Q-SYS Corner

[Marin Zorica]

I just have some sharp tv, Android based. For now i had chance to control any device like power on, power off, inputs etc.... This sharp don't have any ip port specification for control or so. But, should there be some universal way to control Android devices like reboot, powering on off etc......?? I know there are some way to do it with 3rd party devices on to Android devices, so if someone did something for qsys or similar which i can adopt here. For now i just need to power on off,but other function would be ok too.

[Steve Guttag]

For IR type devices, the "easy street" method is to use Global Cache` devices like the IP2IR. That will give the CORE three IR ports. They have a largish database of devices they already can control. Within Asset manager are plugins for both the Control Tower (the devices that can download the databases because entering IR codes can make one want to pluck their eyes out) as well as the Global Cache family of products.

So, find the Sharp (or whatever product you wish to control via IR) and download its IR command set, copy/paste it into the IP2IR component and you are pretty much done...no coding, no trouble...takes about a minute to do all of what I described.

From one of the Sharp command sets I added a Power Toggle Button command:

Screen Shot 2020-11-09 at 8.24.45 AM.png

[Leo Enticknap]

Those things are not pricey, either - about $100 for one that is powered by a wall wart, or $150 for the PoE version. I've used them on two projects, and as far as I'm aware, they're working well.

If the unit you wish to command is not in their "control tower" database, you can download a PC app that enables you to capture commands from the remote that came with the unit. However, this a complicated and not at all intuitive process.

[Marin Zorica]

I forgot to mention, i know for ir, that is easy thing to do and will work for sure....... But i have touch frame installed and some housing, so it's bit tricky to install ir on it..... That's why i wanted to use ethernet, but ir will be next option for sure. I just hook ip any ir sender to rs232 of core, since i using one ir.

[Jay Wyatt]

This has been done a dozen or so ways already but all the approaches I've seen have used control scripts that drive another Gain component through control pins. So a need for two or more components to achieve the characteristic of the Dolby 0-10 fader. In this plugin I rolled all the functionality into one component so that you can pass audio through this and get both dB and 0-10 parameters in one spot. It can scale from 2 up to 128 channels wide so you can use this for stereo, 5.1, 7.1, or immersive. I hope it helps streamline some designs and free up the control pins for other uses. Also added ramp stepping buttons that can be enabled in the properties menu. With this you can press and hold the Inc/Dec buttons to continuously "jog the fader".

classic_cinema_fader.png

https://github.com/jwyatt805/ClassicCinemaFader.git

[Steve Guttag]

Looks nice, thanks Jay!

[Steve Guttag]

Q-SYS Designer 9.0 is here.

https://www.qsc.com/cinema/resources...gner-software/



9.0 brings with it the ability to use the new nano-cores.

Here is the full list of published features/fixes:

Q-SYS 9.0.0

Version 9.0.0 includes these new features, updates, and resolved issues.
Microsoft Teams Rooms Support


You can now integrate Q-SYS with a Microsoft Teams Room compute PC and room console. This integration includes multiple software elements:

• Q-SYS Control for MTR application – .msi installed on the Microsoft Teams Room compute to enable Q-SYS UCIs on the Teams Room console.
• MTR component in Q-SYS Designer – aids with setting up the Q-SYS Control for MTR application.
• Q-SYS Software Feature License for Microsoft Teams Rooms – a single SKU purchase that enables both the Q-SYS Scripting and UCI Deployment licenses on the Core (for the same cost as the Scripting and UCI Deployment licenses combined). This is required for any Q-SYS-based Microsoft Teams Room deployment.
• Microsoft Teams Sample Design File – contains certified DSP signal flow and DSP settings, including a Mobile Device Companion App UCI for optimizing room parameters. This is designed to be the basis for any Q-SYS-based Microsoft Teams Rooms deployment.
• Microsoft Teams CSS Style – included with the Sample Design and also via Asset Manager, it provides a simple, repeatable method to make Q-SYS UCIs match the aesthetic of the native Teams UI.

