Mini Converter Software Update Idea

I've been building a budget OB 'Flyaway' kit for out TV Production undergraduate course. Used a fair few mini converters in the process. Whilst doing so I came across a flaw in the Mini-Con software utility. It can only interface with one unit at a time.

The Mini Converter management software needs to be able to simultaneously manage multiple units from the same interface. This would allow you tuck your converters away, out of sight, USB them all to a hub and have just one point for you to connect your engineering PC or laptop to do software updates or configuration changes. Ensemble Designs have the right idea. Have a look at their management software. We like you gear and the price it come at but some of the functionality seems to have been designed in isolation rather than in use.

Thoughts?

My 'Fly Away' so far...

Well the USB is made for using firmware updates and some extra configuration. You also can not set the dipswitches by software. So in that case you need to grab the converter.

Normal way is to setup your converters and 9 out of 10 times you don't reconfigure them as it is not needed..

To amplify what Daniel just posted, one of the downsides of using USB to configure the Mini Converters is that the settings are not saved by the unit, and will be lost when the converter is powered down. (This also applies to the OpenGear converters: settings applied with either the USB utility or with DashBoard software are not saved.) So if it's important that your converters wake up in a certain way, you need to use the DIP switches.

The other advantage to using the DIP switches is that you can change settings in the field without needing a computer, and in many cases you can tell what the converter is supposed to be doing by looking at how the switches are set.

-- Jeff