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Build new A/V cabinet
for Nazareth Hall.
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Project Details – We have a nice sound and video system for Nazareth Hall. The one problem with it is that it is somewhat complicated to connect and operate. The projector and main amplifiers are located in a room on the second floor. Video is projected through a window in this room onto the south wall of the hall. The video and sound input is through two portable carts. One cart (audio cart) contains the mixer and wireless microphone receiver. The other cart (video cart) contains a computer, DVD, VCR, audio cassette and CD players. The audio cart can be connected to wall jacks located along the walls of the hall. The video cart is connected to wall jacks located on the south wall only. If sound is needed with the video, the video cart must be connected to the audio cart. To coordinate these pieces and interface them with the audio equipment, a source selector was added. It requires 12 cables to be connected in order to use both audio and video together. It took an eleven page manual to explain how to use this two rack system. This needs to be simplified in order for it to be useful.
With changes in technology this system could be greatly simplified. Most video is in DVD format. Most audio is in CD format. Computers nowadays have DVD/CD readers built into them. The video rack could be reduced down to just a computer and the interface needed to drive the projector. The wall plate should be upgraded so that a standard VGA cable could be connected to the wall from the computer. The computer’s sound card would plug directly
The audio rack was designed so that it could be connected to any of the wall plates. Microphones were then connected to any of the other wall plates since they are all wires in parallel. If video is being used, the audio rack has to be plugged into the wall plate next to the video wall plate. This makes the paralleled audio wall plates less useful. To simplify the audio rack a four channel (minimum) snake box should be built and the main audio cable reduced down to the one connector needed to feed the main amplifiers.
A new rack needs to be built or purchased that can hold the audio equipment and a computer. The rack needs to be more stable than the old rack which was tipsy.
Project Leaders – Tim Elmer & ????
Status – Some research has been done on simplifying the cabling. We need to find/build a new rack.
Video Rack
Audio Rack (covers removed)
Video Wall Connections
Audio Wall Connections
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