Serious Problem With Blackmagic Design URSA Mini 4.6K

I have recently purchased URSA Mini 4.6K but I feel myself unlucky with this camera. When I used the camera for first time, I made firmware update to the camera and installed version 4.2. It was working normally until last day when I started experiencing a problem. The image appears clearly in the monitor and viewfinder for a few seconds but suddenly disappears and the monitor turns black with no any image. I tried to reset the camera but the problem still exists. I tried to revert the firmware to version 3.3 and again the problem appears. The image comes back for a few minutes and disappears once again. What do you think the problem is? Is there anything related to the sensor? I would rather consider it a serious problem because I cannot shot with the camera anymore.

Sounds like it could be a hardware issue. If you contact BM support they will work through a few tests with you and then, if needed, will give you an RMA number so you can return it for repair.

Thank you for your response. What do you think the cause of this problem would be? Is it a problem related to the sensor? Is it common and highly experienced by URSA Mini owners ?

First off I don't think its a good idea to assume its the camera. What sort of battery plate/battery are you using? Did you connect them correctly? Are they new? brand? Do you have any other devices connected to the camera? We need a lot more information before we can make any sort of assessment...

I've experienced similar with the 4kVA connected to the UM46 using a non-shielded SDI cable.

Perhaps take it back to the dealer you purchased it from, they may help you trouble-shoot the problem, and/or contact Blackmagic support as Adam said.

Thank you for your response. What do you think the cause of this problem would be? Is it a problem related to the sensor? Is it common and highly experienced by URSA Mini owners ?

I don't think it's a common issue. I've not seen any other reports like yours tho there might be.

It could be a power issue. Is the camera still running when the screen goes black? Can you hear the fan running?

Also you could try powering it up with the AC power adaptor without the battery connected (take off the battery plate) just to check if its not a battery issue.... Unplug the EVF... does it still do it without the EVF connected? Remove any cards... remove lens... point the camera into light so you can see if the screen goes black...

Basically strip the camera and if it still does it then obviously you can say its the camera body at fault.

You could also try going back to FW3.3 (assuming you have a good USB cable lol)

Thank you all for the interaction. This camera is only 3 weeks old and I did firmware update to version 4.2 the next day from unboxing using a good USB cable. The camera was working normally until last Friday when I started to experience problems which I explained. I tried to roll the camera back to version 3.3 but again it was showing the same problem. In addition, I dismantled all the accessories including the viewfinder and the lens as well leaving the body to work with no any interface but the problem persisted.
When I first start the camera, everything seems to be working normally but within few seconds the monitor looses the image coming from the sensor and turns black. All other contents within the screen (i.e. shutter angle, ISO, audio level, iris, etc) maintain their appearance. The menu also pops up when I press its button and works normally just as any camera would function. The only issue is the disappearance of the image.
For powering, I am using IDX E-HL10D along with V-Mount battery plate specifically designed for URSA which I believe it to be the right choice for powering. Along with the camera, I use the battery to power Teradek Cube 655 and DJI Focus lens driver which I have been told by IDX that it should safe as this battery disposes 120W and the total power consumption does should not exceed 80-90W. I tried to power up the camera with the original adapter that comes within camera's box but again the problem appears.

As Adam suggested, it is time to contact your regional BM Support Office, something is wrong with an internal camera connection, or the video processing board.
Also try checking the SDI output to see if it is passing a video,signal, and trymrecording to see if it actually records a video image. This will help narrow down where the problem is.
Cheers

As Adam suggested, it is time to contact your regional BM Support Office, something is wrong with an internal camera connection, or the video processing board.
Also try checking the SDI output to see if it is passing a video,signal, and trymrecording to see if it actually records a video image. This will help narrow down where the problem is.
Cheers

I had a similar issue where the camera was on, but the LCD was not working. In my case it was a loose connection between the camera and LCD. BM fixed it quickly. Works fine now. Get an RMA. Or if you are within the window, return it and get another one from the dealer.


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Also what's the first 4 digits of your serial number?

Please download the video from any of the following links:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4sGJ ... 19reWliR3M

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xgbv1ytjd2ino ... M.mov?dl=0

As you see in the video, the image appears in the screen for a short period of time and disappears by sudden leaving the monitor with technical details only.

In some instances, even technical details disappear and the monitor is left black. Same behavior appears in viewfinder and SDI output.

How strange :/ btw which lens is that? have you tried with a different lens? or no lens?

The Serial number is 3286821
The lens which I used was Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro.
This problem is not related with the type of lens. It happens even when the camera has no any lens mounted on it but only the cap removed to allow light to pass through.
Disappearance of the image happens in the monitor, viewfinder and the 12G-SDI output as well.

Looks like it was manufactured fairly recently... the only other thing I can think of is when it goes blank, double tap the PGM button (try a few times to see if it makes a difference), just to make sure its not by-passing the video feed to the SDI port... (as JB said in another thread)

Other than that, seems like its time to contact BMD support.

I did a reset to default settings but the problem still existed.
I also changed the firmware but again the problem occurs.
Anyhow, I have sent the camera back to the reseller to check for faultiness.

To power up the camera, I use IDX E-HL10Ds and IDX battery plate specifically designed for Blackmagic Design URSA/Mini. Along with the camera, I use this battery to power up Teradek Cube 655 wireless transmitter and DJI Focus lens driver through D-Tap ports available in the battery and the plate. Is it safe for the battery, the camera, wireless transmitter and the lens driver to run within this setup? Do you think the faultiness which I have described has been the result of this setup given that the battery can output maximum power of 120W?

