Installation manual

MONGOOSE

Design Manual

3. Be sure to design the routing of the CobraNet Bundles for your entire system during your

planning. You’ll appreciate this when it is time to conﬁgure the Mongoose audio routing matrix!

4. For large audio systems, consider using CobraCAD software to help with your network design.

CobraCAD is a software application that provides a simple graphical user interface for visualizing

and designing CobraNet networks. Because it provides on screen visualization of the audio,

Ethernet, and virtual Bundle connections throughout the entire network, it can be very helpful

when designing large, complex systems. With CobraCAD, you can dynamically build a system on

screen and perform design rule checking to catch errors. Note that CobraCAD is no longer actively

supported, and therefore, does not contain Mongoose and RAD devices. It is still useful, however,

for learning about CobraNet and for visualizing and planning a CobraNet network.

Key Design Decisions to Make

Following are a list of questions to consider when creating your Mongoose design.

1. Does the audio system you’re designing actually need the Mongoose technology?

If you read the introduction to this manual (or listened carefully to the Mongoose sales pitch), you

understand the beneﬁts of using a Mongoose system. Deciding which situations warrant its use

is the trickier part. If your system contains any of the following characteristics, it’s likely that the

Mongoose would be beneﬁcial.

• e system needs to transmit and receive a small number of audio channels between a rack

room and multiple, scattered locations.

• e system requires digital transmission of the audio signal. is could be due to distance

issues or simply the need for higher quality sound.

• e total number of wall connections in the entire system is high. (Installing and testing a large

number of analog wall connections requires a tremendous amount of labor.)

e example applications in this manual (see "Example Applications" on page 29) further illustrate

when and how to add Mongoose technology to an audio system. ese examples also illustrate the

conversion of generic one-line drawings to detailed drawings containing a Mongoose and RADs.

2. What are the maximum distances you’ll need to accommodate between a RAD and its host

Mongoose and between a Mongoose and the network switch or other audio equipment?

e maximum distance allowed between a RAD and a Mongoose is 150 meters. If you need to

accommodate larger distances, you may need to include multiple Mongoose devices in your

installation, guaranteeing that there is a Mongoose within 150 meters of each RAD.

In addition to this distance restriction between RADs and Mongoose devices, there is also the

standard Ethernet distance restriction of 100 meters (if using CAT 5 cables) between the Mongoose

and any other audio device (including another Mongoose) or network switch. If you need to

accommodate a distance larger than 100 meters and are unable to use additional network switches,

you could use ﬁber optic cable instead of CAT 5. If you choose to use multiple network switches,

e maximum hops allowed in a CobraNet network (depending on the acceptable latency) is 6.