Axcent 2?

TurnipTruck
TurnipTruck Junior Member
in AMX Hardware
Greetings,

I am looking at upgrading a system that contains an Axcent 2. I have never worked with one of these before. Do they work like Axcent 3s where you can put them into a slave mode and give them a starting Axlink channel? I would like to leave the Axcent 2 in place and continue to use it for IR controls.

The website seems to have no operating manuals for the unit.

Thanks you.
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Comments

  • Joe Hebert
    Joe Hebert Junior Member
    TurnipTruck wrote:
    Do they work like Axcent 3s where you can put them into a slave mode
    Nope. No slave mode for an Axcent 2.
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  • DHawthorne
    DHawthorne Junior Member
    The bad part is they aren't even weighty enough to use as a boat anchor, but a little too big for a paperweight. Perhaps you can come up with a nice hack for the case, and get it featured in Make magazine :).
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  • B_Clements
    B_Clements Senior Member
    Axcent2 as a control device in a NetLinx System

    Perhaps you could use the the control ports on the Axcent2 with just a little effort.

    Write a custom control protocol for the RS232 ports on the two systems that pass button pushes and releases from the NetLinx system to the Axcent 2. Then run some Axcess code in the Axcent2 that decodes the strings and sends IR or pulses relays as necessary.
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  • Marc Scheibein
    Marc Scheibein Junior Member
    Another strange way to use the AXcent2 with a NetLinx Master may be the "External control protocol", documented i.e. in the AXB-PCCOM manual. For this you have to write a program for the AXcent2 which sets one of the serial ports into that mode, so it will be interpreted as any device input (PUSH/RELEASE/etc). From the NetLinx master you'll send Strings in the notation of the external protocol, and this will emulate a PUSH or RELEASE into the AXcent2, so only a standard program for the AXcent2 must be written to do your IR controls.

    As I said, it's very strange, but at home, in this way I'm controlling the Volume channels of my AXcent1 with my NetLinx Master....

    I don't have an example and protocol here at the office, sorry.
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  • B_Clements
    B_Clements Senior Member
    Great minds think alike Marc!
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  • Thomas Hayes
    Thomas Hayes Junior Member
    I would replace the box with an older Axcent III or upgrade to something new to do what you want. The Axcent II's were great in their day but that was a long time ago. The time to write code the and tweak it to work, is it worth the effort and in the end your still stuck with an old box. Just my 2 cents(1.8 Can$) ;)
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  • Marc Scheibein
    Marc Scheibein Junior Member
    Thomas Hayes wrote:
    I would replace the box with an older Axcent III or upgrade to something new to do what you want. The Axcent II's were great in their day but that was a long time ago. The time to write code the and tweak it to work, is it worth the effort and in the end your still stuck with an old box. Just my 2 cents(1.8 Can$) ;)

    For me at home, an AXB-VOL3 (also a secondhand one) is too expensive. The AXcent1 has cost me 1 hour of repair and about 35EuroCent of spareparts... :)
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  • annuello
    annuello Junior Member
    Axcent2 / ExternalControl module

    I must confess, I recently bought an Axcent2 off eBay for next to nothing. On my ToDo list is the idea of writing a Netlinx module/virtual device which talks to the Axcent2 via the External Control protocol. There seems to be enough info passed back & forth in the protocol to make the Axcent2 still useful, except that it costs 1 serial port on both the Axcent2 & Netlinx. With the virtual device taking care of the External Control messages to & from the Axcent2, you should be able to treat it like any other device in the system.

    I'd be inclined to include some code checking that diverts strings/commands to a debug terminal when someone inadvertantly tries to send a string out the Axcent2 port that is occupied by the External Contol link. If you want to get really special, filter out all commands that the Axcent2 does not act on, and report back to the Netlinx master as "The XXX command is unsupported."
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  • Thomas Hayes
    Thomas Hayes Junior Member
    I must confess that I have and use an Axcent II at home but would not sell it to a client. What I've read so far seems that most of us probley have or are using an Axcent II at home or in our office. I guest that I would price an Axcent III on ebay and compare it to the time/cost of writting the program. Then decide to upgrade my client or not. :)
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  • Thomas Hayes
    Thomas Hayes Junior Member
    Just seen an Axcent II, Axcent III plus a whole lot more on ebay(item number 5810555661) for about $56 US. Cheap solution.
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  • Spire_Jeff
    Spire_Jeff Formerly Caffeinated Programmer
    Please ignore the above post. Pay NO attention to the axcent package behind the curtain! SHHHHH! I was thinking about getting that package for myself ;)

    But, now that I think about it.... I just couldn't live with it not being Netlinx code.... Bid away :)

    Jeff
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  • Thomas Hayes
    Thomas Hayes Junior Member
    Did I say ebay, what I meant to say was ebag. My mistake. Thanks for the heads up Jeff ;) and it was $560 US. Sorry a rrreally long day guys.
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