You could answer that if you begin with the camera and battery in an extensive test. If the image disappears, you know that's not a problem related to the other gear. If all is well, add one thing and repeat testing until you see the problem reappear.


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Thank you for your response. Do I understand from what you have described that this power setup is basically safe for all hardware including the camera?

Thank you all for the interaction. This camera is only 3 weeks old ...

Haitham, if the company you bought the camera from has a refund/replace policy and it is not too late, I would go that route. You'll probably get a replacement faster and the warranty will reset. Plus if the new camera freaks out within the return period, you can rinse and repeat until you get a good camera.

I have no experience with BM support, but I've found it's easier to deal with the authorized seller than it is with the manufacturer.

BM Support (at least in USA) is very good, but you have to pay the return shipping to BM in many cases. They will then pay the shipping back to the customer. Where as returning to a vendor like B&H or Adorama, they will pay the shipping both ways.

Thank you very much for sharing ideas. I have dropped the camera back to the dealer for maintenance. In the last few hours, they informed me that it has been dispatched to Australia for further investigations and the factory will decide whether it should be repaired or replaced. The case is very disappointing and I have been applying a great pressure on the dealer to replace with a new camera as part of my negotiations. I have trusted Blackmagic's camera and gave it a high priority when I took decision to place order for URSA Mini 4.6K, and it's time for Blackmagic Design to respect this decision and make full effort to avoid time wastage.
For the time being, I wish to get my question replied. Is this power setup safe for the camera and other devices working along?

To power up the camera, I use IDX E-HL10Ds and IDX battery plate specifically designed for Blackmagic Design URSA/Mini. Along with the camera, I use this battery to power up Teradek Cube 655 wireless transmitter and DJI Focus lens driver through D-Tap ports available in the battery and the plate. Is it safe for the battery, the camera, wireless transmitter and the lens driver to run within this setup? Do you think the faultiness which I have described has been the result of this setup given that the battery can output maximum power of 120W?

Haitham, I am trying to give you an answer.
Your setup:
1x BMD UM46k ~ 40-45W
1x BMD Viewfinder ~ 5W
1x Teradek Cube 655 ~ 10W
1x DJI Focus ~30W/2.5A drive (1W idle)


Battery: IDX E-HL10D ... max 10A/120W ... D-tap max 50W
Plate: IDX ... D-tap max 50W

So from the given information and what I found about the power draw of the devices it seems to be no problem to power your setup through the battery.

But I would not totally trust the capabilities of the D-tap. When I was shooting with my older BMCC which had been powered by a SWIT V-mount battery I had problems with the SmallHD AC-7 monitor powered through the D-tap. Even though the total power draw for the whole setup was less than 40W...

The problem with low voltage is you can't run long, thin power cables. The thinner the cable, the higher the resistance for higher Amps. The longer the cable, the higher the voltage drop. The higher the voltage drop, the more Amps the device is drawing to compensate...
The higher the Amps the hotter a thin cable gets, the hotter it gets the higher the resistance...

That's also the reason why we have high voltage power grids - to lessen the power loss.

EDIT:
I connected my UM46k via power supply through a power metering device to the wall plug.
The meter says 54W for camera idle (just showing the image). I guess the power supply has 80% efficiency - so this gives 54 x 0.8 = 43W for the camera.

I have trusted Blackmagic's camera and gave it a high priority when I took decision to place order for URSA Mini 4.6K, and it's time for Blackmagic Design to respect this decision and make full effort to avoid time wastage.

Haitham, if time is of the essence, you might want to see if the situation allows for you to ask for your money back, and order from a different vendor with a better return/replace policy.

Unfortunately, asking for refund is very challenging as Blackmagic Design will check the camera to find out the defectiveness that has incurred and on this basis a decision will be made as to whether repair or replace or refund. Decision can only be made by Blackmagic and that's what I have been told by the reseller. The camera has been shipped to UK for further investigation and by next week things will be clear hopefully.

Sounds like,the reseller is passing the buck so to speak, and is not standing behind the camera. Time to find a new reseller for future purchases.

How old are the batteries? How much use is on them?

I ask because when I first got my Ursa Mini, I started using my 2 year old Switronix 90 batteries and the unit would just cut out. I was previously using them on my BMCC and they were fine ther but no match for the Ursa's increased requirements.

I contacted Switronix and they offered me a replacement/upgrade rebate to their latest batteries and all my problems vanished. Great customer service.

Hi all

Just purchased a mini pro 2 days no... was working fine for last 2 day... sunddenly since today evening... the cam is not booting properly (grey screen appears n the fan runs)... it only boots after 5 to 6 attempts with both toogle switch & button... N when it switches on thr seems to b a lot of lines on the LCD...

Plz help

Is there any difference trying to boot from the fully charged battery and from the XLR 4 pin cable connected to the BMD power adapter connected to your main AC electrical circuits in the home? If the AC power let's it boot fine, your battery is at fault. If it isn't a battery problem at your end, call your reseller for an exchange of camera or call BMD Support for an RMA to get it repaired. Your reseller should exchange it for a new camera.


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Whos your dealer?

Bit worried about purchasing one now..