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#1
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ping Les
Les, do you know of a good online source for those Behringer pieces - one
that supports the warranty. I think I'll also need the RS-485 cable to connect the two together. I'll be hooking it up to RS-232 on the computer. Also, any recommendations on a power inverter for these? |
#2
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"MZ" wrote in message ... Les, do you know of a good online source for those Behringer pieces - one that supports the warranty. I think I'll also need the RS-485 cable to connect the two together. I'll be hooking it up to RS-232 on the computer. Also, any recommendations on a power inverter for these? Either www.Partsexpress.com or www.musiciansfriend.com will have them for $250. MF has free shipping right now on all orders over $200. But if you needed other parts then PE may be the way to go. The warranty will be honored at either place, Behringer offers excellent warranty service. Good luck with it, take some pictures and let me know how is works out. Les |
#3
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Cool, I'll order it this weekend.
One more question: do you know how to "convert" an optical digital output to the AES/EBU input which connects to the XLR on this unit? And apparently I need a "splitter" (ie. distribution box) to provide input for both units. Any ideas on a piece that will do this? "Les" wrote in message ... "MZ" wrote in message ... Les, do you know of a good online source for those Behringer pieces - one that supports the warranty. I think I'll also need the RS-485 cable to connect the two together. I'll be hooking it up to RS-232 on the computer. Also, any recommendations on a power inverter for these? Either www.Partsexpress.com or www.musiciansfriend.com will have them for $250. MF has free shipping right now on all orders over $200. But if you needed other parts then PE may be the way to go. The warranty will be honored at either place, Behringer offers excellent warranty service. Good luck with it, take some pictures and let me know how is works out. Les |
#4
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"MZ" wrote in message ... Cool, I'll order it this weekend. One more question: do you know how to "convert" an optical digital output to the AES/EBU input which connects to the XLR on this unit? I've never personally done that but I know it can be done. I did a quick search on Google and found several units that would do that, but the cheapest was $220! I've never had the need to convert between the 2 since anytime I've used the digital input it has always been AES/EBU. But most of the time I use the analog inputs. Chad may know more about the digital connection. And apparently I need a "splitter" (ie. distribution box) to provide input for both units. Any ideas on a piece that will do this? They make optical digital splitters for around $10. So those are pretty cheap and easy to find, even Radio Shack has them. I would imagine that Parts Express would have them as well. It may be worth giving them a call as they might be able to solve both of your problems at once. Les |
#5
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"Les" wrote in message ... "MZ" wrote in message ... Cool, I'll order it this weekend. One more question: do you know how to "convert" an optical digital output to the AES/EBU input which connects to the XLR on this unit? I've never personally done that but I know it can be done. I did a quick search on Google and found several units that would do that, but the cheapest was $220! I've never had the need to convert between the 2 since anytime I've used the digital input it has always been AES/EBU. But most of the time I use the analog inputs. Chad may know more about the digital connection. And apparently I need a "splitter" (ie. distribution box) to provide input for both units. Any ideas on a piece that will do this? They make optical digital splitters for around $10. So those are pretty cheap and easy to find, even Radio Shack has them. I would imagine that Parts Express would have them as well. It may be worth giving them a call as they might be able to solve both of your problems at once. Les The optical splitters do work, some are as crude as "a couple mirrors" I use one at home and half of it runs a fairly long way. There is a way to just cable convert SPDIF to AES/EBU, crude but it works no electronics involved. AES/EBU is just "balanced consumer" digital but has a different impedance than SPDIF. An optical to SPDIF converter is fairly cheap. I think Hosa makes one but it's a got a guzinta and cumzata conversion, twice as much as you need. Parts express sells a one-way unit, I think less than 50 bucks. OR switch to an audio card with SPDIF output, simple old school SB audigy has it and works well. Some el-cheapo usb soundcards have SPDIF and Toslink. Check this out for conversion, comes in a kit form: http://www.murraypro.com/spdif.htm General info: http://www.answers.com/topic/s-pdif I honestly think that the wiring is Pin1XLR to sheild of SPDIF, Pin2XLR to tip of SPDIF. Use 75 ohm cable for short runs and you will be OK. If you have dropouts you can use a pseudo balancing method if the receiving device will allow it or tie pin 3 to pin 1 via a 110 ohm resistor. I have used cable conversions up to 6' long with no error from a AD converter to a Tascam DA30II, prolly could go longer but I never tried Digital is amazlingly forgiving depsite what some audiophools believe Mark, let us know how it works out. I also think the Behringer may come with the computer cable but if not those conversions are on line, I may even have an extra one around the house, I'll look tonight. If I have one I'll drop it in the mail to you, let you know tomorrow. E-bay has them for cheap too! Chad |
#6
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The optical splitters do work, some are as crude as "a couple mirrors" I
