ProAudio: Updating Your Control4 Driver After the Zektor to Pulse-Eight Rebrand

Modified on Mon, 27 Jul at 5:07 PM

This is a Legacy Support Article Relating to Zektro Branded ProAudios Sold before March 2021 Only. If you have a Pulse-Eight Branded ProAudio no action is required

In March 2021, Zektor became Pulse-Eight. As a result, current Control4 drivers for ProAudio are published under the Pulse-Eight name rather than Zektor. If you have an existing installation set up before that date using a Zektor-branded driver, replacing the ProAudio switch can create a driver name conflict — Composer will try to use the new Pulse-Eight driver instead of the Zektor one your project already expects, and the old driver name won't be found.

This only applies if you're replacing a ProAudio switch in an existing installation that's currently using a Zektor-branded driver. New installs should always use the current Pulse-Eight driver.

Checking Which Driver You're Using

Before replacing the switch, check whether your current Control4 driver name contains "zektor." For example, the old ProAudio16 driver was named:

avswitch_232_ip_zektor_AUD1600.c4i


The current Pulse-Eight driver for the same product is named:

ProAudio16_pulse-eight.c4i


If you're using the old driver, "Zektor" will also appear as the company name in Composer.


Your Options

OptionBest for
Delete the old driver and install the current Pulse-Eight driver. You'll need to rebind all inputs and outputs.New installs, or any project where bindings haven't been done yet (or you're already planning to redo them).
Send a command to the new switch that makes it identify as compatible with the old Zektor driver.Replacing a switch in an installation that's already working, where you want everything to continue functioning without changes.

Making the New Switch Compatible With the Old Driver

To do this, you'll send a command to the switch using a terminal program such as PuTTY, over either a serial cable or TCP/IP.

To switch to the Zektor-compatible driver:

^OPT 1,247$


To switch back to the Pulse-Eight driver later (for example, if the unit is reused in a future installation):

^OPT 0,247$


This command doesn't appear in the current Universal Serial Protocol reference — it's a legacy compatibility option specific to this transition, rather than part of the general command set.

Using a Serial Cable

1
Connect the cable.Connect a serial cable, or a USB-to-serial cable, between the ProAudio and your PC. If you're using USB-to-serial, check Device Manager for the COM port it was assigned.
2
Set up the PuTTY session.Open PuTTY and set Connection type to Serial, enter your COM port, and set the speed to 19200.
Session settings for a serial connection.
3
Set the Terminal options.Click "Terminal" in the category list and force Local echo and Local line editing on.
Force Local echo and Local line editing on before opening the session.
4
Send the command.Click Open, type ^OPT 1,247$, and press Enter. You can now install the switch normally — it will connect using the Zektor-branded driver.

Using TCP/IP

1
Disconnect the Control4 controller from the network.This stops it from connecting to the new switch before the compatibility option is set.
2
Power on the switch and find its IP address.Plug the ProAudio into the network and give it a minute or two to connect. Scan the network for its IP address — it should advertise a Pulse-Eight MAC address. Depending on when the unit was made, look for a MAC address starting with either 00-15-82- or 5C-D4-AB-.
3
Set up the PuTTY session.Open PuTTY, set Connection type to Raw, enter the switch's IP address as Host Name, and set the port to 50005.
Session settings for a TCP/IP connection.
4
Set the Terminal options.Click "Terminal" in the category list and force Local echo and Local line editing on.
Force Local echo and Local line editing on before opening the session.
5
Send the command.Click Open, type ^OPT 1,247$, and press Enter. You can now install the switch normally — it will connect using the Zektor-branded driver. Remember to reconnect the Control4 controller to the network afterwards.

Related Articles

Need help with a driver conflict?

Our support team can help troubleshoot Control4 driver naming or compatibility issues.

UK: 01202 413 610 | US: (858) 748-8250 | support@pulse-eight.com


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