a couple of patchbay questions

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pulse_divider
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a couple of patchbay questions

Post by pulse_divider » Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:51 pm

I just got a new multitrack and the I/O is on DB25 D-sub connectors. It came with some really high quality cables that terminate in Elco connectors (the 90-some pin ones, EDAC??). All the stuff in my studio is currently run to 1/4" TRS patchbays and for simplicity's sake I'd like to keep it that way... someday I'm going to get a bunch of Mogami and high quality TT bays, but not right now.
I've been looking around at patchbays on the net but have a couple of questions
---Finding standard 1/4" TRS bays with the proper connector on the back seems to be a lost cause... has anyone seen one of these or would I need to go custom?
---I was looking at Mr. Patchbay and they have some TRS bays with punchdowns in the back. I might clip the Elcos and go with one of these, but the nicest ones are long-frame jacks. They need different connectors than regular TRS, correct? Or would they work with my current standard 1/4" bays?

tasker
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Post by tasker » Thu Feb 09, 2006 4:37 am

i wouldn't clip those edac connectors. you may want to use them some day and it's a bit of a pain in butt to wire them up. you should be able to get DB25 connectors without any problem, that fan out to whatever you need. they're commonly available. the other thing you may want to check is getting a custom wired harness that would go edac-edac. so essentially if you clipped your snake in the middle and put two edac boots on it to hold it together. not sure if this is possible, but i imagine it should be. if the cable you got is wired up good, don't clip the edac! i had a board once with 6 edac boots underneath it and no manual. talk about a pain. guess what the guy who sold it to me did? clipped the edac connectors...

Professor
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Post by Professor » Thu Feb 09, 2006 6:36 pm

Audio Accessories.



They may seem pricey, but they make EDAC to TT and EDAC to 1/4", and I blieve they now have a few bays with DB-25s on the back.

If you can find one, Furman used to make a model that I think was PB-48D that was DB-25 on back and 1/4" TRS up front for a list of lie $150. Discontinued a while back I think, but worth looking for.

-Jeremy

pulse_divider
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Post by pulse_divider » Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:30 pm

Thanks for the tip on that Furman patchbay. That's exactly what I've been looking for.

Professor
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Post by Professor » Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:59 pm

Yeah it's funny. I ran a search on it and turned up lots of sites including some on-line stores but everyone of them had a picture of the PB-48 and the description lifted from the Furman site that includes the model number PB-48D.
You might just check with Furman to see if they still do those.
Oh, and I definitely agree that you're better off keeping the DB-25 to Elco cables - they are way too spendy to just cut them off. Especially when a DB-25 to DB-25 cable can be had for pretty cheap. Do you know what device the Elco is pinned out to fit?

-J

pulse_divider
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Post by pulse_divider » Fri Feb 10, 2006 4:23 pm

No, but I could probably find out.
Is there a standard configuration for these or is it totally relative?
The multitrack is a Radar II and the seller said "we use elco only because whatever studio we are at always has mating connectors from the console bay/tape deck"
I thought I found a PB-48D but it turns out the online store was out of stock but their website wasn't up to date. I might just end up ordering some DB24-TRS snakes from Redco so I can just be done with it.

pulse_divider
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Post by pulse_divider » Tue Feb 21, 2006 2:31 pm

Okay, so I'm still (slowly) working on getting this together...
I have a question about longframe TRS jacks now.
I seem to have inadvertantly ordered a longframe 1/4" TRS punchdown bay from Mr. Patchbay. I currently have all standard 1/4" TRS patchbays right now and was hoping to add some stuff without having to get special cables, but I thought I ordered a standard bay and am trying to see what it would take to integrate this.
So I'm assuming that my current TRS cables (standard 1/4") won't work with this bay as the contacts don't connect properly. But if I found a cheap lot of longframe 1/4" TRS cables, would they be compatible with my standard 1/4" bays?
I've never actually seen a longframe plug in person, so I don't know if the plug is just a bit longer or if the connectors line up in completely different places relative to the tip.
Thanks.

pulse_divider
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Post by pulse_divider » Tue Feb 21, 2006 5:51 pm

ARGH! Can anyone confirm or debunk the claim that patching a 'regular' TRS plug into a long-frame bay will screw up the bay?
This is what Mr. Patchbay just told me in an incredibly rude response to my question about the bay I ordered.
Did I just make a paperweight out of it by a simple plug insertion?

dwelle
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Post by dwelle » Wed Feb 22, 2006 9:41 am

the tips are different sizes, so, yes, over time you can screw up the jacks with trs. that said, i will run regular trs cables into my long frames from time to time with no problems. but if you only used trs cables, you'll eventually wear out the jacks. one of the hidden costs in getting into long frame bays. i've gotten a bunch from ebay relatively cheap.

i'm suprised mr. patchbay was rude. always been cool as fuck and super helpful to me...

pulse_divider
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Post by pulse_divider » Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:40 am

Thanks for the response.
I only inserted a plug once, so it sounds like the bay will still be okay. I'll put it aside for when I have the money to upgrade everything to longframe bays/cords.

One more question, though, will a longframe plug work in a regular 1/4" jack? I'm trying to determine whether I can cross-patch with a longframe cable from this bay to my regular 1/4" bays.

But yeah, Mr. Patchbay was a total dick to me. I've been buying/selling stuff on the internet for 9 years now and he has probably the worst customer service I've ever come across. I would gladly pay more for the same products just to not have to deal with him again.

dwelle
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Post by dwelle » Wed Feb 22, 2006 2:39 pm

i cross patch frequently between longframe and trs jacks with both cables. you're certainly not breaking any laws, just be aware that you're putting undue wear and strain on your jacks. i'm pretty sure the longframe cables go into the trs jacks without any strain, you just need to be sure you've got good connectivity. the trs into longframe jacks senario is where i'd be concerned.

and i hate to admit it, but mr. patchdude has the best deal on patch cables i've seen short of ebay...

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