The ACP54 is an Audio Control Panel from the Cobham Digital Audio Communication System (DACS).

The DACS is a communications management system that distributes and controls all of the audio in an aircraft. It manages the audio from all transceivers, receivers and audio warning sources. It enables the
transmission of microphone audio to a selected transmitter and distributes all Inter-Communication System (ICS) audio.

The ACP54 is a Dzus mounted unit that allows the operator to adjust the volume, select a transceiver and select the system mode of operation. The audio control panel is a ‘terminal’ that monitors user switch selections and level adjustments, passing them along to the Audio Management Unit (AMU50). It also has several status indicators that illuminate when commanded to do so by the AMU. The ACP54 communicates with the AMU50 over a serial data port. All audio connections are made to the Audio Management Unit where the audio processing is completed.

The Audio Management Unit is capable of supporting six Audio Control Panels. The system architecture is set up in a star configuration to prevent loss of the entire system due to the failure of one connection.

The Audio Control Panel receives its power from the Audio Management Unit. Receiving power from the AMU along with the serial data wiring decreases the complexity of the wiring in the aircraft and reduces the number of breakers required for the audio system.

The ACP54 operates with ACP53-001 software loaded into the microcontroller flash memory.