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Hacking the Wheatstone Bridge/G4 audio networking system...?

S

spinjector

Hi all,

I'm cursed with a Wheatstone Bridge system with an assortment of G3/G4 control surfaces. It works, but maintaining/changing it it almost impossible due to lack of documentation.

The Wheatstone documentation, frankly, stinks. Badly. It's all fluff and PR and ALMOST NOTHING technically useful except connector pinouts.

Any time I need to change something, I have to call tech support for help - which I will add is always an EXCELLENT experience. Dick & Jerry are AWESOME. I wish Wheatstone would x-ray their noggins and print out what's found for all the rest of us to make use of.

SO...

All that being said, I get tired of calling for help all the time. And I don't like relying on this. I like to KNOW things so I can do things myself.

Does anyone know of any better documentation? Something that explains all the features of X-Point software? Such as the items in the "Function" dropdown list of a signal definition..?

I tried their FTP site to look for PDF files, but it's password protected and the anonymous login is disabled.

Does anyone know of any secret directories on their web server with the gobs of PDF whitepapers I'm dreaming of?

Thanks.
 
How long ago did you check their FTP? There was a little discussion on this very board about a year ago that sort of cured that problem, or at least that's what I understand...
 
Sparky,

We use our ftp site to swap files (like XPoint configs) with our customers. It doesn't contain any hidden tips or tricks.
The manuals aren't password protected and are available here:
http://www.wheatstone.com/techmanuals.html

Make sure you have the latest versions for G4 and the Bridge, and be sure you cover the later sections on XPoint and the appendices. Some folks don't get that far in the manuals.

I know its hard to inherit a system and have to learn it on the fly. As you pointed out, Dick and Jerry are usually quite helpful. But please keep in mind that you're only 5 hours away from us by car, and if you'd like to come down and get a full day of factory training we'd be happy to set that up for you. Plan it for a Friday so you can hit the beach before you head back!
You can call me anytime, too. No hacking required...

Phil Owens
Wheatstone Corp.
252-638-7000
 
I can assure you I went back & forth through the X-Point section of the manual many times, and came away with very little.

The X-point "Help File" is a JOKE. It would be considered an embarrassment to any amateur shareware author, much less a major player in the broadcast industry like Wheatstone. How this got released to the public is beyond my comprehension. This is what it looks like: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24800736@N02/4844122419/

I did double-check the PDF files on the website, and the Bridge System manual has been updated recently. The PDF files I have are about a year old. The two versions are basically the same, but there is in fact some new info in the back section about X-Point and the Bridge device definitions. I skimmed over the new info to see if it's useful, but I haven't absorbed it all yet. I'll have to get back to you on if the changes are helpful.

In the interests of constructive criticism, I should elaborate on my previously posted opinion. I'll give a few examples of good technical writing for other devices & systems that I can remember right off the top of my head:
- Eventide BD-500 & BD-600
- Sierra Systems SAS 64000 & 32000
- Many Rane products
- Harris Intraplex TDM-163 series T1 STL & all the cards that go in them

And lastly, but not leastly...my favorite shining temple of technical knowledge, writing, and even a good dose at wisecracking humor: the Telos Zephyr ISDN Digital Audio Transceiver manuals. All of them. From the old 9200 series all the way up to the current models. There is so much information packed in those 500 pages of three-ring deliciousness that when I first started using them, I would sit on my lunch breaks and read them page by page like a Star Trek novel. And NO I don't work for Telos, or have ANY affiliation with them whatsoever, other than as a user of their Zephyr products.

It is these glorious tomes that I think ALL technical writers of broadcast equipment manuals should keep under their beds and pray over every night, because they have taught, enlightened, and saved my hairy butt on too many occasions to count.

All of the above mentioned manuals have conceptual introductions, step-by-step installation guides, gobs of configuration information, sidebars that elaborate on certain topics, troubleshooting tables, error message lists, detailed circuit diagrams, and appendices out the back door. If one is sharp & experienced enough, one can use them to install, configure, operate, and even repair the devices with no need of help from the manufacturer.

There was a two-page historical/educational section at the beginning of a Rane product manual that I read in my college radio days 20 years ago that explained all about 600 ohm balanced audio lines. And I mean it explained *ALL* about them, from their beginning back in the 1800's when that new-fangled alternating current thing started interfering with everyone's telephone conversations, what differential means and how it works, all the way up through the modern transition from transformer-balancing to active balancing, and how to bridge balanced to unbalanced, and vice-versa. The information I learned from those two pages has stuck with me all the way through to this very day.

I'm not saying that all manuals need this kind of creative writing, but a little extra info tucked in around the edges never hurt anyone. So as you can see, my original post wasn't just a drive-by whine because I was having a bad day and my space-time flux capacitors wouldn't stay charged. This is a heartfelt and substantiated opinion.
 
At the risk of hijacking your thread...I may have bought my last Broadcast Tools product. A week or so ago I was installing a Flex Phones unit. Nice device. I needed to make change that required a look at the manual. Looked in the box...guess what? It is on a CD. I was in a football broadcast booth with no computer. Ugh...

t123
 
test123 said:
At the risk of hijacking your thread...I may have bought my last Broadcast Tools product. A week or so ago I was installing a Flex Phones unit. Nice device. I needed to make change that required a look at the manual. Looked in the box...guess what? It is on a CD. I was in a football broadcast booth with no computer. Ugh...

t123
Click to expand...

Alas, that's the way of pretty much everything these days. You're going to need to stop doing business with a lot of companies if that's going to be your personal policy.

The first time it happened to me was about 8 years ago when I bought a pair of Moseley Starlinks.... no paper manual. Everything was on CD.

I carry a netbook with an external CD drive with me now mostly everywhere I go. I will admit.... it's a lot easier to carry manuals on the netbook than it is in a briefcase.
 
Oopsie. While the flower-power tree-hugger half of my brain applauds the two-decades-late idea of "the paper office", the geek half of my brain wants a notebook in my hand that I can tab with sticky notes and scribble on in pencil. I've been slowly printing out the all the manuals for the gear we have. But - in two sided print mode. ;-)
 
Hey guys? Can any of you see the long reply I posted this afternoon to the Wheatstone guy? It keeps showing up and disappearing on me. If I switch computers and try again, I see it once and then it disappears. If I whack my cookies and flush my cache, it still won't come back. Any ideas..? Was it too long or too "hot"..? =-/
 
I was not really serious about not buying Broadcast Tools gear. I have a good bit of it. Many of their products don't require a manual...

There was no need to remove my post.

I don't disagree with the concept of non-printed manuals. In that situation I was not in a position to access a computer.

t123
 
I think there's something wrong with the board. No one removed your post. I can see it right now - along with my "missing" post as well. They both seem to have come back. I wonder if someone is messing with the "report this post" feature..?
 
No one is "messing" with the report post function. We've had some minor issues with posts disappearing due to a problem with synchronizing our nodes. If any of you ever have a question or a problem, you can always contact me directly. The advantage to sharing your concern in this fashion is that it gets you an answer far more quickly and hopefully resolve the problem to your satisfaction.

Thanks to everyone for their patience and continued participation in the discussion. Please accept my apology for this interruption.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming,

Managing Board Editor
[email protected]
 
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