MVP Docking Stations

VLCNCRZR

I dont currently have these items to verify, so:

Does anyone know if the MVP-8400 panel can be docked in the MVP-WDS wall
station with the MVP-KS kickstand attached to it?

By looking at the line drawings of the wall docking station, it seems that the kickstand would have to be detached and re-attached every time the panel gets docked and undocked.

Thanks.

dthorson

That is correct.

The same latching mechanism that holds on the kickstand also hold the panel in the MVP-WDS and the MVP-TDS.

You must remove the kickstand to dock the panel.

vining

Unless the design has changed, no.

It would require an complete re-design but it is something AMX should really address because what do you do with it when its not docked, just lay it flat on the table or counter. Given the choice between the KS or WDS I always pick the KS (sometimes TDS) because its more functional. The only time a WDS really works is in a theater situation that doesn't have a table or counter between the seats. It would be a lot more sell able and functional if the KS could fit in the WDS.

DHawthorne

I wouldn't object to a redesign - the wall mount is rather flawed anyway, in my opinion. One issue that keeps popping up for me is the customer wants access to the stylus, which you can't do without removing the panel. I've even had some Velcro it to the frame - which is a pretty ugly solution. Another issue is removing the panel if it gets mis-docked, or the panel locks up and the eject button isn't functional; you have to power down the mount.

DavidR

i have one that locked up today. if I power down the dock is there a way to get the panel out?

vining

DavidR wrote:

i have one that locked up today. if I power down the dock is there a way to get the panel out?

dchristo wrote:

If you unplug the power to the WDS, and then, while holding the blue button in, plug the power back in the panel should eject after 5-10 seconds.

--D

I don't know if this will work if you have batteries in the WDS but you can give it a try. I've posted a while back that for situations like these a little pin hole reset button would fix the problem. Not a reset per se but a button that will isolate all power to the device both battery and connected 12vdc. MVPs should have one as well a other products that can lock up and require complete power shut down to reboot or reset.

Now to comment on the stylus issue that Dave mentioned I think all wall mounted TPs should have a stylu built in that insert straight into the bezel from the front. Push it in and it latches in place with the end of the stylus barely crowning the surface of the bezel, then push in and it pops out. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to engineer these simple features. Just someone with a little common sense.

ekeppel

I've noticed too...

Besides the above mentioned issues, we seem to have a lot of problems with customers being able to dock their MVP8400/7500s in the MVP-WDS. A high percentage of the time, the panel will dock, but not charge, or it will charge, but not say that it is docked. We have less problems with the TDS dock, but it still happens more than I'd like.

I believe the problems are all due to the poor design of the contacts between the two. I mean come on, are EIGHTEEN tiny finger contacts really required to simply charge and determine that the panel is docked or not? Not only that, but the way they are designed, the little spring loaded contacts on the docks don't actually slide into a nice tight connection block on the panels like one would expect, but instead just the very tips of these rest on the flat contacts of the touch panel. Does anyone else think this is about the worst way to try to get a reliable electrical connection? Gold plated or not, the connections are hit or miss many times, at least that has been our experience.

I just RMAed our shop demo WDS today since I have gotten tired of going down and giving the TP a nudge to get it charging several times a week. :P

<RANT>
If I can walk into Walmart and buy a $9.97 cordless no-name brand telephone that docks and charges everytime I toss it into it's cradle, why can't AMX get such a simple thing right!? </RANT>

Everyone have a great weekend!

Eric

DHawthorne

The Panasonic cell-based handsets don't even require a connection to charge. There is an inductive pickup in the handset, and just dropping it in the cradle makes the connection. I don't see the point of the multiple pins either; we have, essentially, a charging circuit and some data pins. I would guess most of them aren't even being used.

vining

I just installed two of the MVP-TDS docking stations and they don't seem right. They both have batteries installed but either don't take a charge or aren't recognized. Kill power to the base and the base LED s go off and the panel can just be removed. I've spent several attempts to do a full file & graphics transfer (I changed default sound files) and the transfer would fail, attempt after attempt. I pulled the panel from the docking station and the file transfer went thorugh w/ a hitch, coincidence, maybe. After a while I noticed a tiny, tiny spring on the table and looked around and sure enough a pin was missing on the docking station. Looked around some more and found the pin. When I would press the button on the docking station and the panels sometimes wouldn't release. I tried putting the docking status feed back on both MVPs but they don't get feed back when docked.

