mike in tulsa Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Anyone have any thoughts on purchasing/using an empty PC Controller Enclosure to place your FM Transmitter outside near your light controller(s)?I have thought about purchasing an empty one, and using the strain relief to supply power, so the transfomer for the FM Transmitter can reside safely in the enclosure as well. This will allow me to not only safely house the FM Transmitter in a weatherproof container, but also a Mini Director so I can keep everything needed for the show outside and conveniently close to the light controller(s).Any thoughts/concerns, or other suggestions?Thank you,Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Cherry Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 I do just that, Have the EDM and Mini Director in the same enclosure. Works like a dream.The Mini Director is Velcro'd to the enclosure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike in tulsa Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 Thanks Jeff,That is a big savings ($9.34 vs. LOR $23.95).Dennis, I also want to thank you and for the idea of using velcro to seperate the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisquit476 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 This is what I use, EDM xmitter, Mini Director, and alarm in the same box, which is mounted on top of the same type box holding a controller. It's working great so far (first year with the EDM xmitter) Attached files Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-Paul Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Bisquit, that is a good lookign box. I dont know if it was you Jeff or another member. But I got turned on to Broadband store last year just before I bought my first two controllers. I put my PC kits in the 1000 model and I like them too, esp. at only 10 bucks each. Ya does not come with the strain relief, but I am ok with it.To whom ever that did turn me on to those boxes. Thanks, saved about 52 bucks just this past year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgardner518 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 bisquit476 wrote: This is what I use, EDM xmitter, Mini Director, and alarm in the same box, which is mounted on top of the same type box holding a controller. It's working great so far (first year with the EDM xmitter)How does it work? How do you get the audio out to the transmitter? It looks like the audio is coming out of your house via cat5, but how does it get converted to plug in the transmitter? And what did you use for a antenna? How do you make the plug? and Now did you get the power to your box? Whats the black box in the middle? Sorry there's so many questions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfing4Dough Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 My only concern would be if the units would get too cold at night depending where you live. EDM told me "The LCD display is rated to work down to 0° C but the unit itself generate some internal heat so it should work a bit below that rating." I would assume about the same for the MP3 mini-director. I put both in a small wood box I built with hinged front cover and have it just inside my garage (therefore don't have to worry about wood box not being waterproof and it is at least 15 degrees warmer in the garage, plus safer from theft). I bought a cheap refrigerator thermometer and put it inside the box too just to monitor the temp.Bought a cheap heat cable (made for reptile tanks) at a local pet store to have on hand in case temp dropped too low, but haven't even gotten close (low outdoor temp about 20 degrees, with in-box temp still above 40 degrees). May return the cable since I didn't use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-klb- Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 ny_yankee_25 wrote: bisquit476 wrote: This is what I use, EDM xmitter, Mini Director, and alarm in the same box, which is mounted on top of the same type box holding a controller. It's working great so far (first year with the EDM xmitter)How does it work? How do you get the audio out to the transmitter? It looks like the audio is coming out of your house via cat5, but how does it get converted to plug in the transmitter? And what did you use for a antenna? How do you make the plug? and Now did you get the power to your box? Whats the black box in the middle? Sorry there's so many questions?The top device is the EDM transmitter, and you see a heavy duty dual RCA to mini stereo cable on the right side of the case, connecting the EDM to the mini director. That mini director is playing the audio from a SD card, along with the LOR commands it is sending out on the cat 5 cable. The extra box handles an alarm loop on the unused pairs of the cat 5.What I am not seeing is how the mini director is only getting power when the show is supposed to run. Often the jumper would be removed inside the mini director, so that it is not powered from the string of controllers, and put a wall wart, like is driving the EDM, that powers the mini director, and gets powered up by a timer that determines when the show runs. But with only 32 channels, you could probalby put the right inlet of both controllers on a timer, and have the card logic, and power supply that is feeding the mini director only be on and powering the mini director when you want the show to run.As for temperature concerns, they probably don't apply in Florida. Elsewhere, the EDM LCD will have more concern about freezing than the mini director. After all the EDM has the Liquid Crystal Display that below some temperature will stop operating, and may eventually damage itself when it freezes solid at an even lower temperature. The mini director is more likely to have issues with thermal stresses, as the tiny bit of power it consumes heats it up from however cold ambient is. I would expect it to be much less of a risk than the LCD screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgardner518 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 -klb- wrote: ny_yankee_25 wrote: bisquit476 wrote: This is what I use, EDM xmitter, Mini Director, and alarm in the same box, which is mounted on top of the same type box holding a controller. It's working great so far (first year with the EDM xmitter)How does it work? How do you get the audio out to the transmitter? It looks like the audio is coming out of your house via cat5, but how does it get converted to plug in the transmitter? And what did you use for a antenna? How do you make the plug? and Now did you get the power to your box? Whats the black box in the middle? Sorry there's so many questions?The top device is the EDM transmitter, and