Extron electronic 6400 Series manual How to OFF-LINE Emulate Program the Matrix 3200/6400 System

Chapter 3 • Tutorial - Using the Matrix 3200/6400 System Virtualization/Control Software

right side of the screen will cause that configuration to be read from the Matrix and drawn on the screen. The displayed preset becomes the “Current configuration” by clicking the GO BUTTON.

•You can Add and Erase Ties (edit) when in the “Current configuration”. These edits are made using the mouse in a drag and drop operation. To add a Tie, drag the input box and drop it on the desired output box (left to right). To erase a Tie, drag the output box and drop it on the desired input box (right to left). Note that an output can be rerouted to a different input by merely adding the new connection (without erasing the old Tie). You can also erase all Ties that appear on a box by dragging that box to the trash-can. Other settings will affect how the Tie changes are applied: the Hold/Verify versus Immediate settings in the Preferences menu. Hold/Verify (the default) shows Adds and Erases as dotted lines until committed (Take Button) or cancelled (Cancel Button).

•After you have edited the “Current settings”, you can also store the configuration as a Preset using the Save As.. Button.

•You can assign a Device icon and a Caption to any of the I/O port boxes for your convenience in operating the Control Program using the Devices Palette To access the Devices screen, use the mouse to click on the desired I/O port box or click the TOOLSASSIGN-DEVICE-ICONSmenu. Your setting of the Icons are remembered by the program (NOT by the Matrix) for your convenience in your next editing session.

•If you have edited any of the configurations or assigned Icons or Captions, when you exit the program you will be prompted to save the changes. These will be written to the MTRX6400.INI file for use in your next editing session (if you agree). The information in the file also allows you to fully restore a Matrix 3200/ 6400 System to all the settings (Ties, Presets, etc.) from the current session. We strongly recommend you allow the program to save your changes! You may also wish to Save the unit’s settings in a uniquely named file, instead.

How to OFF-LINE (Emulate) PROGRAM the Matrix 3200/6400 System

The Matrix Control Program provides an “Emulate” mode to allow you to build and save a configuration file, off-line, without being connected to a Matrix System. This file can later be downloaded (programmed) into a Matrix via the RS-232 port using the Matrix 3200/6400 Virtualization/Control Program. The Emulate mode also allows you to generate the RS-232 strings needed to interface a third party control system to a Matrix System instead of downloading it with the Virtualization/Control Program. Finally, the Emulate mode allows “programming” for a hardware configuration that differs from your present system.

•To program a switcher without being connected to it at this time, start the MTRX6400 program (under Windows) and click on EMULATE (instead of a COMM PORT number) when asked. Click OK.

•The program will ask for 2 file names. The first is for restoring the settings to an existing configuration (as though a Matrix with that configuration and presets were connected). Typical choices for this would be MTRX6400.INI (to edit the last real-time configuration) or DEMO6400.MTX (to view some possibilities) or NEW.INI (to start from an empty configuration). This first file is read by the program (and will not be altered) and is optional: you can choose CANCEL instead of specifying a name if you wish. The second file is required and will be created to save the results of editing in the Emulation mode. It is this file that you would later use for downloading to the Matrix. You should give this file a meaningful name (i.e. JOB1107.MTX). If the second file already exists, you’ll be warned that you are about to overwrite it.

Extron • Matrix 3200/6400 Series • User’s Manual 3-8