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Bits Manipulation
Program
Introduction
The Bits™ Manipulation Program is unique, as it permits you to view data transmissions as well
as transmit data to other devices. While this program is intended for use with ADA products; to
test, troubleshoot, and program infrared learners, you may find several applications where this
program will be useful when not working with components from ADA.
ADA Bus® codes are in the form of hex codes that are several bytes in length. The Bits™
program was designed to permit you to view (or modify) these commands in real time as they
pass on an ADA Bus® network. The Bits™ program also permits you to manually enter in a
series of hex commands and then transmit them across the ADA Bus® network.
The Bits™ program interfaces to ADA components or systems using one of two devices. The
BC-232 ADA Bus® to RS-232 convertor provides a hardwired interface to the ADA Bus® net-
work. When connected to a com port on your PC, the Bits™ program allows you to view the
activity on the ADA Bus®. To either view feedback or control components, simply connect the
BC-232’s Pins 1 through 4 to the ADA Bus® network Pins 1 through 4 (typically to a WH-3000 or
WH-2000 wiring harness). Under these conditions, the Bits™ Receive Viewer will show feed-
back from ADA mainframe components such as Millennium 2000, Delta-3, Delta-88, CIC-3000,
VS-3, SSD-66, SSD-66 (5.1), Cinema Reference, PCT-8, IRL-3000, MT-3000, Trinity Tuner and
other compatible ADA Bus® components.
You can also control the above devices by entering hex code strings into one of six transmit
windows and then sending these strings onto the ADA Bus® network. While the Bits™ program
is not ideal for day to day system or component control, it does permit one to test hex strings.
This is especially useful when designing and programming third party touch screen control sys-
tems.
When reversing pins 2 & 3 on the ADA Bus® side of a BC-232, the Bits™ Receive Viewer will
now display hex strings initiated from a component that controls the devices listed above. Thus,
one can monitor the code strings sent from an MC-2000, MC-3000, MC-3800, or TS-3000. You
will also be able to monitor transmissions from other control systems such as AMX, Crestron,
Phast, and Vantage. As such, by reversing pins 2 & 3, you can use Bits™ to determine if the
codes being sent by a third party control system are in fact accurate.
The Bits™ program can also be used with ADA’s IRT-232 RS-232 to IR Transceiver. The IRT-
232 features both an infrared transmitter and infrared receiver. Much like the BC-232, the IRT-
232 provides a two-way bidirectional window to ADA Bus® components and networks. Several
ADA components feature a built-in IR transceiver on their front panel (Delta-88, Trinity Tuner,
Cinema Reference). Thus, when the Bits™ program is used with the IRT-232, you can both
control and view feedback from these devices, providing their IR transceivers or receivers are
turned on.
Audio Design Associates, Inc., 602-610 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, N.Y., 10605, 914-946-9595, Fax 914-946-9620
©1999, Audio Design Associates, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Intended for use with ADA Systems.
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ADA also features IR transceivers that connect to a WH-3000 or WH-2000, which can monitor
system wide activity. While the front panel IR transceivers on the previously mentioned devices
only permit control and feedback of the device itself (their transceivers are not connected to their
rear panel ADA Bus® data port), the IR transceivers built into the MC-3000, MC-3800 keypads or
on board an ADA IRT-3000, do permit the same type of two way control/monitoring of several
components at once.
While the IRT-232 has several wonderful uses when testing and checking hex code strings, one
of its most powerful features is its ability to be used as an infrared transmitter that teaches ADA
Bus® commands with an IR carrier to other IR learning remote controls or IR learning systems.
Because ADA manufactures five different systems that can be operated via hex codes, in addi-
tion to another dozen devices, and since systems have many zones and each component many
addresses, and since each zone/address has dozens of discrete functions, a full set of ADA
control codes cannot physically be loaded into any one remote control. As such, ADA recom-
mends using the IRT-232 in conjunction with an IR learning remote control so that you can cus-
tom program the learning remote control, with just the codes that you require. While not all
remote controls are capable of capturing ADA IR commands, several newer remote controls will
including the Universal Remote SL-9000 and the new LCD remote from Philips.
Before You Begin
The Bits™ Manipulation Program requires that your PC is operating on one of these three Oper-
ating Systems:
Windows 95
Windows NT
Windows 98
Windows 3.xx with Win32 Extension
The program is made-up of five parts:
1. Main Form
2. Transmit Viewer
3. Receive Viewer
4. Transmit windows
5. Configuration Form
These five parts are described in detail in the following pages.
