Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Jordan Wolf]

I prefer to use Cat5e for line level signals, not mic level signals. I find that not having a shield is usually a non-issue. Just make sure to keep the pairs twisted right up to the connection point.

Pat Brown from SynAudCon uses a Cat cable distribution system; when I attended a few years ago, it was for analog signal; that may or may not have changed with them doing classes on digital audio and/or implementing new technology to teach the classes.

[Steve M Smith]

Could this be used for DMX  as well.

I don't see why not.  CAT 5 is a higher specification than DMX and DMX usually works o.k. with mic cables depsite DMX cables being of a higher specification than ordinary mic cables.

Perhaps the specification of CAT5 and DMX are similar - or close enough.

EDIT: Looks like it's already being done: http://www.controlbooth.com/wiki/?title=DMX-over-CAT5


Steve.

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

I don't see why not.  CAT 5 is a higher specification than DMX and DMX usually works o.k. with mic cables depsite DMX cables being of a higher specification than ordinary mic cables.

Perhaps the specification of CAT5 and DMX are similar - or close enough.

EDIT: Looks like it's already being done: http://www.controlbooth.com/wiki/?title=DMX-over-CAT5


Steve.

Cat5 is a better fit for DMX/AES digital than standard mic cable is.  It will be fine.

[Steve M Smith]

I don't see why not.  CAT 5 is a higher specification than DMX and DMX usually works o.k. with mic cables

I meant to say CAT 5 is a higher specification than mic cables.

Cat5 is a better fit for DMX/AES digital than standard mic cable is.  It will be fine.

That's the point I was trying to make.  If it works with mic cable, it will definitely work with CAT 5.

The first couple of snakes I made were from surplus cable (cheap was my thing).  They were  HOT PINK.

I have to ask.  What was the intended use for hot pink multicore cable?!


Steve.

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

I meant to say CAT 5 is a higher specification than mic cables.

The characteristic that matters for relatively slow speeds like DMX and AES is the characteristic impedance of the cable - in these cases somewhere around 120Ω, of which most Cat5 cable fits nicely.  There are other aspects - shielding, twist, conductor type, etc. that matter in other cases, so there isn't just one "higher spec" that's good for all uses.  I know you know this, but thought we should explain a bit better.

[Rob Spence]

I meant to say CAT 5 is a higher specification than mic cables.

That's the point I was trying to make.  If it works with mic cable, it will definitely work with CAT 5.

I have to ask.  What was the intended use for hot pink multicore cable?!


Steve.

I bet the cable was pretty much theft proof :-)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Lou Kohley]

CBI makes one that I've been using for a while with great results.

http://www.cbicables.com/products/dmx_to_cat__shuttle_snake.aspx

I send midi, line and mic level signals over 200 feet.
The CBI is pretty inexpensive if you dont mind tails instead of a box.

LOU

[Ivan Beaver]

I have to ask.  What was the intended use for hot pink multicore cable?!


Steve.

I don't know.  There was an old man in Charlotte NC in the early 80s that sold all sorts of surplus electronics "Stuff".  He had HUGE piles of stuff that nobody knew what was in the middle.  He bought train loads of surplus stuff.

I bought some JBL (yes the same speaker company) alarm rack mount "things" that I used to build some power amps into. ALong with all sorts of transformers-other chassis-heatsinks etc.

It was always fun to wander around in his buildings.  You never knew what you would find.

[John Sabine]

what is interesting is when someone who doesn't understand about the difference between twisted pair vs plain multi pair makes a substitution based on price. I was recently working on a church that has been having audio problems since the system was new. the installer used non twisted shielded multi pair cable for the installation and as I was sending signal down from the stage to foh I would typically get one to 4 additional channels showing signal at -6 to -10 db, so I would send tone down channel 1 and it would meter at the console at 0db but channels 4;8,10 etc would also show signal at -6 to -10. to make matters worse once construction of the church was done they had sealed up all access from stage to foh so getting cable the 100 feet or so from back to front will be an expensive adventure. a regional music store chain did the installation. they've been doing churches for a long time and you'd thing that they would know better. the church has decided to just live with the pops, crackles, and radio interference for now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kevin Rudolph]

I built a set of fairly professional looking DIY cat5 snakes from spare parts at redco - I recall it costing around $60 for the set.  I can post pics if someone likes...

I have used it for about a year and a half now in a bunch of configurations.

I do a bunch of location sound for comedy shows where it's kind of a DJ gig with one or two mics on stage. Also have used it as a four channel snake for doing some symphonic band recording (two pairs - ORTF and Spaced). I've also done some basic DMX with fairly good results (in honesty, my day job AV company didn't ship me any DMX cabling or terminators, so I was occasionally getting a hiccup, but I do not attribute it to the snake).  I do, however, always keep xlr gender change barrels with it though.

I only ever ran into one strange thing that really isnt a big deal. I built the female side into a panel mount breakout box and the male into short pigtails into a neutrick cat5 coupler. The shielded cat5 can be microphonic you don't plug in both sides of a lead. I can use three channels, I just make sure my helper doesn't plug all four channels in at the board side. This may have more to do with the shield on my cable - foil type with drain wire. In the partial plug scenario, you can plainly hear the crinkle of the foil. Both sides plugged - no noise - makes sense.

Very labor intensive to build but well worth it for a little guy like me. When working in environments where every little cable needs taped down, the cat5 snake really saves me a ton of time/money/gaff tape.

[ProSoundWeb Community]