Heavy Duty Ethernet for the Axe-Fx II and MFC-101

[bkrumme]

But... you can't use an Ethercon connector on the MFC end without modifying the chassis to accept an Ethercon connector. It's an RJ45 jack.. so you would need a cable that had RJ45 on one (MFC) end, and an Ethercon on the other.... which sort of defeats the purpose of using Ethercon in the first place. Right?

Yes. It does.

BTW, I went ahead and ordered one of these and it's sturdy as all hell:

Best-Tronics Mfg., Inc.: BT-0964-XXX

 

[TylerDurden]

The connector I had in mind snaps around the pre-existing RJ45 so it locks into the EtherCon Jack which leaves me with RJ45 to EtherCon CAT5 cable out to foot controller. Why do all this? I dig my rack. Same reason I had chrome caps on my bike..

 

[Thomas-Hawk]

The connector I had in mind snaps around the pre-existing RJ45 so it locks into the EtherCon Jack which leaves me with RJ45 to EtherCon CAT5 cable out to foot controller. Why do all this? I dig my rack. Same reason I had chrome caps on my bike..

LOL, love the chrome caps on your bike reference.

Any chance you could post some pics of your current setup?

 

[Thomas-Hawk]

Yes. It does.

BTW, I went ahead and ordered one of these and it's sturdy as all hell:

Best-Tronics Mfg., Inc.: BT-0964-XXX

Looks like a good choice, bkrumme. The blue jacket that is projecting the connector... specifically the clip on the connector... is key. Folks, that's what you need to be looking for in a quality CAT5 cable for use with your MFC101. Make sure the cable has the jacket that covers the end of the clip on the connector. That is the piece most likely to break, and it's what also keeps the connector firmly attached to the RJ-45 port.

 

[TylerDurden]

Here's a pic of the bottom of my rack..

 

[Thomas-Hawk]

Thanks for posting the pic, makes total sense now.

Yeah, it looks like what you linked to earlier in the thread is exactly what you need. Then run a short CAT5 cable from the back of the NE8FDP to the RJ-45 input on the back of the Axe-II.

Cool idea, BTW. I like nice neat cable management.

 

[TylerDurden]

Thanks. I'd show the rest of the rack but there is a giant 2 rack space hole in it til sometime after June 6th!!!

 

[ThatGuitarGuy]

We use these at my job as a sound tech for our Digico snakes. They are the closest I've seen to a typical audio cable. As you can see its pretty smooth and wraps well. I haven't had a chance to see where to buy them but wanted to get a pic up for you guys asap.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

 

[etneccas]

It begs the question; how long a cable can you use with the Axe II and MFC? Ethernet is rated at a 100 meters, which isn't being used. What's the max distance for this thing?

300'max...........Running alot of cat6 for video monitors lately
the signal degrades beyond 300' anything over is run with fiber optics

 

[srooijens]

This seems like a cool idea to me... at least the rack panel part. I would probably do the coupler thing at the pedalboard end instead of trying to modify the floor controller itself. What is the connection on the other side of that panel-mount Neutrik socket? Just a standard RJ45 connection? And what kind of rack panel are you using to mount this to?

I don't think I've got any pics of the rack panel at the moment but I'll see if I can snap one this evening (band rehearsal)

There are different versions of the connectors:
Neutrik - Data Connectors - etherCON D Series

Some have pcb mount, punch down terminals, others have another RJ45 on the back side. I'm using the 'RJ45 feedthrough receptacle' version.

S.R.

 

[oddb0d]

I remember using a CAT5 for my G-System and the one I had was too stiff. It wouldn't lay flat on the stage and always caused problems. When someone gets one of these CAT5's can you tell me if they are better? The benefit of MIDI and guitar cables for that matter is they are designed to be used on stage and studios, and therefore lay flat. CAT5 cables are designed to interconnect computer (or similar) devices where laying flat isn't a priority.

I am concerned with the same thing. I want the CAT-5 cable to lie flat on the stage. I don't want to be forced to bring gaffer tape everytime. Has anyone found a solid cable that has some flex?

 

[bkrumme]

I am concerned with the same thing. I want the CAT-5 cable to lie flat on the stage. I don't want to be forced to bring gaffer tape everytime. Has anyone found a solid cable that has some flex?

The ones I originally posted feel like guitar cables. They *should* lay as flat as you can get a guitar cable to lay.

 

[electronpirate]

IMO.

I used to run the Valvetronix, which used CAT5. After a couple of cable failures (just plain usage...no real abuse) I finally just bought a cheap garden hose that I put any old cheap ass cable into. Cut off the ends of the hose, slice it lengthwise (so you can peel it back and don't have to try to thread cable through the whole line...) and voila, instant protective system.

Ron

 

[jdolll]

Fwiw, I bought one of those upjacketed cat5 cables from bestronics that was linked earlier in this thread. It is great, pretty much like guitar cable in every way, lays flat, wraps up nicely. Was about $40 for a 40 ft cable. I do like electron pirates such though! Very utilitarian!

 

[jproxu]

Is it possible to put RJ45 ends on regular audio snake cable as long as there are 8 wires? I will be using the snake cable I now use with a Line6 Pod X3 Live to send signal to a Banshee talk box using the rear outputs of the Axe-FX II. I'd rather not have to cable tie a separate Cat5 cable to my snake. Anyone tried making a cat5 out of standard shielded snake cable?

 

[ThatGuitarGuy]

Van Damme Tourcats. Seriously. They're tour ready and we use them when doing sound for our live events with our Digico board. They're just as nice as guitar cables and I have no problems wrapping them either.

It's a good thing since the cable that I'm talking about is 150 feet and would be a pain to wrap otherwise.

You'll have to buy the cable from someone and then buy the plug for it which they can put on as well. They don't sell it like a cable at guitar center but you decide the length and the kind of cable connector. Just google "vandamme tourcat" and different suppliers will come up.

You can get it with the neutrik connector if you want.

 

[bkrumme]

Van Damme Tourcats. Seriously. They're tour ready and we use them when doing sound for our live events with our Digico board. They're just as nice as guitar cables and I have no problems wrapping them either.

It's a good thing since the cable that I'm talking about is 150 feet and would be a pain to wrap otherwise.

You'll have to buy the cable from someone and then buy the plug for it which they can put on as well. They don't sell it like a cable at guitar center but you decide the length and the kind of cable connector. Just google "vandamme tourcat" and different suppliers will come up.

You can get it with the neutrik connector if you want.

Looks like that's a shielded cable as well (Cat 5e STP where the STP means Shielded Twisted Pair). For control purposes that might be overkill, but if the features and price are right I don't see why it wouldn't be a good solution.

 

[jproxu]

I think my question was just answered. It appears that a Cat5 cable can be made with the STP wire that is in a standard analog audio snake as long as there are 8 corresponding wires to be connected to the RJ45 jack. I am not a techie by any means but I'm pretty sure that this should work. Any feedback on this is appreciated.

 

[bkrumme]

I think my question was just answered. It appears that a Cat5 cable can be made with the STP wire that is in a standard analog audio snake as long as there are 8 corresponding wires to be connected to the RJ45 jack. I am not a techie by any means but I'm pretty sure that this should work. Any feedback on this is appreciated.

Just be sure it's actually Shielded Twisted Pair cable and it's the right gauge wire for an RJ45 connector. What kind of snake is it?

 

[jproxu]

My bandmate that owns a recording studio used standard 6 lead snake cable. He installed three 1/4 in TRS jacks, 1 xlr jack, 1 5 pin midi jack and one lead to run power to my Pod X3 Live. When I get the Axe-FX II and MFC-101 I will no longer need some of those connectors. I want to use available shielded leads to make the equivalent of a Cat5 cable so that I can power the MFC-101 and run signal from the rear outputs of the Axe-FX to a Banshee Talk Box with the 2 TRS leads. I'm trying to avoid having to run a separate Cat5 cable.