patchbay

[crox]

In our rack, we have the following:

 

3 x wireless receivers

1 x Graphic

1 x Reverb Unit

1 x CD Player

1 x CD Recorder

 

Because of the setup that we have to work with (in a cinema), the cables end of taking a bit of a beating, and I am thinking of getting a patch bay, so that the cables inside the rack should be pretty solid and reliable, and if the cables running from the bay to the desk go, it is no big deal, cheap and easy to replace.

 

Any recommendations on a patchbay? Cost is king on this one.

 

Will there be an issue with the reverb in that it is two stereo jacks from the desk, into four mono jacks?

[Brian]

Cost is king on this one.

Do you really mean that or do you mean 'cheapness is king on this one'?

[mi-ul]

Do you want a patch bay or just a 1U panel with useful connectors.

 

For the reverb you can then have either 4 unbalanced connectors or 2 balanced connectors depending where you want the split to be

[crox]

I guess a 1U panel with useful connectors would do as well.

 

In terms of cost, it really is a case of the least ££ the better. I realise that it will be more than replacing a couple of looms, but I am thinking ease of use and on-going costs will reap the benefit.

 

I was thinking of the reverb unit, and I think, due to cable breakages, we use a couple of stereo jack adaptors to break out into 2 mono jacks.

 

One thing I do want to avoid, is getting the soldering iron out ...

[MarkPAman]

In terms of cost, it really is a case of the least ££ the better.

 

One thing I do want to avoid, is getting the soldering iron out ...

 

 

Which of these is more important to you?

 

Making you own will be far cheaper than anything you're going to be able to buy. You can also make it exactly as you want it, while any off the shelf product will undoubtedly involve a compromise somewhere.

 

I quite enjoy soldering though :P

[Brian]

Probably the best of the cheap units.

[revbobuk]

In terms of cost, it really is a case of the least ££ the better.

 

One thing I do want to avoid, is getting the soldering iron out ...

 

 

Which of these is more important to you?

 

Making you own will be far cheaper than anything you're going to be able to buy. You can also make it exactly as you want it, while any off the shelf product will undoubtedly involve a compromise somewhere.

 

I quite enjoy soldering though :P

 

Most of the Behringer/Samson etc range are around £30 - I really doubt that you can do DIY for that. I'm not arguing with the second part of what you said - but if it's cheap you want, then it really is cheaper to buy. Behringer PX3000 is fairly typical, and is a 24 channel balanced unit.

[crox]

The likes of Behringer and Samson had caught my eye, because of the little outlay.

 

In reality, it is going to sit in a rack 6 days of the week, and not move. On a Sunday, the rack will be reeled out, and cables plugged into it. There isn't a huge amount of room in the rack for the amount of cables we have (we need 2-3m length on each) so that is where the damage is, so the patch makes sense I reckon.

[Brian]

... and not move. ...

which ironically makes it more likely to fail. Contacts which don't get used have a nasty habit of failing due to corrosion. A bit of use does wonders for keeping them clean.

[paulears]

I've got some of the Re-an ones, that are quite neat because they are modular, and the various varieties of normalling can be done by swapping the cards around, plus I do have a couple of the Behringers in a rack that is permanent. I've also got a Canford one in another room. The Canford one is the most trouble free, but surprisingly was the most expensive. Good positive contact pressure, and soldered rear connections. It's this, I suspect that makes them reliable because there are half the number of connectors in line!. The Behringer and Re-an have jacks on both front and back, and although the rear ones that never get touched are fine, the ones normally open, or frequently unplugged/plugged-up need repeated in/outs to clean the contacts. I've tried a number of sprays, but Colclene seems the best. If you need to have an easy way to plug up, which not just buy a 1 or 2 U punched panel, and just add front mounting connectors of whatever type you need - jacks, XLRs, phonos etc. Loom the cables up at the back into the kit. This will be the most reliable way of doing it - the normalling features of a patch not being required.

[MarkPAman]

Most of the Behringer/Samson etc range are around £30 - I really doubt that you can do DIY for that. I'm not arguing with the second part of what you said - but if it's cheap you want, then it really is cheaper to buy. Behringer PX3000 is fairly typical, and is a 24 channel balanced unit.

 

 

You may have a point there. To be honest, I hadn't realised you could get a ballenced unit that cheaply.

 

But - you still need an extra set of cables to go between patch bay & the equipment, which will be a mixture of various types, probably adding another £30 or so.

[bassnote]

Why not get a couple of 8 way balanced jack looms and hack of the connectors and replace with XLRs if needed for the wireless receivers, then perminatly wire the one end into the rack, cable tie up, then coil the looms in the rack at the end of each gig, so the connections in the rack dont need touching, just the mixer end which would be at the end of 1 or 2 looms.

 

The problem with putting patch bays is that it creates more connections that are likely to go wrong, the less joins that there are in a bit of cable the less likely they are to go wrong!

[Trunker]

The behringer patchbay is great. You have got switches on the top for, normailised, sniff and thru. So no need to take it apart for altering setup.