FDS-380 Install

For information on the FDS-380 Install version of the Omnidrive Refer to Section 21.0, FDS-380 Install. 1 Set the Midi channel number of the FDS-380 Omnidrive Install using the two recessed keys at the left hand end of the unit. To load a complete XAL file the file should be named LOADmm.XAL where mm is the midi channel number e.g. LOAD01.XAL if the unit's midi channel is 1. The file will be loaded when the card is inserted into the card slot - the user is given a 3 second warning countdown before the contents of the FDS-380 are overwritten. If the filename is wrong, an error number will be displayed. Refer to Section 21.0 FDS-380 Install.

Please Read Overleaf.

Please Read This! Using This Manual
Please Read This! - Using This Manual
This manual has been written to make the understanding and operation of the FDS-388 Omnidrive as easy as possible. Because the Omnidrive is a relatively sophisticated software product, we have included several ways to find the information you require in this manual. You will have already found a Quick Reference on the previous page to get the user going from scratch. These instructions are by no means all there is to know and references are made to the main body of the manual for extra detail.

Table of Contents

The Contents now begins on Page 3, opposite this one. The chapter and section names are generally those of the important Keys and Controls on the Omnidrive. This is a good place to find whole sections, for example Delay or Recall.

Quick Reference

Once you have found the appropriate chapter there is often a Quick Reference section. This will give abbreviated instructions for the use of the key or control. These can remind the user of a controls operation if the section has already been read. Throughout the text there are references to other areas in the following form. Refer to Section 16.0, Recall Screen. These will help to tie together different places where the same keys are used for different purposes. They are also used heavily in Section 3.0 Controls.

"Refer to:"

"Section 3.0 Controls"
Section 3.0 has drawings of the front panel of the FDS-388 Omnidrive. Each is annotated and reference to the appropriate letter will give a brief description of the item and usually a reference to the section in the manual where the item is detailed at greater length.

2.4 Voltage Setting

The mains voltage selector switch provides a simple external adjustment to allow operation on all international AC power standards. The allowable ranges for the supply voltage are: 99VAC up to 121VAC on the 120V position and 204VAC up to 264VAC on the 240V position. An additional internal tap change is available for 100V working. Refer to section 22.0; Service section. The tap change gives: 90VAC up to 110VAC on the 120V position Outside these ranges the unit will not work satisfactorily, if at all. Voltages in excess of the maximum will probably cause damage. Voltages below the minimum will cause the power supplies to drop out of regulation, degrading the performance of the system. The battery in the unit will preserve all data in the event of a power failure.
Safety Earthing AC Power Fusing 2.5 Safety Earthing
The Green and Yellow wire of the mains cord must always be connected to an installation Safety Earth or Ground. The Earth is essential for personal safety as well as the correct operation of the system, and is internally connected to all exposed metal surfaces. Any rack framework into which this unit may be mounted is assumed to be connected to the same grounding circuit.

2.6 AC Power Fusing

The incoming mains power is fused within the FDS-388 by the fuse holder mounted on the rear panel. Should it be necessary, the fuse must be replaced by one of the same size and current rating. 20mm T250mA for the 240V setting 20mm T500mA for the 120V setting It is most important for continued safety that this specification is strictly adhered to. Spare fuses of the correct rating are supplied with the unit from new. It is unlikely that the AC fuse will fail during normal use and caution should be exercised if it does. The most likely reason at first power up is the incorrect setting of the mains voltage switch on the rear panel. Alternatively the unit may have been connected across two lines of a three phase supply. In both of these cases the internal transient suppressors may have been damaged and will continue to blow replacement fuses, even if the supply is now correct. The suppressors will have protected the FDS-388 Omnidrive from damage and need replacing before the unit can be used again. Refer to section 22.0; Service section for the replacement procedure.

