Centracom Series II Consoles
Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 3:13 pm
Hi All,
It's been a while since I've been here. Looking back, it has been roughly 10 years since my last dabble into the world of Centracom consoles. I've had the bug again here recently and would like to again pursue getting one setup. I've been working on a Linux project to create a Raspberry Pi/USB SDR based receiver console to run within Linux. I'll release more details on that as it comes together if anyone here is interested. Simultaneously I have been trying to figure out how I could implement one of the B&L consoles in my home shack, and as I started digging I think I came up with the answer. If I combine the two projects, the Raspberry Pi handles all of the channelization, P25 demodulation, etc. From there, each channel outputs to its own channel on an audio device, which then goes to the input of the dual rx cards in the Centracom system. Before anyone points it out, I know I should just finish coding my interface and let it be PC based. Doing so would save space, money, and potential frustration. With that out of the way, putting one of these together is something I've wanted to do for a long time, in some sense for nostalgia, in another sense for the challenge. I think the use of the Pi and SDR is about the cheapest way to implement the RF side of this.
With all of that said, I have a few questions. I no longer have the manuals on the Centracom that I used to, so bear with me. I'll be ordering them shortly.
First, what are the primary differences between variations of the Centracom system? For example, the II, II+, Gold, Gold Elite. I know the Plus had a CRT option, and I know the Gold Elite was the newer PC based version with the gray Motorola hardware at the OP. Aside from that, are there any differences to be aware of? Gold versus non-Gold is something I don't really know the differences on.
I'd like to leave open the option to play with some of the newer stuff later, but want to primarily build this out as a B&L setup. Were there any differences in the card cage/backplane between the various versions? Obviously the cards themselves differ, but what about the backplane and cage itself?
Next up is a question on the OMI/TOMI cards. As I started back down this path, I had in my head that 1 OMI/TOMI card was required for each OP. Something I read now has me wondering if this is correct or if each channel module at the OP requires an OMI/TOMI.
If memory serves, the channel modules plugged into a board at the OP. My question here is how this interfaces back to the CEB. In consoles with multiple boards worth of clustered channel modules, does each board have a home run back to the CEB, or do these interconnect at the OP and then have a single run back to the CEB?
I do have other questions, but I'll leave it at that for now. I know some of these are probably pretty basic. I have a better understanding of these consoles than I did 10 years ago, but I still have a ways to go.
Thanks,
Ryan
It's been a while since I've been here. Looking back, it has been roughly 10 years since my last dabble into the world of Centracom consoles. I've had the bug again here recently and would like to again pursue getting one setup. I've been working on a Linux project to create a Raspberry Pi/USB SDR based receiver console to run within Linux. I'll release more details on that as it comes together if anyone here is interested. Simultaneously I have been trying to figure out how I could implement one of the B&L consoles in my home shack, and as I started digging I think I came up with the answer. If I combine the two projects, the Raspberry Pi handles all of the channelization, P25 demodulation, etc. From there, each channel outputs to its own channel on an audio device, which then goes to the input of the dual rx cards in the Centracom system. Before anyone points it out, I know I should just finish coding my interface and let it be PC based. Doing so would save space, money, and potential frustration. With that out of the way, putting one of these together is something I've wanted to do for a long time, in some sense for nostalgia, in another sense for the challenge. I think the use of the Pi and SDR is about the cheapest way to implement the RF side of this.
With all of that said, I have a few questions. I no longer have the manuals on the Centracom that I used to, so bear with me. I'll be ordering them shortly.
First, what are the primary differences between variations of the Centracom system? For example, the II, II+, Gold, Gold Elite. I know the Plus had a CRT option, and I know the Gold Elite was the newer PC based version with the gray Motorola hardware at the OP. Aside from that, are there any differences to be aware of? Gold versus non-Gold is something I don't really know the differences on.
I'd like to leave open the option to play with some of the newer stuff later, but want to primarily build this out as a B&L setup. Were there any differences in the card cage/backplane between the various versions? Obviously the cards themselves differ, but what about the backplane and cage itself?
Next up is a question on the OMI/TOMI cards. As I started back down this path, I had in my head that 1 OMI/TOMI card was required for each OP. Something I read now has me wondering if this is correct or if each channel module at the OP requires an OMI/TOMI.
If memory serves, the channel modules plugged into a board at the OP. My question here is how this interfaces back to the CEB. In consoles with multiple boards worth of clustered channel modules, does each board have a home run back to the CEB, or do these interconnect at the OP and then have a single run back to the CEB?
I do have other questions, but I'll leave it at that for now. I know some of these are probably pretty basic. I have a better understanding of these consoles than I did 10 years ago, but I still have a ways to go.
Thanks,
Ryan