**13 node cable** How big can a PT5.1 TDM go?

[ProTools4]

-What is the biggest PT Mix system you have seen or worked on?

-Is there such thing as a 13 node cable?

-Can one system use two expansion chassis?

-How big can a PT5.1 mix plus system be expanded to?

[digidesigner]

there can be 7 mix farms(or core cards) + 3 dsp farms max. there is an 10 node cable for that.

[ProTools4]

digidesigner

Are you saying it will only suppoert 7 mix cards? Why?

What if you want more?

What if I made my own custom 13 node cable?

[Shawn Simpson]

Only 7 mix cards are supported in one system. You'd have to ask Digidesign why they did it that way. It's a similar situation in the current systems.

If you want more power, you'd need to go to a modern system.

You could make your own node cable, but you'd also have to rewrite some of the software code and probably change some hardware elements to make it work, so keep us posted on how that's working out for you.

[ProTools4]

You could make your own node cable, but you'd also have to rewrite some of the software code and probably change some hardware elements to make it work, so keep us posted on how that's working out for you.

well I'm not into that kind of investment.
I'll just purchase 3 more Mix Farms and get back to making music.

[John_Toolbox]

I have a Mix core + 5 DSP farms and 4 samplecell TDM's with the 10 node cable. The limitation I usually run into is usually not DSP, it's using up track count or TDM time slots.

Both of these limitations have been addressed with HD, but can also be addressed other ways...

You could build two systems, each with 7 mix cards, lock them with word clock and send SMPTE from one to the other. Uh, yeah... 14 mix cards. That'll double your track count too.

[John_Toolbox]

I think you might also run into PCI bus bandwidth issues with 13 cards, that might be the reason for the 7 card limit.

[ProTools4]

I think you might also run into PCI bus bandwidth issues with 13 cards, that might be the reason for the 7 card limit.

that would make sense
how much data can you push thru the PCI buss and extender I/O card
there has to be a limit some were

right now I'm having trouble gtting the 2nd half of my expansion chassis on line.
I have for testing 2x 13 slot chassis 3x interface cards 3x i/o cables!!!
still cant bet the second bank of cards online...
WTF?!

[tech_head]

It has to do with the number of TDM Slots available *AND* how many cards you can drive on the bus.

So one limitation is time slots, you only have 250.
The other is the ability to drive the cable and have the I/O turn around in time so you do not have multiple drivers on the TDM bus.

TDM (not HD TDM) is a single broadcast multi-listener bus.
The new implementation is point to point between cards.