using 500 in 51x.

[served]

Hi.

I saw somewhere that there is somekindof stopper to plug inside the 18pin card slot so that it would act as a limiter for 500 card.
Can anyone share information with me?

There are problems with 51x rack as people are burning power rails by inserting the 500 cards inside the 18pin slot.
There is a high risk of misplacing them. Some sort of stopper would be great to have but I have not found anything like it.

It could be something that can fill up the rest of 3 pins from the 18pin connector - this I could probably make outof plexy glass.
It could also be something that only fills one pin space as 51x card has a cut inside the 16th pin.

Any ideas or thoughts?
It could be a really cheap thing and something the 500 world would love.

Best regards
Ardi Mäesalu

 

[okgb]

After blowing a couple fuses and that being a little bit of a drag to change
I simply made some spacers out of perf board, allot of things will work for this.

 

[[silent:arts]]

My opinion still is: if you don't hot-plug the modules, and screw them down, no attention is needed.

 

[joaquins]

I like this...

My opinion still is: if you don't hot-plug the modules, and screw them down, no attention is needed.

But if you have no time to turn off the PS or don't have any screws, maybe remove 16 pin, make a hole from side to side at that point and cross something hard (insulated preferred) throw it, so the edge will let this inside and the 15 pin will go over it. Just an idea.

JS

 

[bruce0]

Someone mentioned in a thread using a small piece of wire tie… cut to make a spacer (thin enough to go in the slot on a 51x card between pin 15 and 17… apparently they just put it sideways in pin 16.

 

[served]

Digikey is offering something like this
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/PLA-K1/PLA-K1-ND/30996
But this would not work.

 

[[silent:arts]]

But if you have no time to turn off the PS or don't have any screws, ...

What have you done with your screws? 
In normal studio use you have that time to switch off the PSU.
If it is a live-broadcast situation you normally have a fixed set-up.
Use 15 pin connectors for the 15 pin modules.

I know people are using the modules more and more like a plug-in in the computer,
and are just too lazy to switch off and screw down.
Would they exchange tubes or ICs while power is on? Probably not.

 

[[silent:arts]]

BTW, I just found this, and this is for VPR only modules and Racks:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/688323-hot-swapping-500-series-modules.html

If VPR is not designed for hot-swap application, how could it be in the 51X world.

 

[served]

It would be nonsense to swap the preamp modules while the power is on.

No way should one do it! Powering the PSU off would take maybe 10 sec.
This will bring even more risks to paly.

But still there should be a stopping plug to make 500 preamp users feel safer.

 

[[silent:arts]]

But still there should be a stopping plug to make 500 preamp users feel safer.

Disagree. Feeling safer = more people trying to hot-swap.
Without any card guides a no go.

(and I'm sure most blown fuses are coming from hot-swapping)

 

[sahib]

...... hot-swap.
Without any card guides a no go.

+1

 

[dmnieto]

I shiver in fear thinking what would happen if somebody hot-plugs any of my boards, and fails.



Please don't

 

[served]

We should all start Anti-hot-swapping campaing and inform people not to do this.
It would be very difficult to detect if it was a hot-swap failure or something else.

Though I am going to make a stopper to use with 51x while using 500 cards.
How-swappers are not welcome!

 

[bruce0]

I don't hot swap, but apparently many do. Other than shorts and misalignment, I wonder what the potential damage or problems are for analog only gear, anybody know?

Inrush current to charge caps?

Asymmetric application of power to op-amps (can some of them latch up if they are powered up one rail at a time?)

Anything else?

 

[[silent:arts]]

I don't hot swap, but apparently many do. Other than shorts and misalignment, I wonder what the potential damage or problems are for analog only gear, anybody know?

At work I do hot swap a lot (from Neumann modules up to modern digital stuff).
For both, it must be mechanically safe. Card guides where you can't misalign, connectors impossible to misalign etc.
The API500 is not meant to do this. The API200 is no problem.

 

[[silent:arts]]

[might be a good idea to move this to the Drawing Board or Lab]

 

[sodderboy]

One big no-no is that you will slowly damage the edge of the plated voltage supply traces at the end of the board when you connect hot.  There is big chemistry in a little spark.  Add the 15/18 position difference and I would not do it.  I do not do it with 500 racks either.
I have learned over the years that it is mostly cool to hot pull things, but not to hot plug.  This is equipment dependent of course- if you have an open board module next to a vintage API 550 I would NOT hot pull the API as it could short the exposed board next door.  I hot pull SSL 9K modules, but do not return them hot.  4K E modules with mic transformers were notorious for blowing module fuses on the neighbor channel but many techs hot pulled and plugged playing the odds.  Best practice is to do all module and card transitions unpowered.  Not busy enough that you need more work for yourself?

When I review the Charlie Foxtrot situations along my life line, they are almost always the result of my actions trying to SAVE TIME.  I make a point now of trying to remember this before cutting corners in the present.

I use pieces of large (1/4" or 5mm wide) tie wrap as keys in those amphenol/elco connectors.  The keys that they sell are made of nylon as well, so why not?
Mike