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DCS 900E User Manual

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dCS 900E / 902E
Analogue to Digital Converter

User Manual

Software versions 1.3x to 1.5x
th
12
June 2000
© 1994, 1996, 2000 dCS Ltd
All rights reserved. Reproduction of this manual in any manner whatsoever,
1
without the written permission of dCS
is strictly forbidden. Additional copies of
this manual may be obtained from dCS.
Information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice, and
whilst it is checked for accuracy, no liabilities can be accepted for errors.
1
dCS Ltd is Data Conversion Systems Ltd. Company registered in the England no. 2072115

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Summary of Contents for DCS 900E

  • Page 1: User Manual

    Information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice, and whilst it is checked for accuracy, no liabilities can be accepted for errors. dCS Ltd is Data Conversion Systems Ltd. Company registered in the England no. 2072115...
  • Page 2 900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Page 2 Manual part no: DOC0029021E1 Document No: OS-MA-D0002-902.1E1 Contact on + 44 1799 531 999 email to: more@dcsltd.co.uk (inside the UK replace + 44 with 0)

  • Page 3: Product Features

    RODUCT EATURES Formats PCM at 32, 44.1 or 48 kS/s. dCS 902E only: PCM at 88.2 or 96 kS/s. Data formats supported are: AES/EBU (XLR), SPDIF (RCA Phono), SPDIF optical (Toslink) and SDIF-2 (BNC). dCS 902E only: Dual AES (XLR) Syncing Master mode or can sync to Word Clock or AES reference.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    June 2000 CONTENTS Product Features....................3 CONTENTS ......................4 About this Manual Warranty Using Your dCS 900 / 902 For The First Time........... 6 Product Overview What’s in the Box? Mains Voltages Installing Unit in a Rack Getting Started The Hardware – Controls and Connectors ............ 10...

  • Page 5: About This Manual

    - please tell us. Warranty Your dCS 900 or dCS 902 is guaranteed for a period of 12 months against faulty workmanship or materials. Warranty repairs should only be carried out by dCS or an authorised distributor.

  • Page 6: Using Your Dcs 900 / 902 For The First Time

    Remote software Mains Voltages The dCS 900 / 902 is shipped with its mains voltage preset for operation in the destination country. The voltage is not intended to be changed by the user. If it needs to be changed, contact your dealer or dCS.
  • Page 7 900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Page 7 Manual part no: DOC0029021E1 Document No: OS-MA-D0002-902.1E1 Contact on + 44 1799 531 999 email to: more@dcsltd.co.uk (inside the UK replace + 44 with 0)

  • Page 8: Getting Started

    Figure 1 – Recording with a dCS 900 / 902 Set up like this, the dCS 900 / 902 will operate in Master mode, and the system it is connected to will (have to) lock to it. You should have audio.
  • Page 9 Note that all the outputs are active simultaneously on the dCS 900 / 902. If the mode the unit is in needs them to be different, they will be – otherwise they will be the same, and may all be connected to external equipment simultaneously if required.

  • Page 10: The Hardware - Controls And Connectors

    AES A & B Digital Outputs 3 pin XLR male (2 off) Two AES/EBU outputs which may be used independently. dCS 902 only: They may also be used as a Dual AES pair at 88.2 or 96kS/s. SDIF-2 CH1, CH2 Data...
  • Page 11 PC. Remote Out may be connected to another suitably equipped dCS unit, allowing several units to controlled by the same PC. In addition, the unit may be software upgraded without removing the lid by downloading new software via the Remote In port.

  • Page 12: Front Panel

    A to D Converter Data Conversion Systems Figure 3 – Front Panel The dCS 900 / 902 uses a combination of front panel buttons for frequently changed functions and a step through menu for features you might set and forget.
  • Page 13 “digital” sound due to the abrupt chopping off of the low level signal information. To avoid this, the dCS 900 / 902 allows proper truncation of the data and uses Noise Shaping to maintain low level performance. See the section on “Word...
  • Page 14 The overload indication given by the dCS 900 / 902 is comprehensive. The detection circuitry monitoring the digital filter does not simply check the final output word but all the data from which the output word is formed.

