This is topic DIY DTS TC Cables? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 04-22-2002, 09:37 PM:
Anyone ever whip up your own timecode reader cables for DTS? What is this in the manual about Serial Data To/From Remote Terminal? Is that used? Otherwise it's just +5V, GND, TC, and the LED drive line. If you could live without the latter (just watch the box) it looks like plain old Belden audio cable with 2 wires + shield & ground would do it.
Posted by Josh Jones (Member # 447) on 04-23-2002, 03:13 PM:
Are those serial connections on the same pins used by a computer? perhaps a breakout cable was interfaced to a computer to talk to the DTS unit while at the projector. Just a thought.Josh
Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 04-23-2002, 04:57 PM:
More often than not, I make my own DTS and now Dolby digital cables.For the DTS cables, I've always used 9-cond shield. It is a cable we stock so I have never bothered to try and "beat the system."
The serial data to/from is listed on my drawing as "not necessary for the reader to operate" so I suppose you are right.
Steve
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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"
Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 04-23-2002, 06:10 PM:
The DTS timecode cable is very simple. For a one-projector system, you really only need to use pins 1 (TC out), 9 (LED drive signal in from player), 5 (+5DC power from player), and a ground (pins 6, 7, ot 8). The cable must be fully shielded and the connector shells must be common to chassis (earth) ground.Karen at DTS
khultgren@dtsonline.com
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 04-23-2002, 06:15 PM:
Josh -- FYI, the pinouts for a standard PC serial cable with a DB9 connector are:pin 1 - DCD
pin 2 - RCV
pin 3 - XMT
pin 4 - DTR
pin 5 - GND
pin 6 - DSR
pin 7 - RTS
pin 8 - CTS
pin 9 - RNG
(can you tell that I've been making a lot of serial console cables lately? don't get me started talking about Annex terminal servers...)
Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 04-23-2002, 09:01 PM:
In a pinch, even pin 9 may be omitted. It's purpose is to light the green LED on the reader. Again, I normally just hook up all 9...then again I often have 2-projector screens 
Thus I need pin-2 as well.
Steve
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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"
Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 04-24-2002, 03:54 PM:
Personally, I would not leave off pin 9 = you're asking for trouble. As Steve metioned, "in a pinch" or temporarily is okay.Karen at DTS