AMX certification advice

[Deleted User]

Hello all.
I know how much most forums HATE newbie type questions like these, but I am in real need of advice here if someone can afford the time to advise me.
I have 15 years in IT, including the design and support of a custom database --- and an equally long background in professional audio (very well equipped recording studio as well as live sound engineering).
I am currently employed as an inhouse AV tech and as they have an AMX controlled system, I have found myself trying to find out about the way forward in becoming a "useful" programmer.
The way I am seeing it, the kit is too expensive to set up a home lab and you need to have some cred to get employed as a programmer, so it is all a bit of a catch 22.
I want to attempt the AMX courses (introduction, prog 2, prog 3 and the GUI module) and am basically asking you guys "in the know" if I will actually gain something out of this without actually working for an installation company at the same time if you know what I mean --- ie. I don't want to be one of those guys that has never touched a computer and launches straight into an MCSE in the hope of getting a well paid IT job if you know what I mean.
I guess the bottom line here is --- if one does the courses (and let us assume the course material is completely understood and absorbed etc) --- would one be able to look at getting a junior programmers job with a systems integrator for example?
Thanks for any advice on this one.
Ayemex.

DHawthorne

Certifications, like college degrees, are to assure someone who doesn't really know you that you know what you are doing at some minimal level. You will learn useful things getting the certifications, but anyone with any experience in the field knows it doesn't count for much. All your real learning will come from digging in and doing it. On the flip side, if you do have the experience, the credentials are less important, as long as you can prove the experience in some other way.

If I were hiring a programmer right now, I wouldn't balk at someone with your experience because it shows you are competent enough to do the kind of thinking needed for the job; I wouldn't be very concerned about specific AMX experience. Having the AMX certifications would just mean I wouldn't have to send you to training myself (a plus, any way you look at it), but frankly, I wouldn't expect that you were any more competent after getting certified than before. Your other experience shows you have the competence to learn what is needed, and I would hire you on that basis. The rest you would pick up on the job, like the rest of us have .

[Deleted User]

Thank you for that.
You have given me a boost of confidence actually, as to be honest, I was expecting a "how long is a piece of string" response.
I guess the one thing I could try to look at is getting my hands dirty here onsite, as I am the only tech and there is no technical department or manager or anything like that.
Downside is that any dabbling would therefore be done at my own risk as such and I would hate to think what could/would be said if I *?$*ed it up and couldn't reload the existing code or whatever.
In all of my years doing ANYTHING with electronic devices (PC and AV kit), I couldn't agree more that the best way to learn is when in the deep stuff.
Thanks again
Ayemex

[Deleted User]

You have posed a very interesting question as your interest in AMX programming could be very rewarding on multiple levels. Your IT experience is definitely a plus.

I have met many "programmers" that have no clue how to deploy an AMX system. This is due to not understanding the controlled equipment. That said, it is as important to learn all you can about the components that connect to the AMX system as it is the NetLinx programming language. Programming can be easy; understanding what to do with it is not. There is also the GUI design to think about. What the end user sees and perceives determines the project's success. Successful AMX programming is a combination of art and science with the emphasis on art and function.

The idea of working on AMX programming on your own time is a good one. Most companies are looking for experience and not someone to train. If you are serious on teaching yourself, check Ebay for some inexpensive test hardware. Make an effort to attend a trade show such as Infocomm or Cedia to learn about the components.

the8thst

I work for an AV Integration company designing systems and programming when our experienced programmer is swamped.

I am new to AMX programming, but have experience with other programming languages.

The only class I have attended was Prog 1 and it helped to get the structure and basics down.

I think the least expensive way to get equipment to experiment on is to pick up an NI-700 integrated master and use the G3 graphics program to use the NI as a webserver.

The G3 software lets you get a good feel for building the panel pages (although it is the old software and not nearly as powerful as the modero software). The G3 panels are able to be converted to webpages and can be served from the NI master. This way you get to program, use your computer as your touchpanel, and deal with real feedback and button logic.

If you need more ports to control equipment there are usually Axcent3 or Axcent3 Pro processors on Ebay. These can be set to slave mode and work just like a port expander for the NI-700 master.

All in all you are out less than a grand in equipment and have a fully functional setup.

Hedberg

You can sometimes find AMX stuff on Ebay for very little money. I've seen Axcent3 masters go for less than $50. Axcent cardframes are cheap too -- even with a lot of cards included. Occassionally there are EL touchpanels and they don't draw much at all. Combine this stuff with an NI700 (which you can also find on Ebay) and the G3 webcontrol and you'll be able to do a lot of experimenting for not much money. Even if you get to go to the AMX schools for free, unless you're drawing a salary and expenses too, the test equipment will be a pretty small portion of your overall education costs.

Also, if you do get a job programming AMX systems, sooner or later you're going find yourself exposed to some of the old equipment -- it seems to function quite well for almost ever -- and it's nice to already be familiar with it before you end up go to a customer's location for service or upgrade.

Thomas Hayes

Some of the best programmers I know aren't certified at all, they do however understand the logic and operations of the AV field and its equipment to the x power. Like Dave said certification will give you a certain level that the company feels is required to continue onward. The best thing to do is just get your hands dirty. Start off with small simple stuff and move on when you hit a level that you feel comfortable with programming it.

setholle

AMX classes

I agree with the above posts. The classes do help, they give a good starting point, especially programmer 2. However what is generally important is using equipment and trial and error. You may learn for instance that dealing with hex when getting strings from a device can be interesting. You will learn how to parse. But actually working with that kind of equipment is what helps you learn. Then if you work with large multi-master systems you start to understand the network and ip side of things.
But I think in my case the classes were a good start.