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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

RED Rocket update...

Ok... I am a little lost here guys. I would really appreciate a little technical guidance from someone at this point so I can catch up and understand how HD-SDI connection will work.

Personally I am concerned only with dual link ATM, if it makes a difference. Most likely on a PC.

I am trying to figure out if I will need the breakout box or not, or just a cable set. I was under the impression that the card would have the HD-SDI ports built in, when I saw the DVI looking connectors I assumed that there would be a variety of cables to turn the DVI into what you need personally, or a single one with a slew of cables all connecting into the same DVI onto the card's ports...
 
Roberto,

If I've understood correctly, how it stands at the moment, the card itself will take up one PCIe slot in your system, but two external slots on the enclosure. There will be two types of cables that can possibly connect to the high density ports (dvi looking ports). One type that would connect to the break-out box and another type that would simply give you a dvi port. There will then be a slot filler that will have the dual-link hdsdi ports on it (basically two BNC connectors) that will connect to the card internally. So it will take up two slots externally on your computer enclosure, but only one PCIe slot internally.

If you are concerned with dual-link hdsdi and you are on a PC, then you should have no problem with just the card. Where I'm concerned and I believe Jeff is too, is if you are on a Mac, which has limited slot space compared to a PC. For instance I want to run the Rocket with the dual-link, a Kona3, a controller for my drive array and the computers video card (which takes up two slots). But on a Mac that is one extra slot that physically is not there. If that's the case I may need to get creative with my MacPro enclosure in order to feed the BNC connectors to the outside of the box. However, what Jeff and I are asking, is if it's possible to simply offer another break-out cable that offers the BNC's on it, because the signal appears to be coming out of the high density port to deliver it to the break-out box. Either way, I think we will all be very happy to have these cards, modified enclosure or not. I'm really just trying to figure out how I'll have to configure things.

I hope I've explained this in a clear manner, and if I've only confused you further with my rambling, then I apologize.
 
Gotcha, so while I don't see the two ports on the PCB itself right now it does make a lot of sense that they will be there somewhere to allow for an I/O set of ports on the back of your tower. I suppose this will be a small accessory that will either cost a few bucks or come included in the box.

I would LOVE it if the cables were long enough to reach from the card on the top slot all the way to the bottom I/O opening to allow for maximum flexibility!
The extra cable can very easily be handled and tucked away. Please!!! :)
 
However, what Jeff and I are asking, is if it's possible to simply offer another break-out cable that offers the BNC's on it, because the signal appears to be coming out of the high density port to deliver it to the break-out box. Either way, I think we will all be very happy to have these cards, modified enclosure or not. I'm really just trying to figure out how I'll have to configure things.

A simple breakout cable to HDSDI isn't possible. However, pulling the HDSDI cables out of the case another way is pretty easy.

I put mine coming out front in the door of the empty DVD drive bay.
With a little coaxing, it fits in the door very snugly.
 
Gotcha, so while I don't see the two ports on the PCB itself right now it does make a lot of sense that they will be there somewhere to allow for an I/O set of ports on the back of your tower. I suppose this will be a small accessory that will either cost a few bucks or come included in the box.

I would LOVE it if the cables were long enough to reach from the card on the top slot all the way to the bottom I/O opening to allow for maximum flexibility!
The extra cable can very easily be handled and tucked away. Please!!! :)

The hdsdi ports are the two gold connectors at the back of the board near the top.
 
A simple breakout cable to HDSDI isn't possible. However, pulling the HDSDI cables out of the case another way is pretty easy.

I put mine coming out front in the door of the empty DVD drive bay.
With a little coaxing, it fits in the door very snugly.

Out of the empty DVD drive bay is a great idea, but you have a lot of those. That absolutely works for me, thanks for the quick reply!
 
Oh, I see them now! Thanks.

Are you guys planning to make sure the cables can reach the maximum possible distance required given for a full size tower? I would sincerely appreciate that, just in case. And do you know if it will be included with the card?
 
Thanks Deanan for the clarification on the HD-SDI.

:biggrin:
it may also be possible to run them, or some extensions, out the second optical bay slot on the front. Not the prettiest solution, but would work if you don't have a second optical drive installed.
:cheers2:

I'm also thinking of finding a spare side panel that I can drill holes in and run them out the side. But the panels are sometimes hard to come by. Easy to find older Power Mac G5 panels and cases for cheap, but I recently discovered that the side panel from my G5 quad does not work with the latches on my '09 Mac Pro.

I'm not too concerned about it, I'm sure I'll find a good solution once I actually have the hardware here to work with.
 
Jeremy, for watercooling they make these little rubber donuts which allow you to drill a small hole anywhere on the case and then throw one of these on it to give a nice rubber finish to the edge. It would take you less than a minute with the proper drill attachment and the cables would be perfectly safe. The whole/s are small so finding the place to drill should be easy.

post-17891-1226159934_thumb.jpg
 
That rubber ring is a grommet, available at most any hardware store. The problem with drilling extra holes in a Mac Pro is it voids the AppleCare warranty -- hence the mention of finding a spare side panel to drill holes in. If the system is no longer under warranty, drill away. :)

If I drill a side panel, I may do a single hole with a rubber grommet like that. Or theretically, could drill a single hole for each BNC connector and pass them through just the same way they pass through the slot filler. But the Mac side pannel is kinda thick, so that method may not work. If the system is out of warranty and I don't need to drill a spare side panel, I would probably drill and run the cables out the rear.

I think we'll all come up with various methods that work once we get our hands on these cards. I can't wait!
 
So how many RedRockets has been "add to cart" so far?
Whats the delivery time if ordered today?

/carl


They hopefully will start shipping late this week. A few little hardware tweaks were done last week and Deanan and Rob are still turning the knobs on the software to make sure everything works right.

Sorry for the slight delay.. trust me, it is not from lack of effort, Rob and Deanan have literally been working 20 hour days to get it done.
 
They hopefully will start shipping late this week. A few little hardware tweaks were done last week and Deanan and Rob are still turning the knobs on the software to make sure everything works right.

Sorry for the slight delay.. trust me, it is not from lack of effort, Rob and Deanan have literally been working 20 hour days to get it done.

Jarred,

Can we expect a (for lack of a better term) Kona style control panel for the board? Is it just for accelerated rendering and playback? Can the boards output be fed to a calibrated cinema display?

What is the software going to look like?

David
 
Sorry for the slight delay.. trust me, it is not from lack of effort, Rob and Deanan have literally been working 20 hour days to get it done.

No worries... and please pass on to them just how much we all appreciate their efforts.

This ain't easy stuff ya know, it's Rocket Science!

:auto:
 
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