use one at home and half of it runs a fairly long way. There is a way to just cable convert SPDIF to AES/EBU, crude but it works no electronics involved. AES/EBU is just "balanced consumer" digital but has a different impedance than SPDIF. An optical to SPDIF converter is fairly cheap. I think Hosa makes one but it's a got a guzinta and cumzata conversion, twice as much as you need. Parts express sells a one-way unit, I think less than 50 bucks. OR switch to an audio card with SPDIF output, simple old school SB audigy has it and works well. Some el-cheapo usb soundcards have SPDIF and Toslink. Check this out for conversion, comes in a kit form: http://www.murraypro.com/spdif.htm General info: http://www.answers.com/topic/s-pdif I honestly think that the wiring is Pin1XLR to sheild of SPDIF, Pin2XLR to tip of SPDIF. Use 75 ohm cable for short runs and you will be OK. If you have dropouts you can use a pseudo balancing method if the receiving device will allow it or tie pin 3 to pin 1 via a 110 ohm resistor. I have used cable conversions up to 6' long with no error from a AD converter to a Tascam DA30II, prolly could go longer but I never tried Digital is amazlingly forgiving depsite what some audiophools believe Mark, let us know how it works out. I also think the Behringer may come with the computer cable but if not those conversions are on line, I may even have an extra one around the house, I'll look tonight. If I have one I'll drop it in the mail to you, let you know tomorrow. E-bay has them for cheap too! Yeah, that'd be great. I don't know what it comes with. It doesn't say on the website. Anyway, I've ordered 2 of the DCX-2496's and also a Behringer SRC-2000, which is discounted on musiciansfriend.com because it's been replaced with the newer SRC-2496. For $79, it'll do the optical - AES/EBU XLR conversion, and it has pretty lil' lights and buttons. I'm still trying to figure out how difficult it will be to switch to an analog source with it. The USB FM radio device I use has an analog output, so I guess I'll just switch with the SRC-2000. With all this rack-mount stuff, I should probably build some amplifiers and throw them in some 3u cases... but I know I'm way too lazy for that. |
#7
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Yeah, that'd be great. I don't know what it comes with. It doesn't say
on the website. Anyway, I've ordered 2 of the DCX-2496's and also a Behringer SRC-2000, which is discounted on musiciansfriend.com because it's been replaced with the newer SRC-2496. For $79, it'll do the optical - AES/EBU XLR conversion, and it has pretty lil' lights and buttons. I'm still trying to figure out how difficult it will be to switch to an analog source with it. The USB FM radio device I use has an analog output, so I guess I'll just switch with the SRC-2000. With all this rack-mount stuff, I should probably build some amplifiers and throw them in some 3u cases... but I know I'm way too lazy for that. Also, if anyone reading this is interested in my Zapco D/A converter, I'll be selling it once I install this new stuff... |
#8
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"MZ" wrote in message ... Mark, let us know how it works out. I also think the Behringer may come with the computer cable but if not those conversions are on line, I may even have an extra one around the house, I'll look tonight. If I have one I'll drop it in the mail to you, let you know tomorrow. E-bay has them for cheap too! Yeah, that'd be great. I don't know what it comes with. It doesn't say on the website. I'll look tonight, no problem! Most things come with them. How are you planning to power it? I'm ALMOST certain that the DCX has a switch mode supply in it, since the converter is older I'd wonder if it has iron or switcher. If both have a switcher PS you could use an old computer UPS gutted out. Word to the wise, these are not intended for use with anything that has a transformer as the first stage of step down. They are basically pulsed DC and will tear up a tranny in short order and possibly infect the audio with harmonics. If the converter has a tranny you are probably stuck finding a small pure sine inverter. Shield the inverter well in a grounded case, they will produce spurious emissions... How is your computer powered? Anyway, I've ordered 2 of the DCX-2496's and also a Behringer SRC-2000, which is discounted on musiciansfriend.com because it's been replaced with the newer SRC-2496. For $79, it'll do the optical - AES/EBU XLR conversion, and it has pretty lil' lights and buttons. I'm still trying to figure out how difficult it will be to switch to an analog source with it. The USB FM radio device I use has an analog output, so I guess I'll just switch with the SRC-2000. Perfect, if I had more room I'd do that but I'm stuck in an analog domain for now due to size constriants. With all this rack-mount stuff, I should probably build some amplifiers and throw them in some 3u cases... but I know I'm way too lazy for that. Nah, finding that much current for big amps would suck, unless you modded out car amps but that would be a pain. Later you could go with the DEQ2496, it has nice parametrics but if you are good with your driver shaping then you probably won't need it. In other works I would leave 1-2 extra spaces for addition, blanks are cheap or you could something weird like this.... http://www.funklogic.com/products.htm Funky blank rack panels that look cool!!!! Yee-haw, us pro guys are wierd eh? I think you are going to love what you are about to create! Think about it dealy, and EQ on EVERY input and output. It don't get no better than this, dolan!!! Chad |
#9
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I'll look tonight, no problem! Most things come with them. How are you
