MSC-400 Reference Manual
Rev 4
66
2. In the DEVICE LEVEL BLOCK, select: ASCII, HEX or DECIMAL as defined in the manufacturer’s
protocol.
3. If all commands require a Carriage Return at the end of the string, If all commands require a Carriage
Return at the end of the string.
4. Under DEVICE COMMANDS, click the FUNCTION NAME, or anywhere on the SAME LINE, to enter
the command string for one of the default functions. The FUNCTION NAME, DATA and NOTES
BOXES will become active in the FUNCTION CODE EDIT AND TEST BLOCK.
5. Click in the DATA BOX and enter the command string for the selected function.
NOTE 1 - ASCII must be entered EXACTLY (including spaces) as the command is to be sent.
Use \x to indicate that the characters immediately following should be interpreted as a hex
byte. Example: PWON\x03
NOTE 2 - Hex bytes MUST be separated by a comma. 0x and h notation may be used but are
not necessary. Example: FE,36,20,03 or 0xFE,0x36,0x20,0x03 or FEh,36h,20h,03h
NOTE 3 - Decimal should be entered as values separated by commas. Example: 128, 2, 21
6. Click in the NOTES BOX and enter any relevant information.
7. Click the SAVE BUTTON to save the command string. The COMMAND STRING will appear under
Device Commands in the FUNCTION DATA COLUMN.
8. To enter commands for functions NOT found in the FUNCTION LIST, click the FUNCTION NAME of
a command that will not be used for a particular device. In the FUNCTION CODE EDIT AND TEST
BLOCK, click the FUNCTION NAME box and type the name of the function to be added. Repeat
STEPS 5-7 to add the command string and save.
NOTE - If using a device that has a tuner and the Favorite Channel Tool is to be used to create
Favorite Channel Smart Macros, DO NOT change the functions in Indexes 25-36. These are
used for the numeric, enter and +10 commands when creating the Favorite Channel Smart
Macros for RS232 devices. Enter the command strings, but do not change the functions.
9. If more functions need to be added to the list, click the ASTERISK (*) line, which is the very last line
of the FUNCTION LIST, and add the FUNCTION NAME, COMMAND STRING and NOTES in the
appropriate boxes in the FUNCTION CODE EDIT AND TEST BLOCK. Up to 1024 commands can be
added.
10. To TEST manually encoded commands, the PC must be connected to the MSC-400 USB1 PORT,
and the MSC-400 SERIAL PORT selected in CONFIGURATION must be connected to the device
using an appropriate RS232 CABLE. Be sure MASTER/SLAVE and the SERIAL PORT settings for
the device being tested are properly set in CONFIGURATION.
NOTE - Serial Port Settings must be downloaded to the MSC-400 before attempting to test an
RS232 Command from the Function List.
11. Select a COMMAND from the FUNCTION LIST.
12. Click the TEST BUTTON in the FUNCTION CODE EDIT AND TEST BLOCK. If the device being
tested is a true two-way device and provides a status response, the response will be displayed in the
TEST RESULT BOX in the FUNCTION CODE EDIT AND TEST BLOCK.
13. Repeat previous steps to make changes or close the CONNECTED DEVICE WINDOW when all
commands have been tested and saved.
Converting RS232 Commands to a Smart Macro Group
In order for the MSC-400 to output RS232 commands from remote control button presses, RF Triggers
must be created for the RS232 commands. The RF Triggers will be programmed to the appropriate
buttons on the remote which will then be able to send the triggers to the MSC-400. When the MSC-400
receives one of these triggers, it will output the associated RS232 command, in the same way it works
with IR commands.
RF Triggers are automatically created every time a Smart Macro is added to a Macro Group. Once a
Connected Device’s RS232 commands are cond, they can easily be converted to a Smart Macro Group
which will automatically create all of the RF Triggers for all of the commands in the group. To convert
RS232 Commands to a Smart Macro Group:
1. In MSC EDITOR TREE VIEW, right click the CONNECTED DEVICE to be controlled via RS232. (ex.
CD) Convert RS232 Commands To Smart Macro
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