Otari Mx5050BQii 4 channel deck XLR to RCA problem :SOLVED:

J

Jzoha18

Member
Hello
I got an Otari MX5050BQii which from what i can tell in the manual is Pin 3 Hot. I bought some monoprice XLR to RCA cables for the I/O of the machine and connected them with 1/4 TS adapters to my Mackie CR1604 channel access outs and i got no signal on the VU meters. The manual lays out the wiring and i attempted it and ruined a cable. can someone point me in the direction of some cables or adapters for this deck as my soldering is too bad and i do not want to mess with the decks wiring. Can someone point me to an adapter or cables or some sort of switcher so i can use regular XLR to RCAs with the deck without any soldering? Heres what the manual says about the connections
LINE INPUT CONNECTOR WIRING: For unbalanced inputs using two-conductor shielded cable, wire the male XLR-connector as follows: 1. Connect the signal leads of a cable to pin 3 (high) and pin 2 (low) of the connector. 2. Connect the cable shield to pin 1 of the connector. 3. Connect a jumper from pin 1 to pin 2 of the connector. For unbalanced inputs using single-conductor shielded cable, wire the male XLR connector as follows: 1. Connect the center conductor of the single-conductor shielded cable to pin 3 of the connector. 2. Connect the cable shield to pins 1 and 2. LINE OUTPUT CONNECTOR WIRING For unbalanced outputs using two-conductor shielded cable, wire the female XLR connector as follows: 1. Connect the signal leads of the cable to pin 3 (high) and pin 2 (low) of the connector. 2. Connect the cable shield to pin 1 of the connector. 3. Connect a jumper from pin 1 to pin 2 of the connector. For unbalanced outputs using single-conductor shielded cable, wire the female XLR-type connector as follows: 1. Connect the center conductor cable to pin 3 of the connector. 2. Connect the cable shield to pin 2 of the connector. 3. Connect a jumper between pins 1 and 2 of the connector.
 
Step 1 with these Otari machines is you have to verify pin 3 is actually hot. And whether or not it is balanced. I believe the base machine was unbalanced pin 3 hot, but it is not uncommon for that to be swapped to pin 2 internally, and/or it may be balanced because there was an optional balancing kit. So open it up and see what you have. If it is pin 2 hot, your cables are taking the signal and shunting it straight to ground.
 
sweetbeats said:
Step 1 with these Otari machines is you have to verify pin 3 is actually hot. And whether or not it is balanced. I believe the base machine was unbalanced pin 3 hot, but it is not uncommon for that to be swapped to pin 2 internally, and/or it may be balanced because there was an optional balancing kit. So open it up and see what you have. If it is pin 2 hot, your cables are taking the signal and shunting it straight to ground.
Click to expand...
I think i read somewhere i can test this with just a multimeter and the prongs on the XLR without opening the machine up? I ask because the company and their tech who sold me this are in close contact with me and while they were ok with me opening the bottom panel to reseat the channel 4 board on a call i dont think they would want me getting inside and trying to mess with the XLR's. They are being very kind to me. Are you talking about using a ohm meter? on the pins? thanks for the reply!
 
sweetbeats said:
Step 1 with these Otari machines is you have to verify pin 3 is actually hot. And whether or not it is balanced. I believe the base machine was unbalanced pin 3 hot, but it is not uncommon for that to be swapped to pin 2 internally, and/or it may be balanced because there was an optional balancing kit. So open it up and see what you have. If it is pin 2 hot, your cables are taking the signal and shunting it straight to ground.
Click to expand...
I have the manual for this deck. Most posts online about the 5050 are not for the one i have. I have the 4 track 4 channel 1/4 deck. so ive had some trouble. but i just looked in the manual and this is what it said

"LINE OUTPUT connectors Male XLR connector with un- balanced output. load impedance : 600 ohm or greater level : +4 or -8 dBm at 0 VU, selectable with on-board switch Maximum output level: +21 dBm with a 600 ohm load 3 LINE INPUT Female XLR connector with un-connectors balanced input. Input impedance: 50 kohm Minimum input: -6 dBm or -18 dBm, selectable with on-board switch. "
 
I was talking about just removing the screws from the jack panel to look at the connections to the XLR jacks. If they won’t let you do that then set your DMM to resistance (ohms) and measure across pin 1 and pin 2, and then pin 1 and pin 3. If either measurement results in a short circuit, then you know it is unbalanced and which pin is the signal conductor.
 
Jzoha18 said:
I have the manual for this deck. Most posts online about the 5050 are not for the one i have. I have the 4 track 4 channel 1/4 deck. so ive had some trouble. but i just looked in the manual and this is what it said

"LINE OUTPUT connectors Male XLR connector with un- balanced output. load impedance : 600 ohm or greater level : +4 or -8 dBm at 0 VU, selectable with on-board switch Maximum output level: +21 dBm with a 600 ohm load 3 LINE INPUT Female XLR connector with un-connectors balanced input. Input impedance: 50 kohm Minimum input: -6 dBm or -18 dBm, selectable with on-board switch. "
Click to expand...
Right. As I said the base factory configuration is unbalanced, thought that section doesn’t tell you which pin is the signal conductor. But from memory the factory configuration on that generation of Otari machines is pin 3 is the signal conductor.
 
sweetbeats said:
I was talking about just removing the screws from the jack panel to look at the connections to the XLR jacks. If they won’t let you do that then set your DMM to resistance (ohms) and measure across pin 1 and pin 2, and then pin 1 and pin 3. If either measurement results in a short circuit, then you know it is unbalanced and which pin is the signal conductor.
Click to expand...
I turned on the deck and ran the ground on pin 1 and the hot on 2 and 3 at 200 and 2000 ohms but it seems both applications are creating ohm readouts that jump around. i honestly am not doing it well. i noticed the pin 2 would jump into negative digits and sometimes drop down to nothing where as 3 was consistently jumping up in ohm reading. im sorry im making this really confusing :cry:
 
You don’t need to have the machine on.

