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Aura8ip / Jan 2012
G E N E R A L I N F O R M A T I O N
I/O Connections
All input, output, Ethernet, control and power connections are made on the rear
of the Aura8ip Blade.
The audio I/O connections are via DB-25 or RJ-45 connectors on the rear of the
unit, and the two types of connectors are electrically in parallel.
There are two RJ-45 connectors associated with networking, one Gigabit port
and one 100BaseT port. Only the Gigabit port is currently supported.
Refer to the Chapter 1 of the Wheatnet‑IP Audio Over IP Network manual for
detailed wiring information.
Cable Considerations
The AES Digital input and output connections should be made with high quality
digital audio cable. Typical AES/EBU cable has low capacitance per foot (pF/ft) and
a nominal impedance of 110 ohms.
Avoid using run-of-the-mill analog audio cable for AES digital signals because
this type of cable may have an impedance of 60 ohms or less and can cause problems
in medium length cable runs and severe signal recovery issues on long runs. Like in
the RF world, using the proper impedance cable is critical to obtaining the best and
most reliable performance. Check with your favorite cable manufacturer to ensure
that the cable you have chosen will work for you.
Connectors
All connections other than AC power are made thru rear panel DB-25 connectors
and/or RJ-45 connectors. The DB-25 crimp style connector pins will accept wire
sizes 22 through 28 AWG. For the RJ-45 audio connections Wheatstone recommends
using XLR to RJ-45 adapters at the source (to the Blade) or at the destination (from
the Blade) and to provide a proper strain relief for those adapters. Obviously using
RJ-45 to XLR adapters can also be done on the back of the Blade, too, but doing it
this way might make things a bit crowded.
When using a stereo XLR to RJ-45 adapter for AES digital signals only the XLR
connector for channel one is used.
The Aura8ip will accommodate digital input signals with a wide range of sample
rates. Those signals will be sample rate converted to the Aura8ip internal sample
rate of 44.1 or 48kHz, which is set for the WheatNet-IP system, or for a stand alone
Aura8ip, using the Navigator GUI.
Aura8ip / Oct 2012
