Mark Levinson 512 - Manual (Page 5)

Mark Levinson N o 512 CD/SACD Player Serial Communications Protocol
3 General Description
An external host controller can use the external protocol to control the N o 512 CD/SACD player. The
protocol consists of simple ASCII character set based commands, which are passed to the N o 512 as
command packets via either RS-232 port or the Ethernet port. The N o 512 will reply to command packets
with an acknowledgement to signify that the command has been recognized and acted upon.
EXTERNAL
HOST
(Controller)
N o 512
CD/SACD player
RS232C cable
or Ethernet cable
3.1 Serial Port and Cable Configuration
The RS-232 control is through an RJ-11 connector located on the rear panel of the N o 512 player. The
pin-out of the RJ-11 connector is:
Pin 2 - Rx from the control device Data Receive
Pin 3 - Tx to the control device Data Transmit
Pin 5 - system ground
The N o 512 player receives control messages on pin 2 Data Receive and transmit status responses,
notifications, and query data on pin 3 Data Transmit. The connection cable between the N o 512 and
the control device must be configured so that the receive signal on the N o 512 is connected to the
transmit signal of the control device.
3.2 Physical Connection Using a RJ-11 Cable
Host Controller N o 512 CD/SACD Player
Receive Data
Transmit Data
Ground
Transmit Data
Receive Data
Ground
2
3
5
3
2
5
RJ-11 Cable
Bit Rate: 57600bps
Data Bits: 8bit
Parity: None
Stop bit:
1bit
Flow Control: None
3.3 Physical Connection cable using RJ-11 to DSUB-9
Generally, if connecting the N o 512 player directly to a computer, a RJ-11 to DSUB-9 cable is
required. This is a standard cable that can be found in your local electronics or computer store. The
diagram on the next page provides general information for this type of cable. If you have difficulty
finding this cable type, contact your authorized Mark Levinson dealer for assistance.
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