Toslink cabling question...

[blinboom]

Hello,

I am currently getting ready to transfer in a few new components to our current studio setup. One of them, the MOTU 896 firewire unit requires both sync and toslink cabling between ADAT. Currrently the outboard fixed rack containg the ADAT's etc. is a 30 foot run from the proposed G4/896 setup. The studio is a bit tight on any rearranging possibilities (due to analog synths and positioning of the mixer with relation to the recording studio visibility). I have found 30 foot sync cables, but am unaware of the possible difficulties with long toslink runs or availability thereof. Any comments or ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

-Brad Linboom

[xstatic]

I may be wrong, but I believe you can buy relay boxes that allow you to extend your current lightpipe cabling without dropping signal.

[Scott Gould]

I've used both 30 and 50 foot lightpipe cables without any problems, but I might just have been lucky. I've heard reports of people experiencing bad jitter and even dropouts with longer cables. The repeater boxes which regenerate the signal will be a safer, though more expensive, option.

Scott

[JeffBarnett]

A repeater is the only "correct" way to solve this problem, as the spec for Toslink is only 30 feet. Longer cable runs may work, but no guarantees. The M-Audio CO2 will work as a repeater, and is cheaper than some otions I've seen.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Co2/