Appsys ProAudio ADX-32B User manual

ADAT Multicore Extender
ADX-32B
ADX-64B-PRO
User's Manual

CONTENTS
1. DEVICE OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................................................... 3
1.1. Fr nt panel......................................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2. Rear panel.......................................................................................................................................................... 3
2. TYPICAL APPLICATION.............................................................................................................................................. 4
2.1. Digital snake (32 channels) with ADX-32B........................................................................................................4
3. IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTES.................................................................................................................................... 5
3.1. Cat5 c nnecti ns............................................................................................................................................... 5
4. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................................... 5
4.1. Features.............................................................................................................................................................. 5
4.2. Available m dels................................................................................................................................................ 6
4.3. Input and Return channel c nfigurati n............................................................................................................6
4.4. Daisy-chaining.................................................................................................................................................... 6
5. FRONT PANEL............................................................................................................................................................ 7
5.1. Cat5 C nnecti n 1.............................................................................................................................................. 7
5.2. Cat5 C nnecti n 2 (ADX-64B-PRO nly)...........................................................................................................7
6. REAR PANEL.............................................................................................................................................................. 8
6.1. POWER C nnecti ns......................................................................................................................................... 8
6.2. ADAT 1-4............................................................................................................................................................ 8
6.3. ADAT 5-8 (ADX-64B-PRO nly).......................................................................................................................... 9
6.4. MIDI1.................................................................................................................................................................. 9
6.5. MIDI2 ( pti nal in ADX-64B-PRO)..................................................................................................................... 9
6.6. W rdcl ck (ADX-64B-PRO nly)...................................................................................................................... 10
7. DEVICE SYNCHRONIZATION................................................................................................................................... 11
7.1. General c ncept............................................................................................................................................... 11
7.2. Synchr nizati n ver ADAT............................................................................................................................. 11
7.3. Synchr nizati n ver c axial cable................................................................................................................. 11
8. CABLE RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................................................................. 12
8.1. Cat5 cable......................................................................................................................................................... 12
8.2. T slink (Lightpipe) cable.................................................................................................................................. 12
9. DIGITAL SIGNAL QUALITY...................................................................................................................................... 13
9.1. Latency............................................................................................................................................................. 13
9.2. Jitter.................................................................................................................................................................. 13
10. EXAMPLE APPLICATIONS..................................................................................................................................... 14
10.1. Digital 24/8 multic re.................................................................................................................................... 14
10.2. Digital 48/16 multic re with m nit ring and rec rding splits......................................................................15
11. SETTINGS OVERVIEW........................................................................................................................................... 16
12. SPECIFICATIONS.................................................................................................................................................... 17
13. APPENDIX.............................................................................................................................................................. 19
13.1.Warranty.......................................................................................................................................................... 19
13.2. C ntact........................................................................................................................................................... 19
13.3. Recycling........................................................................................................................................................ 19
13.4. Ab ut this d cument..................................................................................................................................... 19

1. DEVICE OVERVIEW
1.1. Front panel
The c nnect rs “Cat5 C nnecti n 2“ are nly available in the 64 channel versi n (ADX-64B-PRO).
1.2. Rear panel
The c nnect rs “Cat5 C nnecti n 2” and “WORDCLOCK” are nly available in the 64 channel versi n (ADX-64B-PRO).
The “MIDI2” and “SECONDARY POWER” c nnect rs are installed nly with the respective pti n.
A BTermination
1 (A/ B)
2 (A+B)
Cat5 Connection 1
ADX-32B / ADX-64B-PRO
32/64-ch ADAT® M lticore Extender
with MIDI and wordclock
Made in Switzerland
www.appsys.ch
ADAT is a registered trademark of Alesis Corp.
A BTermination
1 (A/ B)
2 (A+B)
8765
Power ADAT Clock
Cat5 Connection 2 Appsys ProAudio
4321
Power ADAT Clock
IN OUT/THRU IN OUT/THRU IN OUT/THRU
1 2 3 4 5 6
ON
IN IN IN IN
OFF
WC
1 2 3 4 5 6
ON
5
IN OUT/THRU
MIDI2
IN OUT/THRU
678
Cat5 Connection 2
WORDCLOCK
SECONDARY
POWER
Appsys ProAudio
12V/1A IN/OUT
Cat5 Connection 1
1
IN OUT/THRU
MIDI1
IN OUT/THRU
PRIMARY
POWER
IN OUT/THRU IN OUT/THRU IN OUT/THRU
234
12V/1A
OUT CH5/WC/MIDI OUT CH6 OUT CH7 OUT CH8
75Ω WC TERM
MULTI CH5 MODE
OUT CH1 OUT CH2 OUT CH3 OUT CH4
IN IN IN IN