planning to power it? I'm ALMOST certain that the DCX has a switch mode supply in it, since the converter is older I'd wonder if it has iron or switcher. If both have a switcher PS you could use an old computer UPS gutted out. Word to the wise, these are not intended for use with anything that has a transformer as the first stage of step down. They are basically pulsed DC and will tear up a tranny in short order and possibly infect the audio with harmonics. If the converter has a tranny you are probably stuck finding a small pure sine inverter. Shield the inverter well in a grounded case, they will produce spurious emissions... How is your computer powered? I was planning on buying a pure sine inverter. It seems the smallest I can find is 150w, which tend to run a little over $100 new. I could get away with a 75w I think, since the devices are rated at about 15w a piece if I recall, but I can't seem to find a 75w pure sine inverter around. Thanks for the tip about shielding it. The computer is powered directly off 12v. It's designed to receive both types of output. I have an isolating diode and capacitor in there (a few thousand microfarads - admittedly, not really big enough to provide appreciable support for dips, since the computer draws about 3 amps or so), and basically nothing else. I was considering upgrading this little circuit to something a bit more substantial, also idiot-proofing it so that it shuts off due to undervoltage (considering my recent experience with mechanics and their apparent inability to keep from pressing the on button). With all this rack-mount stuff, I should probably build some amplifiers and throw them in some 3u cases... but I know I'm way too lazy for that. Nah, finding that much current for big amps would suck, unless you modded out car amps but that would be a pain. That's an idea. How much of a pain would that be? Relocate a PCB and redesign the heat sink. Add some *good* terminals (instead of the crap that the car audio manufacturers continue to insist on using - yeah, I'm talkin' to you, Durbin). Maybe stick some terminals for balanced XLR back there. Voila! Rack-mount Orion/MTX/whatever amps with some custom (ie. pretty) front-panel knobs for gain control, status LEDs...VU meter... err, but I'm too lazy for that too. Later you could go with the DEQ2496, it has nice parametrics but if you are good with your driver shaping then you probably won't need it. In other works I would leave 1-2 extra spaces for addition, blanks are cheap or you could something weird like this.... http://www.funklogic.com/products.htm Funky blank rack panels that look cool!!!! Yee-haw, us pro guys are wierd eh? I want the Digilog Dynamicator!! I think you are going to love what you are about to create! Think about it dealy, and EQ on EVERY input and output. It don't get no better than this, dolan!!! The level-adjusting will be ideal too. Especially in my current kick-panel-less system, where the left tweet is too loud because of proximity and the right midrange is too loud because of aiming. Phase inversion will be useful too. I still haven't tested my tweeters and sub inverted yet, mostly because I'm avoiding having to actually go back there and unplug speaker wires. Now I'll be able to adjust it all on the computer... |
#10
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"MZ" wrote in message ... I'll look tonight, no problem! Most things come with them. How are you planning to power it? I'm ALMOST certain that the DCX has a switch mode supply in it, since the converter is older I'd wonder if it has iron or switcher. If both have a switcher PS you could use an old computer UPS gutted out. Word to the wise, these are not intended for use with anything that has a transformer as the first stage of step down. They are basically pulsed DC and will tear up a tranny in short order and possibly infect the audio with harmonics. If the converter has a tranny you are probably stuck finding a small pure sine inverter. Shield the inverter well in a grounded case, they will produce spurious emissions... How is your computer powered? I was planning on buying a pure sine inverter. It seems the smallest I can find is 150w, which tend to run a little over $100 new. I could get away with a 75w I think, since the devices are rated at about 15w a piece if I recall, but I can't seem to find a 75w pure sine inverter around. Thanks for the tip about shielding it. Pure sine's aren't as nasty as you don't have oversoot on the square wave, it's the overshoot that gets everywhere, you should be fine unshielded, When I referred to shielding I was referring to a computer UPS homebrew job. I was thinking of going digital and using a homebrew making sure I use a unit with a switcher. With the different voltages in these (+/-15-17, +12, +5, and +3.3) it's cheaper to just build up a switcher that fab out a torrid with that many taps and then rectify, regulate, and filter it. But if the processors have a switcher in them then you are wasting your money on a pure sine unless down the road you want to use something with a transformer. With a switcher the first thing the AC hits is a rectifier no matter what comes in it's all good after that, they will even run well on DC, a chopper still has 120V RMS output at 60 cycles It's just very brutal developing it. Hell 60 cycles don't mean nothing to them and they can accept a wide range of voltage. One quick way to find out is to look at the engineering specs, if it specifys an input of like 100-240V 40-70Hz (some say 50-60) then it's a switcher..... If it says 115 OR 230V, 50 OR 60Hz then it's iron. Iron is very picky on input freq as the resonance of the primary has to be accounted for. The computer is powered directly off 12v. It's designed to receive both types of output. I have an isolating diode and capacitor in there (a few thousand microfarads - admittedly, not really big enough to provide appreciable support for dips, since the computer draws about 3 amps or so), and basically nothing else. I was considering upgrading this little circuit to something a bit more substantial, also idiot-proofing it so that it shuts off due to undervoltage (considering my recent experience with mechanics and their apparent inability to keep from pressing the on button). With all this rack-mount stuff, I should probably build some amplifiers and throw them in some 3u cases... but I know I'm way too lazy for that. Nah, finding that much current for big amps would suck, unless you modded out car amps but that would be a pain. That's an idea. How much of a pain would that be? Relocate a PCB and redesign the heat sink. Add some *good* terminals (instead of the crap that the car audio manufacturers continue to insist on using - yeah, I'm talkin' to you, Durbin). Maybe stick some terminals for balanced XLR back there. Voila! Rack-mount Orion/MTX/whatever amps with some custom (ie. pretty) front-panel knobs for gain control, status LEDs...VU meter... err, but I'm too lazy for that too. Big pain, but you could do a front panel on a shelf that holds components, as with all amps, sinks need air, but with amp kits you could build speaker specific designs such as class A for tweets, AB1 for mids, and D for subs. Power supplies could come out of old amps. Many are so seperated that a hacksaw down the board will