Dim,Low,Mid,High This utility adjusts the brightness of the screen backlight

Midi XMit

Met Thru

Lock Mode

OEM, Off, On, Owner OFF With Lock Mode off, all values can be adjusted unless they have been locked by the OEM system designer. See OEM below and Section 19.0, System Security. ON With Lock Mode on, only the mutes and gain trims are available to adjust. The user can step through the edit screens but not change anything except the display angle and brightness. Left and right channels cannot be unlinked or linked but the user can look at each channel in turn. The Default screen displays the current logo with Lock ON. When Lock Mode is set to OEM, the unit will prompt for a four letter password which must match the password set by the OEM

OEM 22

system designer. If the password is entered correctly, the middle soft key will allow the user to enter the OEM Hide Screen. If the password is incorrect, the Lock Mode returns to off. If the user wishes to create a new program and lock areas using OEM hide then they should begin by recalling the default program (program 0) or another program which is not OEM locked. All OEM programs are denoted on the Recall Screen with a diamond next to their name. Programs which have not been used as OEM programs before (e.g. after recalling the default program) can be set to OEM by entering the password 'BSS' when prompted. Refer to Section 19.0, System Security. OWNER OWNER mode allows the owner of the unit to program a system and then lock the unit against being reset. With Owner lock ON, files cannot be deleted, the default program cannot be recalled and limiters cannot be adjusted. To enter Owner mode, turn the encoder fully clockwise on the Owner Lock box. To change Owner mode, the user must enter the current password. In a new unit the password is 'OMNI'. If turning Owner mode ON, the user can enter a new password once the old password has been accepted. There is no way to turn Owner mode off if the password has been forgotten! Refer to Section 19.0, System Security.

Power Up

Mute, 5s to 60s This utility allows the user to adjust the time between powering up the unit and the outputs being returned to the mute status that was set prior to the unit last being switched off. If the value is set to Mute, the unit will always stay in mute after powering up. Anlg, AES When an AES3 input/output board is fitted, this option selects between analog input or AES3 input. Please refer to Appendix C.4. 44.1, 48 When an AES3 input/output board is fitted, this option selects the sampling frequency to be either 48kHz or 44.1kHz. Please refer to Appendix C.4. MIDI DUMP is intended for use in transferring all the data from one FDS-388 to another. The sending FDS-388 should be connected to the receiving FDS388 with a midi cable. Press theTop Soft Key to initiate the transfer. The receiving FDS-388 will display the question "Receive dump and overwrite all?" Select YES on the receiving unit first. The sending FDS-388 will display the question 'Chan n dump. Receiver ready?" where n is the current midi channel. Select YES on the sending unit to start the dump. OEM HIDE is only visible once a password has been entered after setting Lock Mode to OEM. The OEM Hide screen allows system designers to lock details of a system setup against being adjusted or viewed by unauthorised users. Refer to Section 19.0, System Security.

Delay Link

Delay Corrn
Note that changing this parameter can cause delay times to shift slightly. If temperature correction is to be used the temperature probe should be plugged in and this mode set to On at the time that the delays are set up. Humidity Adjustable 0 to 100% This is the current percent relative humidity used to correct the high frequency response of a system as the relative humidity of the surroundings change. Refer to Section 20.0, Meteorology for more details. On, Off This variable turns high frequency absorption correction on and off. This is used in conjunction with Meteorology below. Refer to Section 20.0, Meteorology for more details. Adjustable 0 to 50metres This variable sets the distance at which the absorption correction is calculated and should be set to the average distance of the listeners from the speakers. Refer to Section 20.0, Meteorology for more details. Man, Auto, Midi This variable selects from where the control for the absorption and temperature correction is taken. The figure below shows the settings when using meteorology with several FDS-388s, both with and without an FPC-900 remote.

Absorb Corrn

Corrn Dist

Meteorology

FDS-388s without FPC-900 remote
FDS-388s with FPC-900 remote

EQ Screen

Frequency Filter band and number Band name Swap status OEM name Program name Program number Edited flag
Bandwidth or Cursor shelf shape Cut/boost Filter marker Quick Reference 3 4
Combined EQ and crossover curve

Full bandwidth curve

Press the parameter wheel to select a filter to adjust. Press the top soft key and turn the parameter wheel to adjust the filter frequency. Press the middle soft key and turn the parameter wheel to adjust the filter bandwidth. Press the bottom soft key and turn the parameter wheel to adjust the filter cut or boost.
Each band of the FDS-388 has up to two parametric filters. Each filter is adjustable for frequency, width and cut/boost in exactly the same way as those in the FCS-926 and FCS-920 Varicurve devices. In addition, one filter per channel (Filter 1) can be made to be dynamically adjustable - changing its cut/boost value as the signal level changes. The other (Filter 2) is switchable between EQ or phase angle adjustment using the utility on the EQ Utility Screen. In addition to the Varicurve style bell filters, each filter can be selected to be either high shelving or low shelving with cut or boost available at either end and adjustable slope of 6dB or 12dB per octave. At the top left of the screen are the name of the current band and the bandletter and filter number of the current filter. The filter is referred to in the form A1 or C2 etc. where A or C is the band letter and 1 or 2 indicates which of the band's filters are currently selected. If one of the filters is selected to be used for phase adjustment then only filter 1 is available for equalisation. Similarly, to avoid conflict with the phase function, only filter 1 in one of the band's can be selected to be a dynamic filter. Refer to Section 10.0, Eq Utility - Filter Mode & Dynamic Filter. In the centre of the top row is the current program number, a letter denoting which backup/swap memory is being used and an asterisk to indicate when the current program has been edited. To the right are the OEM name and the current program name. 28