you see a heavy duty dual RCA to mini stereo cable on the right side of the case, connecting the EDM to the mini director. That mini director is playing the audio from a SD card, along with the LOR commands it is sending out on the cat 5 cable. The extra box handles an alarm loop on the unused pairs of the cat 5.What I am not seeing is how the mini director is only getting power when the show is supposed to run. Often the jumper would be removed inside the mini director, so that it is not powered from the string of controllers, and put a wall wart, like is driving the EDM, that powers the mini director, and gets powered up by a timer that determines when the show runs. But with only 32 channels, you could probalby put the right inlet of both controllers on a timer, and have the card logic, and power supply that is feeding the mini director only be on and powering the mini director when you want the show to run.As for temperature concerns, they probably don't apply in Florida. Elsewhere, the EDM LCD will have more concern about freezing than the mini director. After all the EDM has the Liquid Crystal Display that below some temperature will stop operating, and may eventually damage itself when it freezes solid at an even lower temperature. The mini director is more likely to have issues with thermal stresses, as the tiny bit of power it consumes heats it up from however cold ambient is. I would expect it to be much less of a risk than the LCD screen.ok I see your setup is a sd card stand alone unit. I must have missed that. Sorry, I have a pc controlled unit. I don't think that would work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-klb- Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Actually, both of my shows are PC based also, one of them using three networks, so I need to stay with the PC based format, and have both transmitters indoors.But I do use a mini director for demo purposes, and I am working with an idea with a MP3 director for some interactive elements..However, it is possible to use a pair of audio baluns to convert the audio to a format that will go over unshielded cat 5 with good results. For example, two of these would work:http://www.markertek.com/CATV-Headend-Interface/CAT-5-Transmission-Systems/Audio-Over-CAT5-Systems/MuxLab-Inc/500030.xhtmlI know of a place where similar components are used to put the transmitter quite a ways from the show PC so that a short antenna cable can be used, with very good results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-klb- Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 The one I posted above would be ideal for the PC end, and here is the balun you would mate with it for the FM transmitter end:http://www.markertek.com/CATV-Headend-Interface/CAT-5-Transmission-Systems/Audio-Over-CAT5-Systems/MuxLab-Inc/500027.xhtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgardner518 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 -klb- wrote: Actually, both of my shows are PC based also, one of them using three networks, so I need to stay with the PC based format, and have both transmitters indoors.But I do use a mini director for demo purposes, and I am working with an idea with a MP3 director for some interactive elements..However, it is possible to use a pair of audio baluns to convert the audio to a format that will go over unshielded cat 5 with good results. For example, two of these would work:http://www.markertek.com/CATV-Headend-Interface/CAT-5-Transmission-Systems/Audio-Over-CAT5-Systems/MuxLab-Inc/500030.xhtmlI know of a place where similar components are used to put the transmitter quite a ways from the show PC so that a short antenna cable can be used, with very good results.To get the sound to cat5 i would use the above one, plug it in the headphone jack of the pc and plug cat5 in the end, than run to were need be, than use the adapter again to go back to the jack need to go into the transmitter? It looks so easy, it seams hard. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-klb- Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 It really is that simple. The one with the 1/8th inch stereo jack plugged into the PC, then a cat 5 cable, then the other one that goes from the cat5 to dual RCA, and plug the RCA into the transmitter. You do loose some bass, and some of the high end, as these are optimized for the mid range, which is the most important part to hear. But you do gain the ability, they claim to go up to 5,000 feet, and you gain a lot on noise immunity over shielded unbalanced cable. You also get ground loop isolation between the PC and transmitter, but you will probably loose a little signal strength in the conversions, and length of cat 5 cable. It should be easy to compensate for, by turning up the volume on the PC, or the gain on the transmitter input.Note that if you are using coax to extend from the transmitter by the PC, to a higher elevation antenna location, you are probably loosing a lot of power in the coax, that is never making it to the antenna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisquit476 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 ny_yankee_25 wroteHow does it work? How do you get the audio out to the transmitter? It looks like the audio is coming out of your house via cat5, but how does it get converted to plug in the transmitter? And what did you use for a antenna? How do you make the plug? and Now did you get the power to your box? Whats the black box in the middle? Sorry there's so many questions?The black box in the middle is the Mini Director, which gets it's power from a controller. The black box at the top is the EDM xmitter. The cables on the right side of the xmitter are the stereo line in's, they are part of an adapter wire which goes to the line out of the Mini Director. The cat5 wire goes from the Mini Director to the input side of the alarm, output side goes through the hole into the controller box. I installed a wire from the controller board to the ac receptacle that the xmitter is plugged into (again through the box to the controller, connecting to the connectors on the board where you would jump the board if you used only one wire to power both sides) The antenna is the thin wire from the left side of the xmitter, it goes down the side of the box, through a hole to the outside of the box and then wraps around the box. Attached files Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wbottomley Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Here's my set-up. I use a pc now... but still have the director in place the pc goes to far south. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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