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0 6-Apr-20
The local rack communicates to the control surface with the Bridge Card over CAT5.
You will see the following faults on the console
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From Control Surface (Control Data Port) > Front of Active Breakout Box (Control Data Port)
Back of Active Breakout Box (Control Data Port) > Bridge Card (Primary Port)
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1. Power Cycle
First, and foremost, power cycling both the local rack and the control surface can sometimes help regain
communication. Try this first.
If this does not resolve the connectivity failure, move on to the next step.
2. Bypass Breakout Box
Knowing that this connection point has the Breakout Box inline, we can bypass it to see if it’s causing the
connection failure. Simply disconnect the CAT5 currently connected to the Bridge Card and replace it with
the connection currently in the front of the Breakout box. Please allow 15-25 seconds for connectivity to
recycle.
3. Swap CAT5 Cable
If you are still having connectivity issues to the local rack; try replacing the current CAT5 cable connecting
the control surface to the Local Rack with another known-working CAT5 cable (shielded or unshielded is
fine). This will rule out the cable being the culprit.
If replacing the CAT5 cable does not resume connectivity, move onto the next step.
4. Reseat Bridge Card
Over time, the card pinouts can become oxidized and lose continuity to the backplane of the local rack. Let’s
start by powering down the local rack (wait 10 seconds), remove the CAT5 cable connected to the Bridge
card, Loosen the top and bottom screws on the front of the card, and use the stand offs as handles to pull
the card free from the backplane, but do not pull the card completely free from the card slot. Simply reseat
the card by pushing the card back into place, and tighten the screws to secure the card. Now connect the
CAT5 cable to the Bridge card that you just pulled out before reseating the card and power on the local rack.
Keep in mind that the backplane of the local rack pins may need to be cleaned with denatured alcohol to
ensure ruling out continuity being the culprit. If you would like to clean the connections, make sure the local
rack is powered down and IEC power cables removed before doing so.
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If reseating the card or cleaning the pinouts does not resume connectivity, move onto the next step
5. Bridge Card Recovery
At this point we’ve ruled out the power cycle, CAT5 cable, and continuity of the card connections. We have
a way to reflash the Bridge Card’s firmware, but needs to be administered by a Soundcraft Vi Tech. Please
see the bottom of this document for contact information.
Should the firmware not resolve the issue, move onto the next step.
6. Bridge Card Replacement
At this point, we’re looking at hardware failure. The issue can be the Bridge Card itself or the monitoring
PCB that houses the Control Data connector on the back of the control surface. The only way to know which
is at fault, we have to swap with known working parts, or if you happen to have another control surface, try
connecting it to the local rack in question. Order parts by calling the number below and connecting with the
Parts Department.
Part Numbers:
Bridge Card: RS2403SP.
Monitoring Board: 5054511.V
Vi Control Surface to Local Rack cable loom: RL0267-01
For further information or assistance with this procedure please contact Soundcraft Technical Support at
HPROTECHSUPPORTUSA@[Link]
Or call 1-844-776-4899 to connect with Tech Support or the Parts Department.
About HARMAN Professional Solutions
HARMAN Professional Solutions is the world’s largest professional audio, video, lighting, and control products and systems company. Our brands comprise AKG Acoustics®, AMX®, BSS
Audio®, Crown International®, dbx Professional®, DigiTech®, JBL Professional®, Lexicon Pro®, Martin®, Soundcraft® and Studer®. These best-in-class products are designed, manufactured and
delivered to a variety of customers in markets including tour, cinema and retail as well as corporate, government, education, large venue and hospitality. For scalable, high-impact
communication and entertainment systems, HARMAN Professional Solutions is your single point of contact. [Link]
