Section 9.3 - Controlling the serial port (9-pin)
9-3
1) From menu group 7, move the cursor to
9pinLocPr and press SELECT:
2) Use the numeric keypad to enter a time in
minutes and seconds between

00:00

and

59:59

.
3) Press and hold down the SHIFT key and press
the ENTER/LOAD key to transfer the value to
the display screen.
Alternatively, you can use the UP and DOWN
keys to alter the values of the minutes and seconds
fields.
9.3.3 Serial unit timing source
The RS-422 device can be set to accept its timing
signals from either external timecode, or from the
Timer 1 internal time source (the video CTL sub-
code track).
1) From menu group 7, move the cursor to
9pinTimMod (9-pin time mode) and press
SELECT:
2) Use the UP and DOWN keys to select either
Timecode or the Timer 1 timing source
(subcode timing).
If the timecode option is selected and the VTR
does not include a timecode reader, or the tape has
not been striped with timecode, the RC-898 tape
counter will show all hyphens:
--:--:--.--
.
9.3.4 Split mode on the serial unit
There are two ways of operating the E2 unit with
the RC-898 transport controls. Firstly, all transport
controls, including the record (REC key and the
REC FUNCTION keys 41 through 46) can be
used to control the VTR acting as the E2 unit con-
nected to the RS-422 port. This is referred to as
“normal” mode.
In normal mode, the following RC-898 keys per-
form these P2 functions:
However, in a video post-production situation, it is
quite likely that you will need to control the trans-
port of a VTR, which acts as a timecode master
for the DTRS slaves. These DTRS slaves will be
used for recording, but the VTR will not (other-
wise the worktape will be erased!). The RC-898
therefore provides you with a “split mode” in
which all transport keys except the RECORD key
and the REC FUNCTION keys control the VTR,
and the recording keys control the DTRS units.
In this way, all recording operations, including
auto-punch operations, can be carried out on the
DTRS units without the risk of accidentally eras-
ing the VTR tape.
However, there is one function where operation is
slightly different, and this is “on-the-fly” punch-
ing. Usually, when DTRS tracks have been armed,
and the tape is being played, pressing RECORD
will drop the tracks into record mode, and press-
ing PLAY will drop them out into play mode. In
split mode, this is not possible, since the PLAY
key controls the VTR.
To punch in and out of armed tracks on the fly in
split mode only, press RECORD to drop in, and
RECORD to drop out again.
To change between normal and split mode:
1) From menu gropup 7, move the cursor to
9pinCtlMd (9-pin control mode) and press
SELECT:
2) Use the UP and DOWN keys to select between
Split and Normal.
9.3.5 Controlling recording operations on the serial unit
If split mode has been selected (see 9.3.4, “Split
mode on the serial unit” above), the following
9pin Locate Preroll
00min00sec
9pin Time Mode
Timecode
ALL SAFE Standby
ALL INPUT FULL EE
AUTO MON SEL EE
PRRL Preroll
RHSL Preview
AUTO PUNCH AUTO ED IT
9pin Control Mode
Split