Just set your meter to ohms, put one probe on pin 1, then the other on pin 2, note the reading, then move it from pin to to pin 3 and note the reading.

[EDIT]

It doesn’t matter which probe goes to what when you’re measuring resistance because you are measuring across two points, vs measuring a polar amplitude like when you’re measuring DC voltage.
 
sweetbeats said:
You don’t need to have the machine on.

Just set your meter to ohms, put one probe on pin 1, then the other on pin 2, note the reading, then move it from pin to to pin 3 and note the reading.

[EDIT]

It doesn’t matter which probe goes to what when you’re measuring resistance because you are measuring across two points, vs measuring a polar amplitude like when you’re measuring DC voltage.
Click to expand...
I did the test but weirdly im getting similar readings on pin 2-3 around 160-190 on the ohm meter. sometimes it drops down to 001-005 on pin. i keep trying it it looks like pin 3 creates a readout more often than not and pin 2 is usually not giving me a readout but sometimes it does but this is most likely the probes moving as this is a tricky test to do at the angle i have the deck at
 
Can you re-read your last post and edit to make any corrections? You say you are getting “similar readings on pin 2-3” but I didn’t suggest you measure between pins 2 & 3. Are you meaning you are getting similar readings when measuring between pins 1 & 2 as compared to measuring between pins 1 & 3? Details really, really matter when trying to communicate in writing about this stuff. And then further along you say “sometimes it drops down to 001-005 on pin.” Pin what? Details matter.

And why are you trying to probe the XLR pins directly if it’s an awkward angle? Make it easy on yourself so you can get some accurate measurements, otherwise it’s a time waste. Plug a regular XLR to XLR cable into one of the inputs on the Otari so you have the female end of the XLR cable in your hand, and then just insert your meter probes into the sockets on the female cable end.
 
sweetbeats said:
Can you re-read your last post and edit to make any corrections? You say you are getting “similar readings on pin 2-3” but I didn’t suggest you measure between pins 2 & 3. Are you meaning you are getting similar readings when measuring between pins 1 & 2 as compared to measuring between pins 1 & 3? Details really, really matter when trying to communicate in writing about this stuff. And then further along you say “sometimes it drops down to 001-005 on pin.” Pin what? Details matter.

And why are you trying to probe the XLR pins directly if it’s an awkward angle? Make it easy on yourself so you can get some accurate measurements, otherwise it’s a time waste. Plug a regular XLR to XLR cable into one of the inputs on the Otari so you have the female end of the XLR cable in your hand, and then just insert your meter probes into the sockets on the female cable end.
Click to expand...
my apologies for the bad reply. I was up recording into the morning. sorry i was being dumb about it ill do what you said now
 
Ok so shoving the probes into an xlr cable pin 1 to 2 is dead and pin 1 to 3 reads out similar reads to what i posted before 160-190. Im pretty sure this deck is pin 3 hot. The manual basically states as such and the tech who restored it i talked too said he was unaware of the pin 3 configuration on this model but hes seen it on other otari decks so this deck appears to have not been rewired. if it was rewired pin 2 hot. my xlr to rca snake coming out of the direct outs of my mackie certainly would have moved the meters correct? it works fine with my other decks so its not the mixer or the cables. It has to be the decks wiring. what do you think?
 
Jzoha18 said:
Ok so shoving the probes into an xlr cable pin 1 to 2 is dead and pin 1 to 3 reads out similar reads to what i posted before 160-190. Im pretty sure this deck is pin 3 hot. The manual basically states as such and the tech who restored it i talked too said he was unaware of the pin 3 configuration on this model but hes seen it on other otari decks so this deck appears to have not been rewired. if it was rewired pin 2 hot. my xlr to rca snake coming out of the direct outs of my mackie certainly would have moved the meters correct? it works fine with my other decks so its not the mixer or the cables. It has to be the decks wiring. what do you think?
Click to expand...
Yes pin 3 hot, unbalanced. You say pin 2 is dead. You mean dead short or open circuit to pin 1? This is important.
 
sweetbeats said:
Yes pin 3 hot, unbalanced. You say pin 2 is dead. You mean dead short or open circuit to pin 1? This is important.
Click to expand...
it does not appear to be a dead short but that its open to pin 1. the manual actually describes a jumper from pin 2 to 1 for building 2 conducter cables if that helps
 
In electronics a short is a direct connection, essentially no resistance. “Open” means no connection. So pins 1 & 2 are not shorted, but not open? Maybe let’s do this: what is the resistance measurement between pins 1 & 2?
 
sweetbeats said:
In electronics a short is a direct connection, essentially no resistance. “Open” means no connection. So pins 1 & 2 are not shorted, but not open? Maybe let’s do this: what is the resistance measurement between pins 1 & 2?
Click to expand...
it is reading 1.
 
What does your meter read when the probes are connected to nothing?

What does your meter read when you connect your probes to each other?
 
the meter reads 1. when nothing is connected
when connected together the meter reads 00.5-00.8
i just tried the hosa adapter and still got nothing. actually it defeats the entire signal from the entire mixer via channel access (Mackie CR1604). Im a little bit confused now. how in the world can i get a line level signal in and out of this deck?
 
should i just buy the parts and wire up the cables according to the manual? the shitty monoprice cables i have are difficult to resolder. my personal technician mentioned an issue even after the pin config is solved about running low z outputs with hi z cables and signals that would require a box to correct. im really confused. lots of guys run these otari decks im aware others have my problem but what am i missing here?
 
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