RLC-Club, Club Deluxe II and RLC-3 Version 2.13 BETA This file was updated 6-20-2003. V2.13 should be considered BETA software as of 6-20-2003. Please report any problems you find. Thanks. Firmware version 2.13 is available for four different hardware platforms: - RLC-Club controller with or without the Deluxe option - RLC-Club controller with Deluxe II option (this version will not run on an RLC-Club controller without the Deluxe II option) - RLC-3 with Rev A or B motherboard. They have sockets for four 27C010 or 27C001 EPROMs. EPROMs #1 and #2 change with each firmware version. EPROM #3 is not needed and EPROM #4 contains the voice synthesizer data, which hasn't changed since V1.41. - RLC-3 with Rev C motherboard. They use a single 27C040 or 27C4001 EPROM. The last firmware version that was available for the RLC-Club was V1.79 and for the RLC-3, V1.80. This file describes the changes since those versions. The last version widely available for the Club Deluxe II was V2.10. It contained some but not all of the changes described in this file. The V2.11 beta release for the Deluxe II is exactly the same as V2.13; the version number was changed to match the release for the other hardware platforms. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Most of the changes between V1.79/V1.80 and V2.13 are backward compatible, so existing setup files should still work with the following exceptions: - Made it easier to set up the first radio connected. Commands can be entered on port 1 even if the COR polarity is backwards or the COR isn't connected at all. After the COR is working (possibly after changing its polarity), things should be set back to normal with the following commands: 005 1 1 078 1 0 0 Until the above commands are entered, things may seem "sluggish", as commands that are entered from port 1 won't execute as soon as you unkey; they will wait for the timer. - Simplified command 007. - Changed format to prevent selection of incompatible options (not backward compatible). - Added option to drop transmitter (rather than muting) when DTMF is received. - More specifically, a receiver that is receiving DTMF will not cause connected transmitters to stay keyed. If there is another reason for that transmitter to stay keyed (such as another connected active receiver or a synthesized voice message), the transmitter will stay up and the DTMF will be muted. - Changed bypass feature so it is specified for each transmitter rather than for each receiver (S0045). - Added an "Advanced DTMF Mute Bypass Option" that allows bypass to be disabled for selected receivers. - Defaulted the event trigger for the line sense relay to call command 114 (hang up) by default (RLC-Club only). If the controller automatically says "Call complete at..." as soon as you try to place a call, check the phone line. If it is OK, disable the line sense relay with one of the following commands: 159 108 0 ; RLC-Club (single board or with the Deluxe option) 159 224 0 ; RLC-Club Deluxe II ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other changes made between V1.79/1.80 and V2.10 (which existed only for the Club Deluxe II) include: - Made it so the dial tone command 051 will interrupt internal Club DVR messages like it will other tones. - Made command 078 so it can recall its own settings - Made command 079 to "seed" the command buffer with a command number and optionally some data digits. The next time the user enters digits from that source (radio or serial port), they will be appended to the seeded values. - Made so if hang up patch while it is reading the number back (voice or CW), it will not dial afterward. Previously, the patch command had no effect if you used it before the patch was off hook. - Fixed the redial feature so it remembers autodial numbers too. - Made the redial feature do a better job of checking to see if the redial memory is clear or not before it tries to dial it. Added an event trigger on all controllers; on the RLC-3 and Club it speaks "repeat dial clear" if try to do a repeat dial when it is clear. If do "129p0" it clears the repeat dial memory for that port, so can use a user timer to clear it automatically. - Changed default values for ID macros. The initial ID message now tells you to set the "ID for TX ?". The pending IDs default to calling the initial ID. The impolite IDs tell you to set the "cw" ID on the voice controllers, just the ID on the cw controllers (same message as the initial ID). Now the user can set just the initial and impolite IDs and the others will default to calling them. - Defaulted macro 300 (RLC-Club), 346 (Club Deluxe II), 412 (RLC-3) to do two-stage patch (command 111 style) with long distance checking and DTMF regeneration. It makes the controller generate up to 8 seconds of dial-tone (which can be controlled by the dial tone timers for each port) and seed the command buffer (see command 079) with command 112, so any digits entered when the dial tone is heard will be passed as data to command 112. Both this macro and command 112 can be given the same name, often '*' (using command 010). Then if the user enters '*' and a phone number before unkeying, the controller will execute command 112 and make the call in one step. If the user just enters '*' and unkeys, the controller will know that it doesn't have enough information to call command 112, so it will do this macro instead. The macro will make the controller send dial tone, after which the user can key up again to enter the phone number. - Added event triggers that get fired when each port's dial tone timer expires (but not if it is stopped because you press a DTMF digit). The event trigger defaults to calling "079p0" to clear the "seed" if setting up for patch. - Defaulted user 1 to enabled (see Chapter 18 for more info). - RLC-3,4,5,Club: Whenever a port connected to the patch (considering isolation) is receiving a DTMF digit when the patch's DTMF decoder detects a digit, the digit detected by the patch will be totally ignored (won't start mute, etc). When the patch is detecting a digit and one of the same ports detects one, the digit decoded by the patch will continue to be muted, etc, but it will be handled as a "CMD_IGNORE" rather than a valid digit when it is sent on to the command buffer/executor. This should solve some problems caused by DTMF digits passed down the phone line being echoed back and decoded by the controller as if they came from the phone line. - Made command 005 do its own recall, rather than relying on command 006. - Changed command 006 to handle receiver priorities (monitor mute). Added a delay per receiver during which higher priority receivers continue to mute lower priority ones even after they go inactive. - All controllers except the RLC-3 now to mute the audio from all receivers to a transmitter that is generating DTMF. Keeps other incoming audio from mixing with the DTMF digit and possibly keeping it from being decoded. Also mutes during the delay between digits and during DTMF pauses. - Integrated timer recall into command 020 and changed command 021 to a "restart timer only if it is already running" command. 