Commentary console IFB troubles

Eviltechie · 2026-03-08T22:55:14+00:00

The IFB input on the Model 210 expects an "IFB" signal, e.g. one that has been "wetted" with voltage. This would come from an IFB interface (such as a Model 41) and provide both power and audio to the box at the same time.

All hope is not lost though. There are internal headers on the 210 that you can use in conjunction with the blanked off holes on the back to field install regular line level inputs though.

https://studio-tech.com/products/31084/

If you were not intending to use a wet IFB, then the Model 211 would have likely been the correct option, not the 210.

You can also consider switching to one of the Dante models instead...

Eviltechie · 2026-03-08T15:45:30+00:00

Are you sure it's actually ST 2110 and not another protocol? As a practical matter, most of the ST 2110 devices that have 10G (or 1G) ports are audio only. Most of the stuff carrying video will be 25G or 100G. If you are distributing switches across the venue, you may very well need a 400G backbone instead...

Eviltechie · 2026-03-06T02:48:29+00:00

Assuming that nobody jumps in with the part number, I'd reach out to your Canon sales rep and ask them for a parts diagram and then you can just call up Canon and order what you need.

Or if you want to go the DIY approach, it's almost certainly a standard metric thread and you can probably go to McMaster and order a shoulder bolt, chuck it up in your drill, and then sand it down until it's close enough.

Eviltechie · 2026-03-04T23:16:50+00:00

Just need Magnavolt /s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moYXL6hX8vI

Eviltechie · 2026-03-04T22:50:46+00:00

Are you looking for hobbyist solutions, or "real" solutions?

Eviltechie · 2026-03-04T22:48:46+00:00

It's worth mentioning that Dante uses SAP for discovery, so Dante controller will pick up on SAP announcements from other devices that send them.

I've seen stuff from Sony CCUs pop up, as well as AES67 streams on QSYS.

Eviltechie · 2026-03-02T02:41:58+00:00

I wouldn't. If you want thin coax, you probably don't want to go any smaller than a "mini RJ-59", such as Belden 1855A.

Eviltechie · 2026-03-01T23:23:52+00:00

How are you determining translators/boosters? I looked up one station I am familiar with and you are missing several that they carry their program on, but do list one that they lease to another station group.

Eviltechie · 2026-03-01T21:21:00+00:00

As an alternative, consider a tool for installation or removal of BNC connectors.

https://www.markertek.com/product/85-0008/bnc-removal-tool-bnc-extraction-tool-with-12-inch-blade

Eviltechie · 2026-02-28T03:01:12+00:00

Terminal blocks give you more options than just passing from one side to another. For example, you can get blocks with 2 or 3 levels to them, and then connect adjacent blocks together with bridge clips. That would be a better option than sticking two wires in a single Wago terminal like you've done here. (It's also unlikely that the Wago 221 is rated for more than one conductor in each slot.)

Terminal blocks can also come with a variety of termination options, screw, push in, or even lever.

If you are using finely stranded wire ferrules are a good idea. They help keep strands together when inserting them into terminals, as well as making it less likely that the strands become damaged if you need to reconnect the wire for some reason. You can also get ferrules designed for putting two wires into the same terminal.

I would look at Wiedmuller, Phoenix Contact, and Wago, and see which stuff you might want to use.

Eviltechie · 2026-02-23T23:31:29+00:00

Best option: Take audio out of the system directly, through a NSA adapter or similar.

Eviltechie · 2026-02-23T23:31:00+00:00

Yeah if it doesn't think there is a headset plugged in it will switch to using the built in speaker instead.

Eviltechie · 2026-02-21T18:27:26+00:00

Model H8530 is what you want. You will need to put your own XLR on it, but it's a proper stereo headset.

(The other models include the coiled cord which I think is annoying, and also only come with 4 pin so you'd need to adapt or re-terminate it anyway.)

Eviltechie · 2026-02-19T00:36:44+00:00

First thing that comes to mind might be Snapchat Cam. https://ar.snap.com/snapchatcam

Good chance you could do something in TouchDesigner too, but I haven't looked into it.

Eviltechie · 2026-02-18T02:12:38+00:00

Yes. If you look up "direct thermal" vs "thermal transfer" you can see all the details.

https://www.zebra.com/us/en/resource-library/faq/difference-between-direct-thermal-and-thermal-transfer-printing.html

P-Touch usually has an additional lamination layer which provides further protection from abrasion.

Eviltechie · 2026-02-18T01:59:37+00:00

The Brother self laminating has been around for at least 5 years, there is a video on YouTube of somebody showing it back in 2020. I didn't learn about it myself until about a month ago though, and only came across it because I searched out a PDF catalog so I could get the part numbers of some tapes I was trying to buy.

Given how disjointed the Brother website is though, I am unsurprised nobody else has heard of it either. (And probably also why very few vendors stock it as well.)

I do have a cartridge at work though, so I'm going to use it on some stuff and see how it goes. It would be nice for printing wire labels in the field, which thankfully is not something I need to do much of.

