Interfacing touch panels to Vocia's paging stations
Goal
Vocia's paging stations have a dedicated control protocol called PS-VTP (Paging Station Vocia Text Protocol) to implement custom paging activities. Using PS-VTP, control processor enabled touch panel can enhance Vocia's paging station functionality with features like display of customized map/floor plan for zone selection or creating custom page codes on the fly. This article explains how a touch panel can be integrated to a paging station.
Hardware Requirements
- Control Processor with atleast 1 RS-232 port
- Touchscreen with a suitable screen size
- Vocia VPSI-1
Connectivity
Vocia paging stations feature an AUX port which provides connectivity for a Vocia Paging Station Interface 1 (VPSI-1) or a Vocia Auxiliary Microphone 1 (VAM-1). A connected VPSI-1 offers additional ports for the paging station such as Audio in for an external mic and RS-232 control port.
To implement touch screen control, the control processor will connect to the RS-232 port on the VPSI-1. In this diagram, it is assumed that the touch panel and control processor communicate over a standard network.
NOTE: A control processor connected to a Vocia paging station as described can only interact with the paging station. Unless its also connected to other Vocia components like the MS-1e over the network or additional RS-232 ports, control of other Vocia components is not possible in this scheme.
The AUX connection should be wired with shielded CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6, or CAT7 cabling of 100 meters or less to interface the paging station to the VPSI-1. This connection uses a proprietary protocol and does not support network connectivity.
VPSI-1 RS-232 Port Pin-Out
| Pin Out | Function |
| Pin 2 | Recieve Data (RxD) Input |
| Pin 3 | Transmit Data (TxD) Output |
| Pin 5 | GND / 0V |
| Do not wire any other pins | |
Configuration
Paging Station/VPSI-1
To support remote control of the paging station via the VPSI-1, choose these options in the Auxiliary Port section of the paging station control dialog:
- Auxiliary Port Mode: Remote Control
- Remote Control Configuration
- PTT Source: Serial
- Audio Source: Local
The VPSI-1 is a slave device to a paging station, and does not offer any software configurations or dialog.
These settings will enable remote control mode on the paging station. When the Paging Station is configured for Remote Control Mode the Paging Station LCD screen will display 'Remote' and will not allow the selection of page codes from the Paging Station keypad.
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For additional details on other available options for the AUX port, please refer to the Auxiliary Port section of a paging station (DS4-WS4, DS-10-WS-10 or EWS-4-EWS-10) in the Vocia help file.
Control Processor
The control processor will need to be programmed to build PS VTP commands to achieve desired functionality. Use the Vocia Command String Calculator or the list of PS-VTP commands in the Vocia help file to figure out the desired PS VTP command syntax.
Here is a screenshot of the command string calculator for triggering a custom page code in Live page mode, to zones 1,2 and 3 at priority level 1:
When these commands are sent in sequence, a Live Page is ready to be relayed via the paging station mic.
For a visual paging UI, the map or floor plan can be displayed on the touch panel with zones mapped to appropriate touch targets. As per user selection, zone numbers can be populated into the above command sequence and executed.