021 prints a message indicating whether it restarted the timer (because it was already running) or not. - Command 020 now allows less than 3 digits when recalling. - Confirmed that commands can be entered on a receiver that is timed out if the force-execution digit (usually 'D') is entered afterward. - Added scheduler support for "third Tuesday of the month" and similar setpoints. - Command 084 now accepts a range of setpoints, like commands 130, and 131. This allows enabling and disabling portions or the whole scheduler with a single command. - Allow multiple port connections at a time. - "000 1234" should connect all combinations of those ports - Order of ports doesn't matter - Only if a port number is listed twice should it be made into a repeater - "002 1234" should disconnect all combinations of those ports - Order of ports doesn't matter. - Repeater ports will remain configured as repeaters unless their port number is listed twice. - "001 1234" should make TX 1 monitor 2, 3 and 4 - Order of ports does matter. - Since command 007 can recall its own settings, changed command 008 so it no longer recalls them. - Made command 008 a "smart connect" command. See the manual for details. - Added command 068, which works like command 061 (disconnecting all ports from the specified ports), except that it doesn't take port out of repeat mode (it doesn't disconnect them from themselves). - Now allow commands 000, 001, 002, 003, 004, 008, 037, 061, 068, 069, 130, and 131 to accept '*' as a port number. The '*' gets replaced automatically with the number of the port that entered the command. For example, "000 *2" connects the port that entered the command to port 2. - Added command 069 to send DTMF digits to the specified transmitter. Is easier to use but less flexible than command 031, which is still available. - Because of the increasing number of radios that cover the VHF and UHF bands that can be controlled with the "HF" routines in the controller, the voice and serial messages were changed from "HF" to "remote base". - Changed the date readback to sound more natural. Added "two thousand" to the year readback. Setting the year still requires only two digits. - When recording, appending, or deleting a macro, now announces its number for verification. When inserting a command into a macro, announces the macro number and command position for verification - Command 010 now says "Change " without announcing the new command name. Command 011 can still be used to recall the new name. - Added PTT event triggers. - Fixed a problem that kept the DTMF interdigit timer from discarding digits when timed execution was not used. - Changed so if enter "005 P 0", it doesn't automatically set the DTMF access mode to zero. Will make it harder to accidently set up the controller so you can't enter any further commands. - Added several options to command 041: - Can now specify that courtesy beeps should continue to be sent while the autopatch and/or HF remote base are in use. - Can now specify that the time out timer for each receiver should be reset when a receivers courtesy beep is sent rather than as soon as the receiver activity drops. Once a receiver has timed out, even a momentary unkey will clear the timed-out condition (since no courtesy beep is sent at that time, no delay is necessary). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Known problems and workarounds: - RLC-3 and RLC-Club workaround: when using command 190 to recall the user level required to execute a large range of commands, the controller may reset rather than providing the command response. To avoid this, turn off serial queuing with "060 0110" first: 060 0110 ; turn serial queueing off 190 000 500 ; recall level for commands 0-500 060 0111 ; turn serial queueing back on - The synthesized voice words "goodbye", "tick/toc", "approach", "list" and "Mount Hamilton" may not work correctly. They should be corrected in a future version. - A "cover tone" (constant beeping) is sometimes sent when it shouldn't be, usually when the autopatch connects or disconnects. - Command 006 does not work properly. If all receiver priorities are left at the default of level four, everything else should work normally. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can obtain this update in several ways: - If you purchased your controller within the past year, we will send you the update chips for free; just call and ask. - You can burn EPROMs (you need an EPROM programmer to do it) and print manuals with files freely available from our web site, http://www.link-comm.com/ or file archive, http://www.link-comm.com/ftp/ - You can order updated EPROMs and a new printed manual from us for $75. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you decide to burn EPROMs for yourself, please note the filenames and EPROM types for your controller model below. Controller Filename Eprom Type/Speed ---------- -------- ---------------- RLC-Club club.bin 27C040 or 27C4001 / 120ns with or without Deluxe option RLC-Club ClubDlx2.bin 27C040 or 27C4001 / 120ns with Deluxe II option RLC-3 rlc3rom1.bin 27C010 or 27C001 / 120ns Rev A or B rlc3rom2.bin motherboard RLC-3 rlc3_040.bin 27C040 or 27C4001 / 120ns Rev C motherboard If you have any questions, please email (preferred), fax, or call me. Steve Strobel Link Communications, Inc. steve@link-comm.com http://www.link-comm.com (406) 245-4889 fax (406) 245-5002 extension 102