Vintage King Audio RACK500 User manual

Vintage King Audio RACK500
Owner’s Manual

Thank you for purchasing a Vintage King Audio “Rack 500” six slot rack for your 500 Series or
compati le modules.
Fusing/mains power set-up.
CAUTION: Always follow proper electrical safety procedures w en working on or
around mains power! If you ave not ad proper instruction in electrical safety, please
refer any internal adjustments or servicing to qualified service personnel.
Before applying power: check that your rack has een configured for your mains
voltage. In the lower part of the mains IEC connector is the fuse drawer. The fuse
drawer has a small window in it that indicates the currently selected mains voltage,
either “110V” or “240V”. Racks shipped within the USA will have their mains pre-set for
“110V” (110V to 120V); racks shipped to Europe will e set for “240V” (220V to 240V). If
it is necessary to change your mains voltage setting, remove the fuse drawer and slide
the small printed circuit oard sideways out of the drawer, turn it over and re-install it in
the fuse drawer. Your mains voltage should now e visi le in the fuse drawer window.
In the fuse drawer, install the proper fuse value for your mains voltage as listed elow. If
you have any questions a out this procedure, please contact your Vintage King Audio
sales associate.
100V: T1.2A, 250V (conversion to 100V requires internal modification)
120V: T1A, 250V
240V: T500mA, 250V
The IEC mains power connector has the a ility to select either “110V” or “240V”. The
power transformer we use is actually 115V or 230V to operate in either the USA or
internationally. Set the jumper to the “110V” position for the USA (110V – 120V, or set
to “240V” if your voltage is 220V - 240V. The jumper is located in the ottom of the fuse
drawer. See detail on next page.

Opening fuse drawer. Remove fuse drawer and voltage select
card.
Removing voltage select card and re-installing it
in the proper position for YOUR mains voltage.
Check to e certain the correct fuse is installed in the drawer as indicated on the rear of your
rack. If you aren’t sure of the value, call us and we can help.

CAUTION:
It is always possi le to use a fuse of a smaller value than the original (if the unit powers up and
works, of course), ut it is not advisa le to use a larger fuse! The fuse is there to reduce the risk
of fire in the unlikely event of a short circuit in the rack, however, it will not protect you from
electrical shock..
Always power your rack with a three conductor power cord. Using a “cheater plug” (ground lift
adapter) to lift the safety ground pin can cause dangerous conditions in the unlikely event that
there is a mains wiring pro lem in the rack.
PSU status LED’s.
The power supply has mutual shutdown of +/-16v rails to protect op amps. If
power lights fail to come on, power the rack down and remove modules one at a time,
re-applying power after each module is removed; check status LED’s until the faulty
module has een found and removed.
Module installation (not w ile powered!).
Modules should only e installed/removed when power is ‘off’. Doing otherwise
can damage certain modules.
Mic preamps should e placed to the left side of the rack to keep as much
distance etween them and the power transformer as possi le.
CAUTION!
If you are installing modules and you do not understand basic electrical safety, please
ave a qualified electronics tec nician perform t is step! T ere is t e possibility of
coming into contact wit mains voltages w en working on t e rack if it is connected to
mains voltage (t e rack IS connected to mains for t is step).
Important: Use only one and w en touc ing power transformer (keep t e ot er and in
your pocket)!! Touc ing a grounded surface could result in a s ock. Once again, if you
are not comfortable working closely (and safely) wit mains voltage, ave a qualified
electronics tec nician perform t is step.
Under certain circumstances, if it is necessary to install a mic preamp in slot 5 or 6,
nearest the power supply, lower hum and noise may e o tained y rotating the power
transformer. A qualified technician who is familiar with mains safety should perform this.
Loosen transformer mounting olt and rotate the power transformer until lowest noise
position is found then re-tighten mounting olt.

Compressor Control Voltage Linking:
Most compressors allow two or more modules to e linked for stereo operation. Pin 6 is
the designated Control Voltage (CV) pin. The Rack 500 has a ‘ us’ created y
remova le jumpers etween each connector on Pin 6. These jumpers can e clipped
out when configuring your Rack 500 to prevent different rands of compressors from
interfering with each other. The jumper looks like a tan (or green) resistor with a single
lack and around it. Configuration example: Two “Brand A” comps will e installed into
slots 1 and 2; two “Brand B” comps will e installed into slots 3 and 4. To prevent
pro lems, the jumper etween slots 2 and 3 (JMP2 in Fig. 1 elow) should e removed.
The jumper etween slots 4 and 5 should not e a pro lem unless other compressors
are installed in those locations.
Above: Fig1. Rack 500 Jumper locations.
Current availability per slot:
Total current draw cannot exceed 1.2A per rail, but can be divided up based on
module demand.
180mA per slot @ +/- 16V
10mA per slot @ 48V

XLR and DB-25 Connections:
Both XLR and DB-25 connections are availa le and in parallel. DB-25 connectors utilize
industry standard Tascam™ pinout
Important: Do not combine output signals using XLR/DB-25 connections as a
“Y” ca le. Yes, it might “work” ut could damage expensive modules… not gonna hurt
the rack though! Output signals can e safely SPLIT (connected to more than one
input), ut never com ined.
Options:
-Rack Ears (steel)
-Wood Cheeks
-Replacement top and ottom covers should you scratch, strip the threads on a
mounting hole or otherwise damage yours.
Installation of Options:
Rack Ear installation instructions:
Disconnect unit from mains power. Remove oth top and ottom covers. Remove the
handle from the left side of the rack and ru er feet from the right side of the rack.
Retain the handle and hardware from the handle and feet. Install the left rack ear using
the handle and handle hardware to hold it in place. Install the right rack ear using the
ru er feet and hardware to fasten the ear to the rack. Detailed instructions are
availa le on the VK Rack500 product page.
Warranty:
O vious a use will not e covered.
Contact Info: Vintage King Audio
1603 E. Nine Mile Rd.
Ferndale, MI 48220, USA
248-591-9276
www.vintageking.com
[email protected]
Rev 1.1 10/18/2016