Q-SYS Hardware


Q-SYS Designer Software includes support for three new Q-SYS Core processors and a new QSC loudspeaker.
Core 8 Flex
Core Nano
NV-32-H (Core Capable)
AD-S5T Loudspeaker

Q-SYS Reflect Enterprise Manager


The new Enterprise Manager Professional Tier subscription includes two major system management and control features:
Professional Tier: Remote Designer
Professional Tier: Remote UCI
Alert Notifications: Time ZoneQ-SYS Core Manager


Note: These updates also apply to the Enterprise Manager Sites > Systems pages.
Audio Files: Drag and Drop, Download
Network > Multicast (New Page)
Core, Peripheral Mode
User Control Interfaces: UCI Viewer Support for CSSQ-SYS Peripheral Manager


In Q-SYS Configurator, all peripherals upgraded to version 9.0 include a link to Q-SYS Peripheral Manager (first released in v8.4 with limited functionality). In v9.0, Peripheral Manager now includes tabs for Network Settings and Utilities, which replaces the functionality formerly in Q-SYS Configurator.
Network Settings
Utilities

Q-SYS Designer

Sign In for Q-SYS Reflect
New Load from Core & Connect Dialog
Configurator UpdatesAudio

Expanded Software Dante Support
Q-SYS Softphone UpdatesVideo

Video Muting
HDMI Display Idle and Sleep State LEDsControl

I/O-USB Bridge: Support for USB Routing over Q-LAN
I/O-USB Bridge: Support for HID Keyboard, Media, and Conferencing
HTML5 UCIs: CSS Support
Inspector: Script and Plugin Memory Usage
Lua Scripting: QR Code GeneratorHost OS Support

• Windows 7 PRO x64 is no longer supported as a host operating system for Q-SYS Designer Software.
• You can now use Parallels to host Q-SYS Designer Software on a Mac. To learn more, see Software Requirements.

Resolved Known Issues

• Audio: DCIO and DCIO-H GPIO inputs are no longer inverted if used with external 3.3 voltage. [QSYSDEV-9873]
• Video: Specifying a Video Endpoint multicast address range in Core Manager or Enterprise Manager between 224-226 or 228-229 no longer produces an error.[QSYSDEV-13286]
• Video: In a redundant Core configuration, Video Endpoint graphic images now sync properly between the Primary Core and Backup Core.[QSYSDEV-8629]
• Video: PTZ camera status now properly shows as 'Not Present' if the 'Is Required' property is set to 'No' and the camera cannot be discovered.[QSYSDEV-6901]
• Video: When controlling a PTZ camera using UVC from Zoom Rooms for Windows, pressing the zoom in (+) and zoom out (-) buttons and then releasing them now correctly stops the zoom movement.[QSYSDEV-12011]
• Control: UCI layers now display properly in the HTML5 UCI viewer in Core Manager.[QSYSDEV-12765]
• Control: Floating/undocked schematic and UCI pages can now accept control ID/settings transfers from other schematic and UCI pages.[QSYSDEV-592]
• Management: In Core Manager and Peripheral Manager, uploading a CSR template is now successful after clicking the Reset Form button.[QSYSDEV-11889]
• Management: SSH can now be disabled for individual LAN adapters in Core Manager and Enterprise Manager.[QSYSDEV-11725]
• Management: In Peripheral Manager > Status, the Device Model is now indicated properly for a Core 510i configured in Peripheral mode.[QSYSDEV-12538]
• Management: To increase security against malicious file types, HTML and executable files can no longer be uploaded to the Core.[QSYSDEV-10191]
• Management: In a redundant configuration, uploading large audio files (approx. 300 MB in size) in Enterprise Manager no longer results in an error.[QSYSDEV-12389]

[Leo Enticknap]

Changing the subject slightly, I meant to note this here a while ago, but forgot. Just before Christmas, a customer's Core 500i overheated and shut down on him. The cause turned out to be that the CPU heatsink fan failed, then the thermal grease dried up, followed by goodbye and goodnight.

cooked_CPU.jpg

The fan clips onto the side of the heatsink, so a generic 60mm fan won't work. I tried one, attached to the top of the heatsink with Bondic, but it didn't work: the CPU still overheated after about 20 minutes.