seperate the supply from the amp, done it Presto! a hacksawed bipolar supply running from 12V, start collecting those amps with blown finals Flip a dead amp over and it's obvious where the supply ends and amp begins. They wanna keep the audio away from a switching supply! I've seen older designs even use seperate boards. Later you could go with the DEQ2496, it has nice parametrics but if you are good with your driver shaping then you probably won't need it. In other works I would leave 1-2 extra spaces for addition, blanks are cheap or you could something weird like this.... http://www.funklogic.com/products.htm Funky blank rack panels that look cool!!!! Yee-haw, us pro guys are wierd eh? I want the Digilog Dynamicator!! Thought you's like those, you can even make the VU meters work and light up if you want! For show you could use multi channel Dorrough loudness monitors, pricey but way cool eye candy! I think you are going to love what you are about to create! Think about it dealy, and EQ on EVERY input and output. It don't get no better than this, dolan!!! The level-adjusting will be ideal too. Especially in my current kick-panel-less system, where the left tweet is too loud because of proximity and the right midrange is too loud because of aiming. Phase inversion will be useful too. I still haven't tested my tweeters and sub inverted yet, mostly because I'm avoiding having to actually go back there and unplug speaker wires. Now I'll be able to adjust it all on the computer... Not to mention once it's aligned you will find it soooo much more focused and less fatiguing, everything arrives at precisely the correct time. I'm jealous, Currently in the new car I'm aftermarket head and ****TY stock speakers! Chad |
#11
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Pure sine's aren't as nasty as you don't have oversoot on the square wave,
it's the overshoot that gets everywhere, you should be fine unshielded, When I referred to shielding I was referring to a computer UPS homebrew job. I was thinking of going digital and using a homebrew making sure I use a unit with a switcher. With the different voltages in these (+/-15-17, +12, +5, and +3.3) it's cheaper to just build up a switcher that fab out a torrid with that many taps and then rectify, regulate, and filter it. But if the processors have a switcher in them then you are wasting your money on a pure sine unless down the road you want to use something with a transformer. With a switcher the first thing the AC hits is a rectifier no matter what comes in it's all good after that, they will even run well on DC, a chopper still has 120V RMS output at 60 cycles It's just very brutal developing it. Hell 60 cycles don't mean nothing to them and they can accept a wide range of voltage. One quick way to find out is to look at the engineering specs, if it specifys an input of like 100-240V 40-70Hz (some say 50-60) then it's a switcher..... If it says 115 OR 230V, 50 OR 60Hz then it's iron. Iron is very picky on input freq as the resonance of the primary has to be accounted for. Checking the spec sheet, it says "internal switch-mode power supply for maximum flexibility (110-240 v). That's an idea. How much of a pain would that be? Relocate a PCB and redesign the heat sink. Add some *good* terminals (instead of the crap that the car audio manufacturers continue to insist on using - yeah, I'm talkin' to you, Durbin). Maybe stick some terminals for balanced XLR back there. Voila! Rack-mount Orion/MTX/whatever amps with some custom (ie. pretty) front-panel knobs for gain control, status LEDs...VU meter... err, but I'm too lazy for that too. Big pain, but you could do a front panel on a shelf that holds components, as with all amps, sinks need air, but with amp kits you could build speaker specific designs such as class A for tweets, AB1 for mids, and D for subs. Power supplies could come out of old amps. Many are so seperated that a hacksaw down the board will seperate the supply from the amp, done it Presto! a hacksawed bipolar supply running from 12V, start collecting those amps with blown finals Flip a dead amp over and it's obvious where the supply ends and amp begins. They wanna keep the audio away from a switching supply! I've seen older designs even use seperate boards. Do you know of any amps off the top of your head that are especially adaptable for being separated? Speaker specific designs are probably the way to go, but I might have trouble with the class D though. I've never done one of those before. I'm almost thinking of just re-housing a class D like I mentioned in my last post. Maybe I should ask JD if he has any Directed 600d's sitting around with a destroyed chassis/pots/connectors but intact guts.. |
#12
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"MZ" wrote in message ... Yeah, that'd be great. I don't know what it comes with. It doesn't say on the website. Anyway, I've ordered 2 of the DCX-2496's and also a Behringer SRC-2000, which is discounted on musiciansfriend.com because it's been replaced with the newer SRC-2496. For $79, it'll do the optical - AES/EBU XLR conversion, and it has pretty lil' lights and buttons. I'm still trying to figure out how difficult it will be to switch to an analog source with it. The USB FM radio device I use has an analog output, so I guess I'll just switch with the SRC-2000. With all this rack-mount stuff, I should probably build some amplifiers and throw them in some 3u cases... but I know I'm way too lazy for that. See, I told you Chad would know all about that for you They do not come with anything other than the power cable and instruction book (although in many different languages). So, you will need to purchase the serial cable. Be sure when you get the units you check the firmware version. I've had to update all the ones I have purchased. You could do some sort of rackmount amps. They sell just plain old 16 gauge rackmount chassis in various depths and rack units. You could almost just drop one in there! Of course you would have cooling and size issues. Hope you enjoy them, show some pics of the final product. Les |
#13