I did recently upload the lastest firmware but now I think I need to revert or just ship them back and get kickstands.

Any one else having issues with the TDSs?

DavidR

only the WDS... I have had to carve the panel out of the wall when a firnware transfer fails. Never used the TDS, always seemed too expensive.

vining

DavidR wrote:

Never used the TDS, always seemed too expensive.

They're basically the same price as the WDS but lack the coolness factor that makes the WDS almost worth the price tag.

I actually read part of the manual on the TDS & WDS last night and it appears that the onboard bateries are strictly for charging spares for the MVP. I always assumed that the these batteries were for operation the docking station locking mechanism when AC power is lost to the units. As difficult as it is to remove the MVP's battery cover and re-install I don't know any one who would want spare batteries. I put batteries in the shop's WDS and the locking mechanism doesn't work. What, so now we need UPS for the docking stations? At least I'll save on those extra baterries I've been ordering!

I brought the offending docking station back to the shop and they appear to work fine with the shop MVP-8400, it undocks properly and gets the proper docked feedback so now I'm thinking there's a problem with the MVP-8400i's that are on the job which I never really liked any way. The offending crackling sound on button pushes, one of the two just seems to lock up and doesn't respond to button pushes. You can some times get the display back up using the hard button but the screen stays unresponsive until a reboot. The overlay them selves are loose on the top right of both panels so that when you push anywhere on the panel you get a ripple affect in the loose area.

Has any one noticed anything similar with the 8400i's? If so what was the recourse? Return to sender?

Auser

I suspect there's an issue with tolerances in the manufacturing of MVP-8400 and/or WDS units currently being shipped as I've not observed the problem being described before, however I've just had to RMA two 8400/WDS combinations which were installed two weeks or so ago.

My exact symptoms were as follows:

* One panel would dock successfully in one station (sometimes) but not the other
* The other panel would dock successfully (sometimes) in either station.
* Pushing sideways on the panel would (sometimes) make it dock successfully.
* Removing sideways pressure would (always) see the panel undock itself (ie. stop charging/communicating with the dock).
* The WDS was mounted directly to a dead flat surface, so there was no warping going on.
* Most of the time the user would dock a panel, come back to use it and it would be flat in the wall with no easy way of getting it out.
* If anybody pushed the panel release button on the docking stations (before the panel went flat), the panel would be popped out even though a password was specified. So because the panels wouldn't dock successfully they weren't secure either.

AMX's tech support have a procedure for releasing a dead/flat panel from a WDS which I won't give here for the sake of security of existing installations - a quick phone call to AMX should provide you with this information.

As for TDS's - I've dealt with two straight out of the box.

In the first, the panel would flollop around while it was docked because two of the screws or bolts to do with tensioning the wrist of the dock were not tightened up. I can't remember exactly which ones they were, but one was completely free rattling around inside the plastic casing. I had to disassemble and repair the docking station straight out of the box.

The second is very temperamental about docking a panel properly; Swiss watchmakers seem to be the only people with touch which is delicate enough to get the panel to dock properly and start charging...

Update:

I've just had a report from one of our other offices that they've got another 8400/WDS combination which is doing the same thing.

youstra

MVP-TDS Flakey Behavior/Possible fix

I had a TDS showing "no data comm" btwn panel and dock by the rapid blinking of the right side light. The setup pages showed no docking station version though the batteries were being charged.

To remove the panel, I removed power. It looks like pins 10 & 12 aren't spring-loaded...they sit lower than the others but flop out to full position when I turn the dock upside down.

Is this by design or do I have a problem?

When I reattach the panel and flip the panel/dock upside down for a moment, it shows the "docked" message. I put it back on the table and everything's cool. It's remained fine with a few undock/redock cycles. We'll see how it goes. If those pins are supposed to be spring-loaded then I'm sure this problem will surface again.

-Bill