This model of core is no longer supported by QSC, and so they can't ship a replacement heatsink and fan of the correct model. They are available from third party suppliers, e.g. here, but I couldn't find one that was able to ship in less than 3-4 days. They are an unusual enough part that Fry's doesn't have them.

I was told by QSC that they have now seen this happen quite a bit with this model of core at around the five year mark (since initial installation, and assuming it's running 24/7). Therefore, I'm guessing that it might be an idea for anyone who looks after a significant number of Core 500i units to buy a replacement heatsink and fan, plus a tube of thermal grease, and keep them available in case of a failure (and in the case of non-redundant cores, to replace the heatsink and fan preemptively every five years). At $30-ish, it's a cheap part, and having it could prevent days of down time.

[Harold Hallikainen]

Do you know what kind of bearings the fan uses? We tried to use magnetic levitation bearings that have much improved life. If you are replacing the fan, it would be nice to use one of those.

Good luck!

Harold

[Leo Enticknap]

'Fraid not, but I'll keep that in mind for future fan purchases - many thanks.

Changing the subject slightly, does anyone know if the "Barco Lieutenant" Q-Sys plugin works with the SP4K? If it doesn't, does anyone know of an SP4K plugin out there?

[Steve Guttag]

I wouldn't term the Lieutenant as a plugin. It is a command button device that "knows things" and has help with the hex string. I "think" QSC is working on a Barco plugin akin to the Christie one they developed. I have started my own user component but still have not gotten past the "dowser" stage.

You need to ensure you have "Legacy Cues" enabled on the SP4K for it to work (and that is required to use 3rd party servers too).

What I've noticed on the SP4K and Q-SYS is that when the projector goes to sleep and wakes back up the next day...while the Q-SYS Status may say "OK" my user component still can't communicate. If one makes any changes to the IP address for the user component, it immediately syncs back up. (i.e. change IP address from the correct 192.168.100.5 to 192.168.100.6 and then back to the correct 192.168.100.5). The Lieutenant can suffer here too but not always. I checked today and the Lieutenant worked but it took a couple of tried before it was solid. It would be nice if there was an option to keep the socket open or open it each time. Some devices only support one connection and having Q-SYS sitting on it can "hog" the connection...considering Q-SYS also needs a keep-alive (which would also be nice to be able to defeat).

BarcoDowser.JPG

[Carsten Kurz]

This model of core is no longer supported by QSC, and so they can't ship a replacement heatsink and fan of the correct model. They are available from third party suppliers, e.g. here, but I couldn't find one that was able to ship in less than 3-4 days. They are an unusual enough part that Fry's doesn't have them.

I was told by QSC that they have now seen this happen quite a bit with this model of core at around the five year mark (since initial installation, and assuming it's running 24/7).

So, QSC will not supply spare parts for devices just 5 years old? I think the core 500i was sold until 2017/2018?

[Steve Guttag]

500 or 510? The 510i has been in production for quite some time. Long enough that the 510c, the cinema variant has also been in production for years.

I just checked the parts site (you would need to check with your local dealer/distributor to obtain them) but the CORE 500i fan is listed:

WP-001004-00

Chassis Fan
FAN ASSY,CHASSIS,Q-SYS 250I/500I PROCESSOR,


If you really are looking for the CORE510i, then this is correct part:

AG-000148-01

Chassis Fan Assembly
FAN ASSY,80MM,H010

[Leo Enticknap]

I checked with QSC themselves (we are a dealer), and they told me that they were no longer able to supply 500i CPU fans. This wouldn't be a huge deal, but for the fact that I couldn't find any third party supplier who could do so in less than 3-4 days. The case exhaust fan is no problem (generic 80mm three-pin), but the CPU fan is not a commonly found model.

Steve - agreed that the Barco Lieutenant thing is a blunt instrument, and thanks for the "support legacy commands" heads up. At the moment, though, it's better than no instrument at all.

[Steve Guttag]

Apparently, I didn't pick off that you all were referring to a CPU fan rather than the chassis fan. I saw Carsten's post and didn't look above to see your original post about the overheating CPU. Sorry for the confusion.