Fostex AR501 Owner's manual

Brand: Fostex

Model: AR501

Type: Owner's manual

Fostex AR501 is a versatile preamplifier designed for a wide range of audio applications, offering features that cater to both professional and enthusiast users. With its balanced XLR input and output connectors, AR501 ensures pristine audio signal transmission, making it ideal for connecting microphones, mixers, and other professional audio gear. The unbalanced stereo mini jack output provides compatibility with consumer-grade devices like cameras and portable recorders. AR501's switchable phantom power allows you to power condenser microphones, expanding your microphone options.

AR501 MIC PREAMPLIFIER

Owner's Manual

Table of contents

10.

11.

Names and functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Input and Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Switches and LED's inside Battery Cover . .

Power supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Typical connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Input and Output specications . . . . . . . . . . .

Performances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dimensions and weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1. Names and functions

< Input Panel >



< Output Panel >

INPUT

Balancedinput

XLR-3P(Female)

BALANCEDOUT

Balancedoutput

XLR-3P(Male)

DC-IN

DCpowerinlet

microUSB

UNBALOUT

Unbalancedoutput

Stereominijack

R-IN

Audiosignalinput

forRight

Stereominijack

< Top Panel >

BATTERYCOVER

Coverforbattery

andswitches

Transparentplastic

INPUTSEL

Inputselectorswitch

LINE/MIC

PHANTOMPOWER

Powersupply

formicrophone

OFF/P48

PEAKINDICATOR

Red

HPF

Highpassfilter

80/160(Hz)

GAIN

Gainselectswitch

L/•/•/H

POWER

INDICATOR

PowerindicatorLED

Red/Green/Yellow

ATTENUATOR

Attenuatorswitch

OFF/ATT

POWER

Powerswitch

OFF/ON

BATTERY

Battery

compartment

R6,AAbattery

< Bottom & Side Panel >

SHOERAIL

USERLABELAREA

Areatoattachuserlabel

TRIPODSOCKETHOLE

Screwholefortripod

1/4”

SERIALLABEL

Labelforserialnumber

JOINTSTOPPER

Grooveforfixingjoint

2. Input and Output

< Input >

INPUTSEL

MIC

LINE

Nominal

-60/-45/-30/-20dBu

+4dBu

Max

-40/-25/-10/0dBu

+24dBu

INPUTConnector

Connectheretheoutputfrommicrophoneorlinelevelequipment.

UseINPUTSELswitchaccordingtothetypeofdeviceconnected.

(Referto3.SwitchesandLED’ sinsideBatteryCover.)

[Connector]:XLR(Female)/Pin:3pins(PinNo.2asHOT)

[Inputimpedance]

LINE: 10kΩ or higher

MIC: 2kΩ or higher

[Inputlevel]

< Output >

ATT

OFF

Nominal

-10dBV

-50dBV

MAX

+10dBV

-30dBV

BALANCEDOUTConnector

Outputthelinelevelaudiosignalinbalancedconfiguration.

[Connector]:XLR(Male)/Pins:3pins/No.2asHOT

[Nominaloutputlevel]:+4dBu

[Max.outputlevel]:+24dBu

[Applicable load impedance]: 10kΩ or more

UNBALANCEDOUTConnector

Outputtheaudiosignalinunbalancedconfiguration.(The

samesignalwillappearonbothLandRchannels.)

YoucanreducetheoutputlevelbyusingATTswitch.

((Referto3.SwitchesandLED’ sinsideBatteryCover)).

[Connector]:Stereominijack/ø3.5mm

[Nominaloutputlevel]:-10dBV

[Max.outputlevel]:+10dBV

< Misc. >

R-INconnector

Connectingalinelevelaudiosignalherewillresultanoutput

viaUNBALANCEDOUTconnectorRightchannel.

ItisusefulwhenconnectinganotherAR501toperformin

stereo.

[Connector]:Stereominijack/ø3.5mm

DC-INconnector

Usetoconnectanexternalpowersource.

RecommendedDCvoltageis5V.

Anordinarymobilebatterypackcanbeused.

[Connector]:microUSB

[Inputvoltage]:5V±3%

[Currentconsumption]:100mApeak.