Filter Mode

Dynamic Filter

Dyn Thresh

Dyn Link

10.1 Dynamic Filter.

The dynamic filter works in one of two distinct ways depending on whether the filter selected is in boost or cut mode. value of the filter is progressively reduced until the filter is flat when the signal level reaches the dynamic threshold.
In boost As an increasing signal level approaches the dynamic threshold, the boost
In cut As an increasing signal level approaches the dynamic threshold, the cut value
of the filter is progressively increased from flat until the filter is at its full cut value when the signal level reaches the dynamic threshold. Both functions serve to reduce the filter level as the overall signal level in the band increases. The threshold for the dynamic filter is set relative to the band limiter. The ratio of the filter cut/boost adjustment is preset to 2:1. The first graph below (fig 10.1) shows the relationship between the signal level and the filter level with a boost filter. The example shown has the dynamic threshold set to -10dB below the limiter threshold and a filter boost of 6dB. As the signal level is increased from low levels the filter boost is constant at 6dB until 22dB below the limiter threshold. With each 2dB increase in signal level the filter boost is decreased by 1dB until the signal level reaches the threshold at which point the filter is effectively flat. As the signal level continues higher, the filter boost remains at 0dB. The second graph (fig 10.2) shows a cut filter, again with a 6dB cut and a 10dB threshold. As the signal is increased from low levels the filter now stays flat until 22dB below the limiter threshold. With each 2dB increase in signal level the filter cut is increased by 1dB until the signal level reaches the threshold at which point the filter at 6dB of cut. Increasing the channel level further holds the filter at 6dB of cut.
Fig 10.1 Dynamic EQ with a Boost Filter
Fig 10.2 Dynamic EQ with a Cut Filter

XOver Screen

Master rolloff slope Master rolloff shape Swap status OEM name Program number Edited flag Program name
Crossover frequency Band gain Limiter threshold

Band edges Band name

Quick Reference 1 To adjust a band gain value, press the top soft key, press the parameter wheel to select a band and turn the parameter wheel to adjust. To adjust the limiter threshold for an individual band press the middle soft key, press the parameter wheel to select a band and turn the parameter wheel to adjust the threshold. To adjust a crossover frequency, press the bottom soft key, press the parameter wheel to select a crossover point to adjust and turn the parameter wheel to move it.

The XOver (Crossover) Screen gives the user access to the top level of crossover frequency adjustment in addition to control of the band gain and limiters. The left hand end of the top line of the screen gives the master band edge rolloff in dB per octave and the edge shape; whether it is Linkwitz-Riley (L-R), Butterworth (But), or Bessel (Bes). The centre of the top line contains the current program number, a letter denoting which backup/swap memory is being used and an asterisk indicating when the program has been edited. To the right of the top line are the current program OEM name and user name. The band names in the horizontal line between the gain and limiter threshold values are for identification only and can be adjusted in the XOver More Screen, refer to Section 13.0, XOver More Screen - Name