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"MZ" wrote in message ... Bad news... No cable. It must have gotten sold, given away, or pitched during the recent move, sorry Checking the spec sheet, it says "internal switch-mode power supply for maximum flexibility (110-240 v). There ya go! Many companies are doing this now to keep costs down, they no longer have to make seperate units for American and overseas units, with production bering in China it's much easier for them. No sorting just one unit for everyone. Makes it nice for us touring guys going overseas in that we don't have to worry about conversion, although 50% of my gear is still iron core When I went to school at Crown some of the overseas clients were upset that Crown made the CE4000 universal voltage, now Americans could get them for cost then sell them privately overseas and make a profit while selling them less than the overseas dealers could get them for due to tarrifs. I think that has been worked around but it was a problem for a while. Do you know of any amps off the top of your head that are especially adaptable for being separated? Speaker specific designs are probably the way to go, but I might have trouble with the class D though. I've never done one of those before. I'm almost thinking of just re-housing a class D like I mentioned in my last post. Maybe I should ask JD if he has any Directed 600d's sitting around with a destroyed chassis/pots/connectors but intact guts.. Ironically I just got an old Phoenix Gold MS275 in for repair last night, wow that's an easy one! Honestly they are all pretty much easy, it's just inherent in the design, the only thing that will keep it from working from the get go is the fact that there is usually thermal protection around the finals in the form of a thermistor. You will need to relocate this to the new PS sink. This is to shut down the power supply if the amp section gets too hot. Other than that the other protection for the PS is usually just overcurrent protection in case the finals short and it starts drawing huge current too fast. So grab some old ones and hack away! I used an old (targa!) amp power supply to power some Rane gear. Rane has an external AC power wart that delivers split phase AC to the rectifier, filtering and regulation that is built into the unit. The old Targa had around 20V rails on the HV side. I regulated this down to 17V with LM317's and 318's in a 220 case and mounted them where the old finals were, Wola a bipolar 5A power supply for analog gear! The amp was very small and easy to conceal, it NEVER got hot with such a light load As for building amps.... Why re-invent the wheel? There are countless kits and modules out there. Some are even PWM capable of doing HF also. Although the idea of using class A for the tweets sounds sweet to me. One company that sells modules that comes to mind is Powersoft, they make KILLER PA amps, they are VERY efficient and I have been beating the snot out of a Digam5000 on subs for 3 years without a glitch, it barely gets warm. I also use them for mids and highs and notice no sound difference than from using standard class AB's. Powersoft link: http://pro-audio.powersoft.it/ You may be able to get them for use with an external supply, most already accept AC Here's a taste of a kit amp: http://www.quasarelectronics.com/1199.htm http://www.cadaudio.dk/pwmaudio_en.htm http://www.d2audio.com TDA devices work too!!! http://www.radiolocman.com/electrica....html?di=18795 Now I want some pics!!! Did you order rack rail yet? Parts express sells Middle Atlantic, just angle iron already tapped for rack spacing. Much easier than DIY. Don't forget to pick up some XLR Female and RCA males! Also don't be afraid to use install grade wire Like Gepco 61801EZ or the Belden equiv, (I like Gepco) It looks thin but it's nice because it's easy to work with and has a 100% foil shield. It's nice cable, I have no problems using it under a 50,000 watt FM tower with a 1000 watt AM sideskirt (good rejection) May get strange looks because it's far from "monster". It's balanced cable so you can wire the XLR end balanced and unbalance at the RCA this will allow you to only switch one end out if you decide to balance your amps. Best of luck, please ask and tell, BTW my mail is valid if you need it. Chad |
#14
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Bad news... No cable. It must have gotten sold, given away, or pitched
during the recent move, sorry It's ok. Isn't it just cat5 though? I could always make one... I'll be checking out your links tomorrow. I haven't yet decided on how to mount these - or how to do my entire amp/computer/processor rack, for that matter. The rack-mount amp project will be later, so I'll need to do something in the meantime. |
#15
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"MZ" wrote in message ... Bad news... No cable. It must have gotten sold, given away, or pitched during the recent move, sorry It's ok. Isn't it just cat5 though? I could always make one... Nope, it's just whatever they make bulk serial cable out of... the cheap stuff Prety sure places like best buy have what you need. I'll be checking out your links tomorrow. I haven't yet decided on how to mount these - or how to do my entire amp/computer/processor rack, for that matter. The rack-mount amp project will be later, so I'll need to do something in the meantime. Rackmount the computer Chad |
#16
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Bad news... No cable. It must have gotten sold, given away, or pitched
during the recent move, sorry It's ok. Isn't it just cat5 though? I could always make one... Nope, it's just whatever they make bulk serial cable out of... the cheap stuff Prety sure places like best buy have what you need. But it appears to have ethernet ends on it in the picture. I'll be checking out your links tomorrow. I haven't yet decided on how to mount these - or how to do my entire amp/computer/processor rack, for that matter. The rack-mount amp project will be later, so I'll need to do something in the meantime. Rackmount the computer Actually, that's exactly what I'll do. I'll rackmount the whole lot, and nevermind the intermediate installation. That reminds me... I was considering wiring up my computer to turn on via RF remote, since my USB turnon method from my LCD has been acting up. My car has those programmable garage door buttons built in, and alas, here I am garageless. I don't know how these things program - but I was thinking of trying one of those radio shack RF switches on it. Then I realized that they need 110v. Do you know of any that will run off 12v, or do I have to roll my own? Anyway, the computer motherboard and power supply are currently on separate boards inside the ITX chassis. They're set on spacers, so they'd be easy to adapt to another case. I've actually got a hard drive shock absorber around that wouldn't fit in the ITX case, so moving it into a larger rack-mount case would work. My remote turn on circuit, the USB hub, the undervoltage circuit, etc, can probably all make its way into the case, saving space and cleaning up wires a bit. Any ideas on how to get a rack to look good in a car trunk? It seems to me that it might look a bit too out of place. |
