CX242:
I
NSTALLATION AND OPERATION MANUAL
9
9 General
Notes
9.01 Earthing
The 0V rail of the CX242 is coupled to the chassis ground by a parallel resistor/capacitor
network and no interconnection problems should be encountered.
When several mains powered units are connected together via their signal cables, there
is a risk of one or more earth loops which may cause an audible hum on the system even
with the gain controls set to minimum.
The 'hum' can be remedied in several ways; the preferred method is to operate the output
links to the power amplifiers in the balanced mode, with the cable screen only connected
at the receiving end (amplifier input). The signal source units should be located as close
as possible to the CX242 and the metal housing of the various units should not be
electrically connected together through the equipment rack.
If this is a problem, rack isolating kits are available from specialist hardware suppliers. If
the problem persists, try to connect all the interconnected units, including the power
amplifiers to a common power source to ensure that a common ground is provided.
9.02 Unbalanced Mode
If the zone outputs are required to operate in the unbalanced mode, the unused pin of the
XLR type connector should be left with no connection.
The nominal output signal in this mode is -6dBu (387mV). The input gain controls may
require to be adjusted to provide the extra 6dB of gain.
10 Controlling the music functions using external DC control.
The CX242 can be used as part of an automated sound system by controlling the music
level and music source by an external 0-10V DC voltage. The 3 pole connector normally
used to terminate the RSL-1 control plate, can be used to feed two separate control
voltages into the CX242. Pin 1 is a ground (0V) termination common to both control
voltages; this should be connected to the technical ground (0V) of the voltage source. Pin
2 is the control voltage input for the music level and pin 3 is used to control the music
signal source selection.
10.01 Level Control
A maximum gain reduction of 60dB can be achieved with a control voltage of +10V; the
rate of attenuation is approximately 165mV per dB. A control voltage of zero realises unity
gain (full volume), however, with no external connection to pin 2, an internal 4k7 resistor
connected to the +15V power will ‘pull up’ the control voltage to provide maximum
attenuation. The output impedance of the control voltage source should be low enough to
overcome the influence of this resistor.
10.02 Source Select
Here are details of the source select control voltages (pin 3) required to switch the four
line input signals:
Line
1
+8.50V
Line
2
+7.00V
Line
3
+4.50V
Line 4
0.00V
15/07/02 V4