Top Soft Key Gain/dB

These gain values are intended to be used for system set up, the front panel gain trim controls being used for fine tuning. The XOver screen gain adjustments give an overall control of 15dB relative to the channel input. Note that limiter thresholds refer to levels at the outputs and are not affected by the gain settings. The front panel gain trims give an additional 6dB of adjustment. Note that when storing programs that the front panel gain trims will be added into the internal gains to prevent the accidental loss of the external gain trim information unless the Store Trims function is turned Off. Refer to Section 14.0, Store and Recall.
Middle Soft Key Limit/dBu (or mV)
These limiter values should be used in conjunction with the input sensitivity specification for the amplifiers attached to the band outputs. A suggested value might be 1dB below the amplifier sensitivity value. The FDS-388 limiters have an infinite compression slope above the user preset threshold value with attack times automatically linked to the lower band edge frequencies of their related band. The units for the threshold display are set in the XOver Utility Screen and are selectable dBu or mV. Refer to Section 12.0, XOver Utility Screen Limit Units. Note that the output level meters display a value relative to the band limiter threshold. dB values on the meters are dB below threshold, the 0dB led being at the onset of limiting. Refer to Section 3.1, Output Section. Pressing the encoder will first step through the limiter values and then through the limiter on/off flags. Each on/off is represented by brackets around the limiter value. When the brackets are NOT visible, the limiter is ON for that band. When the brackets are visible, the limiter is OFF for that band but the meter is still referenced to the limiter threshold. This means that limiter thresholds can be set up with the limiter off and with the meters still correctly referenced. If a band has the limiter turned off, the OVER led will be lit continuously as a warning to the user.

Bottom Soft Key FR/Hz (Crossover Frequency)
This section allows a fast but basic adjustment of band crossover frequencies. The user can select between the three band crossover frequencies (the crossover of the high edge of band A and the low edge of band B for example), the low edge of band A or the high edge of band D. The crossover point frequency displayed is the average of the adjacent high and low edge frequencies. The outer edge frequencies can be set to OUT at their extreme high and low settings. Note: Each crossover point can be moved throughout the audio band, no checking is made for a band low edge being set above the band high edge thereby muting the band output, nor can the FDS-388 know the frequency capabilities of individual speakers in any system - crossover edges should be moved with care. The relative heights of the four bands do not represent any level information the bands are set at slightly different heights to aid the user in identifying the different bands when edge frequencies overlap. Similarly the edges of each band are only an approximation of the true edge shape. The user should refer to the Default Screen for a truer representation of the effect of band edges and band equalisation.

XOver Utility Screen

Master Slope
24, 18, 12dB/Oct Changing this value will change the band edge slopes for all band edges. Refer to Section 13.0 XOver More Screen Bessel, Butterw, L-Riley Changing this value will change the band edge shapes for all band edges between Bessel, Butterworth and Linkwitz-Riley. It should be noted that Linkwitz-Riley is specified to be 12 or 24dB/Oct although this unit will allow users access to this shape at 18dB/Oct. dBu, mV This item changes the units used for the limiter threshold values on the XOver Screen between dBu and mV. The selection enables the user to more easily match limiter thresholds to the specification of the driven amplifiers. On, Off Mono Lo sums the two A band outputs of the FDS-388 to produce a mono output, such as for a mono sub-bass feed. Norm, Fast Each band limiter can be set to fst or normal attack time. The default setting is normal. The fast setting provides better driver protection especially against over-excursion, but the sound of the limiter may be less transparent.

Master Shape

Limit Units

Mono Lo

Lim A, B, C, D

Top Soft Key XOver More

Pressing the top soft key in the XOver Utility Screen will take the user to the XOver More screen. See next Section 13.0, XOver More Screen.

XOver More Screen

Current edge Current band name Swap status OEM name Program number Edited flag Program name
Band edge frequency Band edge low slope Quick Reference 1