  • Page 15: Table 1 - Reference Clock And Sample Rates

    For Menu operation as the button, see the section “The Software – The Menu” on page 18. Mode Display dCS 902 only: The single digit LED mode display to the right of the Output Format button shows the output format: Output Format Display...
  • Page 16 Ltd June 2000 dCS equipment encodes messaging into the various data streams to enable receiving equipment to tell what is going on, and to decide which wire is which, in the unlikely event of user wiring errors. Not all equipment from other...
  • Page 17 900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Page 17 Manual part no: DOC0029021E1 Document No: OS-MA-D0002-902.1E1 Contact on + 44 1799 531 999 email to: more@dcsltd.co.uk (inside the UK replace + 44 with 0)

  • Page 18: The Software - The Menu

    OFTWARE Overview The dCS 900 / 902 has many other functions that either need to be accessed only occasionally, or are informative in nature. These functions can be accessed either by the Remote software, running on a PC and connected to the unit by an RS-232 link - or (in most cases) by the Menu.

  • Page 19: The Menu Sequence

    900E : Use Master/Slave button to alter RS232 address. dCS 902E : Use Menu Up & Menu Down buttons to alter RS232 address, Tone Level and Tone Frequency. To exit the Function Menu, either select the End item or wait five seconds.

  • Page 20: Menu Items

    904. In the dCS 900 & 902, they are permanently set to Off. Tone This accesses a sinewave test generator. On the dCS 900, the tone is fixed at and Off. 1kHz and -18dB0. Press to toggle it On the dCS 902, the tone level and frequency can be adjusted.
  • Page 21 IMPORTANT! Each unit in a daisy chain MUST be set to a different RS-232 address. BNC O This feature is available on the dCS 904 only. In the dCS 900 & 902, it is permanently set to SDIF. Ref In...
  • Page 22 900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Offst dCS 902 only: Trims the appropriate VCXO frequency- in master mode, by up to ±9.9ppm in 0.1ppm steps. Use the Down buttons to change this setting, hold a button down to accelerate the change.
  • Page 23 900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Page 23 Manual part no: DOC0029021E1 Document No: OS-MA-D0002-902.1E1 Contact on + 44 1799 531 999 email to: more@dcsltd.co.uk (inside the UK replace + 44 with 0)

  • Page 24: Typical Applications

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 YPICAL PPLICATIONS Six Channel Set Up Sync’ed to AES Reference CH1 & 2 dCS 900 / 902 Remote CH1(L) CH2(R) Sensitivity Reference In...

  • Page 25: Six Channel Set Up Sync'ed To Master Clock (Aes)

    AES/EBU Figure 6 – Six Channel Set Up Sync’ed to Master Clock (AES) do this: Set the dCS 992 Master Clock to the sample rate you wish to record at and set the recorder to slave to it. A-SL do this: For all 3 ADC’s, set...

  • Page 26: Six Channel Set Up Sync'ed To Word Clock

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Six Channel Set Up Sync’ed to Word Clock dCS 900 / 902 Remote CH1(L) CH2(R) Sensitivity Reference In Output A Output B Output C...

  • Page 27: Six Channel Set Up Sync'ed To Master Clock (Word Clock)

    CH5 & 6 Figure 8 - Six Channel Set Up Sync’ed to Master Clock (Word Clock) do this: Set the dCS 992 Master Clock to the sample rate you wish to record at and set the recorder to slave to it. A-SL do this: For all 3 ADC’s, set...

  • Page 28: Operating Several Units On One Remote Chain

    AES/EBU Figure 9 – Multi-unit Remote Daisy Chain The PC can control several dCS units (up to about 5) of different types on each daisy chain. To make them individually addressable, each unit needs its RS-232 address to be different. They can then be identified, and grouped, in the remote window.

  • Page 29: Recording Dual Aes On A 4-Track Recorder

    DIG1+2 DIG3+4 Figure 10 – Recording Dual AES on a 4-Track Recorder do this: Set the dCS 902 to the sample rate you wish to record at (88.2 or 96kS/s) Ref In and select a Filter. If and set the Output Format to 2.

  • Page 30: Dcs 900 / 902 Technical Information

    NFORMATION Anti Alias Filtering The dCS 900 & 902 offer a choice of 4 anti-alias filters on most sample rates. These filters affect the ultrasonic part of the spectrum - 20 kHz upwards. The unit is an ADC, with an output data rate set by the interface standard used.

  • Page 31: Clocking

    The highest quality clocks that are available are crystals, so we use these. In Master mode, the dCS 900 & 902 use one of two on-board voltage controlled crystal oscillators (VCXOs) as clock sources – one for 48 kS/s related outputs and one for 44.1 kS/s related outputs.

  • Page 32: Sample Alignment

    June 2000 Sample Alignment The dCS 900 & 902 align samples such that Word Clock out aligns with AES3 samples out, the rising edge of word clock aligning with the start of the first illegal code in the X,Z subframe preamble and the falling edge aligning with the start of the Y subframe preamble.