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Installation
The program requires any of the three Operating Systems Win95, NT, Win3.XX w/Win32 to run
normally. If the OS has incorrect compatibility you will see it during installation, as the setup
program will determine it for you. Before starting your install, it is recommended you close all
programs first.
Installation for Windows 95 and Windows NT
Insert 3.5” floppy disk labeled DISK1 into floppy drive and press START in the task menu, then
press Run.... Type in A:\setup then press OK.
Installation for Windows 3.XX w/Win32 Extension
Insert 3.5” floppy disk labeled DISK1 into floppy drive and press File in menu of Program Man-
ager, then press Run.... Type in A:\setup then press OK.
Once the files finish being copied to a temporary directory, you will be prompt for your last button
push of your install. Change installation directory if necessary. The rest becomes automatic.
The Bits icon will be placed in the Start\Program menu of your task bar.
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Com Port
Rx/Tx/Idle Indicator
Indicating what option you
have last chosen
Main Form
Menu Tree:
Please Note that Force To Hex within the Option menu is not used and is disabled.
The status bar on the bottom shows all the settings that are in the Configuration Form also
provides other tidbits of information. The title bar on top will display information during certain
activity. This window cannot be sized in any way.
The menu functions will be explained in full in the following pages.
Exit
Debug
Transmit 1
Transmit 2
Transmit 3
Transmit 4
Transmit 5
Transmit 6
Auto Detect Hex/Text
Force To Hex w/comma separator
Force To Hex
Clear Transmit Viewer
Clear Receive Viewer
Transmit Viewer
Receive Viewer
Transmit
Configuration
File
Help
About...
Option
Baud Rate
Parity
Data bits
Stop bit
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Configuration Form
The Bits™ program has a configuration page in which the following can be adjusted.
Data Bits 7 or 8 8 is ADA default
Stop Bits 1 or 2 1 is ADA default
Echo On or Off Off is default
Baud Rate 300-19200 1200 is ADA default
Parity None, Odd, Even None is ADA default
Com Port Demo, 1-4 Demo is default - You need to set Com Port
Flow Control None, Xon/Off, RTS, Xon/RTS None is default
Feed Back Delay Time 500 is ADA default
Every time you open the Bits™ program, the following screen will appear.
The only adjustment you will need to make prior to proceeding with any of the other Bits™ pro-
gram options, is to select the Com Port that is appropriate to your PC. When working with ADA
Bus® components, leave all other settings to those listed and shown above.
To set a Com Port and access the menu above,
click on Debug and pull the window down to
Configuration. The above window will open.
Click on the Com port you are connecting your
BC-232 or IRT-232 to. You can then opt to close
the configuration window or leave it open.
If you do not engage an active Com Port at the start of each session, the Bits® program will not
work, defaulting to Demo. When you exit the Bits™ program and restart it, the Com Port option
under Debug..Configuration will reset to Demo.
While some PCs have built in IR transceivers, these IR ports will not work because they typically
have a higher IR carrier setting.
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Transmit Viewer
Whenever you transmit anything from the Transmit Windows, the information goes to two places.
The information travels to the Transmit Viewer, permitting you to examine the string and verify
that it is in fact correct. At the same time, the information then routes to the communications port
and is sent out.
The Transmit Viewer is made up of two parts:
• Hex Viewer (top window)
• Text Viewer (bottom window)
The Hex Viewer receives its Transmitted information and automatically converts any hex values
that fall in the ASCII range, and then displays it in the Text Viewer. The values that are not in the
ASCII range are ignored and not seen.
For example, if the top window shows “05,00,FA,FF” then the bottom window will show nothing.
On the other hand, if the top window shows “35,41,53,30” then the bottom window will show
“5AS0”.
Finally, if the top window shows “35,00,53,30” then the bottom window will show “5S0”, ignoring
the “00”.
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Receive Viewer
The Receive Viewer has 3 basic parts to it:
• Skip buttons
• Hex viewer
• Text viewer
The viewer cannot be sized vertically, but has no problem doing it horizontally.
There are five different areas of the Receive Viewer, each containing all three parts that have just
been mentioned. The last window does not offer the Skip option. As incoming data is processed,
the viewer cycles to the next step until the bottom area has data. At that time, the viewer contin-
ues displaying data by moving back to the top area in the window.