Band edge high slope

14.1 Store and Recall in the Default Screen
There are two modes of operation for the STORE and RECALL Keys, depending on whether the unit is in the EDIT mode, as shown by any of the blue LEDs being illuminated. When in the default mode with no blue LEDs illuminated, the STORE and RECALL Keys initiate the storage and naming or retrieval of previously created set-ups or programs, using either the internal memory, or a PCMCIA memory card. An internal program is recalled by pressing the RECALL Key, then turning the parameter wheel to select the program and pressing the RECALL Key again. The current parameters are stored to internal memory by pressing the STORE Key, turning the parameter wheel to select the program and pressing the STORE Key again. The user may also be invited to lock the program. Parameters are stored and recalled for both channels, regardless of the setting of the SPLIT LEDs. All the current parameters related to the audio path are saved in the program, such as crossover frequencies, levels, limit thresholds, equaliser parameters and delay distances. Certain global parameters such as MIDI channel, temperature and display brightness etc. are not stored in individual programs, but are retained separately in the internal memory.
14.2 Store and Recall in an Edit Screen
When the unit is in the EDIT mode, as indicated by one of the blue LEDs being illuminated, the STORE and RECALL Keys are used for the A:B compare function. Pressing BACKUP (STORE) puts the current parameters in the backup memory for later comparison. Pressing SWAP (RECALL) swaps the current parameters with the backup parameters so that they may be compared both visually and audibly. Movement of any of the TRIM controls will cause an equal and opposite change in the backup memory so that any subsequent swap will leave the swapped program at the original levels despite the new TRIM settings.
Quick Reference 5 Change to the Default screen and press Store Select the Middle Soft key and turn the parameter wheel to choose the file type and destination Select the Top Soft Key and turn the parameter wheel to select a position to Store the file in. Select the Bottom Soft Key if you wish to enter a new name Press the Store Key a second time.
When editing parameters, the new parameters are retained when the unit is switched off, and the unit will power-up with exactly the same parameters as when switched off. This should be considered bad practice however, since these parameters could very easily be edited unless they are stored away safely in one of the internal 60 program memory locations, and perhaps also onto a PCMCIA memory card for archive storage. If the current parameters have been changed since the last program store or recall operation, this condition is indicated by the program number being shown in small characters, or by an asterisk next to the program number in some of the edit screens. Pressing the STORE Key when no blue EDIT LEDs are illuminated will cause the store screen to be displayed, with the program number PICK item highlighted. Because the startup logo is now stored in internal memory, the logo is stored to the card for backup purposes whenever an ALL file is saved. See Section 18.0 PCMCIA Card for more information.

Top Soft Key PICK

After selecting the top soft key the parameter wheel may then be turned to select an alternative program number to store the current parameters into. As the parameter wheel is turned, an outline will move through the program list, highlighting the name of the selected program location. The first row of names on each page also shows the OEM name of the stored programs.
Store Screen Locking Programs Middle Soft Key TYPE
The middle soft key will select the TYPE of storage, which may be adjusted by the parameter wheel from the default INTernal setting to either of the PCMCIA memory card settings; CPrg to store the current program parameters, or CAll to store the entire contents of the internal memory, including all programs, to a PCMCIA memory card. When storing a file to a card program, the file name will default to the current user name. If the user wishes to use a different file name from the current user name then select NAME and enter a card file name.

Bottom Soft Key NAME

The bottom soft key, NAME, allows the program name, or file name in the case of a PCMCIA card, to be entered or changed. After pressing this key, a naming window will appear on the screen in which the user builds up the required word by turning the parameter wheel to select the character required, and pressing the parameter wheel to move on to the next position, or pushing and turning to skip forwards or backwards.
A second press on the STORE Key will now store the program. If a name has not been selected and the current file type is INTernal, then a default name will be allocated automatically. The default name for a card file is the current user name. The final part of the store process when storing to internal memory is the option to lock the saved program against accidental overwriting.

15.1 Locking Programs

After the second press on the STORE Key, the user will be invited to lock the program by pressing the top YES Key, or to leave the program unlocked by pressing the bottom NO Key. OEM programs are automatically locked. Refer to Section 18.0, OEM Hide. PCMCIA memory card files cannot be locked. If an attempt is made to store to a locked location, storage is inhibited, and a warning message is displayed. Locked programs are identified in the program list by a key symbol next to the program number. OEM locked programs are identified by a diamond symbol. For unlocking a locked program refer to Section 17.0 File Utility Screen.
15.2 Front Panel Trim Settings
If Store Trims is selected to ON in the File Utility Screen, the settings of the level TRIM controls are added to the crossover LEVEL settings when the program is stored, although the level of the signal chain is not altered at this point. If the program is recalled with Store Trims turned ON the user is prompted to set gain trims to zero after recall. Refer to Section 17.0 File Utility Screen - Store Trims. To escape from the store process at any time, press the EDIT Key.

19.2 Lock Mode On

The Lock Mode entry in the Default Utility Screen can be set to one of four options, On, Off, OEM and Owner. Owner and OEM are covered below. When Lock Mode is set to ON, no variables can be changed expect for the Display Angle and Backlight and, of course, the Lock Mode. The user can move around the screens to look at any variable but only the front panel gain trims and mutes are available to be adjusted. When Lock Mode is ON, the Default Screen will display the unit's logo along with the current program number and names. Refer to Section 6.0, Default Utility Screen - Lock Mode. Locking the unit in this way is only to protect the user against other users changing the system setup accidentally or against unauthorised people intentionally changing the system. This status can be changed by anyone who knows the FDS-388.

