Unofficial Mackie User Forums > DL1608/DL806/DL32R/ProDX Mixers
DL1608 destroying my Mac Mini(s)
RoadRanger:
--- Quote from: Wynnd on March 02, 2015, 04:18:59 AM ---Just because it worked for you, doesn't make it a good thing to do. I never run amplifiers into inputs. NEVER NEVER NEVER!!!!!! If you fry something doing that, you probably deserved it. I don't drive my car off cliffs either. They aren't designed to be used that way. Misusing equipment and then complaining about it breaking should be illegal.
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The headphone output on a PC or iDevice is also the line out. 1/8" stereo to dual RCA plug cables are extremely common. And all active devices have amplifiers on their line outputs, including keyboards, pedals, CD players, etc. You may very well be the only one on this board who doesn't commonly use 1/8" stereo headphone jacks as line outs ;) .
In this case it was the 48V phantom power that fried the output. As a general rule of thumb never feed an unbalanced output into an XLR input on a mixer without transformer isolation - and even devices with XLR outputs can be damaged by phantom (or possibly powered by it ;) ).
OTOH if the run is long (or the device is not on the same power as the mixer) I'll use a couple of XLR cables and and 1:1 isolation transformers between the mixer and the 18" splitout cable.
http://artproaudio.com/artcessories/audio_solutions/product/dti/
WK154:
--- Quote from: Wynnd on March 02, 2015, 01:08:06 AM ---Headphone out to channel 16 in? ARE YOU NUTS? That's an amplifier output. Never intended to go to any input of any type. ONLY USE THE HEADPHONE OUTPUT DIRECTLY TO SPEAKERS!!!!! (Headphones are speakers.) Now, phantom power shouldn't be on any outputs. It's only on the XLR inputs 1-16. It isn't on any 1/4" phone plug inputs. (Note: the dual inputs have phantom power on the XLR and not on the 1/4" inputs.)
Quick question? What microphones are you using that require phantom power? Are you guessing or do you actually know that you are using "condenser" microphones. (Most are dynamic and phantom power has no effect on those.) If you're using a full set of "drum mics", the overhead mics are likely to be condenser microphones. (frequently, but not always.)
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This is where specs come in handy. The headphone output of the iPad is somewhere less than 24 ohms down to about 10 ohms (for the Mac mini, Apple doesn't really spec this 3.5mm connector) this is more than adequate to drive the line in on the DL (TRS connector only or no Phantom power XLR) at 30K ohms for line input and 3K ohms for mic input. 48 V on an output that would typically handle 2 V does kill it as you found out.
RoadRanger:
BTW I'm a charter member of the global phantom hater's club 8) . But even with individual channel phantom switching skipping the isolation when needed puts you one "oops"away from disaster.
Wynnd:
On a Mac that is true. The Mac audio output is DESIGNED to put out amplifier level to headphones, Line level to amps and even light for fiber cable. (Surround Sound digital on the fiber.) DESIGNED for all that. (And on mine, also a microphone input in the same connector.) I'm not interested in suggested off product uses. I don't use Microphones as speakers or speakers as microphones. (And dynamic microphone parts are the same type of parts as speakers have. Coil, Magnet and diaphragm.)
RoadRanger:
--- Quote from: Wynnd on March 02, 2015, 04:49:20 AM ---On a Mac that is true. The Mac audio output is DESIGNED to put out amplifier level to headphones, Line level to amps
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So're the PC and iDevices :) .
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