Summary

RS-232 HEX control protocol for the Rotel RT-1080 AM/FM tuner. Communication is a fixed 6-byte frame at 4800 baud, 8N1, no handshaking, with a one-byte checksum and FD/FE meta-encoding. The source document is the vendor's original RS232 protocol specification (v1.00, 2012-02-06).

Transport

protocols:
  - serial
serial:
  baud_rate: 4800
  data_bits: 8
  parity: none
  stop_bits: 1
  flow_control: none
auth:
  type: none  # inferred: no auth procedure in source

Traits

# No powerable / routable / levelable evidence in source (tuner-only device).
# UNRESOLVED: traits not applicable based on documented command set.

Actions

# CRITICAL: command frames are 6 bytes - Start(0xFE) Count(0x03) ID(0x21) Type(0x10) Key(0xXX) Checksum(0xXX).
# Checksum is the 2's-complement low byte of the sum of Count, ID, Type, Key.
# Meta-encoding: bytes FD/FE in the payload must be escaped to FD 00 / FD 01 (N/A for these commands - none contain FD/FE).

- id: tune_up
  label: Tune Up
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 19 4D"
  params: []

- id: tune_down
  label: Tune Down
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 18 4C"
  params: []

- id: memory
  label: Memory
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 0D 41"
  params: []

- id: band_toggle
  label: Band Toggle
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 0B 3F"
  params: []

- id: auto_tuning
  label: Auto Tuning
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 08 3C"
  params: []

- id: tune_preset
  label: Tune/Preset
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 09 3D"
  params: []

- id: frequency_direct
  label: Frequency Direct
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 27 5B"
  params: []

- id: preset_scan
  label: Preset Scan
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 0A 3E"
  params: []

- id: tuner_display
  label: Tuner Display
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 10 44"
  params: []

- id: rds_pty
  label: RDS PTY
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 14 48"
  params: []

- id: rds_tp
  label: RDS TP
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 13 47"
  params: []

- id: rds_ta
  label: RDS TA
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 17 4B"
  params: []

- id: rds_af
  label: RDS AF
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 12 46"
  params: []

- id: fm_mono
  label: FM Mono
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 11 45"
  params: []

- id: antenna_attenuation
  label: Antenna Attenuation
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 15 49"
  params: []

- id: fm_if_wide_narrow_toggle
  label: FM IF Wide/Narrow Toggle
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 16 4A"
  params: []

- id: antenna_ab_toggle
  label: Antenna A/B Toggle
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 1A 4E"
  params: []

- id: number_0
  label: Number 0
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 07 3B"
  params: []

- id: number_1
  label: Number 1
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 0F 43"
  params: []

- id: number_2
  label: Number 2
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 00 34"
  params: []

- id: number_3
  label: Number 3
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 01 35"
  params: []

- id: number_4
  label: Number 4
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 02 36"
  params: []

- id: number_5
  label: Number 5
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 03 37"
  params: []

- id: number_6
  label: Number 6
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 0E 42"
  params: []

- id: number_7
  label: Number 7
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 04 38"
  params: []

- id: number_8
  label: Number 8
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 05 39"
  params: []

- id: number_9
  label: Number 9
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 06 3A"
  params: []

- id: display_dimmer
  label: Display Dimmer
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 26 5A"
  params: []

- id: display_refresh
  label: Display Refresh
  kind: action
  command: "FE 03 21 10 FF 33"
  params: []

Feedbacks

# UNRESOLVED: no query commands documented in source. All state is reported via unsolicited feedback string below.

Variables

# UNRESOLVED: no settable parameters documented in source beyond the discrete actions above.

Events

- id: front_display_change
  label: Front Display Change
  description: |
    Unsolicited 19-byte feedback string mirroring any change to the unit's
    front display. Frame layout:
      FE 12 21 20 [Flag1][Flag2][Flag3][Flag4][Flag5][Char1..Char11] [Checksum]
    Flag1-Flag5 are bitfield bytes describing illuminated display icons
    (see Flag table in source); Char1-Char11 are ASCII for the current
    frequency / RDS radio text. Triggered automatically on any display
    status change - no host command required.
  payload_format: "FE 12 21 20 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 CS"

Macros

# UNRESOLVED: no multi-step sequences documented in source.

Safety

confirmation_required_for: []
interlocks: []
# UNRESOLVED: no safety warnings, interlocks, or power-on sequencing in source.

Notes

  • Frame is 6 bytes exactly; Count byte (0x03) covers ID+Type+Key only, not Start or Checksum.
  • Checksum is the 2's-complement (low byte) of the sum of Count, ID, Type, Key.
  • Do NOT append CR/LF to commands.
  • Meta-encoding only matters if a Key byte is 0xFD or 0xFE — none of the 30 documented commands require it.
  • This is a tuner; power on/off, input routing, volume, and mute are NOT on this device.
  • Doc version: v1.00, dated 2012-02-06 ("Original Specification").

Provenance

source_domains:
  - rotel.com
source_urls:
  - "https://rotel.com/sites/default/files/product/rs232/RT1080%20Protocol.pdf"
retrieved_at: 2026-04-30T04:32:03.083Z
last_checked_at: 2026-06-02T05:46:10.116Z

Verification Summary

verdict: verified
checked_at: 2026-06-02T05:46:10.116Z
matched_actions: 29
action_count: 29
confidence: medium
summary: "All 29 control commands matched verbatim to source hex sequences; transport parameters (4800 baud, 8N1, no flow control) verified. (7 unresolved item(s) noted in Known Gaps.)"

Known Gaps

- "no power, input-select, volume, mute, or query commands documented in this source — the RT-1080 is a tuner, those functions live on the host amplifier."
- "traits not applicable based on documented command set."
- "no query commands documented in source. All state is reported via unsolicited feedback string below."
- "no settable parameters documented in source beyond the discrete actions above."
- "no multi-step sequences documented in source."
- "no safety warnings, interlocks, or power-on sequencing in source."
- "Flag1–Flag5 bit assignments are partially documented in source (table truncated at end of PDF excerpt). Implementer must consult the full vendor PDF for complete bit definitions."

From the AI4AV catalog (https://ai4av.net) · ODbL-1.0