Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product RAVE 81 QSC Audio
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27 RA VE USER MANUAL ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ RA VE 80 Digital Audio Router (8 AES3 outputs) ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ RA VE 81 Digital Audio Router (8 AES3 inputs) ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ RA VE 88 Digital Audio Rou.
1 T able of Contents RA VE Digital Audio Router User Manual Warning Notices ................................................................................................................................................ 2 I. Introduction ............
2 EXPLANATION OF GRAPHICAL SYMBOLS The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage within the products enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to humans.
3 I. Introduction RAVE Digital Audio Router products provide a means of transporting audio signals over a data network. Using common Fast Ethernet as the physical medium, a RAVE system has a maximum capacity of 64 channels on a 100baseTX network. RAVE transports the audio signals over the network in a 48 kHz 20-bit digital format.
4 GLOSSARY Below are some terms used in this manual that RAVE users should be familiar with. AES3 —A technological specification for inter-device conveyance of a dual-channel (stereo) digital audio signal. Also called AES/EBU. Crossover cable —A type of twisted-pair Ethernet patch cable, but somewhat analogous in function to a null modem cable.
5 Therefore, the CobraNet™ technology used in a RAVE system employs a regulated, deterministic system of packet timing to ensure consistent and reliable transmission without dropouts or glitches. The RAVE devices on a common network will auto- matically negotiate the time slots among them- selves.
6 Channel routing A RAVE network handles routing in groups of eight audio channels, and each group of eight transmitted on the network makes up one network channel. Each RAVE device handles two network channels—two sent, two received, or one of each.
7 Two nodes with a 100baseTX hub Advantages: greater network size—up to 200 meters (656 feet); high reliability; readily expandable; uses standard Ethernet patch cables Disadvantages: higher cost Th.
8 Star topology Advantages: greater network size—up to 200 meters (656 feet); high reliability; readily expandable; uses standard Ethernet patch cables Disadvantages: higher cost Add nodes—i.e., RAVE units—to the previ- ous net layout and you have the classic star topology.
9 Data signals sent over optical fiber don’t degrade as much as they do over copper wiring, and they are immune to induced interference from electromagnetic and RF sources, fluorescent lighting fixtures, etc. Consequently, a Fast Ethernet fiber optic network segment (100baseFX) can be up to 2 kilometers (6560 feet, or 1.
10 The illustration at right shows a simple 2-node network similar to the one decribed before, except nearly all of the interconnecting UTP cable between the RAVE devices has been replaced by a pair of 100baseTX-to-100baseFX converters and a length of fiber optic cable.
11 in that its deterministic nature affords a bit more tolerance of delay than unregulated, non-deterministic network traffic can handle: a network span or diameter of up to 2560 bit periods (with Fast Ethernet, 1 bit period = 10 nanoseconds), or 25.6 microseconds.
12 III. Installation PRE-INSTALLATION PREPARATION: ANALOG SIGNAL LEVELS (RAVE 160, 161, AND 188 ONLY) The RAVE models which handle analog audio inputs and/or outputs require a signal level set-up to achieve optimum performance. This configuration should be completed before rack-mounting the units.
13 Input Level Sensitivity (RAVE 161 and 188 only) Input level sensitivity is the rms analog signal level at which a sinusoidal waveform will produce a digital full scale signal in the device. The available settings are +24dBu, +18dBu, and +12 dBu (reference: 0 dBu = 0.
14 Connecting to Ethernet IV . Connections ETHERNET CONNECTION (ALL MODELS) A female modular RJ-45 jack on the rear panel is for connecting the RAVE unit to a 100baseTX Ethernet.
15 To connect balanced inputs, insert the +, -, and shield into the header as shown at left. To connect unbalanced inputs, connect the signal conductor to the + terminal and the shield to the - terminal, with a jumper to the ground/shield terminal, as shown at below left.
16 RAVE 81 This model features eight AES3 input channels, a total of 16 audio channels. The AES3 inputs are labeled 1 through 8 on the rear of the unit. RAVE 80 This model features eight AES3 output channels, a total of 16 audio output channels. The AES3 outputs are labeled 1 through 8 on the rear of the unit.
17 SLAVE INPUT The slave input is another BNC jack. Its use is to allow a RAVE unit to “slave” itself to another RAVE unit, as a backup in mission-critical applications. To slave one RAVE unit to another, connect a BNC jumper cable from the sync output of the main unit to the slave input of the redundant unit.
18 V . Operation STATUS INDICATORS The eight status indicator LEDs display the operating condition of the RAVE unit and its Ethernet network. They are color coded such that green LEDs, when lit, signify something good or normal, while red ones signify a problem.
19 The RAVE units in a common network select a conductor according to three priorities. The priorities are, from highest to lowest: 1. Models 161 and 81 2. Models 188 and 88 3. Models 160 and 80 When a unit is connected to the network, it first looks to see if there is a conductor with lower priority already present.
20 ROUTING A RAVE network routes audio sig- nals in groups or groups of 8 chan- nels, as the group diagram of a sample RAVE network illustrates at right. Behind the removable panel on the face of a RAVE unit are two pairs of hexadecimal switches (see the illustration below) for assigning network addresses to the groups.
21 VI. FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions CAN I BUY HUBS, CABLES, AND OTHER EQUIPMENT FOR MY RAVE NETWORK ANYWHERE? Yes. One of the design goals of RAVE technology is that aside from the specialized RAVE.
22 WHAT HAPPENS IF I RUN OUT OF CHANNELS? Network channels automatically drop when available network bandwidth is exhausted. The network channels with the highest address numbers will be the first to be dropped. The “TX Error” indicator will light when a transmitting unit cannot send due to insufficient bandwidth.
23 VII. Specifications Analog Audio Sample rate 48 kHz A/D converters 20 bits D/A converters 20 bits Network transmission 20 bits T HD 0.007% worst case, 0.
24 VIII. Appendix ETHERNET CABLING This diagram shows the pinout for standard unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) network cable. Both ends of the cable are wired identically.
25 IX. Address & T elephone Information Address: QSC Audio Products, Inc. 1675 MacArthur Boulevard Costa Mesa, CA 92626-1468 USA Telephone Numbers: Main Number (714) 754-6175 Sales Direct Line (714) 957-7100 Sales & Marketing (800) 854-4079 (toll-free in U.
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28 QSC Audio Products, Inc., 1675 MacArthur Boulevard Costa Mesa, California 92626 USA PH: (714) 754-6175 FAX: (714) 754-6174 RAVE is a trademark of QSC Audio Products, Inc.
An important point after buying a device QSC Audio RAVE 81 (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought QSC Audio RAVE 81 yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data QSC Audio RAVE 81 - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, QSC Audio RAVE 81 you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get QSC Audio RAVE 81 will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of QSC Audio RAVE 81, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime QSC Audio RAVE 81.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with QSC Audio RAVE 81. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device QSC Audio RAVE 81 along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