If you wish to maintain the data displayed in a particular area, click on the words SKIP located
either to the right or left side of that display area. The words Skip will turn red and the data
currently displayed in the Hex and Text viewer of this area will not be overwritten by new incoming
data.
You can keep the Receive Viewer window open while other Bits™ program windows are also
open.
If you reverse pins 2 & 3 on the BC-232 to WH-3000 connection, the Receive Viewer will display
the commands being initiated by the keypads,. IR transmitters, or touch screens controllers
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The Transmit Windows consists of:
• Send button
• Clear All button
• Add to button
• Clear Selected button
• Replace button
• Insert Above button
• Entry viewer (top window)
• Entries viewer (bottom window)
A total of 6 buttons and 2 viewers that can
be used for your project.
The Entries viewer organizes your data in
rows of Hex or Text values.
Adding items in the Entry viewer to the
Entries viewer is done by typing or pasting your text into the Entry viewer followed by the Enter
button or Add to button.
When you type in a something into the Entry Viewer and then hit the Add to button (assuming
your text is one or two digits long), your text is run through a Hex table in order to find a matching
Hex value. If no matching Hex value is obtained, the text is left in its text form to be transmitted.
What is the difference between Hex and Text? One of
the windows displays ‘HELLO’ in text and another in
Hex and another mixed. All of them will transmit to the
COM port the same way. The only difference is the
amount of room it takes within the window.
Note, Hex is not case sensitive, but Text is. For example:
There is no saving feature for this program. If you need to save data try copying it by pressing the
right mouse button within the Transmit Hex viewer or Receive Hex viewer, to open a sub menu
option. Then select the copy command. Then paste it in any text editor and save. Later open the
saved file and copy the saved text. You can then paste into the Entry viewer. Before hitting the
Add button make sure the Force To Hex w/comma separator is checked. The data you initially
have copied and pasted was converted to Hex format and separated by commas. Bits will reor-
ganize the data and place it into the Entry rows.
These Transmit viewers can be sized in any direction.
Transmit Windows
These two hello windows do not
transmit the same information.
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Transmitting ADA Bus® Codes
When testing ADA Bus® codes over a network or sending them out of an IRT-232, for testing of
components or learning IR codes into an IR learning remote control, use the Transmit Windows.
1 Break out the ADA Bus® code sheet(s) you will need. These are available on the ADA
web site at www.ada-usa.com. Click to the Products Page and then click on Product
Manuals. You will be prompted for a User Name (dealer) and Password (1867).
2 Make certain that under Debug..Configuration, you have selected the correct Com port.
3 Under Options, select “Force to Hex w/Comma Separator.”
4 Under Debug..Transmit, open any one of the six Transmit windows.
You may opt to open several windows at once to write in code and download functions faster.
The same effect can be had by using the Replace command, discussed below.
In the top part of the Transmit Window (Entry Viewer), type in the
code set for the function you wish to send. ADA suggests locking
the Caps button. Separate bytes by using a comma (,) between
them. Start and end each string with a Clear Buffer byte typically
“B8” (Cinema Reference, Trinity, & Millennium 2000 use “FF”).
Once the string is entered cor-
rectly, press the “Add to #” button.
If you have correctly set the Op-
tions function to “Force to Hex w/
comma separator”, the codes are moved from the top Entry viewer
to the lower Entries viewer.
At this time, position your IR learning remote control approximately
three to six inches from the front of the IRT-232. Make certain the
IRT-232 is on and that it is using a good 9V battery. Even if the
LED on the IRT-232 appears to be well lit, the battery may be low.
A low battery will cause the IR learner to seemingly not learn the
code. Use a fresh battery when in doubt.
Engage the IR learner, press the button on the remote you want to load onto, and press the Send
# button in the Transmit Window. You will notice the blue transmit bar on the Bits pull down
window page flash. Notice also, that once one of the six buttons in the Transmit Window has
been selected, its stay high-lit. At this time, pressing the keyboard’s
Return button, will continuously send out the same string. This is
ideal for strings that need to be long
like volume commands.
To learn another command, you do not need to clear the entire
string and re-enter another full string. The above string is Volume
Up for zone one on a Delta-88 where the 7th byte is 39. To change
this string to Volume Down, simply type in ”41” in the top Entry
Viewer, then click on the 39 in the lower Entries viewer, and press
Replace. Press Send # to learn the next function.
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