19.3 OWNER Lock

Owner Lock is turned ON and OFF using the Lock Mode variable in the Default Utility Screen. Refer to Section 6.0, Default Utility Screen - Lock Mode. To turn Owner Lock ON the user will be asked to enter the current password and then be allowed to change the password to a new, different password if required. To turn Owner Lock OFF, the current password must be entered. The password in a brand new unit will be 'OMNI '. The Owner in this case is the person or company who has set up a system and wishes to allow the day-to-day operators restricted access to program recall and adjustment; an example would be a p.a. hire company. Owner Lock ON has the following effects. $ The operator cannot recall the Default program and thereby start adjusting the system from scratch. The operator can still recall any programs that the owner has left in the unit and overwrite any that are not OEM protected (see OEM Lock below). For example, if the owner fills all 60 memories with OEM locked programs the operator can only recall the owner's programs and cannot overwrite any of them. 45

OEM Lock Safe

% Files cannot be deleted. & Limiter thresholds cannot be adjusted. The operator can still adjust any variables (except the limiter thresholds) and save the program to an empty program space or over a non-OEM original program. Locking the unit is this way is to allow the Owner of the system protection against operators resetting the FDS-388. This lock mode can only be changed by people who know the Owner Lock password. Be warned that it is impossible to unlock a unit where the password has been forgotten.

19.4 OEM Lock

The OEM lock mode gives the user the privilege of being able to hide selected parameters from other users view and prevent those parameters from being tampered with. A password is entered by the OEM engineer to protect the integrity of the locked parameters, and this password is necessary to subsequently gain access to the OEM locked parameters and to the parameter locking mechanisms. An OEM name may also be entered to identify the type of system that the program was designed for. The end user may then use the locked OEM program as a basis for operating such a system, and make further modifications to the set-up, to an extent completely controlled by the OEM designer. Refer to Section 6.0, Default Utility Screen - Lock Mode. To turn OEM Lock ON or OFF the user will be asked to enter the current password. Once in the OEM Hide Screen, the user can change the password. Refer to Section 18.6, OEM Hide Screen - OEM Passwd. The default password in a new program will be 'BSS '. When OEM programs are stored, they are automatically program-locked, and identified in the program list by a diamond. The OEM program lock status cannot be undone by the program lock utility, but an OEM program may be over-written by another OEM program with the same OEM password. NOTE. To store a program as an OEM program, the unit MUST be in OEM mode when the program is stored, otherwise the stored program will not be identified as an OEM program in the program list.

Frequency (kHz)

FDS-380 Omnidrive Install FDS-380 Controls
21.0 FDS-380 Omnidrive Install
21.1 FDS-380 A Midi Channel Select Buttons Controls Pressing either button will display the current midi channel number. Further
presses of the upper button will increment the midi channel number, the lower button will decrement it.
+10dB indicator Safe indicator PC Card slot
This led is lit when the rear panel +10dB switch is on.
This led is lit when the rear panel Safe switch is on.
The FDS-380 can load device files with the name LOADmm.XAL where mm is the current midi channel number. Refer to Section 21.3 for more details.

Display

P The display defaults to displaying the current program number. C If the midi channel select buttons are pushed, the display will show the current midi channel number. E Errors are displayed as an error code. Appendix B contains a complete list of the FDS-380 error codes and relates them to the standard FDS-388 messages.
Midi indicator Clip indicators
This led indicates that the unit is receiving a midi message on its midi channel.
The upper pair of clip leds are driven from the input circuitry and indicate input overload. The lower pair of clip leds indicates overload at one of several points through the digital signal path. Overload in the digital section is most often caused by large eq filter boosts.

Audio level leds

The bottom leds of each set indicate the presence of a signal, the upper led indicates the limit threshold. 50
Midi Operation PC Card Operation
The FDS-380 can be programmed either through the midi interface or by using the PC Card:

21.2 Midi Operation

Data can be transferred between any combinations of FDS-380 and FDS-388 using device data dumps. The midi channel is set by pressing one of the two buttons at the left hand end of the front panel using a matchstick or pen top. The first press will display the current midi channel number, further presses will change the channel number. The upper button increments the midi channel number, the lower button decrements it. Set the midi channel numbers in the destination and source units to be the same. Prepare the dump from an FDS-380 by pressing both of the midi buttons at the same time. After pressing the first time the unit will display 'rdy' allowing the user time to confirm the dump if sending to an FDS-388. To start the dump, press both of the midi buttons a second time. The FDS-380 will show 'Snd' whilst sending the dump. If a dump is sent from another FDS-380 or an FDS388 into the FDS-380, the display will show 'rec' whilst receiving. The unit will also respond to midi program change messages sent to its channel. All variables in the unit can be adjusted over midi.

