18 January 2011

After the equipment in the rack was tested we decided to start wiring it properly. But this time we decided to do it the way it is supposed to be done in the professional engineer environment. We are not sure if we will use this rack for RaveLive 2011 but anyway this will be a good practice before the event. So before taking any wiring actions we started with a system diagram considering the equipment we have. We added some small bits like patching field for more redundancy, CTP panel for better and easier connectivity and AMU to monitor AES audio. All the cables are numbered and the length off cables considered to make the wiring look good which is important as well i think because an order makes it easier to understand the system and this means you can resolve a problem quicker. 


We have designed a system diagram for our flyaway.  Using all the equipment we already had in the rack  we  added some devices like  Audio Mixer, AES AMU ,  jackfield  and CTP.  This diagram represents video and reference layers only. Below is the system diagram drawn on paper.

After working on it in AutoCad the diagram looks like this:

This system is designed for 4 cameras and 4 extra inputs (like more cameras, MAM playback port output, Colour Bars etc). Jackfield and CTP give system more flexibility and allows quick problem solve in case of equipment failure. And CTP gives all rack’s inputs and outputs in one place. The diagram avoids too much use of DA’s as they are quite likely to fail.  This system allows more equipment to be connected quickly having 5 extra reference feeds on CTP.

 This is how the rack is going to be wired. Of course it is not the final version of the Flyaway Diagram. From the beginning we planned use Video Matrix. We used one for Rave Live 2010. Powered by software with a touch screen it was very comfortable to set up and run. Plus we still don’t know about any requirements and specifications  of the event we will be involved in .