[BC] Re: XDS Programming

[Jerry Mathis]

The stations I work for use RCS (formerly Prophet), being Clear Channel
stations. The audio switching units, called ACU's, provide a separate ground
(they call them "Multiplex") connections for relay commons for EACH audio
source. When I first got here, we had LOTS of problems with spot blocks and
liners firing when they weren't supposed to. I finally found that the people
who installed the system actually DID parallel ALL the relay commons, or B
pins, together. This would work, generally, if you used the 15-pin D-sub
connector for the 4 relays on the back of the Starguides, and even the
additional relay cards. But they did it for the Netcue card relays, too,
which was a disaster, because if the commons were grounded, ALL the relays
would fire off whenever activated--and the Netcue was used for many
different programs.

How you're doing it is exactly how I'm doing it now. However, I've
simplified my future work by doing as Kevin suggests, and bringing ALL the
relays out to a punch block with a multi-pair cable.

Here are some tips on this: Get some Cat3 25-pair telephone cable--the kind
the phone company used when they wired up the old 1A2 systems. You can
usually get it cheap if you contact a local telephone equipment provider.
They dropped us off a several hundred foot spool--for free. They don't use
it anymore. This cable will fit into a slim model 37-pin D-sub hood. The
standard 37-pin hoods I've found are expanded at the cable entry point, and
you can't put two of them together on many receivers, including the I-Pump
receivers from Jones. I found some nice hoods from Newark, their stock#
67C8410, that are the same thickness front to back, will accept the Cat3
cable, and they even supply several size bushings for different size cables.
And all for $1.15 each. I got black, but they even have colors.

If you use the Cat3 cable, do yourself a favor and sort out the wire pairs
BEFORE you start soldering to the D-sub connector. You'll need 16 pairs for
the relays, and I like to leave a few extra pairs just in case. Twist the
wire pairs together and they'll be MUCH easier to work with. Cut off the
excess pairs--they'll just be in the way otherwise.

I made a little jig using one hood, I carved away the shell back to the wire
clamp using a Dremel tool, and fastened it to a board. I put the two end
bolts into the assembly and got two nuts from an old computer card. Now I
put my 37-pin solder connector into the jig, lay my cable into the shell and
clamp it, then position each wire pair over to where it will solder to the
connector. Cut the wires to length, strip the ends, and you can solder the
wires neatly into the connector. You have to do one row at a time, then turn
the connector over and do the other side. Use a low-wattage soldering iron
with a small conical tip, and you can do a professional-looking job.

--
Jerry Mathis

On Sat, Feb 14, 2009 at 10:17 AM, Jason R. <jyrussell at academicplanet.com>wrote:

> Jerry -
>
>  what you're doing sounds exactly like I've started on things.
>
>  Over the years, I've gotten into the habit of tying the "B" pins together
> at the back of the connector (just a bunch of "U" shaped jumpers, tie all
> the "B"'s together at the DB connector) so you only have to run ONE ground
> to the automation.  Did it for Wegner boxes, SGI / II / III boxes...  never
> had a problem.
>
>  If I've done things right this time, there should really be 4 or 5 wires
> out the back you need...  one COM, plus a "hot" for each relay ... (I say
> 'hot', how else should I say it?)
>
>  Yes, you would use a different port for each station you plan to run -
> OR - move down the list to the right for a different grouping. why couldn't
> you could use RLY 1,2,3 and common the B pins for that to station one, then
> use RLY 5,6,7 for the next station, with ONLY those B pins commoned to
> it...
> ya think?
>
> Talk usually only uses a couple of closures, unless you really get into one
> with 58:50 clock resets, record start, record stop, all that stuff...
> Remember the ABC music stuff years back..?  A bajillion available relays,
> but I never used more than a couple, really...
>
> Jason
>