Extension Cables

[NeedaMegaLaser]

Hi there. I am fairly new to using ILDA and QuickShow. My question is regarding extending the cable(s) so I can place my lasers on a truss. I am sure one cable or the other is better recommended to prevent line losses. From reading some of the posts, I see there are actually 2 different DB25 cables, one specific to ILDA ? So, for all you purists out there, should I use a say 35' USB cable with a built-in repeater, or should I use a 35' DB25 extension cable ? I have purchased many different cables from mycablemart.com as I have found them to be very reliable, and inexpensive, and would like to get one or the other ordered quickly. Thanks very much !!

[dnar]

Luckily ILDA uses pin 25 for the ground screen, so using D25 cables wired pin for pin to suit the old PC printer port are perfect. Francesco here sells good ILDA cables.

Don't bother with USB extenders, been there tried that, not good. You would need a USB 2.0 model, most are 1.1 and QS turns to poo with them. Many here also use 2 x CAT5 runs with D25 to RJ45 adapters on each end. Works well, I have one for when I require > 50M runs.

[NeedaMegaLaser]

I suspected the DB25 cable was the way to go even though they are bulkier and heavier than USB cables. Strange, a guy at Pangolin told me USB would be fine but I had my doubts. It's odd that Pangolin doesn't speak to extending cables in the instructions that comes with QuickShow, nor on their website. I would assume that most everyone would want to extend the short cables that come in the kit at some point.

Luckily ILDA uses pin 25 for the ground screen, so using D25 cables wired pin for pin to suit the old PC printer port are perfect. Francesco here sells good ILDA cables.

Don't bother with USB extenders, been there tried that, not good. You would need a USB 2.0 model, most are 1.1 and QS turns to poo with them. Many here also use 2 x CAT5 runs with D25 to RJ45 adapters on each end. Works well, I have one for when I require > 50M runs.

[Galvonaut]

Welcome to the forum NeedaMegaLaser. Where in the world are you?
I have had to extend the distance from my laptop to FB3 too and use a 3m? usb cable (I think the maximum recommended without extender) and a 30 ft DB25 ilda cable.

I think I will probably go Cat5 (ethernet) rather than ilda over cat5, although if you are UK based, Rob Stanwax sells some nice little ILDA to Cat5 adapters. Rob has used them successfully on some very long runs!

Keith

[NeedaMegaLaser]

I am in Canada. Thanks for the tip !!

[Stuka]

If you'll check the Pangolin forums, you'll find they have tested & recommend a very specific brand & model USB extender (USB over Ethernet) for use with the FB3.
It's a but pricey, so if your installation permits, DB25 cables or Rob's adapters are probably the least expensive way to go.

Keep in mind if planning to use Rob's adapters, each projector connection requires 2 CAT5 cables between the adapters
(Rob's adapters don't convert the signal - they spread the ILDA signal connections over the two Ethernet cables. Very cool! )

Randy

[Galvonaut]

they spread the ILDA signal connections over the two Ethernet cables. Very cool! )

Great idea. It's a lot cheaper than ILDA data cable, easier to install and cheap enough to leave it at the end of a gig, if your time is worth less than the cable.

[Sandstorm]

What do you use if you have >100m distances for a few channels? I've had some events where I needed to extend 200m ilda from two different DACs... I took all the ilda cables lying around and managed to stack 2x200m pieces... but it's very inconvenient, heavy and expensive. Rob's ilda -> 2xCAT5 looks like a solution for one DAC... but rolling 4xCAT5 or more doesn't seem convenient either... Have you come up with a solution to this?

By the way, what channels does Rob's adapter omit? CAT5x2 = 16 channels, means ILDA-9... so, 6 for deep blue/yellow/cyan, 12th ilda pin is not used anyway... where goes last 2? z pos?

[dnar]

I think ultimately that a TCP/IP network is the best solution.... If only Pangolin, Etherdream and Rita would all speak a common language... Standards are the key.

Thats the pisser, too many standards..

[Galvonaut]

Thats the pisser, too many standards..

Agreed dnar!

TCP/IP seems like the way to go. I've also heard people talking about OSC but not sure if this can be used in a similar way?

Keith