Author Topic: RDS Question for EDM-TX-RDS FM Transmitter  (Read 7555 times)

Laserman

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RDS Question for EDM-TX-RDS FM Transmitter
« on: December 18, 2023, 09:00:18 pm »
I am a complete novice to RDS.  I have an EDM-TX-RDS FM Transmitter that has built in RDS support that I use for my Christmas light show every year. I decided to dive in and get the RDS capability running this year but I have a basic question right off the bat even though I have not done anything yet.
My objective is to display text like, "Song 1 of 5 - The Nutcracker" when the song is being broadcast by my transmitter.  My question is, since the text information will be stored (I think) within the RDS unit rather than encoded with the song data, how does the system know what text to link with what song?  Logically, it seems like anything related to a particular song would have to be embedded with the song and then the RDS unit would "read" this data when the song plays.  However, I have not seen anything that would point me in that direction yet.
As I said, I am totally clueless at this point and would appreciate some pointers to get me started in the right direction so I can get my RDS up and running.

Jan

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Re: RDS Question for EDM-TX-RDS FM Transmitter
« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2023, 09:13:08 pm »
The song details are not included anywhere in the audio. Any text information related to current broadcast program is usually available from the broadcast automation system or mp3 player. In most cases the text is saved in a file but other options exist as well. Depending on what RDS encoder model is built-in, use appropriate method or software for sending such text information to the device. Thus, identifying the RDS chip is the first step.

Tim Hutson

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Re: RDS Question for EDM-TX-RDS FM Transmitter
« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2023, 11:05:53 pm »
The microcontroller chip used for the RDS is a Motorola PIC18F1220-I/P.

Jan

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Re: RDS Question for EDM-TX-RDS FM Transmitter
« Reply #3 on: December 19, 2023, 01:26:29 pm »
This chip is MRDS192. It is obsolete (newer MRDS1322 is available for more than 15 years) but you can still send texts with it using the app here:
https://pira.cz/rds/TinyRDS_Setup.exe

Contact the manufacturer or ask the EDM community for correct wiring between the transmitter and PC.