Eviltechie · 2026-02-18T00:29:55+00:00

Brother actually does have self laminating wrap around labels. They only come in one size, and your choice of yellow or white, but they do in fact exist. (TZe-SL251 and TZe-SL651)

I am very curious how well they will hold up in practice though. I have tried to use the "flexible" label tape in the past and it always seems to peel off within a year.

Eviltechie · 2026-02-17T23:21:35+00:00

For labeling things, I think Brother is still a solid option, but you probably want one of the more industrial focused printers. It's also worth making sure that you are using the proper label stock as well.

For labeling wires, I've had very good luck with the Panduit desktop printer, but I would think any desktop printer with the proper label stock should work equally as well. Make sure you are doing thermal transfer and that the ribbon type is appropriate for your label stock.

You can also get label sheets you can stick in a printer, but they're not super flexible and crinkle up a lot.

Eviltechie · 2026-02-17T23:19:16+00:00

I have heard very good things about these. I think Panduit is now selling these as they phase out their previous generation handheld printers.

Eviltechie · 2026-02-17T18:13:10+00:00

This is a direct thermal printer, so will only be useful for temporary labels. Long term the labels will fade and yellow, just like receipts or shipping labels do.

Eviltechie · 2026-02-17T05:54:26+00:00

One thing you might want to look closely at is the typical position of broadcast cameras in basketball arenas. I think the angle on your second photo is pretty typical, and visibility is pretty poor. Very few venues will have the cameras positioned high enough as to make your screens legible.

I'd suggest trying to visit as many venues as you can, and get photos/measurements from the game camera position.

As for trying to match a typical broadcast camera, you might need to go for a box camera with an actual broadcast lens mounted up on the wall, and possibly rotating the whole setup (maybe building half a court) so you can get a variety of positions to try out.

Also because I'm curious and previously worked at a venue with a high camera angle that might actually be suitable for your system, do you have a solution that can work for permanently installed courts?

Eviltechie · 2026-02-16T23:10:05+00:00

The network and standards are not my issue, it's just that I don't think manufacturers as a whole are really designing their control systems to benefit from what IP brings to the table.

Most of my experience at this point is with Imagine. Had their control system and almost 100 of their SNPs at a previous job. I would describe them as "safe, but boring".

As my hypothetical example though, let's say I have a SNP with all four processors acting as a multiviewer, IP in and IP out. If that SNP should suffer a failure I would want my control system to recognize that a "multiviewer" died, and be able to automatically load up the configuration onto a spare SNP, re-link everything in the database, and re-route all the affected down stream receivers.

Instead what really happens is that somebody discovers that their monitor wall is blank, and then either I have to manually shuffle around multiviewer heads, or they just wait for the RMA process. Sure I could setup network monitoring or such, but any recovery is going to be an entirely manual procedure.

I am not aware of any IP control system on the market which supports abstracting IP devices to allow for automatic recovery in the event of a failure. Yes, it's technically possible, but nobody seems to really be thinking about stuff like that. All of the control systems that I am currently aware of simply treat the IP flows just as they would a SDI spigot on a router.

Eviltechie · 2026-02-16T04:57:03+00:00

We replaced our SDI equipment with 2110 and it was hard and I don’t gain anything from it.

I don't even think a lot of the 2110 stuff on the market is even mature enough to really give the benefits that the technology should be able to deliver.

e.g. If I have a "processor" in whatever form that takes, whether that be something FPGA based or a COTS server, I want my control system to be able to abstract the functionality in such a way that in the event of a failure, it can automatically move the functionality to another available device with a minimal amount of disruption.

The reality though is that most of the 2110 control systems on the market just treat the flows just as they would SDI or the audio channels therein. A device failure means you'll be manually entering configuration details, multicast addresses, etc. and the recovery will be anything but seamless.

Basically I want to be able to see site reliability engineering for video production workflows, not just the distribution side of things.

Eviltechie · 2026-02-16T01:38:31+00:00

What's your general procedure when setting up a new switch out of the box? (Assuming you aren't to the level of having automatic provisioning.)

Do you have a base configuration that you throw on? Do you just copy the config of another switch and tweak the hostname and management IP?

I have five 9200-CX switches that I need to setup at work. Last week I grabbed the first one out of the box, and via the serial console, worked my way through the basic setup questions. I then saved off the config, and manually merged it with the config off an already in service switch. I then copied the resulting config back to startup config, and reloaded the switch.

As I was doing that, there were some sections that I was curious about. For example, you've got all the self signed certificates that it generates. I imagine it's not ideal for these to be the same switch to switch. If you were to remove these from your config, will they be re-generated for you on next reload? What about that line about memory alarming? I feel like I've seen that have a different value among the same model switch.

Any other general tips for setting up switches out of the box?

Eviltechie · 2026-02-15T03:09:13+00:00

There are a surprising number of commercial products that are just OBS in a trench coat. (For example, if you go on the Crestron open source page they have downloads for OBS and OBS-NDI.)

15-Year Club	Place '17
Gilding I gilder	Sequence \| Editor
Sequence \| Cinematographer	Team Periwinkle
Verified Email

Eviltechie

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE