Topic: sla battery pack question...

[save]

do the xlr's u use for making a sla battery pack have to be 4 pin?  can u use the 3 pin xlr?  do any local stores (radio shack, best buy, custom audio video) carry these 4 pin xlr's or is my best bet buying online?

[BCostigan]

You can use a 3 pin if you want....most people use 4 pins because they are the industry standard.

Not sure if rat shack has them or not.

[F.O.Bean]

You can use a 3 pin if you want....most people use 4 pins because they are the industry standard.

Not sure if rat shack has them or not.

brian, are you sure you dont need 4pins???i guess you wouldnt cause youonly use 2pins anyway, but the layout would change, no???

[caymanreview]

just designate a certain pin positive and a certain pin negative

4 pins are cool because you can have 2 totally different layouts for 6v and 12v, and that would keep you from plugging in a 6v device to 12v hopefully

[BCostigan]

You can use a 3 pin if you want....most people use 4 pins because they are the industry standard.

Not sure if rat shack has them or not.

brian, are you sure you dont need 4pins???i guess you wouldnt cause youonly use 2pins anyway, but the layout would change, no???

You don't have to use a 4 pin.  The 4 pin, like caymanreview said is just to keep you from plugging a 12 volt source to a 6 volt device.  

This could even be done with a 3 pin.   just be sure the middle pin is negative and make the outer pins hot.  If you create a standard for yourself (ie pin 1 is always +6 volts and pin 3 is always +12 volts) then you'll be all set and you'll never be able to inadvertently power up with the wrong voltage.

[jpschust]

you guys miss the entire point of why we use 4 pins, it really seems to have little to do with the issue of 6 vs 12 v.  It has to do with grabbing cables and accidently plugging them into other sources.  the reason we use 4 pins is that they indicate a power transfer, not a mic or line level.  1/4" jacks are used to indicate line level, XLRs are used to indicate mic level.  They are all interchangable if you change both sides, but thats the real reason why everything changes.

[crunchy]

also if you use the 4 pin XLR there will be more people in the section that could offer you power if your batts die.