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500 series rack with PSU and routing

CARTEC
MODEL

Compre

- 3 Amps available per voltage rail for optimum PSU performance even when heavily loaded

- Assignable input/output routing with uninterrupted phantom power for instant preamp comparison

- Rear Patch switches to feed each module into the next to build channel strips

The Compre 500 is an 8 slot 500 series rack/psu with a few very cool features.
The internal heavy duty power supply providing up to a massive 3 amps per rail giving users
total peace of mind about running combinations of modules from our own Pre-Q5 pre-amp,
Fe-Q5 EQ, or from other manufacturers without fear of failure or sonic degradation.

What also sets the Compre 500 apart from other 500 enclosures is the assignable front panel
input XLR. This is in addition to the 8 input and output XLRs for each module slot. Users will
be able to act as a Compre and introduce the front panel input signal to any one of the
8 modules via the front panel Aux to input module rotary switch and associated +48v
phantom power switch. This is intended to provide uninterrupted phantom power when switching
to different pre-amp modules.

The Aux to output module rotatory switch selects which module carries the output and the
audio appears on the dedicated rear mounted routing section output XLR socket.
This enables users to easily and quickly plug something into the XLR input on the front of
the rack (or routing section input XLR Line In for neat patch bay installations) and make
comparisons with different pre-amps, compressors, or EQs. In addition, at the rear of the rack
each module slot has a patch switch which routes the output of a module into the input of the
next module slot to the right.

Each Compre 500 will ship complete with 4x blank modules free of charge, each one will
also have a Cartec Audio $50 Green Back voucher which can be redeemed against a future
purchase of either or both Cartec Audio Pre-Q5, Fe-Q5 or any future Cartec 500 modules,
with a total discount of up to $200, ( based on a purchase of any four Cartec Audio 500
series modules ).

CARTEC AUDIO LTD M A N C H E S T E R , E N G L A N D

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INSTALLATION AND OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS.

CARTEC Compre 500 RACK . . .

GENERAL

The CARTEC Compre consists of an 8 slot chassis for

housing modules that conform to the 500 series standard form, an internal 3
amp/rail power supply, and passive relay switched routing for all 8 slots.

INSTALLATION

INPUT CONECTIONS: XLR for each slot with pin 2 hot, plus an additional routable input with an XLR either on the
rear or front of the chassis.
The front and rear routable input sockets are in paralell with each other, and should not be
used simultaneously.
The rear routable XLR input is a direct feed into the module and will pass phantom power
to the cable if engaged on the module that this input is routed to.
The front routable XLR input is also fed to the module in the same way, but is AC coupled.
This is only relevant to correct operation in regards to +48V phantom power. To power a
microphone using the front input, the frontpanel +48V switch next to the XLR must be
engaged, with the advantage that this will provide uninterrupted power to the microphone
regardless of its routing assigment, and is key to the primary intended application of the
Compre. 48v Phontom power will not be passed between the module and this input, which
provides protection to modules that might be adversely affected by seeing 48v a their input.

OUTPUT CONECTIONS: XLR for each slot with pin 2 hot, plus an additional routable output with an XLR on the rear
of the chassis (Next to the routable input).
when a module is routed to this output, its primary XLR output is disconnected and appears
at this socket.

POWER SUPPLY: 120v or 240v operation is preset internally. It is possible to be changed, but please contact
Cartec audio for details on rewiring (which must be carried out by a qualified technicial)
Check correct voltage before connecting to mains

The internal power supply is a linear regulated design, with a maximum of 3 Amps
available as the total for each voltage rail to draw. The standard for the 500 series form factor
advises that modules should stay below 130mA current draw each which gives a total of
1.04 Amps for 8 slots.. Only one third of the Compres capability.
The performance of power supplies degrades as they reach their rated capability, and we
feel that its important to do justice to the great range of designs available for the 500 format
by ensuring a good safety margin and peace of mind that the effects of PSU ripple dont
diminish the performance.

On to the routing....

CARTEC AUDIO LTD M A N C H E S T E R , E N G L A N D

 Example 1: Basic IN/OUT operation Example 2: Rear patching to make chains
SLOT 1 SLOT 1 SLOT 2
CARTEC AUDIO LTD

INPUT 1 OUTPUT 1 PATCH

INPUT 1 OUTPUT 2
SWITCH
Cable Cable

Example 3: Routing section

SLOT 4 SLOT 5 SLOT 6 Output rotary switch
Front/rear routing input PATCH PATCH set to 6, and output signal
with rotary switch to 4 SWITCH SWITCH taken from the rear
routing output XLR
Cable

Set the input rotary switch to 5.. Set the output rotary switch to 5..
and now it insets the signal to the next stage of the chain and now it takes the signal from one stage back in the chain
M A N C H E S T E R ,
E N G L A N D

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CARTEC AUDIO LTD - Compre rear panel ROUTING SECTION
INPUT (Parallel with front)
AND OUTPUT
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Every compere rack ships with four of these steel blank panel GREENBACK vouchers.

Either leave them sitting pretty to cover up your spare slots, or trade them in for $50 discount
off each Cartec 500 series module you purchase (limited to one voucher per module).
Currently we have two discrete transformer coupled input and output modules:

Pre-Q5 - Which is our microphone Preamp with pultec type inductor EQ

and switched output attenuation

Fe-Q5 - Our 3 band 0.5dB switched EQ with a high pass filter

Better yet, once your rack is full, you can still keep the Greenbacks as nice paperweights, since
theres no need to send them anywhere.
Just go to WWW.UNITYAUDIO.CO.UK/GREENBACKS and youll find instructions there on how
to arrange the discount through your preferred dealer. Easy!

CARTEC AUDIO LTD M A N C H E S T E R , E N G L A N D