User's Manual
2. TYPICAL APPLICATION
2.1. Digital sna e (32 channels) with ADX-32B
The diagram bel w sh ws a typical applicati n f the ADX devices: One Cat5 cable is used f r b th the
transmissi n f 24 channels fr m the stage t the mix c ns le, and 8 channels in the pp site directi n. All 32
channels are als fed int a m nit r c ns le and int a multi-track rec rder. An additi nal MIDI channels all ws
rem te c ntr l f the devices (e.g. the multitrack rec rder, r the gain c ntr l f the preamp).
4
Preamp/DAC/ADC
Preamp/DAC/ADC
ADX-32B
ADX-32B
Stage
FOH Recordi g
Multitra k Re order
Multitra k Re order
ADX-32B
ADX-32B
Main mixer
Main mixer
ADX-32B
ADX-32B
Monitor mix
Monitor mix
ADX-32B
ADX-32B
Analog
ADAT
MIDI
Cat5
Daisy-chain
for splitting
32 channels
over one Cat5
Inputs can
be anywhere
MIDI for
remote control

ADX-32B / ADX-64B-PRO
3. IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTES
3.1. Cat5 connections
Use the Cat5 cable ONLY between ADX devices.
NEVER c nnect an ADAT Multic re Extender t any Ethernet netw rking device (PC, Switch, ther
netw rk equipment)! The ADX device and/ r the netw rking device may be DAMAGED!
4. INTRODUCTION
4.1. Features
The ADAT Multic re Extender (ADX) all ws y u t extend and bundle several ADAT c nnecti ns int standard
Cat5 cable, c vering up t 100m (330ft) in distance. One Cat5 cable carries up t f ur ADAT c nnecti ns (32
channels), ne channel f MIDI data, and a w rdcl ck signal.
This makes the ADX a perfect c st-effective digital snake system. It seamlessly integrates with industry standard
ADAT equipment and pr vides a lightweight replacement f r bulky and heavy anal g multic res.
Thanks t its daisy-chain capability, it can als serve as distributi n backb ne f r m nit ring r rec rding.
The ADX system is superi r t an anal g snake in many ways:
Improved sound quality and reliability
N n ise, hum, crackling etc. thanks t digital transmissi n and galvanic is lati n
Very l w latency (<1µs)
Redundant p wer supply ( pti nal)
Precisi n cl ck rec very f r best jitter perf rmance
Quality pr duct „Made in Switzerland“
Versatile connectivity
Up t 8 ADAT c nnecti ns f r the transmissi n 64 channels
Directi n can be set individually f r every ADAT c nnecti n
Daisy-chaining p ssible f r easy signal splitting and distributi n
L cal l p-back duplicates inputs n the utputs, n splitters needed
MIDI data channel e.g. f r rem te c ntr l. Dual MIDI pti nal
W rdcl ck distributi n ver CAT5
W rdcl ck signal extracti n fr m ADAT derives a c axial w rdcl ck signal fr m any ADAT data stream.
This is especially useful if y ur master cl ck has n BNC utput
Upgrade m dules available f r system extensi n (ADX-32B t ADX-64B-PRO)
Easy setup and operation
One lightweight Cat5 cable replaces a heavy 32 channel anal g snake
Simple, reliable and r bust design
Rugged 19“ aluminum rack case
Seamless integration
C mpatible with all ADAT devices and sample rates up t 24bit/48kHz,
ADAT S/MUX (D uble Speed/DS, up t 24bit/96kHz),
ADAT S/MUX4 (Quad Speed/QS, up t 24bit/192kHz)
Other data f rmats (SPDIF, AC-3, DTS etc.) are supp rted n request
Cl ck rec very supp rts even n t c mpletely ADAT c mpatible equipment (e.g. JetPLL devices)
5

