Flex In (SPA-Qf Series)

Inputs

This component does not have any input pins available.

Output

Channels 1-2

By default, the Flex In component offers 2 Audio Outputs represented by a circle, and traditional wiring is represented by a thin black line.

SPA-Qf Amplifier Properties

Name

The Name may contain ASCII letters 'a' through 'z' (case-insensitive), the digits '0' through '9', and the hyphen. Names cannot begin or end with a hyphen. No other symbols, punctuation characters, or blank spaces are permitted.

Note: This name must match the Hostname for the device as defined in Core Manager or Peripheral Manager.

Location

User-defined name that groups the component with other components in the same physical location – for example, "Rack 1" – or in the same organizational scheme.

Is Required

When enabled, and the device is not found on the network, the device is reported as 'Missing', which is an error condition. This is the default behavior. When disabled, and the device is not found on the network, the device is reported as 'Not Present', which is not an error condition.

Dynamically Paired

Indicates that this virtual component can be paired with the same type of hardware without changing the network ID of the hardware or the name of this component. Refer to the Q-SYS Core Manager Dynamic Pairing topic for more information. The default is 'No'.

Identification

Name

The Name may contain ASCII letters 'a' through 'z' (case-insensitive), the digits '0' through '9', and the hyphen. Names cannot begin or end with a hyphen. No other symbols, punctuation characters, or blank spaces are permitted.

Note: This name must match the Hostname for the device as defined in Core Manager or Peripheral Manager.

Model

Select the hardware model from the drop-down list.

Channel Configuration

Select the configuration needed for your venue.

• 2 Channel, A B Single Channels
• 1 Channel, A + B Bridged

Channel configurations are as follows: 

• Space between letters (A B C D) = single channels,
• "+" between letters (A+B) = bridged

When you make your selection, then run the design, the configuration is made available to the amplifier. Follow the instructions on the amplifier display.

Graphic Properties

Label

Use the Label property to change the name of the component in the schematic. The Label property defaults to the component name. To learn more about renaming schematic elements, see Organizing Your Design.

Position

The coordinates reference a specific place in the schematic - for example,"100,100" (horizontal, vertical). 0,0 is the upper left corner of the schematic.

Fill

Sets the fill color of the component in the schematic.

Script Access Properties

Code Name

Displays the currently assign name for control access. You can use the auto-assigned name or customize it. Q-SYS will automatically check all Code Names in the design to ensure name is unique.

Script Access

Defines whether the component will be accessible by script and/or externally, or not at all. Choices include All, External, None (default), and Script.

• None (default) - Not accessible by any script, plugin, or by Q-SYS Remote Control Protocol (QRC).
• Script - Can be accessed by scripts, such as Text Controller, Block Controllers, and plugins only.
• External - Can only be accessed by 3rd party controls systems using component commands from the Q-SYS Remote Control Protocol (QRC).
• All - No restrictions, can be accessed by 3rd party control systems via Q-SYS Remote Control Protocol (QRC), or script objects or plugin objects.

Tip: Use Script Programmer Mode to quickly view the Script Access setting directly on the component in the design schematic without the need to disconnect from the Q-SYS Core processor.

Input / Output Tab

Flex I/O

Input (Enable)

Changes the associated channel to a Flex Input channel.

To switch back to a Flex Output channel, you must enable the channel in the Output Component.

Mic Detection

Enable (Yellow LED) 

When the LED is on, the associated channel has Mic Detection enabled. When the LED is off, Mic Detection is disabled.

Good (Green LED)

When the LED is green, the mic impedance is within the set thresholds. If the thresholds are exceeded, the green LED is off.

Analog

Peak Input Level (dB)

Meters for each channel indicating the peak analog input level. The measurement is taken after the A/D converter, but before the Digital Gain. Use this meter in conjunction with the Max Input Level to obtain an input signal as close to 0 dBFS as possible without actually clipping.

Clip

Red LED indicating if the signal is being clipped.

Clip Hold

Holds the clip indication until manually cleared.

Phantom Power

Toggle turning on and off phantom power (+48VDC) to the microphone.

Preamp Sensitivity (dBu)

The maximum analog level, coming into the Flex Input component, that can be converted without clipping. This level is typically set slightly higher than the source's output level, so that the Peak Input Level reads about 0 dBFS without actually clipping.

Varies inversely with the Preamp Gain.

Preamp Gain (dB)

The amount of Gain applied to the incoming analog signal level.

Varies inversely with the Preamp Sensitivity.

Digital

Invert

Toggle button to invert the digital output of the Flex Input component.

Mute

Mutes the output signal.

Gain (dB)

Controls the Gain of the digital output signal.

