Stage Tec Entwicklungsgesellschaft für professionelle Audiotechnik mbH Berlin: NEXUS STAR

NEXUS STAR

Mixing Console
Systems

Characteristics

System
	Operating Principle NEXUS Base Devices and the optical transmission system are based on the TDM (Time Division Multiplex) principle, a digital technique utilizing time-slots. Every Base Device features an audio bus with 256 time-slots and can therefore process 256 different signals at the same time. The time-slots are dynamically assigned in order to increase the number of simultaneous routings possible on large networked systems. The I/O boards convert the input signals to the internal linear data format and assign the data to time-slots, and extract and decode them for output. Multiple boards can read and use the same signal at the same time. The XFOC/RFOC fibre-optic interface boards, bundle 256 signals to transfer them over optical lines to the corresponding boards in other Base Devices. These again assign time-slots of the corresponding audio-data bus to the signals. The controller boards (XCPU boards in NEXUS Base Devices and RCX boards in a NEXUS STAR) control and monitor all boards and all functions including TDM management and synchronisation. The controller boards also handle the network and routing control information. They communicate with the user-interface computer and – via optical lines – with the other Base Devices on the network. All boards in the Base Device are controlled in parallel. Redundant cabling can be used for interconnecting NEXUS STAR and the NEXUS Base Devices. In this case, NEXUS will send all signals over all lines in parallel to the NEXUS STAR. If the signal currently in use becomes faulty, NEXUS automatically switches to a fallback line. This switchover occurs seamlessly and inaudibly.
	Interfaces The NEXUS STAR currently supports two different interface formats: The RFOC fibre-optic interface board is available for connecting NEXUS Base Devices to NEXUS STAR. The RMF board supports the MADI multichannel format. It provides direct connectivity to multitrack recorders or digital mixing consoles. Thanks to the modular structure of NEXUS STAR, more interface-boards can be added at any time, e.g. for upgrading the system to handle future formats. The AURUS digital mixing console RMD and RMC boards can also be integrated. The following explains the number of channels that can be transferred on the respective paths within NEXUS STAR and on the overall system: Dual Switching Matrix The RBP router backplane of NEXUS STAR features 16 slots for RFOC optical or RMF MADI interface boards. The star-topology audio bus transfers 256 input channels and 256 output channels to each of these slots. Routing Matrix The star point is the RCX switching matrix that performs the actual routing of 4,096 (16 × 256) inputs to 4,096 outputs. Interface Boards Thus, up to 256 inputs and 256 outputs are available for each I/O board. For example, on the RMF MADI board, these resources are distributed to four 64-channel ports. Fibre-Optic Connection Board The RFOC fibre-optic interface board provides four ports, each capable of handling 256 input channels and 256 output channels. The board directly connects to NEXUS fibre-optic interface boards. The transmission rate is 1.25 Gbps. This rate will allow for combining data streams in the future. A single fibre will then be capable of transferring 512 channels or, in other words, all the data from two Base Devices.

Stage Tec Entwicklungsgesellschaft für professionelle Audiotechnik mbH, D-12459 Berlin, Tabbertstr. 10
Phone: +49 30 639902-0, Fax: +49 30 639902-32, , © 2002-2008 Stage Tec Berlin

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