Note:Whenicomingvoltagegoesbelowtheabovespec.orif

itcutsout,AR501willautomaticallyswitchthepowersource

tointernalbattery.

3. Switches and LED's inside Battery Cover

MIC

LINE

OFF

P48

INPUTSELSwitch

UseINPUTSELswitchaccordingtothetypeofequipment

connected.

Fordynamicorcondensertypemicrophone

Forlinelevelequipmentsuchasanaudiomixer.

*WhenchoosingLINE,nosignalbecomesavailableon

BALANCEDOUTconnector.

PHANTOMPOWERSwitch

Powersupplyforcondensermicrophone

INPUTSELSwitch

UseINPUTSELswitchaccordingtothetypeofequipment

connected.

Novoltagesupplied.

48VvoltageissuppliedtoINPUTconnector.24V

willbesuppliedatpowersavingmode.

LINE

160

Reducingthefrequencyrangeof80Hzand

below.

Reducingthefrequencyrangeof160Hzand

below.

HPF(HighPassFilter)Switch

Usedtoreducelowfrequencynoisesuchaswindblowon

themicrophoneorhumnoisegeneratedbyACpowerfacility.

*Attenuation:-6dB/oct.

GAINSwitchandPEAKIndicator

Usedtoadjustthemicrophoneampgainaccordingtothe

microphonesensitivity.SettheGAINswitchappropriately

referringtothePK(PEAKindicator)LEDandtheinputlevelof

equipmentconnectedtoOUTPUT.

MICSensitivity(dBu)

-60

-45

-30

-20

GAIN(dB)

+64

+49

+34

+24

*WhentheGAINisadjustedproperlyacccordingtothechart

above,thenominallevelwillappearviaOUTPUTconnector.

OFF

Noattenuation(nominaloutputlevel:-10dBV)

Attenationapplied(nominaloutputlevel:-50dBV)

OUTPUTATTSwitch

UsedtoattenuatethesignallevelatUNBALANCEDOUT.

SettoONwhenconnectingtolowinputequipmentsuchas

micinofDSLRcamera.

BatteryCompartment

InsertapieceofAAbattery.

Typeofbattery:Ni-MH(Nickel

MetalHydride),Alkaline

POWERSwitch

Mainpowerswitch

ofAR501

POWERINDICATOR

PowerindicatorLED.

(Fordetail,refertonextpage.)

POWER Indicator

Lit when power turns ON. LED condition differs depending on the

function mode.

[Internal battery]: Right after powering on

Lightingpattern

Normalmode/Preparingtosettingup

Powersavingmode/Preparingtosettingup

Setupcompleted

(1sec.)x3times

Flashinggreentwicerapidly

for3sec.period

G Green

R Red

Flashinggreenonceslowly

for3sec.period

G Green

Flashingred3timesrapidly

If you operate the PHANTOM POWER switch from OFF to ON to OFF

during the setting up period, AR501 will enter Power saving mode.

It will reduce the internal circuitry working voltage and cut down the

power consumption by approx. 40%. (The supply voltage at P48 is

going to be 24V during the power saving mode.)

The power saving mode will be memorized internally.

In order to cancel the mode, turn the power OFF once, then repeat

the same MIC POWER switch operation again.

During operation, the indicator will perform as following.

* Replace the battery when Red LED becomes ashing.

* Replace the battery immediately when Red LED is lit solid as the

power is forced to OFF on both internal circuitry as well as P48.

[Internal battery]: During normal mode operation

•••

Lightingpattern

P48

BATT.

amount

Flashing:

GGreen2times

Flashing:

YYellow2times

Flashing:

GGreen2times

Red1time

Flashing:

Y Yellow2times

R Red1time

R Red

Litsolid

OFF

Forcedto

OFF

High

Low

High

Low

Runout

[Internal battery]: During power saving mode operation

•••

Lightingpattern

P48

BATT.

amount

Flashing:

GGreen

Flashing:

YYellow

Flashing:

GGreen1time

Red1time

Flashing:

YYellow1time

RRed1time

R Red

Litsolid

OFF

Forcedto

OFF

High

Low

High

Low

Runout

* The supply voltage at P48 is 24V during the power saving mode.

