Bose Corporation Uses LonWorks Networks so Buddhist Monks Chant
in Harmony

Sound systems are pervasive, woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. From cars and schools, to offices and shopping malls, we rely on sound systems for entertainment, paging and emergency broadcasting. One would expect that the lives of Buddhist monks would fall outside of the reach of modern sound systems, but in the case of Thailand’s Buddhist monks, their lives are very much touched by this modern phenomenon. About 93 kilometers southwest of Bangkok sits the Dhammakaya Buddhist Meditation Institute. Dedicated to teaching Dhammakaya meditation, the facility is comprised of several buildings within a beautiful ten-square kilometer park. The enormous temple complex occupies an area of 850 square meters, and hosts up to 400,000 people each week for meditation services. This venue presented a formidable sound reinforcement challenge, which was taken up and solved by Bose Corporation using a LonWorks-based audio control system.

The Need for Unity
A monk chants from a central stage – worshippers chant in time with the monk. Timing is critical. “The temple needed to have the same sound everywhere at the same time,” says Anita McFadden, senior product manager for System Electronics at Bose. “Our solution required a distributed system with a large number of speakers regularly spaced under the very large ceiling. An enormous number of amplifiers were required to drive all of the speakers, and we needed to control and monitor every amplifier. Walking from one side of the complex to the other takes about twenty minutes, so manual amplifier control was not feasible. We needed centralized control of every amplifier.”

Power management was another matter. With scores of amplifiers running at the same time, initial power-up demands can be significant. Bose needed a way to control the start-up process that would not only avoid overloading the circuit, but could also adapt to any power problems associated with the high heat and humidity.

A Clear Solution
Bose engineers made an initial assessment and designed an elegant, user-friendly system that would meet all of the Institute’s needs. One person speaks into a microphone that is connected to the main mixing board that sends signals to one of four signal processors. The central stage microphone is patched to the main mixing board, which in turn routes the signals to four LonWorks-based signal processors. Each processor passes the signal to twenty-two zone distribution amplifiers, each of which drives 120 amplifiers equipped with LON-WORKS-based zone control modules. Every amplifier drives two-four speakers.

The LonWorks-based processors and amplifiers are divided into twenty-two different monitoring zones, each of which is electrically and logically isolated by Echelon 71000 Routers. The routers both filter message packets and galvanically isolate zones from one another. The different routers are linked together by a 1.2 kilometer Category 5 cable. Signaling is accomplished using Echelon’s FTT-10A Free Topology Transceivers, which allowed the cabling to be wired in a bus, loop, star, or daisy-chain – whatever topology was most convenient for the installer. Four Bose control keypads are used for system adjustments, and access the backbone through one of the zone routers.

Echelon’s LNS™ network operating system runs on the main monitoring PC and provides the platform from which all network management functions are performed – installation, monitoring, diagnostics, and software updating. Bose Entero Designer software, working with LNS, allows users to create custom on-screen controls, scenes, and presets. These functions can be implemented on a one-to-one or one-to-all basis, as needed. The Entero Designer software also provides instant detailed data on the status of each signal processor and amplifier.

"LonWorks technology gives Bose the ability to create complex scenes that the customer can access at the touch of a button. It allowed us to reach into our audio processors and amplifier control modules and control the inner workings of our technology," continued McFadden.

Sound Adjustments Made Easy The Bose system provides consistent, uniform sound throughout the Dhammakaya temple, profoundly improving the experience of the worshippers. Moreover, the entire Bose system can easily be adjusted by just one person. Assessment and maintenance have also been improved. “Using the PC, a technician can sequentially turn on the entire sound system, run diagnostics, and isolate any problem equipment before the meditation services. They know ahead of time how the system is performing and don't have to scramble to make adjustments at the last minute" says McFadden.

Most importantly for Bose, LonWorks helps them fulfill their client mission. "LonWorks allows us to create and deliver the true benefits which the customer purchased, and to provide the full value of what was installed. The system always sounds good," says McFadden.

However, the monks at Dhammakaya are not finished with their audio project. In a second phase with Bose, a new system will provide sound for an outdoor worship area, the Cetiya. It will seat over 1,000,000 people!

"They have a very robust network to do this on: the LonWorks network. They’ve been very happy with the system and are continuing to work with Bose," notes McFadden.

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