Bose Corporation Uses LonWorks Networks so Buddhist
Monks Chant
in Harmony
Sound systems are pervasive, woven into the fabric
of our everyday lives. From cars and schools, to offices and shopping
malls, we rely on sound systems for entertainment, paging and emergency
broadcasting. One would expect that the lives of Buddhist monks
would fall outside of the reach of modern sound systems, but in
the case of Thailand’s Buddhist monks, their lives are very
much touched by this modern phenomenon.
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| About 93 kilometers southwest of Bangkok sits the Dhammakaya Buddhist Meditation Institute. Dedicated to teaching Dhammakaya meditation, the facility is comprised of several buildings within a beautiful ten-square kilometer park. The enormous temple complex occupies an area of 850 square meters, and hosts up to 400,000 people each week for meditation services. This venue presented a formidable sound reinforcement challenge, which was taken up and solved by Bose Corporation using a LonWorks-based audio control system. |
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The Need for Unity
A monk chants from a central stage – worshippers chant in time with
the monk. Timing is critical. “The temple needed to have the same
sound everywhere at the same time,” says Anita McFadden, senior
product manager for System Electronics at Bose. “Our solution required
a distributed system with a large number of speakers regularly spaced
under the very large ceiling. An enormous number of amplifiers were required
to drive all of the speakers, and we needed to control and monitor every
amplifier. Walking from one side of the complex to the other takes about
twenty minutes, so manual amplifier control was not feasible. We needed
centralized control of every amplifier.”
Power management was another matter. With scores of amplifiers running
at the same time, initial power-up demands can be significant. Bose needed
a way to control the start-up process that would not only avoid overloading
the circuit, but could also adapt to any power problems associated with
the high heat and humidity.
A Clear Solution
Bose engineers made an initial assessment and designed an elegant, user-friendly
system that would meet all of the Institute’s needs. One person
speaks into a microphone that is connected to the main mixing board that
sends signals to one of four signal processors. The central stage microphone
is patched to the main mixing board, which in turn routes the signals
to four LonWorks-based signal processors. Each processor passes the signal
to twenty-two zone distribution amplifiers, each of which drives 120 amplifiers
equipped with LON-WORKS-based zone control modules. Every amplifier drives
two-four speakers.
The LonWorks-based processors and amplifiers are divided into twenty-two
different monitoring zones, each of which is electrically and logically
isolated by Echelon 71000 Routers. The routers both filter message packets
and galvanically isolate zones from one another. The different routers
are linked together by a 1.2 kilometer Category 5 cable. Signaling is
accomplished using Echelon’s FTT-10A Free Topology Transceivers,
which allowed the cabling to be wired in a bus, loop, star, or daisy-chain
– whatever topology was most convenient for the installer. Four
Bose control keypads are used for system adjustments, and access the backbone
through one of the zone routers.
Echelon’s LNS™ network operating system runs on the main
monitoring PC and provides the platform from which all network management
functions are performed – installation, monitoring, diagnostics,
and software updating. Bose Entero Designer software, working with LNS,
allows users to create custom on-screen controls, scenes, and presets.
These functions can be implemented on a one-to-one or one-to-all basis,
as needed. The Entero Designer software also provides instant detailed
data on the status of each signal processor and amplifier.
"LonWorks technology gives Bose the ability to create complex scenes
that the customer can access at the touch of a button. It allowed us to
reach into our audio processors and amplifier control modules and control
the inner workings of our technology," continued McFadden.
Sound Adjustments
Made Easy
The Bose system provides consistent, uniform sound throughout the
Dhammakaya temple, profoundly improving the experience of the worshippers.
Moreover, the entire Bose system can easily be adjusted by just
one person. Assessment and maintenance have also been improved.
“Using the PC, a technician can sequentially turn on the entire
sound system, run diagnostics, and isolate any problem equipment
before the meditation services. They know ahead of time how the
system is performing and don't have to scramble to make adjustments
at the last minute" says McFadden. |
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Most importantly for Bose, LonWorks helps them fulfill their client mission.
"LonWorks allows us to create and deliver the true benefits which
the customer purchased, and to provide the full value of what was installed.
The system always sounds good," says McFadden.
However, the monks at Dhammakaya are not finished with their audio project.
In a second phase with Bose, a new system will provide sound for an outdoor
worship area, the Cetiya. It will seat over 1,000,000 people!
"They have a very robust network to do this on: the LonWorks network.
They’ve been very happy with the system and are continuing to work
with Bose," notes McFadden.
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