#17
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"MZ" wrote in message ... Rackmount the computer Actually, that's exactly what I'll do. I'll rackmount the whole lot, and nevermind the intermediate installation. That reminds me... I was considering wiring up my computer to turn on via RF remote, since my USB turnon method from my LCD has been acting up. My car has those programmable garage door buttons built in, and alas, here I am garageless. I don't know how these things program - but I was thinking of trying one of those radio shack RF switches on it. Then I realized that they need 110v. Do you know of any that will run off 12v, or do I have to roll my own? You can roll your own from.... A garage door opener board. I actually think they run on 12V internal. But easier... What would stop you from using the terminals supplied on the MOBO and running a wire up to a button? XP and BIOSs can be configured so that a push of the power button will start the windoze shutdown sequence, I would even consider a safety roll your own device that would pulse a relay and shut down the computer if the ignition has been of for say, 30 minutes to keep it from, well, you already went thru that But if you want to go RF a cheapo opener device should do the trick. Your IM for the car has instruction on how to program them. I know most will adapt to the X10 home automation systems, for example in our 300M I could open the garage door with one button and turn on an inside light with another. I wonder what voltage the internals of the ratshaq remote run at? Never had one apart. Any ideas on how to get a rack to look good in a car trunk? It seems to me that it might look a bit too out of place. Do you have a false wall anywhere? You could just flush it into the wall using rack rail. Unfortunately I do not know your sub config and where it is mounted, etc. Put a pic on photobucket or something and e-mail it over and we can scratch heads in unison (or just e-mail me a pic, uni caps me at 5MB) Really a false wall is the only way I have seen it done other than removing the front of the rack mount device and remoting the guts. It's a caddy right? Mafia trunk? One time I saw someone build up a step in the side of the trunk and used it as a rack power, and cable management. It made the trunk an odd size and would be difficult to get to the gear as it sits sideways. Rack rail for roll your own cases: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=262-386 |
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You can roll your own from.... A garage door opener board. I actually
think they run on 12V internal. But easier... What would stop you from using the terminals supplied on the MOBO and running a wire up to a button? XP and BIOSs can be configured so that a push of the power button will start the windoze shutdown sequence, I would even consider a safety roll your own device that would pulse a relay and shut down the computer if the ignition has been of for say, 30 minutes to keep it from, well, you already went thru that I could easily reroute the power button on the computer to the front. But I just didn't want to bother with that approach because I have nowhere to really put a button. On the other hand, I could make use of the buttons already present in my car going the RF route. The way I currently power OFF the machine is via the touchscreen - there's an "OFF" icon in the quick launch bar. One touch and it shuts down. Since it's an ATX supply, this automatically turns the computer off. Turning on the computer is done by simply turning on the touchscreen. Somehow, this is sending a signal, presumably through the USB connection, which turns on the computer. It only works when attached to the USB card and not to the on-board USB. I'm not sure why. Sometimes it doesn't turn on this way and I have no idea why, which is why I was considering adding the RF capability. But if you want to go RF a cheapo opener device should do the trick. Your IM for the car has instruction on how to program them. I know most will adapt to the X10 home automation systems, for example in our 300M I could open the garage door with one button and turn on an inside light with another. I wonder what voltage the internals of the ratshaq remote run at? Never had one apart. I looked in the car's manual and it seems pretty simple to program. You basically point the remote at it after entering a sequence of button pushes. Any ideas on how to get a rack to look good in a car trunk? It seems to me that it might look a bit too out of place. Do you have a false wall anywhere? You could just flush it into the wall using rack rail. I don't have a false wall. And for the purpose of maximizing trunk space, I'd prefer not to install one. On the other hand, I'm going the rackmount route, which isn't exactly the best approach for maximizing trunk space. Unfortunately I do not know your sub config and where it is mounted, etc. Put a pic on photobucket or something and e-mail it over and we can scratch heads in unison (or just e-mail me a pic, uni caps me at 5MB) Really a false wall is the only way I have seen it done other than removing the front of the rack mount device and remoting the guts. It's a caddy right? Mafia trunk? One time I saw someone build up a step in the side of the trunk and used it as a rack power, and cable management. It made the trunk an odd size and would be difficult to get to the gear as it sits sideways. The sub is mounted behind the left wheel well in a ~1cu ft box. I've got a temporary box in place now which fits in that space surprisingly well, but the real box should be a little tighter and push further back. I was basically planning on just sticking the rack