Qu 16 + AB168 Ethercon madness

Qu Qu Troubleshooting
1

Hello Allen & Heath community,

I have a new AB168 for my Qu 16, and linking both together is driving me nuts. I have tried two units of AB168 and three different Ethercon cables so far and no combination seems to work like intended. The error pattern is inconsistent and kind of baffling:

  1. One cable (Cordial CSE 20 NN 7A PUR) was not working at all. I tested the same cable with a cable tester and it was ok.

  2. Two cables (pro snake CAT5e Profi 30m and pro snake CAT6E 30m) kind of work. Strangely, if you plug them in by themselves, they show a link on the connectors but no “Ready” sign on the stagebox. If you use them with a Neutrik NE8 FF (Ethercon to RJ45 adapter) on the mixer side, they work.

  3. In addition, the more expensive of the two cables which has Neutrik NE8MX-1 plugs does not lock into the connectors on the mixer and stage box (no click when plugged in).

This all seems very strange and frankly not at all plug and play. Any advice on how to proceed? Or do I just have a bad Qu 16? This is the only thing that has not been swapped when trying to narrow in on the problem.

Any help is much appreciated. Have a good day! Stephan

2

Was the stagebox working at any point in time?

3

Yes, but not perfectly. I had audio dropouts on the first AB168 that I ordered (blaming it on the stagebox because I had tested the cables). The second unit had no dropouts and worked for a few tests but just since this afternoon, it seems dead as well. I am really suspecting the Qu 16’s network adapter now. I have had this mixer for about one year but not used the digital connections before.

4

Was the mixer a new one?

5

Have you checked the S-link socket (in the mixer) for bent pins ?

Giga