It had to happen. The first Sony CX-455 reached it's 400 CD capacity and it was time to add a second jukebox. Should be simple right?
Actually, it is relatively simple. The second jukebox is added to the stack, and a 1/8" mono cable is used to connect the Slink ports on the two units.
Standard RCA phono jack cables are used to take the output from the new jukebox and feed it to the main unit. Finally, the remote control is set to distinguish between the two units by setting the ID to CD2.
Wrong.
I don't know what perverse joy the Sony engineer responsible for this particular feature derives from his decision. I can't even begin to follow the logic he used, BUT setting the second unit to CD2 results in no sound.
Having read the manual, studied the connection diagrams, and tried every possible combination, one begins to lose hope and wonder if the new toy is defective.
The Slink-e was able to recognize the new unit instantly, it indexed the CD's, it updated the CDJ database. Everything worked. Oh, except no sound.
So it must be the cables right? Change the cables. No sound. Wrong connections? Try every possible combination. No sound. Despair. Abandon project for a week to think about having to unload all the CD's and drag it back to dealer.
One last try. RTFM. Again. Hmm - it doesn't actually say to set the second unit to CD2, it says CD3. Can that possibly make a difference? Set the unit to CD3.
Sound.
The issue of how to control the Slink-e has also been termporarily resolved. My main laptop was an IBM TPad X21 which I used when travelling. Having taken on full time employment again, I find myself blessed with an IBM TPad T40, which liberates the home machine.
The X21 is now ensconced in the stereo rack, attached to the Slink-e by a short serial cable. Although the X21 does not have a serial port, it does have USB, so the addition of a USB-serial converter took care of the deficiency..
