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Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: caymanreview on August 20, 2003, 10:22:11 AM

Title: optical splitters?
Post by: caymanreview on August 20, 2003, 10:22:11 AM
i just bought one, i figured i would get one if anyone else at the show patching had another jb3 or a md

anyone ever use one of these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3041551081&category=14968&rd=1

i thought 8 bucks was a good deal myself
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: wrangler_n_space on August 20, 2003, 10:34:55 AM
I bought one of these this morning and was about to post it up.

Good find i think.
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: blu666z on August 20, 2003, 12:39:04 PM
Sweet, thanks for the heads up.  Get tired of swapping the optical for transfers from MD  and DAT at home.  Says it will work that way if your only playing one source at a time.

-Kevin
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: RobC on August 20, 2003, 02:18:17 PM
This should become a must for all MD patchers.

I know I have an unused optical out but can only give 1 patch a show, and if someone comes along with a JB3 the MD get bumped,  now people should be able to share the few optical outs available at shows.
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: blu666z on August 20, 2003, 03:20:13 PM
Can you split the signal after it has already been split?  ie.  One side of splitter to a Minidiscer and the other side being split again to run 2 more MD.

-Kevin
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: dklein on August 20, 2003, 03:48:52 PM
Hey - I'd love to know if it's actually just an optical device i.e. passive, no electronics.  At that price, it would be tough to put components in there!  Also - the fact that it's 2 way (2>1 or 1>2) says this thing is probably just a light splitter.

Do me a favor - shine a flashlight in one end and tell me if you see it on the other!

If so, the standard laws of physics will apply and your optical signal will have less than half intensity when split.  Don't know how many splits are cool before you have problems...

Cool idea regardless - I'd just hate to mess up everybody's recording by trying to share it!
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: zhianosatch on August 20, 2003, 03:55:06 PM
Excelent point, dklein.
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: JAH on August 20, 2003, 04:05:07 PM
Hey - I'd love to know if it's actually just an optical device i.e. passive, no electronics.  At that price, it would be tough to put components in there!  Also - the fact that it's 2 way (2>1 or 1>2) says this thing is probably just a light splitter.

Do me a favor - shine a flashlight in one end and tell me if you see it on the other!

If so, the standard laws of physics will apply and your optical signal will have less than half intensity when split.  Don't know how many splits are cool before you have problems...

Cool idea regardless - I'd just hate to mess up everybody's recording by trying to share it!

At $8, it most likely has multi fibers at one end (can't remember if it's 2 or 4 fibers) that split off to each side.  go to RAT SHAK and you'll see what I'm talking about.

They work fine. ;D

jah
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: Stumptown Matt on August 20, 2003, 05:13:44 PM
I used the optical splitter from radio shack back when I was trying to do the 2 MD thing and it didn't work very well for me.  It added spikes and pops to my recordings.  Hosa I believe makes a powered splitter that would probably work better or if every optical user just bought a CO2 you could daisy chain them via the coax ins and outs.
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: caymanreview on August 20, 2003, 11:41:57 PM
hmmm excellent points everyone
i do have a co2 i will probably bring along also

il be looking intot he hosa splitter also
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: Gary Hull on August 21, 2003, 12:06:40 AM
I can tell you from experience that you DO NOT want to use a splitter with the JB3.  When I was running  two minidiscs I was running an optical splitter and I would start the one minidisc, and then when it was time to change discs, I would let the other one run so that I didn't miss any of the music.  I could also let both of them record at the same time with no troubles.  Then I got the JB3 and I thought I would run the MD as a backup in case something happened to the JB3.  Well the MD records great, the JB3 is full of static and pops.  I don't know why it does this, but just a heads up.  The last thing you want to do is give someone an optical patch, and then you end up with a worthless copy.

Gary
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: caymanreview on August 21, 2003, 12:38:48 AM
I can tell you from experience that you DO NOT want to use a splitter with the JB3.  When I was running  two minidiscs I was running an optical splitter and I would start the one minidisc, and then when it was time to change discs, I would let the other one run so that I didn't miss any of the music.  I could also let both of them record at the same time with no troubles.  Then I got the JB3 and I thought I would run the MD as a backup in case something happened to the JB3.  Well the MD records great, the JB3 is full of static and pops.  I don't know why it does this, but just a heads up.  The last thing you want to do is give someone an optical patch, and then you end up with a worthless copy.

Gary

thanks man, theres the info i was looking for... guess that optical splitter was a waste of cah, should ahve asked first, i guess il use it in my home stereo or something

i ahve a c02,a nd just made a external battery for it, guess il lug it around just in case a fellow jb3'er shows up needing a patch, and i opnce patched with a md, so i gotta show them, some love as well
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: caymanreview on August 21, 2003, 12:48:47 AM
so, if i do bring along the co2 and the optical splitter, and there are only a coupld mds patching, it will be fine to use for them?
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: Gary Hull on August 21, 2003, 06:24:04 AM
That should be ok.  For some reason the optical in on MD's don't seem to be as sensitive as the optical in on the JB3.  Like I said, I have run, many times, both decks from and optical splitter and there is no difference in quality.  Now I was using Sharps, but I doubt if there is a difference between brands.
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: Sean Gallemore on August 21, 2003, 07:01:21 AM
fortunately there are no stealth MD patchers


lmao, that thought makes me giggle
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: wrangler_n_space on August 21, 2003, 08:19:55 AM
Well...shit.
Title: Re:optical splitters?
Post by: Sean Gallemore on August 21, 2003, 08:39:35 AM
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