my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » How do you turn on your sound rack? (Page 1)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: How do you turn on your sound rack? Paul Vollmers Expert Film Handler Posts: 161 From: Sister Lakes, MI, USA Registered: Jul 2001 posted 05-04-2012 05:55 PM                     Do you just hit a breaker and everything is powered on? Or do you power up individual items? If so...what do you start with? All amps at once? So, what is the correct way to power up a sound rack? This is for film projection.. Dolby DA-10 Dolby Digital Preamp Dolby CP65 Rack sound monitor exciter supply Power Amps (7) Dolby 24V Power supply  |  IP: Logged Victor Liorentas Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 800 From: london ontario canada Registered: May 2009 posted 05-04-2012 06:19 PM                     I have my CP 65 and each amplifier on a dedicated breaker. Processor on first and then each amp on one at a time via the breakers. Somewhere in no particular order come the cat 700 and other units. At night the processor goes off last to avoid the boom.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 05-04-2012 06:38 PM                     amps last (individually or through a power sequencer). All others don't care. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-04-2012 06:51 PM                        I have never seen a power sequencer in a motion-picture sound system, but that is the easiest way to do it (and is common in other types of installed systems; the cinema people seem to be behind the times on this one). As said above, amps go on last and off first. Turning on all amps at once will probably blow a fuse and/or trip a breaker, so they should be on separate circuits (or just use the switches on the front and power them up one at a time manually. A while back, Brad posted that he has the electrician set up electrical panels so that breakers can be turned on in order and turned off in reverse order. This is a good idea for making a fool-proof booth. Be especially careful with the CP50 and CP200--both of these make a loud "pop" when powered on or off and can easily blow speakers. The CP65 (I don't remember about the CP55) and later do not seem to have this issue. Also, I prefer to have the processor wake up in non-sync, rather than a film format, as it reduces the chances of someone trying to thread the machines without checking the format and changeover state on the processor (and probably making a thump-thump in the speakers as well). Most places do this anyway, as they use the cinema system for walk-in music. Last point: if you are showing many mono films, and you have any hiss or hum in your system at all, leave the unneeded amps turned off when showing non-Dolby films. Your audiences will thank you.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 05-04-2012 08:24 PM                        4 breakers for rack in no particular order. properly designed system do not "pop." Inrush current limits breakers to 2 or 3 amps. Professional amps have an internal mute circuit to allow silent start up. I have used sequencers, but only when fewer than 4 circuits were available. Louis  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 05-04-2012 11:19 PM                        quote: Paul Vollmers Dolby DA-10 Dolby Digital Preamp What is the difference between these two things? Also, why do you still have a DA10? Didn't Dolby replace all of those with DA20s for free? Also, how do you power up the Dolby stuff before you power up the "Dolby power supply"? What is this Dolby power supply? The DA10 and CP65 just plug into regular receptacles without any external DC conversion.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 05-05-2012 05:38 AM                        Sounds like he may have the cat 699 reader which has no electronics. I am also surprised to see DA10. Louis  |  IP: Logged Paul Vollmers Expert Film Handler Posts: 161 From: Sister Lakes, MI, USA Registered: Jul 2001 posted 05-05-2012 06:20 AM                     Updated whats in the rack..sorry Dolby DA-20 Dolby MPU-1 Preamp Dolby 24V Power supply for preamp XD-10 Dolby CP65 Rack sound monitor exciter supply Power Amps (7)  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 05-05-2012 06:27 AM                     If you want to power up your equipment with a delay, why not invest in one or more switched PDUs? APC offers them. You can configure aa start-up delay per outlet. They are also remotely manageable, so you can manage your equipment via a web interface or even automate the whole thing via SNMP.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-05-2012 09:02 AM                     Is this one of those questions where you're supposed to make a funny video of yourself using some kind of Rube Goldberg contraption to turn your sound system on then post it on YouTube?  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 05-05-2012 12:58 PM                     I've seen systems with line conditioners that gradually increase the voltage and decrease per on and off conditions for high powered components. ..like a big variac. True, it's that sudden "pop" that loves to take out HF horn diaphrams. Replaced a few of them. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 05-05-2012 04:50 PM                        I wouldn't even bother turning on the MPU1. It probably doesn't draw a lot of current, but it's not doing anything.  |  IP: Logged Ian Parfrey Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1049 From: Imbil Australia 26 deg 27' 42.66" S 152 deg 42' 23.40" E Registered: Feb 2009 posted 05-05-2012 07:00 PM                     One breaker turns the lot on with amp attenuators brought up to full after 5 seconds. Before turn off, attenuators turned fully off then breaker.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 05-07-2012 12:14 AM                     LOL Ian, what ancient amps are you using? And if all your amps are run wide open then you are not getting the best gain structure which will leave a lot of hiss and also make it far easier for someone to jack the gains of the processor and blow out speakers. As for power up of my rack at home, the AMX, DirecTv, and CP650 (I need to take a new pic as my one here shows my now-retired CP-65) stay on 24/7 and are on a UPS. The DCM 10 monitor and the DCA power amps are switched on with a 25 amp solid stare relay controlled by the AMX system. Most of the screening rooms I have done are set up the same way. My home rack is wired for 3 circuits but is powered off of one 20 amp circuit for now. My screening rooms have a minimum of four circuits, usually 5 circuits. One circuit for all the processing/sources and the others are divided among the amps and switched using the solid state relays. The AMX systems do the sequencing according to amps on last and off first. Oh, for cinemas I had no more than two power amps per circuit, paired off like this: left and right, center and surround, subs (always only one amp per circuit) For the stage channels if bi- or tri-amped same configuration but I tried to not allow all of the LF channels to pair off on the same circuit.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 05-07-2012 11:56 AM                     quote: Tony Bandiera Jr The DCM 10 monitor and the DCA power amps are switched on with a 25 amp solid stare relay controlled by the AMX system. I, too, turn on equipment by looking at them very intensely. Not sure if I get 25 amps out of it, but it's worked ok so far.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.