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work
I currently work for AMX UK Ltd, the European headquarters of AMX Corporation, based in
Dallas,TX. AMX is the world-leading manufacturer and developer of audio/visual and ethernet
control systems. AMX control systems work on the basis that many different devices, such as projection devices, plasma
screens, matrix switchers, video-conference devices, media-content servers and computers, are all connected to the AMX
controller and controlled by methods such as RS232 serial communication, infra-red, contact closure relays, and TCP/IP
ethernet control.
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I hold the position of Customer Services Manager at AMX. My job involves running the customer services team, which
includes the technical support desk, sales and order processing, warehousing and the European Repairs Workshop.
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AMX control systems comprise of two main hardware parts. The first is the controller. This is the processor which runs
the compiled program code, which is written in subset of C++ and Java. The second is the touch panel, a touch-screen interface
which provides the program code inside the controller with events, such as button press, hold and release events. This way,
the controller can respond to user interaction: fire events and run functions in response to what the user wishes to do.
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We also get to create the graphic touch panel designs which are loaded into the hardware touch panels. These touch panel design
files are a mixture of XML, binary and image files, and are held together a lot like web pages.
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Using design and graphics packages such as Photoshop, Freehand and Flash in the creation of touch panel design files can give
the graphics of an AMX system the same professional edge as any website. The user interface is what the user sees and relates to.
The user of an AMX system rarely has to relate to the program code running inside the controller: the aim is to provide a user
interface so intuitive and easy to use that they shouldn't have to. A well-designed and presented touch panel graphics file is
a big step towards a successful project.
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The code that we write inside the AMX controllers is written in a mixture of Java and a customised subset of C++. The syntax of the
customised AMX language would be familiar to all programmers which use either of these languages, but there are also a number of
keywords and API libraries on top of this which relate to the unique functionality of AMX equipment and what it does.
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The main idea behind control systems is that many different devices are connected to the AMX system and are controlled from one central
user interface (such as a touch-screen panel). In this respect, the code that we write has to be modular, encapsulated and reusable. If
we write code for one device, such as a projector, in a project, and a project that we undertake in the future also invloves one of the
same type of projector, we need to be able to copy out the modular code we used before and be able to drop it into our new project. Reusable
code like this is the key to efficient projects and we all write code in the same generic way in order to enable us all to do this.
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