towards the front (ie. cabin side) of the trunk. I'll make measurements and take a picture or two later. I've got a web server to host it on. I guess what I'm asking is how I should actually build the rack. I don't know if there are prefab sides of all sizes, and I don't know how to actually affix it to the car. I have places where it can attach at the top (where I was going to hang my newly constructed - and now useless - amp rack). I could attach it to the floor as well. That should be sufficient. The big question will be how much space I have under the rear deck to put all this stuff. I fear that I may need to do two racks side by side because one might be too tall. If that's the case, then yeah, I'll go the false wall route. Anyway, yesterday I did some tinkering. I have an older a/d/s/ 625x collecting dust. I opened it up, and it would be an ideal candidate for transplantation into a rackmount chassis. It removes easily from the chassis, and the transistors/rectifiers are affixed to a metal plate embedded in the PCB. The plate already has screwholes in it. What do you suggest I do for heatsinking these things? I think going this route will end up being easier and cheaper than doing a kit. The problem with this amp though is that it's only 25 watts per channel - fine for my front tweeters and rear dome mids, but probably not quite enough for my front 4" mids. Currently I'm using a P840 for these three pairs of speakers, with 4 of the channels bridged down to two for the front mids. Hopefully this amplifier is as "transplantable" as the 625x. My other two amps are an Orion 8004 for the front and rear 6's, and an ESX Q1752 for the sub. If I recall, the ESX is a poor choice for removal from the chassis. This may be the right time to pick up a class D amp from Directed or MTX or something, and put the ESX into retirement. I'll put them into empty cases and install my own status LEDs on the front and better terminals on the back. In the process, I'll have to create balanced XLR connections for them. As for the computer, I was thinking about installing the mini-ITX board in something like this: http://www.mini-itx.com/store/?c=3#c146 . Basically plug and play there, though it appears I may have to go off the power inverter with that one. The alternative to that would be to buy a generic 2U chassis and install the board in it, as well as a 12v input computer power supply I have. The power supply is probably too tall to fit in a 1U. The advantage of this is that it will have its own power supply, and the case will have more room in it for a hard drive shock absorber that I already have and the separate remote/auto-off circuit. We'll see how I'm doing for space once I make the measurements. |
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The way I currently power OFF the machine is via the touchscreen - there's
an "OFF" icon in the quick launch bar. One touch and it shuts down. A command chainer? Good deal. Since it's an ATX supply, this automatically turns the computer off. Turning on the computer is done by simply turning on the touchscreen. Somehow, this is sending a signal, presumably through the USB connection, which turns on the computer. It only works when attached to the USB card and not to the on-board USB. I'm not sure why. Sometimes it doesn't turn on this way and I have no idea why, which is why I was considering adding the RF capability. The card usb prolly has +5V all the time and the on board does not. You can get usb to get along with the "wake on lan" unfortunately welcome to windoze. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. Every time I start my home PC I have to go to the control panel to get the volume icon to pop up, even though I've told it countless times to stick there. That's the only way I can quickly switch between digital and analog outputs going to different monitoring rigs, grrrrr, thankfully that machine rarely shuts off Being active in RF I don't trust anything, there's so much RF junk out there I would not trust a reliable ride home to a frequency that is accessable to anyone with a garage door opener in their car. But failure is unlikely and should work well. Going to the rednek rummages this weekend to pick up some disposable cheapo tools, if I find a remote suystem for a sacrificial price I'll grab it and throw it on the bench. Any ideas on how to get a rack to look good in a car trunk? It seems to me that it might look a bit too out of place. Do you have a false wall anywhere? You could just flush it into the wall using rack rail. I don't have a false wall. And for the purpose of maximizing trunk space, I'd prefer not to install one. On the other hand, I'm going the rackmount route, which isn't exactly the best approach for maximizing trunk space. Unfortunately I do not know your sub config and where it is mounted, etc. Put a pic on photobucket or something and e-mail it over and we can scratch heads in unison (or just e-mail me a pic, uni caps me at 5MB) Really a false wall is the only way I have seen it done other than removing the front of the rack mount device and remoting the guts. It's a caddy right? Mafia trunk? One time I saw someone build up a step in the side of the trunk and used it as a rack power, and cable management. It made the trunk an odd size and would be difficult to get to the gear as it sits sideways. The sub is mounted behind the left wheel well in a ~1cu ft box. I've got a temporary box in place now which fits in that space surprisingly well, but the real box should be a little tighter and push further back. I was basically planning on just sticking the rack towards the front (ie. cabin side) of the trunk. I'll make measurements and take a picture or two later. I've got a web server to host it on. I guess what I'm asking is how I should actually build the rack. I don't know if there are prefab sides of all sizes, and I don't know how to actually affix it to the car. I have places where it can attach at the top (where I was going to hang my newly constructed - and now useless - amp rack). I could attach it to the floor as well. That should be sufficient. The big question will be how much space I have under the rear deck to put all this stuff. I fear that I may need to do two racks side by side because one might be too tall. If that's the case, then yeah, I'll go the false wall route. 