Using Panel Lock for Reliable Hardware Configurations (100 Things #47)
Buttons, knobs, and switches on interfaces are great for device flexibility, but not so great for reliability. Inadvertent adjustments can easily happen, causing inaccurate measurements and downtime for re-calibration. Listen’s interfaces feature a panel lock, a software controlled feature which prevents any physical buttons from changing an interface’s state. This is great for busy factory environments, where it would be easy to accidentally change a setting and render your measurements worthless.
Using Panel Lock To Ensure Test Integrity
Learn More About SoundCheck’s Advanced Features
Read more about SoundCheck’s advantages for production applications.
More information is also available in the SoundCheck Manual.
Video Script: Using Panel Lock for Reliable Hardware Configurations
From its beginnings back in 1995, SoundCheck was designed to integrate with off-the-shelf sound cards and audio interfaces for data acquisition. Since 2009, we’ve also offered our own line of audio test hardware including audio interfaces, microphone power supplies, power amplifiers and more… all geared specifically for audio test and measurement.
There are many advantages of using Listen hardware with SoundCheck. It is true plug and play, making setup and calibration much faster and easier, and the tight integration enables full software control and the inclusion of features such as input gain autoranging.
One often overlooked feature is the front panel lock. When you’re using 3rd party hardware, there are usually many buttons on the front, which, if accidentally adjusted, can mess up your calibration and therefore your measurement accuracy. We’ve actually eliminated front panel controls from many of our interfaces, but for those that do still have knobs, such as AmpConnnct ISC and SoundConnect 2, you can lock the front panel via the software to prevent any unintended changes that could compromise your measurements.
When Panel lock is enabled, operators cannot inadvertently make changes to the hardware from the front panel, giving you confidence in your hardware settings and your measurements. This is particularly valuable in factory environments.
