# XLR connection, prompt desk



## Emi89 (Mar 25, 2010)

how many pins do most prompt desk xlr connections have for the headsets?

one woulld assume they're all the same... but assumptions are never all that safe haha


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## BrockTucker (Mar 25, 2010)

Emi89 said:


> how many pins do most prompt desk xlr connections have for the headsets?
> 
> one woulld assume they're all the same... but assumptions are never all that safe haha



I'm assuming you're talking about a com system. Every system I have seen uses 3pin XLR from the base station to the belt pack or mounted wall station. The headset will have a 4pin XLR cable perminately attached to it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Emi89 (Mar 25, 2010)

I did, so does a 4 pin cable from the headset work with the 3 pin on the other parts? Bit lost in a pile of
electronic components at the moment


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## ajb (Mar 25, 2010)

The com system is distributed with 3pin. So from one pack to the next you use 3-pin connectors & cable. The headsets connect to the pack with a 4-pin connector. So your prompt desk might have a 3-pin connector that you can plug a belt pack into, or it might have an actual com station built in, in which case it would have a 4-pin connector that you can plug a headset right into. If it's the latter case, you'll also see a volume knob, and talk/call buttons, and probably a box that says "Telex" or "Clear Com".


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## Emi89 (Mar 25, 2010)

Ah ok so most all headsets are 4 pin it's just a question of possibly needing something in between to make the connection


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## ajb (Mar 25, 2010)

Right, and that something in between is a bunch of electronics that modulate the mic signal onto the party line (the 3-pin distribution system) so you can talk to everyone and demodulate the party line to drive the speaker so you can hear everyone.


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## philhaney (Mar 25, 2010)

The three pins connecting all belt packs and wall stations in the system carry power for the electronics, the audio signal, and ground (or common) for the audio signal and power. 

The wall (desk) stations and belt packs take the signal on the audio line and send it to the speaker(s) in your headset. They also take the audio from the mic in your headsaet, put it on the audio line so everyone else can hear you, and send it back into the speaker(s) in your headsed so you can hear yourself (this is called "sidetone").

The four pins in the connector to your headset work in pairs, two for the speaker(s) and two for the mic.

So what ajb said. You can't plug a four-pin headset into a three-pin headset line. You need electronics (wall station or belt pack) in between.


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## Emi89 (Mar 25, 2010)

thanks all 

i'm converting a super compact motorola headset to work with xlr 


so i just wanted to be sure that i was putting the correct connector on to make sure it works for what i want it to


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## MarshallPope (Mar 25, 2010)

There is more to it than just a difference in connector. What brand of intercom system are you using?

EDIT:
I was about to link to this page:
http://www.matgoebel.com/projects/headset
but I see that you may have already visited it, as you are using the same picture that he does. My apologies.


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## BrockTucker (Mar 25, 2010)

Emi89 said:


> thanks all
> 
> i'm converting a super compact motorola headset to work with xlr
> 
> so i just wanted to be sure that i was putting the correct connector on to make sure it works for what i want it to



All this has happened before... I was actually just considering this project and was going to try and work on bluetooth in v2 once I get the adapter box working.

http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/sound/2872-building-your-own-clearcom-telex-head-set.html


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## Emi89 (Mar 29, 2010)

hey, 

i'm beginning to worry that the desk i had planned on using it with might not be a straight 4 pin connection 

if this is the case, what am i looking for as that "in between" thing to convert from 4 to (i assume) 3 pin connection?

thanks again everyone!


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## philhaney (Mar 29, 2010)

You want a wall station (that would mount in your desk or table)




Or a belt (or body) pack.





These are just examples. There are other equally good or better makes and models out there.


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## SHARYNF (Mar 29, 2010)

Emi89 said:


> hey,
> 
> i'm beginning to worry that the desk i had planned on using it with might not be a straight 4 pin connection
> 
> ...



Some desks had a intercom module built in for example the Yamaha pm1800. I would NOT recommend using the built in module, most folks have given up on them since they tended to cause all sorts of problem since you were connecting a non audio system to the console with independent power and grounding

Sharyn


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## Emi89 (Mar 29, 2010)

SHARYNF said:


> Some desks had a intercom module built in for example the Yamaha pm1800. I would NOT recommend using the built in module, most folks have given up on them since they tended to cause all sorts of problem since you were connecting a non audio system to the console with independent power and grounding
> 
> Sharyn


 
im not sure exactly what you mean

that people tend to use the independent packs regardless of whether theres a built in connection?


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## ajb (Mar 29, 2010)

Emi89 said:


> im not sure exactly what you mean
> 
> that people tend to use the independent packs regardless of whether theres a built in connection?


By "desk", Sharyn's talking about an audio desk--a mixing console. Some mixers have a com station built in, and Sharyn was pointing out that using that built-in station might be problematic in some cases because the other sensitive electronics may be adversely affected due to poor isolation. If you're talking about a desk--as in a piece of furniture, a work surface--then you might still have a com station built in to it, but since the desk doesn't (usually) contain any other sensitive electronics, it's not (usually) a problem to use the built-in station.


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## SHARYNF (Mar 29, 2010)

clearcom makes what they call a Main station, which also has the powersupply built in

Clear-Com: Partyline Intercom Systems

If you already have the powersupply then the least expensive option is one of the older units the mr 102a

http://cgi.ebay.com/Clear-Com-MR-10...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea6c59e10 


Sharyn


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## Emi89 (Mar 29, 2010)

Ah I'm talking about desk as in prompt desk where the show is called from


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## Tex (Apr 15, 2010)

I have an approximately 15 year-old version of the ClearCom stage manager's station. It has wooden sides. Looks nice.
It's two channels and uses a 6 pin XLR. My prompt desk has a built in main station and a 6 pin jack for the SM station. I don't know why I have both at the prompt desk. In fact, I'm not sure why I have the SM station at all. The only two places to plug it in are right next to two-channel main station.


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