PRO Distro
Overview
The PRO Mixer Distro can be used to condense stage or studio cabling, serve as a stand-alone Ethernet switch, and power up to eight (8) Hear Back PRO Mixers or Switch Back M8RXs (using standard CAT6 cables). The Distro network card is programmed to handle any 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet equipment. Durable anodized aluminum housing protects the network card and allows it to stand up to years of wear and tear in a studio or live environment. The Distro uses the same 4-pin XLR power connector used with the Hear Back PRO Hub. A ninth RJ45 Ethernet connector (unpowered) is provided for connecting to another Distro, a PRO Hub HBUS output, or a Dante enabled device such as the PRO Hub Dante Card.
A yellow LED next to the power port indicates the presence of 48 volts. LEDs under each of the 8 Mixer ports indicate link/activity (green) and PoE power (yellow). LEDs under the 9th (input) port indicate link (green) and activity (yellow).
Because of the isolated power needed to comply with PoE standards and also to provide electrical isolation, use only the Hear Back PRO power supply provided.
The Distro's RJ45 pin-outs are the same as standard gigabit Ethernet RJ45 pin-outs, as shown below:
| Pin | Pair | Description | Suggested Termination Color Scheme (568B***) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A+ | Power over Ethernet (PoE) 48V** | White/Orange |
| 2 | A- | Power over Ethernet (PoE) 48V** | Orange |
| 3 | B+ | Power over Ethernet (PoE) GND** | White/Green |
| 4 | C+ | Blue | |
| 5 | C- | White/Blue | |
| 6 | B- | Power over Ethernet (PoE) GND** | Green |
| 7 | D+ | White/Brown | |
| 8 | D- | Brown |
**Gigabit PoE uses a transformer on the data pairs to allow power and data to share the same pairs similar to how phantom power works on microphones.
***Color Scheme 568A is also acceptable, but do not crossover from 568A to 568B.
Each output on the network card has a power supervisor circuit that will only power the port if a valid PoE device is detected. In the event of a shorted cable or broken device, the power supervisor circuit will disconnect the load, permitting other connected devices to function while protecting the power supply from the faulty output.
Diagrams
Advantages / Features
- Small form factor
- Heavy duty stage-worthy design
- Daisy-Chainable for unlimited network sizes
- 1 input, 8 outputs
- Works with any 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet equipment
- 30 watt PoE+ power on 8 output ports
- Auto-crossover on every port (no crossover cables needed)
- Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) disabled (interferes with network audio)