Description
OPTOGATE CABLE AND LOUDSPEAKER PHASE TESTER
Dubbed 'The Toy' by the manufacturer, this is a two-component kit consisting of a phantom-powered 'transmitter', built in an XLR connector and a battery-powered 'receiver'. Used on its own, the transmitter can check the integrity of the cabling to the mixer. If the cable is undamaged and all three wires are connected, a tone is sent to the mixer. If not, an LED mounted in the connector indicates the nature of the fault. When used with the receiver unit, the combination can also check that the two signal wires are connected in phase, or pin-to-pin. If the transmitter is used as a source of test pulses to feed a sound system, the receiver can check the phase of the resulting acoustic signal picked up by either the internal microphone, or an external microphone.
Transmitter
Although it can not diagnose every fault in a microphone line, the tester will fit in a pocket, and provide a quick and simple means of finding a large percentage of the common faults found on stage, avoiding the dash to get the multimeter from the tool box in the truck, and then that sinking feeling when the battery is found to be dead. The LED flashes to show defects in the twisted pair, either 2 or 3 times to indicate a fault on connector pins 2 or 3; if the LED does not illuminate, the phantom power is off or the cable screen is not connected. If the LED is on continuously, and tone is heard at the mixer, the cable 'might be ok', in the words of the manufacturer! Note that the tester can not, when used on its own, detect a phase inversion, for example where the connections to pins 2 or 3 at either end of the cable are swapped.
Output: 100 mV peak-peak, approximately. Frequency: 6 pulses per second, approximately. Power source: 9-48V phantom power. Dimensions: 74 x 19 (length x diameter)mm.
Receiver
The receiver is housed in an ABS case with removable lid, which gives access to replace the battery. A 3-pole female XLR connector serves as the external input when testing cables or for an external microphone, and is fed with 9V phantom power; a switch selects this, or the internal microphone, as the input. A rotary control sets gain.
Dimensions: 85 x 56 x 42 (l x w x d)mm. Power source: PP3 size alkaline battery, 6mA approximately.
Included accessories: Battery.