What would be the use that allowed for 30 channels (per the pinout you linked) on a 37
pin connector? I can't see a logical use for that configuration in lighting or sound.
Literally spent almost six hours today in wiring up two 8-channel
truss snakes using this
plug for data. The first one in not having done one in a while took twice as long. This also given I had to de-solder pins on used plugs, pre-tin and insulate the drains and shields on my way digital grade
snake pairs
etc.
Someone unmentioned from our company like eight or ten years ago chose that Cursid
Socapex #337
plug for our
multi-pair snakes. Seemed good at the time, but as opposed to other brands with shorter male pins, these things
bend or break faster, and in general given a old bad design fall apart faster. Biggest problem is the male plugs lock up with use once the nylon washer
spacing it from the
plug head wears too thin, or for it's own reasons. The
truss distro box males seem to fail in their
panel mount versions faster than anything else. This even over at times the female side screw threads coming un-done from the
plug and leaving the rest in-tact just without screw threads.
Very expensive connectors/plugs - especially the exhange rate at this
point, and
Socapex (France) takes their own sweet time in shipping. Could be two months just for replacement pins. Can be six months for even a small order. Impossible to keep them in
stock especially since the exchange rate went out of wack yet I'm currently stuck with them as opposed to say WirlWin with it's own problems that I also use for other things. Literally hundreds of
multi-pair cables and boxes and panel mounts using the
Socapex #337
system at this
point, some of them waiting on parts back ordered from the company.
Socapex #337 I use for
multi-pair DMX a lot. I made the pinology choice for what was popular in the day for use. Back than we had Remote Focus Units for light boards that sent back on pins 4 & 5 the
power and data to the
unit in the
DMX cable. There was other gear that was time stamping out there than. I had to have pins 4&5 active to at least a few channels. That plus there was dual
channel Clear Com but I wasn't doing that other than keeping to specific channels in a 8-pair
FOH snake for
Clear Com thus leaving only six for
DMX.
That was
FOH snakes, for
truss snakes, they used all eight pair but in normal single pair snakes, only had pins 1-24 active as with today. Pin 25
thru 36 were for pin's 4&5 of
Circuit 1-6 with their paired drain
wire tied in with the drain for the
circuit they were linked to. Simple enough plan and thus a 16pair cable with two spare circuits not used, could work with a eight or twelve pair
snake with universal working.
In other words as a
system it works that one can use 37 pin for 8-pair
truss snake or 8-pair (
DMX universe)
FOH snakes. They would link up and it didn't matter the purpose in working. That other than cable failing or plugs failiing. Solder pins break,
crimp ones don't persay but are harder to get. Even invented a solder pin extracting hole saw for solder type pins in their hard bakealite like housing. Made out of stainless steel tubing sized to the pin, I cut notches in its tip and dremmel max speed away in melting the
pin out of the
plug. Than expoxy a new one saved from an old
plug, in to replace the old.
Crimp style takes longer to do and is better, but is also harder to get.
Eight universes of
DMX years ago was imagined to be very sufficient for touring needs. Na... not today, such even
truss snake combinations are getting limited given modern moving lights. At one
point our General Manager didn't want to invest too much into this
Soca system any longer. It was going to be replaced soon. He was correct in most of our
FOH stuff fiber or
ethernet at this
point, but wasn't that it wouldn't still be in use especially as
truss data snakes still. Not a temporary thing and we are stuck with a badly constructed and designed
plug in less an effort to
build more, than sustain what we have which takes effort.
At this
point I'm still attempting (while waiting for parts) to have another manufacturer or three make them for me in a better design and less lead time. Still waiting on such an option happening.
