my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Controlling mute and fader on a CP-65

Author Topic: Controlling mute and fader on a CP-65 Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 07-10-2015 09:00 AM                     I won't be at the cinema again to try this until Tuesday, and I want to have it ready as soon as I get there. How do you mute the CP-65, does the terminal have to be held down while you want the output muted, and allowed to float back up to restore it, or does a momentary relay contact toggle the mute on and off? if the latter, how long a pulse is required to activate it? Has anybody managed to control the CP-65 fader from Ethernet? I thought somebody must make the electronic equivelent of a pot which can be controlled over a network, but I can't find such a thing.  |  IP: Logged Stephan Shelley Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 854 From: castro valley, CA, usa Registered: Nov 2014 posted 07-10-2015 10:47 AM                     The mute is momentary pulse to toggle the setting. It is the same duration as the format buttons. Works the same way as the mute button on the front panel. Also if the sound is muted a format change will automatically cancel the mute.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 07-10-2015 10:59 AM                     Thank you.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-10-2015 01:26 PM                        One issue with the CP65's mute function is that it is a toggle, so there is no convenient way for an automation system to "force" a mute (because closing the "mute" contact will just unmute the processor if the operator has engaged the mute button manually). These people have some interesting devices including RS232-controllable potentiometers. Using a terminal server or similar device, you could hack together an Ethernet-controllable volume adjustment. I would be kind of surprised if Crestron and/or Extron did not have something similar. At that point, though, you might be better off considering an upgrade to a newer processor.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 07-10-2015 02:01 PM                     Scott, I would only want to do this in a digital show, and mainly when dropping out to an insert in some non-DC format, get the server to control DMA, A/V switcher, Cine-Ipm etc. and then pause itself while the insert is run. We need to do this if the insert is something which is brought in just before the show, and there isn't time to make a DCP of it. Some of the projectionists struggle to change settings on several different devices in a couple of seconds. The toggle problem should be easy to fix, the 35 mm machines would not be in use at the time, so put in a cue to select a film format, this makes no sound, and will force the mute off. Then pulse the mute toggle and the mute will be active. I have a reason for not just leaving it in film mode, due to some other equipment which is connected to the system. Those pomtialometer boxes look like what I'm after,but they are quite expensive, and the smallest has eight ports. Maybe I can find a circuit somewhere and build my own. Budget is zero, as usual. Due to poor health, lack of money, and no passport I haven't been over there for over five years, but I'm hoping to be coming over again in a few months, and want to do the train trip from NYC to Chicago which I was planning, but never managed to do.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-10-2015 03:23 PM                     Did not penny wise make a volume controller for the cp65 that was rs232  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-10-2015 04:42 PM                     Yep...the DF-1 box (Digital Fader). Worked with most analog systems. We used it at the AFI to allow Crestron to have have control over a CP200 too (as well as the EMK-1s to monitor the CP200). Note, depending on the automation, one can monitor the mute tally or even the fader tallys to see if the system is muted or not and based on that execute the mute (set up a conditional command).  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-13-2015 07:21 PM                        Stephen--if you take that train trip, let me know how it is. The train to Chicago (the "Lake Shore Limited") is intereting in that half of it starts in NYC and half of it starts in Boston. The two half-trains meet in Albany and are coupled there, and the combined train runs from Albany to Chicago. It is then possible for passengers to take the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco for a complete coast-to-coast train trip. I am not sure how long that takes. Boston to Chicago is just about twenty hours and NYC to Chicago should be similar.. I am only familiar with the trains that Amtrak runs on the eastern half of the US. The western trains are double-deckers that (I am told) are more spacious and comfortable (not that the eastern trains are bad at all).  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 07-13-2015 08:23 PM                     quote: Scott Norwood It is then possible for passengers to take the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco Technically, the train doesn't go anywhere near San Francisco. You get off in either Emeryville or Oakland, CA, and then they stick you on a bus for a ride over the Bay Bridge and into SF. I've taken several Amtrak trips. The train is great - - but on two trips there were problems with Amtrak's bus connections forcing passengers to wait over 2hrs to get to San Francisco. (You could have caught a public transit bus or the BART train and gotten there in less than half that time) The Amtrak station in Emeryville isn't far from Pixar's studios.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 07-14-2015 09:48 AM                     quote: Steve Guttag Yep...the DF-1 box (Digital Fader). Worked with most analog systems. We used it at the AFI to allow Crestron to have have control over a CP200 too (as well as the EMK-1s to monitor the CP200). Steve, can this thing work as a stand-alone device, without an automation system? It's no longer listed as being available, and there are none on Ebay, but if I can find one somewhere it sounds like this could do what I want. I don't suppose that anybody here has a spare one which they would sell?  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 07-14-2015 10:28 AM                     Stephen - when you say 'controlled over Ethernet' - what is that Ethernet coming from? A DCI server/automation command? From what you write above, I do not understand what you are trying to achieve and what your existing equipment is and doesn't support. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-14-2015 10:41 AM                     I would start by contacting Film-Tech. Last I heard, they could supply the DFC-1 with their FT-21 automation. I have no idea as to their current status of manufacture though. I'd suspect that there are some now on trash heaps when film systems were removed.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.