Our PC-based Aural Cueing System (ACS) is a low-cost hardware and software system that controls and mixes voice and digitally stored sounds. It includes COMPRO real-time software and off-the-shelf computer and audio components. We use the ACS in our flight training devices; the ACS also is applicable to a wide variety of applications in the simulation, training, research, and entertainment industries.

The basic ACS consists of COMPRO control software running on a specially configured PC system providing four output channels, each capable of 32 independent tracks. The ACS software handles the selection, volume, pitch, priority, and repetition of the digitally stored sounds based on commands it receives from an Ethernet or serial interface. The ACS can be enhanced with an optional mixer card that integrates two microphone/headphone sets with one of the sound card channels. Transducers, speakers, headsets, jacks, and volume controls can be added to meet the needs of specific installations. Significant cost savings are possible for larger configurations where up to five independent ACS computers can be rack mounted in a single chassis.

Our standard two-channel flight training device configuration consists of Station A, an instructor station, and Station B, a student cockpit. One channel drives a transducer with environmental sounds. The other channel drives speakers and headsets with a mix of the intercom voices and computer generated tones and voice messages.

Features:
The ACS PC is a rack-mounted Pentium class CPU with keyboard, mouse, video card, monitor, Ethernet card, and two Open Sound System (OSS) compliant sound cards. The ACS software reads control messages from the Ethernet or serial port, loads the designated sounds and configuration information from disk into memory, and mixes and plays the requested sounds using the four output channels of the sound cards.

The Mixer option adds a COMPRO mixer card, one intercom station jack and volume control box, and two headsets. The mixer card combines the voice input from two headset channels (A & B) and optionally a telephone line (Voice Network Interface) with the output of one of the sound cards. Remote potentiometers control the microphone levels. On-board potentiometers control the output levels of the B headset channel and the second sound card channel.

The ACS includes a library of generic aircraft sounds:

• Jet engine
• Inlet buzz
• Wind
• Compressor stall
• Propeller
• Air conditioning
• Explosions
• Missile search and lock tones
• Gun bursts
• NAVAID tones: Ident and Marker Beacon
• Warning tones: Stall, landing gear, and Autopilot
• Voice messaging cues: Low altitude and low fuel
• Traffic advisories

Note:  To download the Aural Cueing System product brochure, click here.