CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[Mykabra]

Hi,

I've had a Sony G70 for several years, and I love the picture it produces. It's ceiling-mounted, and I'm currently running it at 720p.

Right now I'm driving it via an HDFury2 and short 5xBNC cables to Input A. I've further set "5BNC" mode ON in the G70's Set Setting menu, so the projector believes it is connected to a Sony 1271 switcher. It isn't, of course, but allowing it to believe it's connected to a switcher allows me to select up to 16 different memory blocks (switcher buttons 1 to 8 and second switcher buttons 1 to 8 on the Sony remote).

This is *really* useful and allows me to readily switch between 4x3 and 16x9 aspect ratios on two different screens (which require different sized images and slightly different convergence settings, being as they're mounted one slightly behind the other). It also allows me to cater for 60 Hz and 50 Hz refresh rates at those aspects and on those two screens.

With the supplied (but unused) IFB-40 card in the projector, with 5BNC mode active, both Input A and Input B are grayed out, and the only available inputs are S-video and Switcher. The 5xBNC input is, of course, connected via Input A, but having the "Switcher" input active (rather than Input A) allows me the use of those 16 different memory blocks.

I've discovered that removing the IFB-40 card from the projector allows Input B to be selected, although I've no current way of passing any signal in via Input B.

So here's my question. I would like to buy a Moome IFB-FULLHD card to replace the HDFury2. The Moome IFB card will physically take the place of the Sony IFB-40 card, so my guess is that the Moome IFB card will present itself at Input B on the projector. Which means for any given input frequency, just a single memory block will be allocated by the G70, and I'll lose the ability to select memory blocks for different aspect ratios and screen sizes (and distances) via the switcher buttons on the G70 remote.

Can anyone confirm that this is the case? And if so, is there any way to tell the G70 there *is* a switcher attached, but the video feed from it is coming in on Input B rather than Input A?

Thanks for your help.

Mike.

[AFryia]

Mike,

Now that's interesting how you faked out the PJ

By design doesn't the IFB-40 connect to the switcher. So in theory it could work.

My DVI is in slot B maybe I'll give it a try tonight.

Anthony

[Mykabra]

Hi Anthony; thanks for your response.

I don't know if you have the dealer's installation manual for the G70, but if you do you'll see there are three documented ways of attaching the Sony 1271 switch. The first (page 28 of the manual) is directly via the IFB-40 board using a "SIC-M" or "CCQ-BRS" cable, which looks to have a huge, round, 14-pin connector on each end. In this mode you do NOT select "5BNC" mode in the Set Setting menu, and can feed in another (non-switcher) signal via Input A.

My guess is that the IFB-40 card will enable the switcher buttons on the remote, because it knows there's a switcher connected to the other end of the "SIC-M" or "CCQ-BRS" cable. In this mode the video signal is limited to 70 MHz, and your "SIC-M" or "CCQ-BRS" cable can be up to 50 m long! I would guess the signal from the switcher is presented via the IFB-40 board, on Input B. In this scenario it's the IFB-40 board which is enabling the switcher function via Input B.

The next page (29) of the manual shows another configuration with the switcher connected by a "SIC-M" or "CCQ-BRS" cable, and also connected by 5 BNC cables to Input A. In this configuration you need to select "5BNC" mode in the Set Setting menu, which "manually" informs the G70 there's a switcher connected to Input A. You thus effectively lose Input A as an additional source, as this now carries the signal from the switcher.

The following page (30) of the manual shows the configuration I'm using, where the IFB-40 board is not connected to the switcher at all (and can actually be removed from the PJ). The manual says to use this configuration if you have signals over 70 MHz or you require the switcher to be more than 50 m away from the PJ. You set "5BNC" mode in the Set Setting menu, which enables the switcher buttons on the remote, thus allowing multiple memory blocks to be assigned for any given input frequency. Very useful, believe me!

However, if I buy the Moome IFB-FULLHD board, this is going to give me 2 HDMI inputs (selectable via the Moome remote) which (I imagine) will be presented on Input B. If I leave "5BNC" mode enabled as it is currently, this seems to have two effects; firstly to enable the switcher buttons on the G70 remote, but also to select input via Input A. What I need, of course, is for the switcher buttons to be enabled for Input B, and I have no idea if this can be achieved, especially if the IFB-40 board is removed from the machine...

Thanks for any help...

Mike.

[AFryia]

Mike,

70MHz will be a problem.

Do you know what limits the signal to 70MHz? Is it hardware (IFB-40) or just a recommendation based on the wire gage of the SIC-M" or "CCQ-BRS" cables.

I thought JohnHWman way back tested and confirmed input "B" reaching 300Mhz not that the PJ is rated to scan that high. And I have run input "B" at 1920x1080@72hz ~315Mhz out of curiosity. I couldn't center the image and there was minor pixelation/noise, but it did lock onto the signal.

I'll let you know what I discover.

[AFryia]

Well the only way I could get access to the switcher memory blocks was to enable 5BNC mode. When I did that Input "A" was routed through those memory blocks. Input "B" my DVI card remained "RGB" using Preset/User memory.

I'm guessing the PJ some how identifies IFB-40, 12, and 11 cards and applies the switcher memories accordingly. Or defaults to the first usable input.

[Mykabra]

Hi Anthony,

It was very good of you to try that out, thanks.

Unfortunately you've confirmed my fears, that setting "5BNC" mode on the G70 enables the 16 switcher memory blocks via Input A only, and Input B just gets allocated a single memory block (for each input frequency).

The thing is, the installation manual suggests that a real Sony 1271 switch, when connected to the IFB-40 board in the G70 via a "SIC-M" or "CCQ-BRS" cable, will enable the switcher memory blocks via Input B. I'm wondering how this is achieved, and whether I can force the G70 into this mode without the IFB-40 board.

I guess I need help from a Sony engineer; someone who understands how the IFB-40 board works. I mean, the IFB-40 plugs into the G70 via a large connector that comprises three rows of 32 pins. If, for example, something as simple as changing the voltage on one of those 96 pins puts the G70 into "switcher via Input B" mode, then I could buy the Moome IFB-FULLHD board, and make a simple modification to it such that it puts the G70 into "switcher via Input B" mode. This would then suit my needs perfectly.

Any Sony G70 experts out there?

Thanks, Mike.