Problems With STDM (maybe???)

pistoguitar · Post by **pistoguitar** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 4:15 am

I have a three cards sistem (Pulsar II, Pulsar and Luna) connected all together.
Recently I've got this issue: I frequently get the "no stdm connection..." message, or, wich is far worse, i loose samplerate but still get the audio (but with bad quality and frequent pops and crackles). Re-adjusting the stdm cable (ok, just moving it here and there a few) seems to get everything right, but for how long... anybody knows.
It's such an annoying issue when your sfp mess everything up while working.
Now... is this the STDM cable, or one of my cards is going for good?

P.S. my clock master is an A16 ultra I recently bought at Brainworx (thanks Dirk, it works as a lightening!).

P.P.S. anyone can help about the so-called Repair Upgrade I've read about somewere here in the forums?

P

Post by **hubird** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 5:42 am

cleaning the contacts with special purpose alcohol (buy the right thing!) and cleaning the plugs with airspray could help.
you could also 'build' a new STDM cable, the plugs are marketed and it's quite simple to do.

pistoguitar · Post by **pistoguitar** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:20 am

I'll try changing the cable, and hope to work out something, thanks.

studioblabla · Post by **studioblabla** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 4:09 am

I had similar problems.

my setup is pulsar II, pulsar I and powersampler (I think it's the same card as luna..)

Do you see disco lights in the samplerate dialog? (the red lights flashing, even at spdif when there is no...)

The problems stopped when touching the stdm cable, I thought.
I cleaned the contacts with alcohol, considered to hardwire the stdm... Tried other computer etc. Then I tried only my pulsar II card in the system (just for recording)

I had fewer problems, but I still had random pops, clicks... Always when the computer was on for half an hour or more, not at cold boot.
And they stopped when slightly touching the card (I have the sync plate, and I discovered that the problems stopped when touching the sync cable, but the sync board wasn't the problem because when not connected, I still had the problems)

I even considered to sell my computer and creamwarecards, but as a day one creamware user (yes, triple dat v1.0!) I choose to look futher for the problem.

Then I used only the pulsar I card in the machine for recording and than It was as stable as it could be!
In the recordingsessions there was no crash at all (nuendo)

So i contacted Ralf at sonniccore. He suggested me a repairupgrade, send pulsar II card and received a scope project card for a price around 400 EUR I think.

And now everything runs fine. Too good. I bought the das chanelstrip, verbs and compressors and I get pci-master-overflows when opening the project in nuendo. But when openedI all sounds great!
(time for a new computer?) (scope in XTC mode)
I use the audioexport and no clicks, pops, jumps... (on an old P4 2,4 512 MB system) just system overloads when putting to many effects.

After 3 years of tweaking xp, cleaning contacts etc the samplerate problems have gone. And I can say I have a stable system.

So try a single card system, maybe borrow an other computer and see what's happening.

Bart

Jngaelin · Post by **Jngaelin** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 9:28 am

Hello people!

Been a while since iv'e been here.
Have been caught up in some crazy sh*t these last two years.

hubird wrote: you could also 'build' a new STDM cable, the plugs are marketed and it's quite simple to do.

Where do i find cables and plugs?
I recently purhcased a 2'nd hand LUNA 2, the old version.
I Allready have a pulsar2 and a powersampler2(old luna).
With this new card i have three cards.
Problem is the STDM cable. It is too short

The connections are not positioned in line with eachother.
So cable needs to be longer.

Shroomz~> · Post by **Shroomz~>** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 9:44 am

you just need to manipulate (mould) the STDM cable into shape with your hands (while it's not connected to any cards of course). This works fine as long as you have your 3 cards seated in adjacent pci slots.

Jngaelin · Post by **Jngaelin** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 11:11 am

stardust wrote:first of all. welcome back !!

Thank you man!

Shroomz II wrote:you just need to manipulate (mould) the STDM cable into shape with your hands (while it's not connected to any cards of course). This works fine as long as you have your 3 cards seated in adjacent pci slots.