3 space computer case? +2 spaces for processing. Is there enough room in the other wheel well for a stair step angled rack with the computer on top (many have very deep cases) and processing below? Or as luck would have it, is the spare there? Anyway, yesterday I did some tinkering. I have an older a/d/s/ 625x collecting dust. I opened it up, and it would be an ideal candidate for transplantation into a rackmount chassis. It removes easily from the chassis, and the transistors/rectifiers are affixed to a metal plate embedded in the PCB. The plate already has screwholes in it. What do you suggest I do for heatsinking these things? My grad student has a source for some cool sinks, he built a class A headphone amp that you can heat your beverage with. He's gone now but I will E-mail him, they were well built and came in a multitude of sizes. I think going this route will end up being easier and cheaper than doing a kit. The problem with this amp though is that it's only 25 watts per channel - fine for my front tweeters and rear dome mids, but probably not quite enough for my front 4" mids. Currently I'm using a P840 for these three pairs of speakers, with 4 of the channels bridged down to two for the front mids. Hopefully this amplifier is as "transplantable" as the 625x. My other two amps are an Orion 8004 for the front and rear 6's, and an ESX Q1752 for the sub. If I recall, the ESX is a poor choice for removal from the chassis. This may be the right time to pick up a class D amp from Directed or MTX or something, and put the ESX into retirement. I'll put them into empty cases and install my own status LEDs on the front and better terminals on the back. In the process, I'll have to create balanced XLR connections for them. Just use good transformers for unbalancing, this will eliminate any possible reason for ground loops. I know it would SUCK to do another mounting method for my 860MX, it just sucked taking it apart!!! If an amp is thin enough it would fit on a 2 space shelf with a fan blowing across, fab up a front panel, ghetto but effective As for the computer, I was thinking about installing the mini-ITX board in something like this: http://www.mini-itx.com/store/?c=3#c146 . Basically plug and play there, though it appears I may have to go off the power inverter with that one. The alternative to that would be to buy a generic 2U chassis and install the board in it, as well as a 12v input computer power supply I have. The power supply is probably too tall to fit in a 1U. The advantage of this is that it will have its own power supply, and the case will have more room in it for a hard drive shock absorber that I already have and the separate remote/auto-off circuit. We'll see how I'm doing for space once I make the measurements. I think you have to go 3U to get cards in it. I had a rackmount 3U with a 1U keyboard/LCD on the road (my RackTop as opposed to a Laptop) I think 3 is the lowest you can go without using riser cards, these suck as they limit your card count immensely. Mine had 2 SC's 1 USB 2.0, 1 Firewire, ethernet, and Vid. I needed the space then! I'll keep thinking, fun project! Chad |
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The card usb prolly has +5V all the time and the on board does not. You
can get usb to get along with the "wake on lan" unfortunately welcome to windoze. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. Every time I start my home PC I have to go to the control panel to get the volume icon to pop up, even though I've told it countless times to stick there. That's the only way I can quickly switch between digital and analog outputs going to different monitoring rigs, grrrrr, thankfully that machine rarely shuts off Being active in RF I don't trust anything, there's so much RF junk out there I would not trust a reliable ride home to a frequency that is accessable to anyone with a garage door opener in their car. But failure is unlikely and should work well. Going to the rednek rummages this weekend to pick up some disposable cheapo tools, if I find a remote suystem for a sacrificial price I'll grab it and throw it on the bench. Sounds good. Thanks. 3 space computer case? +2 spaces for processing. Is there enough room in the other wheel well for a stair step angled rack with the computer on top (many have very deep cases) and processing below? Or as luck would have it, is the spare there? Spare is under the floor. That well isn't very deep because it has one of those organizer panel things built into it, which can't be removed without re-doing the entire carpeting job. Currently, I've actually got things like the USB sound, Zapco DAC's power supply, computer remote circuit, USB tuner, etc mounted in there. I'd like to be able to remove those USB devices and remote circuit and mount them IN the rackmount chassis with a terminal on the back plate. They're fairly small. My grad student has a source for some cool sinks, he built a class A headphone amp that you can heat your beverage with. He's gone now but I will E-mail him, they were well built and came in a multitude of sizes. Cool. Lemme know... Just use good transformers for unbalancing, this will eliminate any possible reason for ground loops. I know it would SUCK to do another mounting method for my 860MX, it just sucked taking it apart!!! If an amp is thin enough it would fit on a 2 space shelf with a fan blowing across, fab up a front panel, ghetto but effective The P840 is very thin. I was considering using perforated front and back plates anyway. I suppose I should go with a fan as well. I wonder if it would be worthwhile trying to tap into the thermistor to make it variable speed? My concern though is introducing noise. I think you have to go 3U to get cards in it. I had a rackmount 3U with a 1U keyboard/LCD on the road (my RackTop as opposed to a Laptop) I think 3 is the lowest you can go without using riser cards, these suck as they limit your card count immensely. Mine had 2 SC's 1 USB 2.0, 1 Firewire, ethernet, and Vid. I needed the space then! I'll keep thinking, fun project! The ITX board that I currently have has everything on-board, except for the audio stuff and GPS which are USB. I have only one card on a short riser, and that's the USB card. The case it's in now is probably the same height inside as a 2U, so I should be ok. |
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