Status

Component status is conveyed with the Status LED and Status box, which uses both color and text to indicate the current condition:

• OK: The device is functioning normally.
• Initializing: The device is in the process of a firmware or configuration update, or the design is starting.
• Compromised: The device is functioning, but a non-fatal problem exists. Refer to the Status box for details.
• Missing: The device cannot be discovered.
• Fault: The device is malfunctioning or is not properly configured. Refer to the Status box for details.
• Unknown: This status appears during a Core reboot (for example, during a firmware update), or when a design is being uploaded to the Core and before it has started running.
• Not Present: If applicable to the device, this status appears when the device is not connected to the network and its Is Required component property is set to 'No'. This status also appears if the device component's Dynamically Paired property is set to 'Yes', pairing has not been assigned in Core Manager, and the device component's Is Required property is set to 'Yes'. See Dynamic Pairing.

Mic Detection Tab

Detection

Enable (Toggle Button)

Enables or disables Mic Detection for the associated channel. When Mic Detection is on, the impedance of the mic is measured against the set thresholds.

Good (Green LED) 

When the LED is green, the mic impedance is within the set thresholds. If the thresholds are exceeded, the green LED is off.

Impedance

The measured impedance of the attached microphone.

Set Thresholds (Trigger Button)

Sets the high and low thresholds based on the mic impedance at the time the button is pushed.

Thresholds

High Impedance

Manually adjust the mic detection high impedance threshold for each channel, from none to >100kΩ (default is none).

Low Impedance

Manually adjust the mic detection low impedance threshold for each channel, from none to >100kΩ (default is none).

Pin Name	Value	String	Position	Pins Available
Channel 1 - 2
Clip	0 1	false true	0 1	Output
Clip Hold	0 1	false true	0 1	Input / Output
Flex Input Enable	1 0	enabled disabled	1 0	Input / Output
Gain	-100 to 20	-100 dB to 20 dB	0.000 to 1.00	Input / Output
Invert	0 1	normal invert	0 1	Input / Output
Level (dBFS)	-100 to 20	-100 dB to 20 dB	0.000 to 1.00	Output
Mic Detection Enable (button)	0 1	disabled enabled	0 1	Input / Output
Mic Detection Enabled (LED)	0 1	no yes	0 1	Output
Mic Detection Good	0 1	no yes	0 1	Output
Mic Detection High Impedance Threshold	0 to >100001	--- to >100kΩ	0 to 1.00	Input / Output
Mic Detection Impedance				Output
Mic Detection Low Impedance Threshold	0 to >100001	--- to >100kΩ	0 to 1.00	Input / Output
Mic Detection Set Thresholds	Trigger			Input / Output
Mute	0 1	unmute mute	0 1	Input / Output
Phantom Power	0 1	disable enable	0 1	Input / Output
Preamp Gain	0 to 60	0dB to 60dB	0 to 1.00	Input / Output
Preamp Sensitivity	21 to -39	+21dBu to -39dBu	1.00 to 0	Input / Output
Status	0 1 2 3 4	OK (green) Compromised (orange) Fault (red) Unknown (red) Updating (blue)	0 0.250 0.500 0.750 1.00	Output

Standalone Mode provides the capability to connect the inputs of an amplifier to the outputs when connection to the Core is lost. In addition you can boot the amplifier without a connection to the Core.

Two ways to engage the Standalone Mode. For either way you must enable the Standalone Mode in the Q-SYS Designer Properties for the amplifier.

1. Amplifier Loses Network Connection to the Core:
   1. When connection to the Core is lost, audio is interrupted, and the amplifier counts down the number of seconds (15-60) specified in the amplifier's Properties in the Q-SYS design.
   2. After the timeout period, the inputs of the amplifier are sent directly to the outputs either one-to-one (each input goes to its corresponding output), or one-to-all (one input goes to all the outputs). While in Standalone mode, the front panel display of the amplifier displays OK in the Status field.
   3. When the connection to the Core is restored, the original audio streams are restored. There will be a short drop in audio while the amplifier is re-initialized.
2. Boot the Amplifier Without a Connection to the Core
   1. The amplifier waits 10 seconds to determine if the connection to the Core can be made.
   2. The amplifier then launches the last design run if it had the Standalone Mode enabled. During this time, the amplifier front-panel Status field displays OK, and the Design field displays "Stand-alone".
   3. When the amplifier re-connects to the Core, the Core pushes the design to the amplifier and the original audio is restored. There is a short loss of audio while the amplifier is initialized.

Note: Standalone Mode is not supported by CXD-Qn, CX-Qn, and DPA-Qn series amplifiers. Qn series amplifiers only support network connectivity and do not have line inputs.