User's Manual
4.2. Available models
ADX-32B
Transmits f ur ADAT Lightpipe c nnecti ns and ne MIDI data stream ver a single Cat5 cable, up t a maximum
distance f 330ft (100m).
ADX-64B-PRO
Transmits eight ADAT Lightpipe c nnecti ns, ne MIDI data stream (tw pti nal) and a w rdcl ck signal ver
tw Cat5 cables. This device als supp rts extracti n f a w rdcl ck signal fr m any ADAT data stream.
The ADX-64B-PRO can als be used as dual-ADX-32B (it basically inc rp rates tw ADX-32B devices in ne case,
plus w rdcl ck). If y u daisy-chain fr m “Cat5 C nnecti n 1” t “Cat5 C nnecti n 2” with a sh rt Cat5 cable, y u
can duplicate all ADAT utputs, integrating m nit ring r rec rding equipment with ut additi nal splitters.
4.3. Input and Return channel configuration
The system is designed with maximum flexibility in mind: The directi n f data transmissi n can be selected
individually f r each ADAT c nnecti n. Thus, the ADX-32B can be perated in 32/0, 24/8, 16/16, 8/24 r 0/32
TX/RX channel c nfigurati n, and the ADX-64B-PRO can be c nfigured t 64/0, 56/8, 48/16 etc. t 0/64 f TX/RX
channels.
4.4. Daisy-chaining
F r audi distributi n t several places, up t 32 ADAT Multic re Extenders can be daisy-chained t gether. This
feature can be used f r c mplex setups, e.g. multi-r m audi distributi n r the c nnecti n f additi nal
m nit ring equipment. Each signal input can be l cated at an arbitrary ADX device in the chain, and is then
distributed t all ther ADX devices. This all ws very flexible setups f r rec rding and m nit ring.
6

ADX-32B / ADX-64B-PRO
5. FRONT PANEL
5.1. Cat5 Connection 1
Carries ADAT connections 1-4 and MIDI1 data (on channel 1)
Jacks “A” and “B” are electrically paralleled.
The switch “Terminati n” must be set depending n the the number f cables plugged in:
1 cable = “ON”, 2 cables = “OFF”. If y u use nly tw devices (p int-t -p int c nnecti n), the terminati n
must always remain switched n.
Wr ng terminati n settings are, depending n the cable length, n t always immediately n ticeable and
the system appears t functi n pr perly. But reliability and immunity t n ise is significantly decreased,
because either signals reflecti ns ccur with missing terminati n r transmitters get verl aded by t
many terminati ns.
If y u're using the system in the same setup all time, y u may use sc tch tape t fix the push butt n ( r
rem ve the push butt n cap) in rder t prevent unwanted perati n.
NOTE: Redundant c nnecti ns (the c nnecti n f tw units with tw cables ver A and B at the same time) are
not supp rted! This w uld lead t signal l ps causing undefined current fl w.
5.2. Cat5 Connection 2 (ADX-64B-PRO only)
Carries ADAT connections 5-8 and wordcloc data (on channel 5). If Dual-MIDI-Option is installed, the second
MIDI is also transmitted over channel 5.
7
A BTermination
1 (A/ B)
2 (A+B)
Cat5 Connection 1
4321
Power ADAT Clock
A BTermination
1 (A/ B)
2 (A+B)
8765
Power ADAT Clock
Cat5 Connection 2

User's Manual
6. REAR PANEL
6.1. POWER Connections
PRIMARY
POWER
12V/1A
SECONDARY
POWER
12V/1A
Connect the supplied DC adapter(s) here. The Input “SECONDARY POWER” is nly present n the ADX-64B-
PRO with the “Redundant P wer Supply” pti n installed.
When the “Redundant P wer Supply” pti n is installed, tw DC adapters can be plugged int “PRIMARY
POWER” and “SECONDARY POWER”. If ne f them fails, the ther ne takes ver. This is particularly useful
t make the system immune t failure f a single AC phase in 3-phase supplies.
The status f the respective supply is sh wn n the c rresp nding fr nt panel “P wer” LEDs.
With ut “Redundant p wer supply”, the “Cat5 c nnecti n 2” bank in the ADX-64B-PRO versi n is supplied
fr m the first bank. B th LEDs are c nstantly lit.
Use nly the supplied DC adapter, r a replacement with the indicated v ltage, p wer, p larity and matching
c nnect r (see 12. Specificati ns). The input has a reverse-p larity pr tecti n.
If the P wer LED d es n t g n when a DC adapter is c nnected, check the p larity.
6.2. ADAT 1-4
The transmission direction (TX or RX) must be set using the DIP switches 1-4:
Input (DIP switch in l wer p siti n = OFF): The ADAT c nnecti n is c nfigured as input,
the received data is sent t the Cat5 cable.
The input signal is passed-thr ugh t the utput al ngside ("l cal l p-back"). Y u can use this
utput t c nnect additi nal m nit rs r as w rdcl ck s urce, as sh wn in7.2. Synchr nizati n
ver ADAT.
If y u're using a daisy-chain f ADX devices, make sure that there is exactly ne “Input” per ADAT c nnecti n
in the chain.
Output (DIP switch in upper p siti n = ON): The ADAT c nnecti n is c nfigured as utput.
Data received fr m the Cat5 cable is utput n the “Output” jack. The input jack is inactive.
8
1 2 3 4 5 6
ON
Cat5 Connection 1
1
IN OUT/THRU
MIDI1
IN OUT/THRU IN OUT/THRU IN OUT/THRU IN OUT/THRU
234
OUT CH1 OUT CH2 OUT CH3 OUT CH4
IN IN IN IN