* Replace the battery when Red LED becomes ashing.

* Replace the battery immediately when Red LED is lit solid as the

power is forced to OFF on both internal circuitry as well as P48.

[DC IN]: During operation

•••

Litsolid:

G Green

Litsolid:

Y Yellow

OFF

Lightingpattern P48

* During DC-IN operation, no preparation to the setting up will not be

executed.

* During DC-IN operation, the battery amount is not detected.

4. Power

< Internal Battery >

AR501 uses a piece of AA battery.

The sutied type of battery is N-MH rechargeable battery or Alkaline

battery.

* AR501 does not have battery charging function.

Operating time reference value.

NormalMode Powersavingmode

P48(Powertomic)

BatteryType

OFFOFF ON ON

P48(Powertomic)

AlkalineBatt.

(LR6)

Ni-MH

(eneloop)

Ni-MH

(enelooppro)

Approx.

9hours

Approx.

10hours

Approx.

12hours

Approx.

3hours

Approx.

4hours

Approx.

5hours

Approx.

15hours

Approx.

16hours

Approx.

18hours

Approx.

8hours

Approx.

9hours

Approx.

11hours

Caution

* The above chart is only a reference. It does not guarantee the actu-

al operating time. The operating time differs depending on the using

condition and environmental variations.

* Ni-MH battery gradually reduce its max. capacity by repeating the

cycle of discharge.

* For the measurement of the above chart, we have used brand new

Ni-MH battery once discharged and then fully charged.

Memo

* As spontaneous self-discharge occurs on Ni-MH battery, we rec-

ommend using it immediately after charging or charge it rigt before

using. Alternatively, we recommend the next generation rechargeable

battery that has improved self-discharge characteristic such as "en-

eloop".

* As Alkaline battery drastically reduces its discharge characteristic

under low temperature, we recommend Ni-MH battery under such

circumstances.

* eneloop is a registered trade name.

< External Power >

Memo

* When powered by an external power source, AR501 does not con-

sume the power from internal battery.

* The power indicator becomes lit (use of internal battery makes the

indicator ashing.).

* If the external power cuts out with some reason, it will automatically

switch the power source to the internal battery. It is possible to use

the external power as main source and internal battery as backup

source.

DC-INConnector

AR501canbepoweredbyconnectinganexternalpower

sourcetoDC-INsuchasmobilebatterypack.

5. Chassis

< Screw hole for tripod >

< Shoe rail >

AR501provides1/4”threadonthebottomchassis

sothatyoucanattachittoastandardtripodand

cameragear.

Byinsertingthejointplatecomesinthepackage

here,multiplenumberofAR501canbejointed.

P le a s e r e f e r t o  < J o i nt  >  o n  t h e  s e c t i o n  6 .

Accessoriesformoredetails.

< Attaching user label >

AR501hasapitonthebottomchassistostickauserlabelfor

theusers’convenience.Useitforattachingalabelintheway

youlikesuchascompanyIDandadministrativecontrolnumber

plate.Sincethepitisretracted,itavoidsthelabelgetting

damagedwhenattachingatripod.

Recommendedlabeldimensions:41x13mm,CornerR2.5mm

6. Accessories

< Joint (coupling plate) >

Used to joint multiple numbers of AR501.

Make the shoe rail of every unit facing each other and insert the joint

in between.

Fit the joint to one unit rst and then attach the other later.

Other purpose of joint is; xing the joint to somewhere like a wall us-

ing 3 mm in diameter screw holes, then attach the AR501 to the joint.

Recommended screw: 3 mm in diameter, more than 10 mm in length,

counter-sunk type screw (other type cannot be used).

* Before fixing the joint, ensure the fixing area has enough

strength to hold the AR501.

WALL

< Reference dimensions >

< Cable >

Used to connect AR501 unbalanced output to other equipment

such as a DSLR camera and audio recorder and also to connect 2 x

AR501's in cascade.

For the convenience of handling, a curl cord is used.

[Connectors]: stereo min plug ø 3.5 mm.

[Length]: 20 cm when shrunk, 40 cm when fully expanded.

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Fostex AR501 Owner's manual

Fostex AR501 Owner's manual

Fostex AR501 Owner's manual

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