 a/v sources -- and controlled via a single serial port. Using an RC-16 remote control
gives access to 90 zones and 16 sources.
Zones, Groups, and Clusters.
Each room that needs a/v, will be driven from a Zone on the Vaux switcher. Each zone can independently select from multiple
sources, each zone can have the same, or different, source for audio and video, and each zone has full volume/bass/treble/mute
capability.
Single-command control of multiple zones at a time is provided with zone Groups. The group commands allow selection of up to eight
consecutive zones, starting at any zone. There is no limit to the number of groups, since the definition is embedded in the command.
Groups can be used with adjoining areas that would normally have the same source selection, such as the Master-Bedroom/Master-
Bath, or Foyer/Great-Room/Dining-Room/Lavatory. Separate zones drive each room, with zone commands providing individual room
volume control. Group commands allow master control of source-selection, and simultaneous volume adjustment of all zones in the
group.
Groups can also be used within a room, such as when a powered subwoofer augments the main audio system. Both the subwoofer and
the main audio amps are driven from separate zones, and hence have individual volume control with zone commands. Group
commands provide master source-selection, volume-absolute/relative/ramping control, and muting.
A Vaux remote control can access eight Clusters, which are pre-programmed zone group definitions. Clusters have the same
constraints as zone groups (ie: up to eight consecutive zones, starting at any zone). Clusters are part of the switcher configuration --
the factory setting provides a few ready-to-use clusters, or they may be changed using programming commands. To access clusters 1
to 8 from an RC-16, the remote control is set to Zone-91 through 98, respectively. Only source-selection, volume, and muting
commands may be used when the remote is set to a cluster, and cluster volume from the remote control does not allow press-and-hold
operation as it does for zones (clusters are 2-dB up/down per press). Note that RS-232 VauxProtocol commands do provide group
ramping operation. Clusters can be accessed via VauxProtocol commands, but this is intended primarily for testing, since the group
commands are more flexible and do not require system programming, as do clusters.
Send Commands and Receive Messages
You will likely only need to implement a handful of Commands/Messages in a typical application. In fact, the simplest application
merely sends basic routing and volume Commands, and ignores any received Messages. The next level of complexity involves
interpreting the Messages that are returned in response to control operations – these Messages are returned for both RS-232
Commands and button-press actions on IR remote-controls. You may watch for an expected message immediately after sending a
Command (single-threaded program), or you may have a separate section of code that parses the messages independently of the
command processing code, and then updates internal variables and displays (multi-threaded program). This allows you to “close-the-
loop” on the whole system (232 and IR control). You may send commands from the control section of your 232 code, and/or use IR
control from remotes or keypads -- your message-handler will update variables/displays in the background. If you wish to ensure that
your 232 command resulted in an action, you may monitor internal variables after sending your command (instead of waiting for a
specific message), and implement timeout/retry/alert handling as desired for your application.
VauxProtocol Commands begin with an asterisk (*) character, followed by two letters (uppercase or lowercase) defining the type of
command, one or more comma-delimited decimal-number parameters, and finally a carriage-return and/or line-feed character (CR/LF).
The CR/LF characters are the only non-printable ascii characters used in VauxProtocol, and are identified in Vaux documentation as
<cr>.
Lattis Matrix Switcher 17 Software Version 7.3.0.0