ProSoundWeb Community

Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => Console Connectivity Solutions => Topic started by: Sean Barry on September 23, 2017, 11:44:29 AM

Title: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: Sean Barry on September 23, 2017, 11:44:29 AM
Digital snakes and compatibility

I have a Qu 32 Chrome and am considering the move to a digital snake and stage boxes. ProCo has some offerings for the snake

Musician's Friend SKU J00647 000001000 ProCo 150' cat5 $107
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/pro-co-ethercon-ethercon-cat5e-4p-shielded/j00647000001000?cntry=us&source=3WWRWXGP&gclid=CjwKCAjwjJjOBRBVEiwAfvnvBP2XVHclNSbDNjtsDydOAStA55KSBRRqOEeVKOi43KZr0i8V-cQp-BoCV2cQAvD_BwE&kwid=productads-adid^221957295827-device^c-plaid^376911720927-sku^J00647000001000@ADL4MF-adType^PLA

Sweet Water ProCo 150' cat5 $220  Manufacturer part#  C270201-150F
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EtherShld150
or this
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Ethercon150    $169
This would be used indoors and out for live mixes of bands.
     I can't see the differences? As far as the pricing? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: Rob Spence on September 23, 2017, 02:41:01 PM
I have a TMB Proplex from Mike Pyle that I use with my GLD80 to either a AR2412 or a AB168. I got a 100' model and if I were doing it again I would get 150'.
Initially it was a bit stiff but by the time I got 4 or 5 gigs on it, it loosened up and made for easy over/under coiling.

I would buy it again.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: Jordan Wolf on September 24, 2017, 03:26:44 PM
ProPlex is great stuff; we use one from a company called Quabbin that is rugggedized and works well. It's CAT6a, but there are other offerings.
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: Geert Friedhof on February 03, 2018, 09:46:47 PM
These three cables all seem to be solid core, not stranded. Solid tends to be stiffer than stranded, and is not made for repeated bending. I would buy a stranded one.
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: Don T. Williams on February 04, 2018, 04:26:22 PM
These three cables all seem to be solid core, not stranded. Solid tends to be stiffer than stranded, and is not made for repeated bending. I would buy a stranded one.

Stranded CAT cable has much more reactance, and is generally not recommended unless it is limited to short runs.  Some CAT snake systems have stranded for short runs ("tails") out of the cable reels (where there would be a lot of flexing) while using solid for the long runs.  It varies for type and from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: Mac Kerr on February 04, 2018, 04:39:33 PM
Stranded CAT cable has much more reactance, and is generally not recommended unless it is limited to short runs.  Some CAT snake systems have stranded for short runs ("tails") out of the cable reels (where there would be a lot of flexing) while using solid for the long runs.  It varies for type and from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Best solution is fiber for long runs and stranded for patch cables.

Mac
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: David Sturzenbecher on February 04, 2018, 07:10:56 PM
Stranded CAT cable has much more reactance, and is generally not recommended unless it is limited to short runs.  Some CAT snake systems have stranded for short runs ("tails") out of the cable reels (where there would be a lot of flexing) while using solid for the long runs.  It varies for type and from manufacturer to manufacturer.
I was under the understanding that if the cable was "cat" certified, the actual makeup was irrelevant to performance.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: Mac Kerr on February 04, 2018, 07:41:39 PM
I was under the understanding that if the cable was "cat" certified, the actual makeup was irrelevant to performance.

What i have read is the max length for solid is 100m, for stranded it's around 80m. At those lengths I would want fiber anyway.

Mac
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: Geert Friedhof on February 04, 2018, 09:56:04 PM
For 150 feet it's not a problem performance wise.

BTW all references to fiber are a bit uhmmm strange(?), considering we are talking about a QU32... Good luck connecting that.
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: TJ (Tom) Cornish on March 14, 2018, 07:40:36 AM
What i have read is the max length for solid is 100m, for stranded it's around 80m. At those lengths I would want fiber anyway.

Mac
For some of the boards under discussion, a fiber solution would exceed the cost of the mixer.

I run 200’ (60m) of stranded TMBProPlex with my GLDs without issue.  Haven’t needed anything longer.
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: Mike Caldwell on March 21, 2018, 10:55:25 AM
I use this with my QU and either a AB168 or AR2412 or sometimes both, stranded, shielded CAT 5E.

http://www.cbicables.com/products/ultimate_cat_e.aspx (http://www.cbicables.com/products/ultimate_cat_e.aspx)
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: Don T. Williams on March 21, 2018, 04:43:05 PM
I was under the understanding that if the cable was "cat" certified, the actual makeup was irrelevant to performance.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

David, you may be correct.  I think that solid CAT cable is inherently less reactive, but if it's certified at a specific category, it should meet the specification.  One discussion I saw recommended 100M maximum for solid and stated 80M was the limit for stranded cable for their particular product.  I have a auditorium that ran 500' runs of CAT5 (100M - 328' was the recommended maximum) and their X32 has been running flawlessly for several years.
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: Andrew Broughton on March 21, 2018, 06:52:05 PM
David, you may be correct.  I think that solid CAT cable is inherently less reactive, but if it's certified at a specific category, it should meet the specification.  One discussion I saw recommended 100M maximum for solid and stated 80M was the limit for stranded cable for their particular product.  I have a auditorium that ran 500' runs of CAT5 (100M - 328' was the recommended maximum) and their X32 has been running flawlessly for several years.
Just don't try that with Dante.
Title: Re: Digital snakes and compatibility
Post by: William Schnake on March 21, 2018, 09:41:19 PM
Sean, we run Horizon Digital Snakes.  All of our are 250' stranded with 10' removable tails from the reel that they are on.  We also have a couple that care 4 lines per snake run that we use for our Midas Pro plus light send to the stage.  These are also 250' stranded, however they are not on a reel.

We have used these for the past 4 years or so and never had a problem as of yet.

Bill