Smarts Broadcast Systems

This card accepts dry contact closures for the Smartcaster's breaks, Legal ID's, Unnattended Records, etc. This card does not accept audio cue tones from satellite receivers. If your satellite receiver emits cue tone, please get a tone decoder that provides dry relay closures.

The wiring of this card is pretty straightforward. Each of the terminals, 1-16 accept closures which are mappable in software (that will be Part 2). Terminals 17 and 18 are both ground. Numbers 19 and 20 are not used. Please don't hook these to anything, they do have voltage on them.

Since the main terminals 1-16 are mappable in software, there is no definate order to the wiring. Just loop all the grounds together, and wire them into 17 or 18. Be sure that each closure that is used is grounded to numbers 17 or 18. Then, each closure that is used needs to be wired from the receiver to one of the first 16 inputs on the 780 board. Carefully label each one, and document it for later use. No voltage should be applied to this device via these closures (i.e., no biasing).

After each wire is securely fastened and documented, we will move onto Part II.

Part II: Mapping

Perhaps the most frequently asked Smartcaster question is, "Where is the mapping screen?" The response is "Enter Timed Events and press F8."

Here you will see a list of all your networks, along with Global and Input Diagnostics. To start out, go to the network you are wiring closures for. If you don't know, or they aren't labeled, the networks on this list correspond to the order of the networks on the RIDZ. This setup keeps the inputs mapped for one network from firing when another network is active. If you want to name the networks, press ESC and then F6, Edit Event Names. From here, pick Network Channels. After you have finished, return here.

Once you have picked the network you wish to map, you will see that the top row, 1 through 16 corresponds to pins 1 through 16 on the 780 board. The key for the mapping is at the bottom of the screen.

So, for example, you have wired the closure for a local break into pin number one on the 780 board. Below, on the key, you will see that a zero signifies a local break, so if you put a zero underneath number one, you have the local break mapped. The other mappable items on this page are for Functions. Go here if you don't understand Functions.

To map the time update, escape out of this screen, and go into global inputs. Put a T for time underneath the correct input. This allows the time update to happen no matter which network is active.

The unnattended records, if they need an imput, aren't mapped, but designated in the unnattended record screen.

Part III: Input Diagnostics

This screen is exactly like the channel input mapping screen, except it takes the relay closures from the 780 card, and displays it to the screen. A box indicates that a closure is now occuring, and a checkmark indicates that one has occured and is finished.

Using a jumper, it is possible to test the closures by taking input to ground (17 or 18) either on the back of the output device (receiver/tone decoder) or on the 780 board itself. If closures work on the 780 board, but not from the output device, you know that the problem is in the wiring between the output device and the 780 board.

Feel free to call the Support Line if you have any questions or comments about this, or any other problems with the Smartcaster. Our Support Line is 800-765-2930, our fax number is 800-498-0618, and our email address is support@smartsbroadcast.com.

Back to the Smartcaster Support Page.