Well...i used to have two STDM cables until i tried what you suggested above.
Yes...i broke it.

I only have this one left. So i'll try to do it again..but first i want to make shure i can replace it before breaking yet another cable

Shroomz~> · Post by **Shroomz~>** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 11:28 am

Shit, did I not say to do it carefully?

Post by **garyb** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 11:56 am

glad you're still doin' it!

here's a post about s/tdm parts. they're very easy to make and fix. the parts are easy to get....
http://www.planetz.com/phpBB2/viewtopic ... able+cheap

Shroomz~> · Post by **Shroomz~>** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 12:24 pm

I've just realised that the cable you broke must have been quite old & well used. I've broken an old one here myself trying to straighten it which is the opposite of what you were trying to do, but it's the same principle. The metal wire in an older cable will be easier to break than in newer cables. With a new stdm cable it should be no big problem to shape it to a usable fit for the out-of-line slots.

As a sidenote, you won't have the same problem with combining Pulsar II & Scope Pro boards, since they line up perfectly. Never had a Pulsar I, so I'm not sure about those.

pistoguitar · Post by **pistoguitar** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 2:52 am

Hi everyone.
Seems that I worked it out.
Last saturday I've took off the boards from the studio PC, cleaned them, I used a special product for electric contacts on the boards and the stdm cable as weel. Then reseated the boards in different PCI slots and made sure they were well plugged into the damn thing. Then re-installed SFP.
It seems to work fine, at the moment. If it won't last... well, I'll contact Ralf and ask for this repair upgrade

Thanks everyone!

Do you know that Soniccore doesn't appear in the brands list of the company which used to deal Creamware Products here in Italy? What do think about?

kylie · Post by **kylie** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:47 pm

I can't remember an official statement regarding the scope product line to be renamed "SonicCore Scope Platform", so it is probably just sold under the well known brand name Creamware. well, I even don't expect a name change until they come up with new hardware (should they ever

).

-greetings, markus-

ps. damn, we're OT again...

pistoguitar · Post by **pistoguitar** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:42 pm

kylie wrote: ps. damn, we're OT again...

Oooops...

BTW, not even a word about the old Creamware brand...

who knows?

Ok, stop with the OT (could be a great title for a song, right?!) and let's cheer for the fixed issue on my sistem!
A toast... to absent friends!

And to present, as well.

kylie · Post by **kylie** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:11 am

pistoguitar wrote:Ok, stop with the OT (could be a great title for a song, right?!) and let's cheer for the fixed issue on my sistem!

so it's still running, I assume

-greetings, markus-

pistoguitar · Post by **pistoguitar** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:09 am

Yes it is, I was just recording my own personal version of Long Black Veil for an American Bar!!! No problems, it works like a mule.

kylie · Post by **kylie** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 2:27 am

that's what it was made for

Jngaelin · Post by **Jngaelin** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 6:45 am

Shroomz II wrote:Shit, did I not say to do it carefully?

Well yes...

Shroomz II wrote:I've just realised that the cable you broke must have been quite old & well used. I've broken an old one here myself trying to straighten it which is the opposite of what you were trying to do, but it's the same principle. The metal wire in an older cable will be easier to break than in newer cables. With a new stdm cable it should be no big problem to shape it to a usable fit for the out-of-line slots.

Cool

,
And yes it has been very well used

Shroomz II wrote:As a sidenote, you won't have the same problem with combining Pulsar II & Scope Pro boards, since they line up perfectly. Never had a Pulsar I, so I'm not sure about those.

Thanx for the info.

garyb wrote:glad you're still doin' it!

here's a post about s/tdm parts. they're very easy to make and fix. the parts are easy to get....
http://www.planetz.com/phpBB2/viewtopic ... able+cheap

Of course im still doin it. The whole crew is is back in the loop.
And i'll be here at Planetz more from now on.
I finnaly have time for it.

And thanx for the link!