Fitting The AES Input/Output Board AES3 Input/Output Board Operation
Plugging in the AES3 PLL Board
1 Remove the metal can crystal oscillator from the socket CN3 on the analogue input board. There may be a piece of wire holding the oscillator in; remove the wire completely from the board. 2 Plug the AES3 PLL board into the analogue input board. The board should be plugged in with the main part of the AES3 PLL board pointing toward the back of the unit. Ensure that the pins go in straight and that all pins are in the socket. Check that the pin 1 marker on the analogue input board is at the same end as the pin 1 marker on the top of the AES3 PLL board. 3 Fit the long M2.5 screw and nut through the AES3 PLL board and the analogue input board. 4 Power up the unit, being careful not to touch any of the mains input circuitry, and check the AES3 input/output board with either a 44.1kHz AES3 input or a 48kHz AES3 input; the input will automatically sync to whichever clock frequency is used. If the clock frequency is changed whilst the unit is on, the output of the unit will mute for a few seconds while locking to the new frequency. 5 Switch off and replace the units lid and base panels. 6 Connect a test signal to the analogue input, select Analogue Input in the Default Utility screen and check each output.
C.4 AES3 Input/ Output Board Operation
The AES3 Input/Output Board includes one female XLR socket for AES3 Input, one female XLR to provide a system sync frequency input and four male XLRs for AES3 Output. With the AES3 I/O board fitted, it is possible for the user to select AES3 or Analogue input from the Default Utility screen. The unit can be operated without a connection to the AES3 sync input. The output sample rate will then be locked to the AES3 input frequency which is displayed in the Default Utility screen. If required, the output left/right clock can be phase locked to an AES3 input on the sync input. This will phase lock the AES3 output to the AES3 sync input. The AES3 input can then be up to 5% out of phase from the AES3 sync input - the AES3 outputs will be synchronised to the AES3 sync input left/right. The AES3 input must always be of the same sample rate as the AES3 sync input, only phase errors will be corrected for between the two. If the analogue input is used without an AES3 input or AES3 sync input, the user can select the output sample rate from the Default Utilities screen. If an AES3 input or sync input is connected, that input will determine the output sample rate and the user will not be able to adjust the sample rate. Whenever the sample rate or input source changes the unit will mute for a few seconds as the unit resynchronises. The outputs are arranged with the higher two left channels together on one connector and the lower two left channels on the next. The right channels are split across two XLRs in the same way.

Symbols

* 10dB switch led 21, 28, 36, 12, 50
Default Screen 13, 20 Default Utility Screen 22, 23 Audio In 23 Backlight 22 Lock Mode 23 Lock mode 22 Midi Chan 22 MIDI DUMP 23 Midi XMit 22 OEM HIDE 23 Power up mute 23 Sample rate 23 Delay Corrn. See Delay Utility Screen Delay Link. See Delay Utility Screen Delay Screen 13, 24, 25 BAND DELAY 25 MAIN DELAY 25 POL & PHASE 25 Delay Units. See Delay Utility Screen Delay Utility Screen 26, 27 Absorb Corrn 27 Corrn Dist 27 Delay Corrn 26 Delay Link 26 Delay Units 26 Humidity 27 Temp 26 DELETE FILE. See File Utility Screen display view angle 22 DOS 43 Dyn Link. See EQ Utility Screen Dyn Thresh. See EQ Utility Screen Dynamic Filter28, 30, 31. See also EQ Utility Screen threshold 30, 31
Absorb Corrn. See Delay Utility Screen absorbtion correction. See humidity correction AES/EBU. See AES3 AES3 input board 58, 59 input selection 23, 59, 60 input/output board 59, 60 sample rate selection 23, 60 audio connections inputs 11 outputs 11 Audio In. See Default Utility Screen audio input switching 23
backlight. See Default Utility Screen Backup (Store) Key 12, 19, 38 band gain 32 BAND DELAY. See Delay Screen band delays 24 Band NAME. See XOver (Crossover) More Screen bell curves 28, 30 Bessel. See crossover: edge shape blank screen Safe 46 Block Diagram 56 Butterworth. See crossover: edge shape
clip indicators 12, 50 correction distance 27 Corrn Dist. See Delay Utility Screen crossover edge frequency 33, 36 edge shape Bessel 32, 37 Butterworth 32, 37 Linkwitz-Riley 32, 37 edge slope 36 frequency 32, 33
Edge Frequency. See XOver (Crossover) More Screen EDGE SLOPE. See XOver (Crossover) More Screen Edit Key 13, 19, 20 edited flag 21, 28, 36, 39, 51 EQ Filter 28 Cut and Boost 29 dynamic eq 28 Frequency 29 61
Width EQ Screen EQ Utility Screen Dyn Link Dyn Thresh Filter Mode Filter Shape