  • Page 33: Figure 13 - Word Clock In To Word Clock Out, 96 Ks/S

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 When Word Clock in is used as a sync source, in and out are related as below. The lower waveform is the output, the upper one is the input. The misalignment is less than about 40 nsecs.

  • Page 34: Figure 15 - Aes3 In To Aes3 Out, 96 Ks/S

    40 nsecs. Input is at the top of the displays, output is at the bottom. Signals are at the sockets on the dCS 900 & 902, and the unit was slaved to AES Ref In. Figure 15 – AES3 in to AES3 out, 96 kS/s Figure 16 –...

  • Page 35: Figure 17 - Word Clock In To Aes3 Out, 96 Ks/S

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 AES3 data out is also related to the phase of Word Clock in. The scope shots below were taken with the unit sync’d to Word Clock.

  • Page 36: Noise Shaping

    Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Noise Shaping The dCS 900 & 902 use noise shaping that is optimised to the F weighting curve . It does not affect signal frequency or transient response, but shapes the frequency response of errors (Q noise, or truncation errors) so that they fall as much as possible in the less sensitive part of the spectrum.

  • Page 37: Figure 19 - 1 Order Noise Shapers Implemented On Dcs 90X

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 1st Order Noise Shape Plots 32 kS/s 44.1 kS/s 48 kS/s 88.2 kS/s 96 kS/s 176.4 kS/s 192 kS/s Frequency (kHz) Figure 19 – 1...
  • Page 38 900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 9th Order Noise Shape Plots 32 kS/s 44.1 kS/s 48 kS/s 88.2 kS/s 96 kS/s 176.4 kS/s 192 kS/s Frequency (kHz) Figure 21 – 9...

  • Page 39: Digital Interface Specifications

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Digital Interface Specifications Input Output AES/EBU (AES3) Type Balanced, differential Ω Impedance Sensitivity (unloaded) 1 ~ 10 V pk-pk Maximum Wordlength bits Damage level >...

  • Page 40: Table 7 - Spdif (Optical) Output Specifications

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Output SPDIF optical) Type Optical Maximum Wordlength bits Wavelength Connector Toslink EIAJ CP-340 Table 7 – SPDIF (optical) output specifications Input / Output...

  • Page 41: Analogue Input Specifications

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Analogue Input Specifications Balanced Inputs Type Balanced Format AES14 : 1992 Impedance kΩ kΩ CMRR 50 Hz >100 dB, spec 50 Hz >120...

  • Page 42: Aes3 (Aes/Ebu) Format

    DCS1 Destination: null For more information on the way dCS implement the AES3 system message to handle higher sample rates, see the Appendix to this manual. For the formal definition of the AES3 interface, see footnote , from the AES.

  • Page 43: Figure 22 - Aes3 Format At 48 Ks/S Over 16 Metres

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 How Far will it Go? The AES/EBU format was designed to go reasonable distances, at 44.1 kS/s and 48 kS/s. Figure 22 and Figure 23 below show it over 16 m and 94 m using average cables.

  • Page 44: Figure 24 - Aes3 Format At 96 Ks/S Over 16 Metres

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Figure 24 – AES3 format at 96 kS/s over 16 metres Figure 25 – AES3 format at 96 kS/s over 94 metres Page 44 Manual part no: DOC0029021E1 Document No: OS-MA-D0002-902.1E1...

  • Page 45: Spdif

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 SPDIF Message Handling The SPDIF interface (sometimes known as the Consumer AES/EBU interface) transmits a data structure that conforms to the IEC 958 standard.

  • Page 46: Figure 26 - Sdif-2 Pcm Format At 96 Ks/S

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 SDIF-2 PCM Format The SDIF-2 interface is a 4 wire NRZ interface - so the DC level on each signal line may not be constant. It contains 20 bits of audio data and has a block structure of 256 stereo samples, rather than the 192 of AES/EBU.

  • Page 47: Table 10 - Sdif-2 Message Table

    Ltd June 2000 Figure 27 – SDIF-2 PCM format at 44.1 kS/s SDIF-2 Messaging The SDIF-2 message is given in the table following. The dCS 900 & 902 implementation sets all bits of the User message to "0". DESCRIPTION Definition...

  • Page 48: Power Consumption

    June 2000 Power Consumption The dCS 900 & 902 have a linear power supply, and so power consumption changes as the mains voltage changes. The internal regulation is comparatively efficient for a linear supply, so these changes are kept to a minimum.

  • Page 49: Size, Weight And Operating Conditions

    Operating Conditions The case of the dCS 900 & 902 have no ventilation slots or fan cooling, to give: • quiet operation (does not need to be installed in a machine room) •...

