Nec NC1200C LAN control

[Julien Favier]

Hi folks!

I work in different theaters and I often use QLab to manage all the video process.
I can't find any way to control a Nec NC1200C (mainly shutter and input switch)...
There is a web server way or with the DOREMI I can do it,
but I would like to send directly a TCP command if possible.
Does anybody know if it's possible?

Thank you.

[Frank Cox]

Reunion Island.... My wife is from Mauritius. Howdy, neighbour!

[Carsten Kurz]

There is a minimal web server for basic control.

http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/index.html


If you google for it, you will find a NEC 1200/2000 user manual which shows how to use the HTML interface.

Direct IP commands are also possible, though I have never seen a full list, someone else here on the forum may help on this. I once had to create my own raw TCP command for power up and down from standby, that wasn't complicated.

- Carsten

[Marcel Birgelen]

The direct IP interface listens on TCP port number 7142.

The API is a hex-command thing that requires checksums, here are two examples:

Power On: 02H 00H 00H 00H 00H 02H
Power Off: 02H 01H 00H 00H 00H 03H

The most complete document I've found is this one, from my bookmarks. Maybe someone should make a back-up of that file before it disapears.

[Steve Guttag]

There is a DCinema document for the NEC projectors called ControlCommandsForCinemaPJS2. They are up to rev 9.10. This document is behind a password protected support site so I can't post the link here (or it wouldn't do you any good).

TCP and RS232 commands are possible. RS232 uses 38400 bps (N,8,1). TCP uses port 43728

To switch presets, you have choices. Doremi goes by "Title Number" which does not necessarily correspond to preset button. For preset button:
02H 03H 00H 00H 02H 06H <preset button number -1>H <checksum>H

All are in hex (the H) and the preset button number is the hex representation of the button number so button 11 would be 0AH (remember, it is button number minus 1 as it starts at 00H for button 1)

If you'd rather go for Title Number, the command is: 02H 03H 00H 00H 02H 00H <Title Number>H <checksum>H

Douser closed: 02H 16H 00H 00H 00H 18H
Douser Open: 02H 17H 00H 00H 00H 19H

Lamp On: 03H 2FH 00H 00H 02H 12H 01H 47H
Lamp Off: 03H 2FH 00H 00H 02H 12H 02H 48H

[Marcel Birgelen]

Yeah, I was a bit confused, the 1200C is a Series 2 projector, which uses TCP port 43728, the series 1 projectors listen on TCP port 7142, just like most other NEC projectors, both the big venue and the smaller models with remote control functionality.

[Julien Favier]

Thank you so much, it works !! :-)

[Ioannis Syrogiannis]

If only I could claim the same as Julien!
I was trying to figure out how to use Command Buttons on a Q-Sys core, in order to allow some basic macro manipulation from inside the auditoria, mostly things that the screen server would also do.
I spent hours and hours to make things work, but I couldn't. I used XXH,0xXX,\0xXX, %XX, $XX, spaces or no spaces, carriages, TCP, UTP...
For a moment, I was questioning the network connection, but when I used a terminal on a computer to return:

wget <PROJECTOR'S IP>/cgi-bin/TitleListChangeEng.cgi?D=%07%02%03%00%00%02%06%00

I was always getting button#1 activated, so that was not the problem.

I eventually upgraded from the designer 9.5 to 9.6 (baby steps, when I write these lines, the newest version is 9.8) and could load the Asset Manager, in order to be able to use the plugins for the NEC S2 projectors. Otherwise, I would still be trying to figure out what I am doing wrong.

Going off-topic, but I will say that the documentation of NEC is a bit confusing:
It says that the final number is the checksum, that is calculated by adding only the second digit/octet of the previous. It even gives an example.
"20H+81H+01H+60H+01H+00H=03"
Though, that doesn't stand for Lamp On: 03H 2FH 00H 00H 02H 12H 01H 47H where ...8+F makes 17H.

I was lucky with the available Doremi->Dolby plug-in that I read about in this forum on the Q-SYS corner. I am far from a knowledgeable person, as far as the cores are involved, but that did the trick as well.
The Alchemy documentation was as clear as to consider the task a walk in the park, and I didn't need any plug-in to set all the macros that I considered essential for the purposes.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the Dolby DSS servers. I understand that they are considered obsolete nowadays, but they are still alive and kicking.
(And, if you ask me, put aside one or two caveats of this kind, their kick still rocks.)

[Aaron Tucker]

These are the commands I worked out after hours of frustration exactly like Ioannis:

Power On\x02\x00\x00\x00\x00\x02
Power Off\x02\x01\x00\x00\x00\x03
Douser Close\x02\x16\x00\x00\x00\x18
Douser Open\x02\x17\x00\x00\x00\x19
Lamp On\x03\x2f\x00\x00\x02\x12\x01\x47
Lamp Off\x03\x2f\x00\x00\x02\x12\x02\x48
Preset 1\x02\x03\x00\x00\x02\x00\x00\x07
Preset 2\x02\x03\x00\x00\x02\x00\x01\x08
ect

Hope it saves someone else the trouble!

[Steve Guttag]

You do know that Q-SYS has an NEC plugin available in Asset manager, don't you? There is another NEC module that Chase Taylor had made too. They are discussed in this thread:

http://www.film-tech.com/vbb/forum/m...08%2D11%2D2022

I would encourage you to avoid going beyond 9.4.5 LTS (and really 9.4.4 LTS) unless the newer QDS versions bring a feature your system needs (e.g., you are using a CORE 610).

[James Gardiner]

Everything you need to control all NEC projectors over a network, plus Python examples.
https://github.com/jamiegau/nec-dci-...or-control-api

[Ioannis Syrogiannis]

Thank you.
Indeed, my solution was the thread that I haven't visited before. I found the git-hub entry for the Doremi->Dolby servers right after that.
I had a look on Elias' solution for Doremi->Dolby servers, but that was more of a status reader than a macro trigger. And I didn't intend to let rebooting taken care from the 110f WUI.
The core was installed and the design was made with 9.5. I don't know how LTS work with firmware, but I suppose that you can't go back and keep a design made with a higher number. (And I was also under the impression that this was still the first LTS version out there.) I consider myself rather poor on grasping how Q-SYS cores work and configure. Rather lucky that I figured enough to make a couple of changes and add almost what I needed on the user interface.
Going to 9.6 solved my problem of crashing every time I was launching the Asset Manager on two different PCs.

The scope of use is mostly letting people who don't have any idea about cinema operation and automation to set auditoria to a desired state for a presentation. Lights, microphones, HDMI in (SMS&PRJ), computer audio, door magnets, maybe. Pretty much degrading cinema to A/V.

[James Gardiner]

On this topic.
Recently I added a tool to my self written TMS that analyses a player's schedule, and based on that schedule. Will insert configurable schedule items of
OpenUp (x Minutes before the first show is run.) to do things like turn on lights, turn on AirCon or whatever you can automate.
LampOff (x minutes of no session starting will dop in a Lamp off after a session ends)
CloseDown (x minutes after the last show of the day runs.) Turn AirCon off, lights Off, etc.

I did this to allow better utilisation of power by my sites.

I was considering adding this feature to the cinema-catcher-app
Can run by hand or automatically daily.

Is there interest?