The Customer: Canadian Nurse’s Association in Ottawa, Ontario.
The Challenge: Designing a divisible boardroom using a conference microphone system that can be remotely combined as one large room or separated into two smaller rooms. In addition, the customer expressed a concern about daisy-chain style cabling and the requirement for a design that would isolate each microphone station from the others.
The Solution: Listen’s Digital Conferencing System with the SZ 6104 Cat-5e switcher and the JB 6004 junction boxes.
Listen dealer Total Media Systems of Ottawa, Ontario included both of these unique features in their solution for the Canadian Nurses Association – Divisible Boardroom project. Neither of these features are commonly used in our everyday solutions, which is why we are highlighting them for you here.
Take a look at this system diagram as we proceed through a description of how it functions:
First off, we have a seldom used CAT-5e switching unit called the SZ 6104 that allows an incoming string of microphone units to be switched from one control unit to another when it receives a contact closure (usually via AMX or Crestron control system). This unit also has the capability to interrupt signal to system devices (which is sometimes used to cut press feeds, etc.). In the Canadian Nurses Association project, they have a boardroom that can be used as one large meeting space, or divided into two unique meeting spaces. When it is being used as one large room, the SZ 6104 is combining two lines of microphone units to have them report to one control unit. When the room is to be divided into two different meeting rooms, the command is given to separate and the lines are split so that they now report to two different control units – one in each separate room. The audio outputs are managed by a matrix mixer and routed accordingly.
Regarding the concern with daisy-chain cabling, we simply use a standard JB 6004 junction box to connect four microphone units individually, thus isolating them from each other. If something happens to one of the units in the string, the others are not affected. This means that there is only one CAT-5e cable running between the JB 6004 and each microphone unit and the actual “daisy-chain” happens under the table between the junction boxes – and away from danger. This is a really good idea for your high-end projects where added redundancy is simply a good idea.
Hats off to Total Media System for inquiring with Listen to see if the Digital Conferencing System could accommodate these requested features and acing the installation!