Synergy was first installed at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1996. Synergy worked in conjunction with the school's Smart Classrooms for several years. However, due to the lack of expandability available to the Synergy product, the staff of the CSU Office of Instructional Services began to investigate alternatives. The search led them to Realm Control Corp. and the facility was upgraded to Phoenix in January of 2004.

The Head End at Colorado State University.

Unique Needs

Colorado State University is unlike the typical Synergy facility. Instead of scheduling media to destinations that are controlled by Television Managers on the AXlink of the Head End Control System, all rooms are "remote" Smart Classrooms. This means that each room includes a standalone AXcess control system that communicates with the Head End Media Retrieval system using an RS-232 (serial) protocol. This allows specialized control of local room functions (such as screen and lighting control) while also providing Media Retrieval control capabilities.

The technical needs of CSU are further complicated by the communication mechanism employed to send data to-and-from the Smart Classrooms. Some Smart Classrooms communicate via traditional AMX RS-232 devices. Others use the AXB-NET solution, which enables transmission of RS-232 packets over the campus network. When AXB-NET boxes are utilized, all data is converted to TCP/IP by the sending device and decoded back to RS-232 by the receiving device. This allows control of remote rooms without requiring that a physical cable connect the Head End to the remote room.

Due to the requirements described above, the upgrade from Synergy to Phoenix represented some unique challenges, especially since the AXcess code running in the Smart Classrooms differed from room to room. It was the responsibility of Realm Control Corp. to develop, test, and ultimately implement the RS-232 solution without impacting any existing Phoenix functionality. The objective was to allow continued use of the existing remote room systems without requiring that the standalone masters be converted to NetLinx, while also allowing the university to expand with distributed NetLinx control systems in the future. Therefore, the RS-232 method was re-implemented in Phoenix, allowing CSU to utilize any of the following methods to communicate with the Smart Classrooms:

1) AXcess Smart Classrooms communicating via RS-232, whether directly or with AXB-NET boxes (this was the solution already in place).

2) NetLinx Smart Classrooms communicating via RS-232. Again, both AXB-NET and RS-232 devices must be supported.

3) NetLinx Smart Classrooms communicating via TCP/IP over the existing ethernet backbone. This will be the solution utilized as the campus moves forward with the addition of new Smart Classrooms.


The Upgrade

Prior to installation, Realm Control Corp. (then known as Xolutionz) developed and tested the RS-232 method of communication (this had not been ported across from Synergy because the need for this capability was previously uncertain). Also, the database was converted to the format required by Phoenix. Then, on 05 January 2004, Shane Burke arrived on-site to implement the upgrade along with Doug Satterfield, the resident Instructional Services and AXcess expert. By noon of the second day, the bulk of the required functionality had been validated. By the noon on the third day, the upgrade was complete. In the words of Doug Satterfield, "This has allowed us to use our existing hardware and room code in conjunction with NetLinx masters that we will add as we move forward. We kept all of the functionality that we had and we added the ability to use NetLinx whenever we bring new rooms online."

Conclusion

Realm Control Corp. would like to thank the staff at Colorado State University for choosing Phoenix as the next generation of their control system. Special thanks go out to Dave James, Doug Satterfield, and Richard Miodonski. Realm Control Corp. would also like to thank the servicing Dealer for CSU, Digital Roads, for providing hardware sales and support, and assistance with on-site installation support and validation. Digital Roads is a leader in the design, installation, training and ongoing support of integrated voice, video, and data communications systems.