Rane HAL1x Design Guide - Page 48

HAL SYSTEM DESIGN GUIDE NOTE FOR DRAG NET USERS: Digital Remotes serve a similar function as the Smart Remotes used with Dragnet products. There is a key difference, however. Smart Remotes are multi-drop devices that must be daisychained together. Because they share bandwidth and power, the more Smart Remotes you connect, the slower the communications and the more sag in power delivery. DRs, on the other hand, are each connected directly to the HAL System and are, therefore, able to provide consistent, high performance. In addition, unlike Smart Remotes, you no longer have to worry about device addresses, cable length, cable termination, troubleshooting of the wiring, or complex processes for linking controls to audio processing. DR Grounding Careful grounding of DRs is important for optimum performance. Except for the DR4, all RADs and DRs are powered from the +24 VDC & Ground twisted pair located within the shielded CAT 5e (or better) cable connecting them to the HAL system of multiprocessors. The exposed metal of all RADs and DRs is connected to the ground conductor inside the cable and to the cable shield when properly terminated. The shield conductor and the ground twist are in parallel and are connected together at both cable ends. Except for in the RAD16z, this in turn connects the HAL/audio equipment rack grounding point and the metal (if used) junction box mounting the RADs and DRs. NOTE: For some electrical systems (e.g., isolated grounding systems - sometimes called a single point or star ground) the grounding procedure outlined above may short two fingers of the building ground system. If this creates a problem, then use of non-conductive junction boxes, or insulating mounting methods are recommended (or very much required!). Available Digital Remote Models Following are the types of DRs currently available for your HAL System. The DR models available will vary over time as Rane's engineers ponder and design new and better ways to remotely control an audio system. For the most current list of DRs, see the Rane website. NOTE: Several of the DRs mount inside a US one-gang or two-gang switchbox (DR1, DR2, DR3, and DR5). See the Rane website for a detailed listing of acceptable models of switchboxes. Note that the Decora plates are also included with the DR1, DR2, and DR3. NOTE FOR DRAG NET USERS: Remember the SR3 remote for Drag Net systems and how it was too wide to allow the mounting of two or more of them beside each other in a standard switch box? You will be happy to know that the HAL System DRs can be mounted directly beside each other in any combination, allowing you to use several DRs in the same two, three, or four-gang switchbox. NOTE: DR1, DR2, and DR3 display screens are dynamic, automatically updating when the available options change through preset activation, room combining, and so on. Therefore, the user always sees the options that are currently available. 44