Status (SPA-Qf Series)

Properties

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'.

Verbose

Available only when the Status component is selected in the Schematic.

Displays the Networking and Audio Stream details for LAN A.

Model

Select the SPA-Qf Series hardware model from the drop-down list.

Channel Configuration

Select the configuration needed for your venue. Available selections depend on the SPA-Qf Series model.

Note: The selected configuration is made available to the amplifier when you run the design. Follow the instructions on the amplifier display.

Configuration¹	No. of Channels	Bridging
A B	2 Channel
A+B	1 Channel	A B Bridged
A B C D	4 Channel
A+B C D	3 Channel	A B Bridged
A+B C+D	2 Channel	A B Bridged, C D Bridged

1. A space between letters = single channels. A "+" between letters = bridged channels. Channels C and D only available on the SPA-Qf 60x4.

Standalone Mode

Off – Turns Standalone Mode off.

One-to-all – Input Channel 1 is routed to all outputs.

Note: See the Standalone Mode below for details.

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.

Controls

Amplifier Status

ID

Press the ID button to flash the SPA-Qf device's front panel LEDs for 5 minutes or until you press the button again.

Status LED

This LED changes color to indicate the current status of the amplifier. See Status for the meanings of the various colors.

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.

Temperature

Indicates the current power supply unit (PSU) temperature in Centigrade.

Details

You must set Verbose to "Yes" in the unit's Properties to see this field.

Text indicates the details of any errors occurring with the amplifier. The information in this field is updated regularly and is cumulative. An item is displayed only when the value is not zero. If there are values associated with these, call Support.

fpga_fifo_error	sequence_error
recv_fifo_error	xmit_task_early
xmit_fifo_error	xmit_task_late
recv_dma_error	xmit_task_error
xmit_dma_error	xmit_overrun
sync_error	clock_sync_loss

Reset Details

Click this button to reset the information in the Details field to zero.

Network

Clock Master

LED indicating if the Core is the Master Clock for the Q-SYS system or not. The Core can be the Master Clock even if the clock is synchronized to an external clock.

Grandmaster

Displays either the Q-SYS Core processor name or the PTP Clock GUID. Note that:

There can only be one Grandmaster for a Q-SYS design (for all LAN interfaces of the device). It is possible for Q-SYS to resolve to a PTP Grandmaster present on LAN B, if enabled and present.
If available, the Core Name is displayed instead of the raw PTP clock GUID. (The Core Name is not available in some clocking topologies – for example, when a higher priority boundary clock between systems is present or with some Software Dante configurations, as when the Core syncs indirectly to another device via Software Dante’s boundary clock.)
A PTP Clock GUID can look similar to a MAC address, but is not the same and may not be related to a device’s actual MAC address.
If the PTP Clock GUID is derived from a MAC address (whether a Q-SYS Core processor or third-party device), it can be any MAC address on that device (any LAN interface, including those without a network connection).

PTPv1 (Dante)

Used specifically for Dante audio networking integration within the Q-SYS ecosystem

Clock Offset

Indicates how much of an offset exists, in microseconds, between the device and the network Grandmaster.

Parent Port

The clock Parent Port is the device and interface name to which the device is syncing. Typically, this is the Grandmaster.

Link

When the LED is lit, it means the interface is "UP," signifying that the network connection is active and functioning properly. Conversely, when the LED is not illuminated, it indicates that the interface is "DOWN," suggesting that there may be issues with the network connection.

IP Address

Displays the IP Address the Core is connected to.

Mode

Determines how device operates within the network environment.

Auto: The network interface automatically negotiates it settings with the network infrastructure.

Static: The network interface's settings are manually configured by the user, including the IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and other parameters.

Off: Disables the network interface, preventing it from sending or receiving network traffic.

PTPv2 State

Refers to the operational state or role of a network device or interface.

Passive: A device in the passive state is not actively transmitting or receiving data.

Slave: A device in the slave state is subordinate to another device, known as the master.

Master: A device in the master state holds authority or control over one or more slave devices in a network.

Uncalibrated: The uncalibrated state indicates a transition state between modes.

Speed

Refers to the data transfer rate supported by a network interface or connection. Speed indicates the transfer rate of megabits per second (Mbps).

Audio Streams

To see both input and output Audio Streams information, you must have audio passing both directions.

Input OK

LED indicating the status of the Input Audio Stream for LAN A.

Input Details

You must set Verbose to "Yes" in the unit's Properties to see this field.

Text indicates the details of the status of the amplifier Input Audio Stream for LAN A. The information in this field is updated regularly and is displayed as running totals. An item is displayed only when the value is not zero.¹

id

connected

dscp

accept_count

drop_count

missing_count

duplicate_count

on_time

too_late

pt_mismatch

size_mismatch

Output OK

LED indicating the status of the Output Audio Stream for LAN A.

Output Details

You must set Verbose to "Yes" in the unit's Properties to see this field.

Text indicates the details of the status of the amplifier Output Audio Stream for LAN A. The information in this field is updated regularly and is displayed as running totals. An item is displayed only when the value is not zero.¹

id

connected

dscp

accept_count

drop_count

missing_count

duplicate_count

on_time

too_late

pt_mismatch

size_mismatch

1. Notes:

In Input and Output Audio Streams, accept_count should be equivalent to the on_time packets. This value is expected to be non-zero.

The units are 16 samples, so accept_count should go up by 3000 per second.

too_late indicates clock sync problems. If Clock Offset is larger than a single digit, check the QoS configuration on the switches for the clock traffic (the highest priority DSCP). If too_late is not zero but the Clock Offset is zero or very small, check the QoS configuration on the switches for audio traffic (the second highest priority DSCP).

missing_count could mean network problems such as bad cables, check the CRC error counters for the switches.

CPU Status

This section is only available when the Verbose property is set to "Yes".

CPU System Status

Normally, this should be OK. If you see Compromised, it means that the % usage for CPU, RAM, or Disk has been high for a long period of time. Note that the Compromised state for CPU System Status will not affect the audio path.

CPU %

Indicates the percentage of consumed CPU resources.

RAM %

Indicates the percentage of consumed RAM resources.

Disk %

Indicates the percentage of consumed storage space – for log files, license files, etc.

Control Pins

Pin Name	Value	String	Position	Pins Available
Amplifier Status	0 1 2 3 4 5	OK (Green) Compromised (Orange) Fault (Red) Not Present (Gray) Missing (Red) Initializing (Blue)	–	Output
Clock Grandmaster Name	(text)			Output
Clock Offset From Master	–	0 ms to n ms	–	Output
Clock Parent Port Name	(text)			Output
CPU System Status	–	OK Compromised	–	Output
CPU Usage (%)	0-100	0 to 100%	0.0 to 1.00	Output
Details	(text)			Output
Disk Usage (%)	0-100	0 to 100%	0.0 to 1.00	Output
Identify	0 1	false true	0 1	Input / Output
LAN A Input Stream Details	(text)			Output
LAN A Input Stream OK	0 1	false true	0 1	Output
LAN A Output Stream Details	(text)			Output
LAN A Output Stream OK	0 1	false true	0 1	Output
RAM Usage (%)	0-100	0 to 100%	0.0 to 1.00	Output
Reset Details	(trigger)			Input / Output
Temperature	n.n	n.n°C	-	Output

Standalone Mode

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.

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.
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.
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.
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.