Hard Drive Tray - DCP-2000

[Shai Skiff]

Hi,
The local dealer told me he can't order them. Then, I wrote to Dolby costumer support, and they say that they have them! (see their answer below) and referenced me again to my local dealer... very strange and annoying...

Hello Shai,

In reference to the below, please note that the Dolby part number for the HDD carriers is DCP-HDD-C-S and it is available for sale. These carriers fits the DCP2K, DCP2K4, SV3 & SV4 servers.
Please contact you local dealer (I assume Titra LTD) to place an order.

If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best regards,
Joseph

[Carsten Kurz]

Okay, another round back to Titra with this answer, maybe that'll change their mind. If you don't get along with them in the end, I'll be happy to ship some to you if we can agree costwise.

[Leo Enticknap]

We are a Dolby dealer, and if Dolby has them, we can get them for you. It looks like shipping from the USA to Israel could be cheaper than from Germany. If you'd be interested, feel free to email sales {at} movingimagetech.com, and my co-workers would be very happy to get a quote together for you, which would include everything apart from any import duties the Israeli authorities might impose. Of course you could also contact any one of the other American Dolby dealers listed.

[Shai Skiff]

Ok, thank you very much!!
I will contact again with Titra and let you know what happens.

[Leo Enticknap]

Incidentally, we did arrange a shipment of NEC projector parts to a customer in Ramallah in 2018, which I'm guessing had to pass through Israeli customs; so it is do-able. The customer had tried a dealer in Jordan and another somewhere in Europe, neither of whom were willing or able to help. It was a challenge to find a locally based tech to do the repair, too, we but eventually did.

My guess is that Dolby does not have a physical presence with inventory stocks in Israel, and that therefore anything Titra sells to an end user, it has to import, either on demand or to keep in stock awaiting sale. For a small order of parts they have never been asked for in the past, they figure that it isn't worth their while, hence "Sorry, we don't have these."

[Steve Guttag]

I can tell you, in Maryland, we're taxed on inventory. So anything that doesn't sell at enough quantity, per year, we can't stock or the taxes on it would just continually drive its costs up. Furthermore, for slow moving parts, it is just more of a hassle than its worth to stock them. Furthermore, who wants to just buy, stock, never sell (or rarely sell) and then have to dispose of, now obsolete, parts once the thing they go to become no longer used?

[Leo Enticknap]

I hear you. We're in the lucky position of being located only 50 miles from their Burbank warehouse and 400 from their global HQ, so we really don't need to keep anything in stock. We can have 99% of listed as available Dolby items at the shop within a few hours and at very little cost.

Off the top of my head, I believe that the only Dolby item that we make sure we always have on the shelf is at least one CP750, because we receive requests to ship one ASAP so often that it makes sense. There is a critical mass of pre-2014 units in the field that are now succumbing either to level drop disease or the power supply board going out, and it's surprising how often the customer isn't interested in repairing theirs: they just want a new one, and as soon as we can get it to them.

I can understand it with level drop disease, especially as a new motherboard costs over half that of a new unit. But the power supply board is a very easy repair and a very cheap part, so I'm often puzzled as to why so many end users are willing to pay so much extra to replace the entire CP.

I guess it won't be long before new ones are no longer available. I'm guessing that when this happens, we'll take in those from customers who upgrade, and repair and resell on demand for as long as Dolby maintain availability of power supply boards and motherboards. Customers are reluctant to upgrade to 950s, for all the logistical reasons (not a drop-in, plug and play replacement) that have been discussed on F-T in the past.

[Steve Guttag]

To the best of my knowledge, the CP750 hasn't been available new, from Dolby for about a year now. Perhaps C19 made their last run survive a bit longer. We stock the CP750 power supplies...both in external and internal form (same supply...one just has a case and an 4-pin female "XLR."

We do stock things like we did for film projector it's just more selective now. For instance, we do have HDD in a couple sizes because they always are moving. We have Enigmas (mostly a hold over from before the v1.8 firmware) and a couple other select items that we notice will likely move at a greater rate than once per-year.

[Leo Enticknap]

That dual power supply arrangement in the 750 is weird. I'm guessing that they did it that way so that if the board inside the case craps out, the end user can get their unit working again without having to open up the unit. But surely a more economic and elegant approach would have been (a) if it was decided that no redundant power supply was needed, simply have the thing powered by a regular DC wall wart, which can safely be swapped out by someone with no technical training, or (b) if it was decided that redundant power supplies are necessary, using the dual pull-out modular ones of the sort installed in Dolby and Doremi rack servers?

[Steve Guttag]

Historically, Dolby always supplied their cinema processors with either dual supplies (all CPs for film except the CP200) or the option of dual supplies (CP200). What I liked about the CP750's scheme is that we would supply one external supply per complex. This way, you are not buying two supplies for every unit. It is easy enough to plug in the backup supply and now you know, on the next service call, to change the internal supply.

To not think that Dolby would have power supply issues is to not understand Dolby power supplies. The CP100 was the only "tank" when it came to power supplies. The CP850 is a server with a sound processor faceplate so its dual supply mimics that. The CP950 gets you to where you want where a low-skilled person can change the power supply itself. In fact, the beauty of the CP950 service is that you can remove most everything externally and leave the empty chassis in the rack with little more than a screwdriver.

[Leo Enticknap]

What I liked about the CP750's scheme is that we would supply one external supply per complex. This way, you are not buying two supplies for every unit. It is easy enough to plug in the backup supply and now you know, on the next service call, to change the internal supply.

Thanks - didn't think of that. There again, having it powered solely by a wall wart would achieve the same safety net, and have the added advantage that if it was one of a widely used rating (e.g. 12v/3a), a replacement could be obtained quickly and easily, from a wide range of vendors.

In fact, the beauty of the CP950 service is that you can remove most everything externally and leave the empty chassis in the rack with little more than a screwdriver.

They really pushed the modularity aspect of the design at the launch webinar I did for the 950. Chassis, motherboard, power supply module, touch panel/faceplate and Atmos card (if installed) - and that's it.

[Frank Cox]

added advantage that if it was one of a widely used rating (e.g. 12v/3a), a replacement could be obtained quickly and easily, from a wide range of vendors.

I don't think that would be seen as an advantage by an outfit that wants to sell you custom spare parts.

[Steve Guttag]

One has to be VERY careful when analog audio is involved (e.g. the output section of a CP750 or even a CP950) with the power supply. A LOT of switch mode power supplies are too noisy for the task and you will get HF noise on the output. There was a lull in the industry before the digital conversion and I had some extra time for some things, one of which, was to develop a switch mode conversion for the CP200 PS1(B). Only specify switch mode supplies worked with the low-noise needed.

I don't think you'll find that Dolby really wants to be in the power supply parts business. It's not a good business to be in as it also means if it is a good business for a product manufacturer, you've had a lot of problems. Furthermore, having the power supply as part of the unit means that each country of import has to have its own regulatory agency sign off on it. Witness their new IMS dock where they don't even supply a power supply but tell you what to get. Note too, on an IMS, the analog audio noise issue does not exist as even on an IMS3000, there is no analog audio on board.