Cable Length/Type for KBox

[Walter Biscardi]

I haven’t experimented at all with lengthening those cables, but what we did here was to move both G5’s out of the edit suites and into the equipment rack with the K-Box. This way the G5’s, K-Box and all VTR’s are in one place.

My VAR set me up with 75′ Cat 5 cables with appropriate connectors to run the keyboard and computer monitor feeds to the Rack. Then we just run one set of long video cables back from the rack to the main NTSC monitor.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
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[Bob Zelin]

Hi Chris –
do not extend the cables between the Kona 2 and the K Box. The K box is designed for rear rack mount. Many people don’t have this capability, so if you are in a 19″ rack box with no rear support, buy Middle Atlantic rack rail, and screw it into your 19″ box, to rear mount your K Box. There always is a way to jury rig a rear mount for the K box.

Many people use KVM extenders, like the Gefen CAT 5 5000HD, which allow you to do what Walter described – put all the CPU, drives, K box, etc. in one area out of the room near your VTR’s, and use CAT 5 cables to drive your DVI monitors, and USB keyboard/mouse. This keeps your audio/video cable runs short as well.

bob Zelin

[David Langley]

Hi,
I had the same problem and asked AJA about this. They said that 6 foot cables (the ones that come with the KBox) are the maximum length that can be used, nothing longer. Alas, but that’s what they said.

Since I have an isolation rack with no rear rails, my workaround was to mount the KBox to the back of a 1-space rack shelf, and then mount my patchbay in front of the box and the shelf’s rack ears, so that the rack screws hold both in place.

Hope this is (somewhat) helpful.

Cheers,

David Langley
Editor/Designer
Pictures & Players

[Bob Zelin]

David –
the solution to your “isolation rack box with no rear rack rails” is easily resolved.
Middle Atlantic and Raxxess sells rack rail that can easily be screwed into your
iso rack box, so you can properly mount your K-Box.

the Middle Atlantic RRF-2 is a 2 rack unit rail rail kit, that costs about $6.00 (six dollars US) that you can get from http://www.markertek.com, and you will have a properly mounted K-Box. You use generic 1/2″ wood screws to mount the rack rail into your iso rack box.

Bob Zelin