Can you use 500 m long cable with APB expanders?
AudioPressBox – Drive units and expanders.
AudioPressBox launched a new series of AudioPressBox drive units and a portable AudioPressBox expanders at ISE 2017 in Amsterdam.
We have added to them our new Dante-enabled press boxes APB-116 R-D, APB-D216 R-D and APB-D200 R-D at the ISE 2018 in Amsterdam.
The drive units D100, D100 R, D200 R serve as a drive unit for both fixed installation (built-in) – 008 OW-EX, 008 IW-EX, 008 FB-EX and portable expanders 008 SB-EX and 024 R-EX.
The drive units 208 R and 400 R also have the option of routing inputs into the output buses A and B that’s why there are differences in how to connect APB drive units to APB expanders.
The drive units APB-D116 R-D, APB-D216 R-D and APB-D200 R-D are our dante-enabled devices. They are either 1 or 2 channel units.
Why do I need the drive unit with AudioPressBox expanders?
The drive unit feeds the passive expanders that have Line output level. Regular mixing console, is not able to feed so many Line output levels and that is why the AudioPressBox drive unit comes to play. They have dedicated buffered expander output just for this reason.
Drive units:
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| Device | D100 | D100 R | D200 R | 208 R | 400 R | D116 R-D | D216 R-D | D200 R-D |
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| Buffered expander outputs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| 2 output buses (A and B) | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Number of buffered expander outputs | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1 buffered expander output can drive up to | 24 outputs | 24 outputs | 24 outputs | 24 outputs | 24 outputs | 24 outputs | 24 outputs | 24 outputs |
| device can drive up to | 48 outputs | 48 outputs | 96 outputs | 96 outputs | 96 outputs | 24 outputs | 48 outputs | 96 outputs |
| Buffered expander output connector type | XLR | XLR | XLR | XLR | XLR | XLR | XLR | XLR |
| Possibility of connecting microphone directly | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Requires a mixing console Or a device with Line Out | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Expanders:
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| Device | 008 SB-EX | 024 R-EX | 008 OW-EX | 008 IW-EX | 008 FB-EX | P008 OW-EX | P008 IW-EX | P112 SB |
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| Bus A and B | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Portable/Built-in | Portable | Portable/Rack | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in | Portable |
| Output level | Line/Mic | Line/Mic | Line/Mic | Line/Mic | Line/Mic | Mic | Mic | Mic |
| Input connector type | XLR | XLR | Phoenix | Phoenix | Phoenix | Phoenix | Phoenix | XLR |
| Output connector type | XLR | XLR | XLR | XLR | XLR | XLR | XLR | XLR |
| Requires APB Drive Unit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
This cabling section should help explain how to connect APB drive units to APB expanders together properly while using the possibility of bus A and bus B for fixed installation (built-in) expanders.
There are various ways how to connect the devices together correctly.
To connect the devices all you need is a standard balanced shielded microphone (line) cable with XLR connectors or a balanced installation cable with XLR and Phoenix connectors.
The connections are possible as follow:
AudioPressBox drive unit 208 R and AudioPressbox drive unit 400 R can be connected with fixed installation AudioPressBox expanders 008 OW-EX, 008 IW-EX, 008 FB-EX, P008 OW-EX and P008 IW-EX with a balanced installation cable with XLR and Phoenix connectors or with a portable AudioPressBox expanders 008 SB-EX or 024 R-EX with a standard balanced shielded microphone (line) cable with XLR connectors.
AudioPressBox drive units D100 and D100R can drive both portable and fixed installation (built-in) expanders.
They use the standard balanced shielded microphone (line) cable with XLR connectors for portable expanders AudioPressBox 008 SB-EX and 024 R-EX and balanced installation cable with XLR and Phoenix connectors for fixed installation (built-in) expanders 008 OW-EX, 008 IW-EX, 008 FB-EX, P008 OW-EX and P008 IW-EX.
Cable properties:
The total length of cables is up to 500m!!!
The maximum length of the standard balanced shielded microphone cable in the worst possible scenario (3 devices connected in a daisy chain are at the end of the cable) is 500m. With the 500m cable there is minimum close to nothing change in regards to the technical parameters. In this worst case scenario the output level is reduced up to 6 dB because of cable resistance. We have used KLOTZ MY206 cable for testing. Cross section is 0,22 mm2 (AWG 24).
All in all, our drive units allow you to use up to 300m of standard balanced shieldeded microphone cable. The biggest advantage is in the legth and in daisy chaining of the devices (APB—008 SB-EX) to cover any type or shape of a room.