The Control Panel

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The RC-400 and RC-500 Models

 

The older RC-400 control panel has a central jog wheel surrounded by a shuttle ring, and only one pair of scrub keys (fast forward and rewind). The current RC-500 control panel places the jog wheel on the right side, without a shuttle ring, and has three pairs of scrub keys in the center (for fast, normal and slow speeds, forward and reverse). 

 

Both the RC-400 and RC-500 have an LCD display that is used to display user Hotkeys. The LCD display is also used when applying certain effects from the control panel.

 

Both the RC-400 and RC-500 models come in either a serial (RS-232) or USB configuration. The serial version requires no additional drivers, but does require an external 9V power supply, which is shipped with the control panel. The USB version uses a driver produced by Future Technology Devices International (www.ftdichip.com). The USB driver is installed automatically when the VoxPro software is installed.

 

VoxPro assumes that you have an RC-400 or RC-500 controller attached to your computer, and will prompt you when you login if it is missing or turned off. As the administrator, you also have the option of telling VoxPro not to search for a control panel if you really don't have one (you can always attach one later on). If the serial control panel is not powered up when VoxPro starts, you will have to restart VoxPro with the control panel turned on before VoxPro is able to find it (this is not the case with the USB control panel). Only one RC-400 or RC-500 control panel may be attached to the computer.

 

Extending the Control Panel Cable

 

The RS-422 specification allows the serial control panel cable to be extended up to 1200 meters from the computer itself. The USB control panel may also be put on an extender, but for distances over three meters, it must be a so-called "active extender" to supply sufficient power to the control panel. USB extenders can be problematic. We recommend removing the extender as the first step in diagnosing problems with the control panel.