A2Sound

BP-325 Belt-Pack Intercom Station – Configuration

BP-325 FrontThere is more to the RTS BP-235 Intercom Beltpack than the  buttons and XLR connections. The communication needs or your production might warrant opening up the case and moving a few things around.

 

Latching Mode vs. Momentary Mode

Most 325 boxes are set to have the talk switches set to Momentary Mode – The talk button works like a walkie-talkie, meaning that when you press the talk button, the green LED will light and the mic will turn on. When you release the button, the mic will close and the green LED will turn off.

Some situations require hands free communication, like a telephone call. This is called Latching Mode. Tap the TALK button quickly, this will latch the microphone on and the green LED will illuminate. When finished, quickly tap the talk button to turn the microphone off. The green LED will turn off indicating that the mic is now off.

Program Input vs. Loop-through

BP-325 Back

The male XLR connector can either be a loop-through or line level input. When in loop-through mode, additional beltpacks can be connected to each other in a daisy chain configuration. When in the line-in mode, a dry audio source can be plugged into the beltpack. This is useful when channel 2 is being used for a second channel of intercom. The male XLR can also be used for an external mic switch or a non-standard power source. Consult the BP-325 User Manual for more information on these procedures.

Changing the Settings

  1. Loosen the two outside screws and remove the center screw (between the two 3-pin xlrs.)
  2. Bp-325 InsideRemove the rear cover by pulling up on the XLR side of the box. The cover will ‘hinge’ on the button side. Once it is open, the back cover will be easily removed.
  3.  Place the box and cover as shown in the picture with the buttons toward you and the circuit board facing up. The rear cover shows the jumper and switch locations.
  4. There are three areas where settings can be changed or ‘programmed’
    1. DIP switches – Programming the functions of the TALK and CALL buttons.
    2. Headphone Jumpers – Programming audio routing to the left and right headphone.
    3. Connection Jumper – Program the function of the male 3-pin XLR connector to be either a loop through or program input.

DIP Switches

325dip-switchesRefer to the cover for the DIP switch settings. The switch in an UP position indicates that the option is enabled. In the picture, switches 2 and 5 are in the up position. Channel one and two have been programmed to be Momentary Only. This is how most beltpacks will be configured.

 

Headphone Jumpers

BP-325 Jumper

Refer to the cover for the jumper settings for W1, W2, W3, W4 and W5.  In this picture, jumpers W1, W2, W3 & W4 are set to the ON position and W5 is set to MONO operation. With these settings, intercom channels 1 & 2 will go to both headphones and  audio from the program input will go to both headphones. The W7 jumper is for programming the 1/4″ jack to be either a carbon mic headset or remote mic switch. Consult the BP-325 User Manual for more information on programming W7.

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