003 optical out hiccups

[Che_Guitarra]

I've got a Mackie 800R connected to my 003 rack via optical connection, and after a month or two of working perfectly fine I can't get it to recognize anymore. The Mackie has just come back from repairs to search for the problem, but upon reconnection - no improvement to the situation - it still won't work properly.

When I first purchased and connected the 800R up it recognized the optical connection instantly, it was pretty much just plug and play. Now, on the I/O map, the 800R's imputs are shaded inactive grey and labelled n/a.

What should I do? Take it back to the repair shop? maybe it's the 003? reset the prefs database? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[OddsAre]

bad optical cable maybe? does anyone you know have a Digi 002 or 003 that you could try it on theirs? Or anyone you know that has an 8 ch. optical interface to try on yours?

[Che_Guitarra]

Yeah I might see if I can test my optical cable first thing tomorrow... are they particularly fragile (not that the one I already have has been subject to a hard life)? I bought the cheapest one I could find last time, maybe i'm better off spending a little more for quality.

[OddsAre]

just remember its only 1's and 0's going through there, so really quality of the "innards" will probably be negligible no matter how much you pay for the cable, but yes there are certainly sturdier connectors out there. Basically what I am saying is don't get carried away with the hype of MEGA AWESOME QUALITY digital cables, but definitely get a sturdy connector.

Here is the best example... I feel very bad for the people that go to Best Buy or Circuit city and get HOSED by the sales guy selling them a $100 Monster HDMI cable when you can buy an HDMI cable for this:

http://www.riteav.com/product_info.p...roducts_id=900

Yes you read that price right, and I own some and I have done AV installs and they are great! Thievery!!!! It's ones and zeroes!! not analog signal traveling over copper.

[Che_Guitarra]

I usually stick with Planet Waves - they cost a little more than a standard fix, but they seem much more sturdy than regular brands also. I think i've currently got a Hosa cable doing the job.