Overview  

The Connections Tab of the Discussion Manager contains settings that control how the Discussion Manager “handshakes” with your A/V equipment (if applicable). 

Details / Sequence of Events 

Sign-In to the Meeting Manager App. If you need help logging-in OR understanding Groups, Meetings, Configurations; view the following links: 

• User Access
• Groups & Meetings
• Meeting Setup
• Configuration Settings 

Navigate to the Discussion Manager App menu option. Then select the 3rd tab at the top of the screen named Connections and a screen similar to the one below will appear.  

You have 3 options to choose from in the Connection Type drop-down box which will show different settings.  

Each of the 3 selections in the Connection Type drop-down box are explained further below: 

Connection Type – None 

Select this setting if you are NOT using the OpenMeeting ProAV module, meaning you are NOT auto-connecting to your Microphones and Cameras via a Digital Systems Processor (DSP device).  Check with your A/V technicians if you are unsure about this.   The following screen will display and there are NO Settings needed IF Connection Type is “None”.  

Connection Type – Wireless RF (Wireless Radio Frequency) 

• Use this setting if you are controlling microphones using Wireless RF technology that utilizes a SideKeys wireless USB transmitter to send microphone on/off signals to specially-modified mixers in your sound “closet”.  

• NOTE: This technology is no longer manufactured, but the Discussion Manager can still communicate with it if your SideKeys hardware is still in working order. 

When this option is selected, you will be presented with a screen similar to the following: 

Key in values for the various Connection & COM Settings that are shown on the screen above: 

Com Port (drop down) 

• Select the COM Port into which you have plugged the wireless USB transmitter on the Discussion Manager PC. 

Send Attemps (drop down) 

• The Send Attempts setting (1-5) controls the number of times that wireless on/off signals are transmitted for each time that a Discussion Manager icon is pressed. 

Baud Rate (drop down) 

• Set the Baud Rate at 1200 if you are using Wireless RF technology to control microphones.  (This rate can be set much higher if you are using Serial ASCII signals to communicate with a DSP.) 

Parity (drop down) 

• Valid Parity settings are Odd, Even, Mark, and Space.  Use None if you are using Wireless RF technology.  

Stop Bits (drop down) 

• Valid Stop Bits settings are None, One, Two, and OnePointFive.  Use Two  if you are using Wireless RF technology. 

Data Bits (drop down) 

• Enter the number of Data Bits for your communication.  Use 8 if you are using Wireless RF technology. 

Handshake (drop down) 

• Handshake values are None, XOnXOff, RequestToSend, and RequestToSendXOnXOff.  Use None if you are using Wireless RF technology. 

Connect (action button) 

• When you have customized all your communication settings, click the Connect button to connect the Meeting Manager to the desired COM Port. 

Com Status: (status display) 

• The Com Status message will indicate if you are connected to or disconnected from a COM Port. 

Restore Defaults (action button) 

• Clicking the Restore Defaults button will reset all your communication settings to their default values. 

Connection Type – Serial ASCII 

Use the Serial ASCII option to establish communication with a DSP via a serial port.  Any DSP that accepts serial port (external) input and which can be programmed to interpret ASCII character commands can be integrated with the Meeting Manager.  When the Serial ASCII option is selected, the screen displayed will look like the following.

• NOTE that the only change to the options presented for Wireless RF option is the addition of the TTP Format check box. Otherwise, please follow the instructions ABOVE (for Wireless RF settings) for all the other field choices and work with your AV support specialist and OpenMeeting support to establish the proper settings.

• NOTE: The default ASCII commands that will be sent to the DSP are contained in an AsciiConfig.ini file in the install folder that A/V personnel are able to customize, if desired. Please consult your A/V specialist AND OpenMeeting if you wish to make customizations to these.

TTP Format (Check box) 

• If you are using a Biamp TesiraForte DSP, the ASCII commands that the Meeting Manager transmits are already in Tesira Text Protocol (TTP) format and are interpreted automatically by the DSP (thus NO parsing parsing algorithm needs to be written to interpret them). The default ASCII commands that are sent in TTP format are customizable in an AsciiConfigTTP.ini file that is located in the install folder.  Once again, this technical detail will be worked out between your A/V support specialist and OpenMeeting support during initial set-up.

You are finished with the Discussion Manager – Connection settings 

Proceed to the next tab at the top of the Discussion Manager App setup screen, which is Test. Use the following link to go-to and view the Test Tab options:  

• Discussion Manager App – Test 

Notes / Special Situations  

If you are having any issues that are not successfully addressed above, or you are not successful signing into Meeting Manager, please call OpenMeeting Customer Support at 320.249.0555.  Most discussions regarding these technical settings & connections should be had with both your A/V support techniction and OpenMeeting who will understand these issues and work together to establish all the correct connection settings.