29 13, 28, 29 30, 30

FDS-File Allocation Table 43 file types 44 File Utility Screen 42 DELETE FILE 42 FORMAT CARD 42 Program Lock 42 Store Trims 40, 42 Filter Mode. See EQ Utility Screen Filter Shape. See EQ Utility Screen Flash card 43 format 43 FORMAT CARD. See File Utility Screen format data 43 FPC-900 Remote 27 fuses 10 mains fuse failure 52
limiter threshold 14, 30, 31, 32, 33 units 34 Linkwitz-Riley. See crossover: edge shape Lock Mode45, 48. See also Default Utils Screen logo files 44
MAIN DELAY. See Delay Screen mains input 11 Master Shape. See XOver (Crossover) More Screen; XOver (Crossover) Utility Screen Master Slope. See XOver (Crossover) More Screen; XOver (Crossover) Utility Screen memory card 43 meteorology 49, 50 probe connector 11, 50 Meteorology (Utility). See Delay Utility Screen Midi channel number 22, 50, 51 humidity messages 22 implementation chart 55 interface connectors 11 program change 22 temperature messages 22 transmit mode 22 Midi Chan. See Default Utility Screen MIDI DUMP 51. See also Default Utility Screen Mono Lo. See XOver (Crossover) More Screen; XOver (Crossover) Utility Screen mono led 14 mono sub-bass 34 muting mute led 14 mute switch 14

PCMCIA Cards
The Omnidrive FDS-355, FDS-388 and Varicurve FPC-900r all have PCMCIA card capability for storing program details. They use 68pin PCMCIA2 memory cards of between 128kbyte and 2Mbyte storage capacity, and files are stored on the card in a Pseudo-floppy format using standard DOS structures. BSS sell 256k size cards, which are suitable for all storage needs.

Files types

The following table shows the type and size of files that can be saved to a card. file type program all data screen logo file ext. *.XPG (260) *.XAL (15) *.XLO (130) file ext. file size 273 bytes 16616 bytes 1921 bytes

Card format

To ensure that a card can be read in any BSS product, it should be formatted by an Omnidrive or Varicurve unit. Formatting the card with a computer may cause problems, but may be necessary if a 'BSS format' cannot be read. If you do format the card in a computer, you will need to create a directory off the root called BSSDATA; this is where the files are stored.

file type

file size
program *.CPG 250-1000 bytes (between 256 - 024) all data *.CAL 4-64 programs (between 4 - 256) file type file ext. file size

SRAM cards

Supported formats include 128k, 256k, 512k, 1M and 2M cards. Battery life varies with manufacturer and memory size, and should be checked with the card supplier. Expect around 2 years from a 256k card, and about one year with 1M and above. Rechargable cards should periodically be left in the card slot of an FDS-388 for a few hours to recharge. Expected battery life for rechargable cards when not plugged into a unit is about one year.

FLASH cards

A full set-up is stored to a flash card when it is formatted (388 and 900r only). The flash card set-up can then be read at any time, but only written to by performing a complete format again. This is useful for archive purposes as flash cards have no batteries to run down. No further save operations can be performed on a flash card.
Curve (Mono) *.CVM 97 bytes (2635) Curve (Stereo) *.CVS 97 bytes (2635) Curve (Dual) *.CVD 97 bytes (2635) RTA *.RTA 61 bytes (4195) DEVICE *.DEV 4998 bytes (50) ALLDATA *.ALL 83118 bytes (3) EVENTS *.EVT 2001 bytes (125) Numbers in brackets/italic show how many files (approx.) can fit on one 256k card. All sizes are approximate, and are subject to change with subsequent software updates. Note that is is possible to store all types of files on one card, as long as there is available space.

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