Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Automation Commands for JSD60 and Alchemy

This is topic Automation Commands for JSD60 and Alchemy in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mark Stauffer (Member # 7879) on 12-14-2018, 01:13 PM:

Does anyone have any information on controlling a JSD-60 via ethernet from a Alchemy ICMB? Specifically format changes.
I have added the device ip and port for TCP commands. I even get command failed if I intentionally get the ip wrong, but when i execute "jsd60.sys.input_mode\t0\r" (input 0) the server says it worked, but processor doesn't change.
I can execute the RAW commands with putty. I have even tried all the substitutions for the carriage return I can find, but no luck.
Help

Posted by Harold Hallikainen (Member # 5405) on 12-14-2018, 02:11 PM:

Note that \t represents tab and \r represents carriage return. Different systems require control characters to be entered in different ways. I don't have the Barco manual handy, but what does it say about entering control characters?

Harold

Posted by Mark Stauffer (Member # 7879) on 12-14-2018, 02:47 PM:

The manual doesn't, and all that I've been able to get from Barco is the commands for Dolby processors and Auro. Unfortunately, none of them use a tab in their commands. As far as carriage return, I'm suspect its \0D, but that does me no good without the tab (\t) part. [Razz]

Posted by Harold Hallikainen (Member # 5405) on 12-14-2018, 03:06 PM:

If \0D works for carriage return, \09 SHOULD work for tab.

Harold

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-14-2018, 03:33 PM:

I can confirm that the ICMP uses hex escape sequences so \0A for line-feed, \0D for Carriage Return, \09 for Tab.

Posted by Mark Stauffer (Member # 7879) on 12-14-2018, 04:13 PM:

Thanks Harold and Steve for the quick responses! I will post back when i get it working.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-15-2018, 11:59 AM:

My thanks also. I was trying to make an Alchemy command a CP650 last week and hit the same problem. Ran out of time trying to figure it out, but will be back there next Thursday, and this is one of the items on the punchlist.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-15-2018, 12:54 PM:

Leo, Barco has a download zip file that has the Dolby processors and the AP20/Auro processors in it. So the CP650 is "figured out" for you. About all you should need to add are the specific volume levels you might want to add. The CP650 does not have a very extensive command set.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-15-2018, 10:54 PM:

I found the command set in the CP650 manual (as you say not extensive, but all they need are format and volume changes, and those are there), but couldn't figure out how the Alchemy wanted the termination string. Will get the cue file from mybarco.com - thanks for the heads up.

Posted by Ioannis Syrogiannis (Member # 3235) on 12-16-2018, 08:14 AM:

Talking of not very extensive command sets, I always felt the need for a command that would increase or decrease the sound volume in relation to whatever it actually is. (For instance, +0.1 for getting from 7.0 to 7.1 or from 7.1 to 7.2 just the same.)
Something that can be easily done using the user interface of a Dolby server connected with a connected Dolby Cinema Processor but that would not be able to be done via text commands.

I don't find that to be only one company's fault, though.
If some kind of mask could be added/edited in a command text, such a kind of incremental change could have being achieved on the SMS's automation side as well.
The truth is that being able to import and export cues as .xml files helps a lot, but sometimes the accumulation of too many commands works against the same convenience it tries to serve.

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 12-16-2018, 08:28 AM:

There are text commands for fader up/down changes on a CP750 or CP850. For a CP750 it's cp750.ctrl.fader_delta x (x is change in tenths of a fader number, ie "5" adds 0.5, "-5" lowers 0.5).
The DSS servers have no secret commands for Dolby audio processors and even if they did, a network sniffer would expose them in a second.
A DSS sends TCP text to the processors (and use the replies, which is a feature other servers don't have). The only difference was that Dolby did not allow any non-Dolby devices to be network controlled by a DSS (that's changed but it's kludgey).

Posted by Ioannis Syrogiannis (Member # 3235) on 12-16-2018, 10:05 AM:

For CP850 I have no idea, and - to be frank - I didn't know about the "delta" option for CP750.
I haven't seen it implemented somewhere or used in the cue-libraries I am aware of (Barco/Doremi/Sony) and I confess I haven't had it guessed from the parameter name on the command set. (Thank you for your input!)

Other than that, I feel like I was misunderstood. I wasn't suggesting that the DSS servers have secret commands for Dolby audio processors, I was just stating that in a DSS server you have a user interface control of a Dolby processor that leaves something to be wanted from other servers. And, even more to the CP650 mentioned above not having an extensive command set, the feature is really handy.

On other SMSs I miss that ability, as I miss the ability to add a volume cue and add the volume number I like, instead of using a drop-down menu where .1 steps need just as much different volume cues to select from.
While most of the other SMSs have newer interfaces, driven from more open and in depth abilities, it seems that such a... trick didn't concern anyone to the extend of facilitating a relevant feature.

I am just guessing here that, while such a feature would be innovative and *relatively* simple, it would also be beneficial for the usability and the configuration procedure, even though we can all agree it is not critical.

Posted by Mattias Mattsson (Member # 4308) on 12-17-2018, 04:27 PM:

ctrl.fader_delta x

(without any prefix) works for the CP850.

Posted by Harold Hallikainen (Member # 5405) on 12-17-2018, 05:38 PM:

The JSD-60 also has "fader relative" and "previous" commands:

jsd60.sys.fader_previous
Changes fader back to level before last jsd60.sys.fader or jsd60.sys.fader_rel . Use this to go back to normal level after an LSS-100 test.

jsd60.sys.fader_rel -10
Make a relative adjustment to the fader. Fader values are multiplied by 100 for use in the command interpreter (700 in the command interpreter represents 7.0 on the front panel). The sample command adjusts the fader -10, which decreases the 700 to 690 or 6.9 on the front panel. The argument to this command is the amount the fader is to be adjusted as a signed number. The argument is returned.

Harold

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 12-18-2018, 09:00 AM:

I have found that some "automation" will send the command string too quickly after opening the TCP port and it gets either missed completely be the receiving device or the beginning is cut off. As far as the sending device believes it opened the port, sent the command, and closed the port successfully so that is why you don't get an error message. This is common when trying to send a command from a Doremi server to a Q-Sys core. The "fix" is to add a "wait" or "pause" command to the beginning of the command string which may differ depending on then specific hardware you are using. So you may want to reach back out to Barco and ask them how to add a delay into the macro between opening the port and sending the string.

Posted by Harold Hallikainen (Member # 5405) on 12-18-2018, 10:46 AM:

For Doremi, \w before the command and after the carriage return often works.

Harold

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 12-19-2018, 08:46 AM:

Thanks Harold! I thought it was \w but without an example here at the site I am at to test or review I did'nt want to post incorrect info. Thank you for confirming that!