ADX-32B / ADX-64B-PRO
6.3. ADAT 5-8 (ADX-64B-PRO only)
The transmission direction (TX or RX) for channels 5-8 must be set using the DIP switches 1-4
(see 6.2. ADAT 1-4).
6.4. MIDI1
The transmissi n w rks by injecting MIDI data int the ADAT1 signal the input ADX, and extracting it at the
utput ADX. This means that:
MIDI transmissi n w rks nly when a valid ADAT signal is present n ADAT1
The directi n f MIDI transmissi n is always the same as the directi n f ADAT1 and is selected with the same
DIP switch.
When MIDI is set t input, unaltered MIDI data is als l ped back t the “OUT/THRU” jack, all wing the
c nnecti n f additi nal MIDI equipment.
6.5. MIDI2 (optional in ADX-64B-PRO)
W rks like MIDI1, except that ADAT5 is used f r data transmissi n.
9
8765
MIDI2
Cat5 Connection 1
IN OUT/THRU
IN OUT/THRU IN OUT/THRU IN OUT/THRU IN OUT/THRU IN OUT/THRU
Cat5 Connection 2
OUT CH5/WC/MIDI OUT CH6 OUT CH7 OUT CH8
75Ω WC TERM
MULTI CH5 MODE
IN IN IN IN
OFF
WC
1 2 3 4 5 6
ON

User's Manual
6.6. Wordcloc (ADX-64B-PRO only)
The ADX itself d n t need a cl ck t perate. The w rdcl ck feature is pr vided f r the distributi n f the
w rdcl ck signal nly and is independent f the ADX perati n.
The w rdcl ck functi n uses Channel 5 f r transmissi n and can perate in tw different m des, selectable by
DIP switch 6:
Multi: ADAT transmissi n n channel 5 w rks as every ther ADAT channel. Additi nally, a w rdcl ck derived
fr m the ADAT data stream is utput n the WORDCLOCK jack. N te that in this m de, WORDCLOCK is
always an utput, regardless f the directi n setting – there's n need t feed a w rdcl ck signal int an ADX
unit. Set WC terminati n (DIP switch 5) t “OFF” when using this m de.
WC: In this m de, channel 5 is used exclusively f r w rdcl ck transmissi n. ADAT5 and MIDI2 are inactive.
N te that f r this m de, a w rdcl ck signal must be input at ne ADX device in the chain, and the directi n f
the w rdcl ck transmissi n must be set with DIP switch 1.
Use WC m de when c mpatibility with the f rmer ADX-64A-PRO m del's w rdcl ck m de is required,
r when y u d n't have an ADAT data stream where the w rdcl ck can be derived fr m.
Wordcloc termination
When using a c axial cable f r w rdcl ck distributi n, the cable must be terminated c rrectly.
The ADX devices have a built-in terminati n resist r which can be switched n by DIP switch 5:
In m st c nfigurati ns, w rdcl ck terminati n sh uld be “OFF”
Switch the terminati n “ON” nly when
- Ch5 is in WC m de and
- Ch5 set t “Input” and
- the ADX is the last device n the w rdcl ck cable.
General requirements for wordcloc termination
The w rdcl ck master device (the sender) sh uld be l cated at the end f the BNC cable chain. If there is any
terminati n switch r jumper, it must be “OFF”.
All devices in the middle f the cable (which are usually c nnected by “T”-shaped adapters must have their
w rdcl ck terminati n set t “OFF”.
The last device n the chain (where the cable ends) must have the w rdcl ck terminati n set t “ON”. This
can either be d ne by setting the appr priate switch r jumper n the device, r, if there is n such thing, by
installing a “T”-shaped BNC adapter with a 75 hms resist r attached. Different manufacturers handle
w rdcl ck terminati n differently, please refer t the manual f the respective device f r instructi ns.
10
WORDCLOCK
IN/OUT