ADDER MAN-000023 Multi-Viewer Switch API

Product Information

The Adder Multi-Viewer Switch API is a device that allows remote control of the AVS-1124 and CCS-MV4224 Adder Multi-Viewer Switches using RS-232. This device can be connected to a controlling device such as a PC, allowing users to perform actions that can only be done using the front panel or hotkeys remotely.

The device sends Keep-Alive events every five seconds to communicate the current configuration, and the interval time of these events can be changed using the #ANATA command followed by a time period operand in units of 0.1 second.

Product Usage Instructions

To use the Adder Multi-Viewer Switch API, follow these steps:

1. Connect a controlling device to the switch’s RCU port using a suitable RS232 cable with an RJ12 connector.
2. If the controlling device does not have an RS232 port, use a USB or Ethernet adapter.
3. Install PuTTY on the remote computer.
4. Connect a serial cable from the PC’s USB port to the switch’s RCU port.
5. Run the PuTTY utility.
6. Configure the Serial, Terminal, and Session settings as per figures 1 to 3 in the user manual (MAN-000023).
7. Type the appropriate command to perform an action on the switch. The command structure is comprised of four fields:
   1. #ANATL
   2. Command Type (e.g. F3, 4, F)
   3. Channel Number (1-4)
   4. End of Command (END)

Example commands include:

• #ANATL F3 END – loads preset #3
• #ANATL 4 END – switches to channel #4
• #ANATL F END – maximizes active channel to full screen

The general format of the command to move and resize a window is:

#ANATL <Command Type> <Channel Number> <Window Top Left X Location (0 to 100%)> <Window Top Left Y Location (0 to 100%)> <Window X Extent as Percentage of Total X Width> <Window Y Extent as Percentage of Total Y Height> <X Offset> <Y Offset> <X Scaling as a Percentage> <Y Scaling as a Percentage> END

Where:

• <Command Type> is a translation of the keyboard hotkey listed in an Appendix of the Multi-Viewer User Manual (MAN-000007).
• <Channel Number> is the switch’s channel number (1-4).

Introduction

This guide explains how to use RS-232 to remotely control an Adder Multi-Viewer switch (AVS-1124, CCS-MV4224).
To control a switch using RS232, the user needs to connect a controlling device to the switch’s RCU port. The controlling device can be a PC or any custom device with RS-232 capability.
Remote controlling means performing actions that users could otherwise do only using the front panel or hotkeys, including:

• Switching channels
• Audio hold
• Selecting a screen preset layout

Installation

This procedure shows how to connect a switch to a remote-control device. A suitable RS232 cable will be required with an RJ12 connector to plug into the RCU port with the pinout shown below:

Pinout for the RDU port:

• Pin 1: 5V
• Pin 2: Not connected
• Pin 3: Not Connected
• Pin 4: GND
• Pin 5: RX
• Pin 6: TX

Few modern PCs have an RS232 port, so it may be necessary to use a USB or Ethernet adapter.

Operation

Configuring example using the PuTTY open-source serial console utility. This procedure demonstrates how to switch channels via RS-232 using a remote control Windows PC.

Pre-configuration

1. Install PuTTY on the remote computer.
2. Connect a serial cable from the PC’s USB port to the switch’s RCU port.
3. Run the PuTTY utility.
4. Configure the Serial, Terminal and Session settings, as per figures 1 to 3

Figure 1: PuTTY Serial Settings

Figure 2: PuTTY Terminal Settings

Figure 3: PuTTY Session Settings
Note: At this point, the device starts sending Keep-Alive events, every five seconds.
Keep-Alive events are transmitted by the switch periodically to communicate the current configuration. For example, to switch to Channel 4, the user types: #AFP_ALIVE F7
Then, every five seconds, the device sends the following keep-alive event: 00@alive fffffff7 as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Keep-Alive Events
The interval time of keep-alive events can be changed, using the #ANATA command followed by a time period operand in units of 0.1 second. Thus:

• #ANATA 1 gives an interval of 0.1 seconds
• #ANATA 30 gives an interval of 3 seconds

Command Structure
The command structure is comprised of the following 4 fields:
<pre-amble> <command> <operand1> <operand2>
Where:

• There is a space between each field
• The pre-amble is either #ANATL or #ANATR, where:
  • #ANATL equals the key sequence Left CTRL | Left CTRL
  • #ANATR equals the key sequence Right CTRL | Right CTRL
• Commands require 0, 1 or 2 operands
• Command success: Upon successful command execution, the device returns the output:
  command + OK
• Command failure: Upon failure, the device returns the output: command + Error Message
• To initiate a new serial connection, enter #ANATF 1

Command List
The command is a translation of the keyboard hotkey listed in an Appendix of the Multi-Viewer User
Manual (MAN-000007). Example translations are:

Figure 5: Example commands

1. Window top left X location (0 to 100%)
2. Window top left Y location (0 to 100%)
3. Window X extent as percentage of total X width
4. Window Y extent as percentage of total Y height
5. X offset (the location of the window compared to the full image size when bigger).
6. Y offset (the location of the window compared to the full image size when bigger).
7. X scaling as a percentage
8. Y scaling as a precentage

<Percent> is a 4 digit number in increments of 0.01%
Note that where dual monitors are used in Extend mode, the percentages relate to the total display size. For example, to set the window for channel 1 to occupy the 4th quadrant:

Figure 6: Set Channel 1 to 4th quadrant (single monitor)
Note that the commands change slightly when using dual side by side monitors:

Figure 7: Set Channel 1 to 4th quadrant of left monitor

There is one command that doesn’t adhere to the aforementioned pattern, Audio Hold. To toggle the audio hold button, enter the command:
#AUDFREEZE 1

Registered Address: Adder Technology Limited Saxon Way,
Bar Hill, Cambridge CB23 8SL, UK
Adder Corporation 24 Henry Graf Road Newburyport,
MA 01950
USA
Adder Technology
(Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd., 8 Burn Road
#04-10 Trivex, Singapore 369977

Documents / Resources

ADDER MAN-000023 Multi-Viewer Switch API [pdf] User Manual MAN-000023 Multi-Viewer Switch API, MAN-000023, Multi-Viewer Switch API, Switch API, API, Switch

References

• User Manual