  • Page 50: General Technical Information

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 ENERAL ECHNICAL NFORMATION Word Length Reduction Word length reduction (truncation) causes an error signal to be added to the wanted signal. The error signal is usually referred to as “Q noise” or Quantisation noise –...

  • Page 51: Table 11 - Dither And Noise Shaping Noise Powers

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Straight forward dither always adds noise – it can only produce signals with a noise floor higher than Q noise on its own. However, the noise power added is a few dBs for simple types.

  • Page 52: Figure 28 - Noise Shaping And Dither Spectra

    This seems to dCS to combine the worst of all worlds – the high noise floor in the 0-6 kHz area of straight dither, and the high total noise of noise shaping.

  • Page 53: Figure 29 - Truncation Only Spectra

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Spectra of -90dB 24 bit sinewave truncated to 16 bits with dither options dCS 972 SW v1.54 44.1 kS/s sampling, 1.44 kHz input, 1024...

  • Page 54: Options

    900 & 902 units. If you are in any doubt, please contact your Distributor or dCS. In general, these will be carried out at dCS, because we have extensive test facilities and can verify the changes.
  • Page 55 900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Page 55 Manual part no: DOC0029021E1 Document No: OS-MA-D0002-902.1E1 Contact on + 44 1799 531 999 email to: more@dcsltd.co.uk (inside the UK replace + 44 with 0)

  • Page 56: Maintenance And Support

    • no dust deposits build up to degrade performance. All parts are replaceable or upgradeable by dCS, for a period of at least five years from the date you purchased your unit. If your unit is damaged in some way, please contact your Distributor or dCS.

  • Page 57: Software

    Safety and Electrical Safety There are no user serviceable parts inside the dCS 900 & 902 and so there is no need to remove the covers, apart from front panel software updates. If for some...

  • Page 58: Troubleshooting

    HOOTING Error Codes and Messages The error codes reported by dCS 900 & 902 provide an effective means to diagnose the majority of problems that may be encountered in use - including problems with the overall system the unit operates in, internal device warnings and internal device failures.

  • Page 59: System Messages And Error Codes

    Table 13 - System Error Codes Trouble Shooting Your System If you experience difficulties when using your dCS 900 / 902, the following suggestions may help to resolve the problem. The unit fails to power up •...
  • Page 60 It is likely that if the dCS 900 / 902 says it is in overload, it is. You can choose to ignore it! •...

  • Page 61: Dcs Support

    We value our customers, and we want to make products that do what you want. If You Need More Help Contact dCS. Our office hours are 8:00 am to about 7:00 pm, Monday to Friday, UK time (UTC in summer, or UTC + 1hr in winter). Contact us by phone or fax...
  • Page 62 900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 NDEXES AND OFTWARE ERSION UMBERS This manual is for software versions 1.3x to1.5x. v1.3x changes: Word Clock & AES Reference synchronisation improved. v1.5x changes: 904 related enhancements and hardware harmonisation.

  • Page 63: Figure 2 - Rear Panel

    Functions Test Generator Ease of Use CONTENTS ......................4 About this Manual Warranty Using Your dCS 900 / 902 For The First Time........... 6 Product Overview What’s in the Box? Mains Voltages Installing Unit in a Rack Getting Started The Hardware – Controls and Connectors ............ 10...

  • Page 64: Figure 5 - Six Channel Set Up Sync'ed To Aes Reference

    900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 A-SL Offst Typical Applications ..................24 Six Channel Set Up Sync’ed to AES Reference Six Channel Set Up Sync’ed to Master Clock (AES) Six Channel Set Up Sync’ed to Word Clock...

  • Page 65: Figure

    Periodic clicks occur in the recording The unit fails to slave to a Master Clock The Overload indicator will not go out External meter does not show overload, dCS 900 / 902 does. dCS Support ...................... 61 I wish ..
  • Page 66 Table 13 - System Error Codes................. 59 Table 14 – dCS Phone Numbers ................ 61 Figures Figure 1 – Recording with a dCS 900 / 902 ............8 Figure 2 – Rear Panel ..................10 Figure 3 – Front Panel..................12 Figure 4 –...
  • Page 67 900E / 902E User Manual Manual for Software Versions 1.3x to 1.5x dCS Ltd June 2000 Keywords and Phrases AES X,Z subframe..........32 Mode, master ........3, 8, 14, 31, 32 AES Y subframe ...........32 Mode, slave ............60 AES, dual............15, 60 Noise Shaping ........9, 13, 16, 36...

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