Control and GPI
Contact Closure and Data over Fiber
Tally, triggers and machine control, carried on the same glass as everything else.
Contact closure links carry dry-contact events such as tally, cue lights, triggers and interlocks. Data links carry the serial and control signals around them.
Both are built to the interface the installation actually uses, and both are available as standalone links or as cards inside a camera fiber base station.
| Family | Data / Contact Closure |
|---|---|
| Products in this family | Contact Closure and Data over Fiber |
| Built to order | Connector, channel count and control interface are configured per order |
Product
Contact Closure and Data over Fiber
Dry contacts and serial control, on glass, over the distance copper will not do.
Control and GPITallyContact closure terminals
What it does
- +Contact closure links for tally, cue lights and triggers.
- +Data links for serial and machine control.
- +Dry-contact pairs that close a circuit at the far end.
- +Fiber isolation removes earth potential differences between sites.
- +Standalone units, or cards inside a camera fiber base station.
- +Channel count configured to the tally and trigger plan.
Interfaces and configuration
| Signal types | Contact closure (GPI) and data |
|---|---|
| Typical uses | Tally, cue lights, triggers, interlocks, serial control |
| Electrical side | Contact closure terminals, serial interface on data models |
| Optical side | Fiber link |
| Configuration | Standalone link or card inside a base station |
| Channel count | Configured per installation |
Models in this family
| Contact closure to fiber | Dry contact pairs for tally, cue lights and triggers |
|---|---|
| Data to fiber | Serial and machine control links |
Every unit is configured to the interfaces in the order. Nothing in this table is a performance claim; it is the interface list we build to. Ask for the datasheet when a number has to be committed to a drawing.
Questions buyers ask
What is contact closure used for in broadcast?
It is the simplest signalling there is: a switch closes, a lamp lights, a trigger fires. Tally, on-air lights, cue lamps and interlocks are all contact closure, and all of them have to travel further than the copper run allows.
Can tally be carried on the same fiber as camera video?
Yes, when the camera system base station is specified with tally I/O. That is how a one-cable camera link returns tally to the head without a separate circuit.
Is data the same as contact closure?
No. Contact closure is a dry contact; data is a serial stream. They are separate products and are often both present in the same installation.