- Posts: 195
- Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 10:55 am
Mon Nov 28, 2016 7:31 pm
We have 2 x Studio Cameras HD and have experienced the same issue with DC power failure on three occasions. I use the words "DC failure" because I am not yet clear about the cause. On each occasion the battery begins to drain even though the camera is connected to the supplied PSU. Trying everything, swapping PSU's, checking AC supply, wiggling cable for dsicontinuities, switching off and on, using a completely different PSU seems to have no effect until the camera suddenly begins charging again.
On the first two occasions, once doing camera line-ups at base, the second in the middle of a live UN conference, a single camera switched off of its own accord, evidently when the battery was exhausted (nobody had noticed the state of the battery indicator). It eventually began charging again after trying everything above, without being able to attribute the recovery to any one cause. We obviously suspected a PSU failure or loose connection between PSU and removable pins.
The third occasion was much more of a cause for concern. With two Micro Studio Cameras and two Studio Cameras HD set up for a live event, BOTH of the latter failed to show DC power or charging on the morning of the event with an hour to go, having been set up and run for several hours the day before. They had been powered down overnight, but the PSUs were left connected and probably powered.
Having tried everything again as above with no success, we borrowed a 15V PSU from a TV crew and this produced a DC power/charging indication on the camera display, but did not in fact charge the battery, so we were back to square one in that we would be left with only camera powered, so we prepared to use a DSLM instead.
I took the 4-pin XLRs apart and both connections looked sound.
Some time later both cameras did begin to work correctly, both charging from the supplied PSUs, and continued to work normally for the following 24 hours, and after being switched off again overnight.
Can PSUs be intermittent, failing and then recovering after resting? Intermittent cables or PSU connections to pins seem unlikely on both cameras at once. The items are well treated and repacked in their original packaging after each shoot. I am wondering whether this could be a software issue, which would explain why it has happened repeatedly and on two units simultaneously. Could it be that the software doesn't always recognise that a DC source is connected, or doesn't recognise the voltage? I am also at a loss to explain why a different and physically larger AC adaptor did not recharge the battery. Could uneven AC supply be to blame? The location was a large 4-star hotel and we were also running three dozen other pieces of equipment including a small 13 Amp lighting rig and did not notice any other problems.
One difficulty and shortcoming of the display is that it only shows battery charging and not the presence of DC power, as far as we could tell. Once charged the battery indicator shows a full battery and 100%, but no DC lighting flash, so it is not possible to tell whether DC is working until the battery level falls.
On the first two occasions, once doing camera line-ups at base, the second in the middle of a live UN conference, a single camera switched off of its own accord, evidently when the battery was exhausted (nobody had noticed the state of the battery indicator). It eventually began charging again after trying everything above, without being able to attribute the recovery to any one cause. We obviously suspected a PSU failure or loose connection between PSU and removable pins.
The third occasion was much more of a cause for concern. With two Micro Studio Cameras and two Studio Cameras HD set up for a live event, BOTH of the latter failed to show DC power or charging on the morning of the event with an hour to go, having been set up and run for several hours the day before. They had been powered down overnight, but the PSUs were left connected and probably powered.
Having tried everything again as above with no success, we borrowed a 15V PSU from a TV crew and this produced a DC power/charging indication on the camera display, but did not in fact charge the battery, so we were back to square one in that we would be left with only camera powered, so we prepared to use a DSLM instead.
I took the 4-pin XLRs apart and both connections looked sound.
Some time later both cameras did begin to work correctly, both charging from the supplied PSUs, and continued to work normally for the following 24 hours, and after being switched off again overnight.
Can PSUs be intermittent, failing and then recovering after resting? Intermittent cables or PSU connections to pins seem unlikely on both cameras at once. The items are well treated and repacked in their original packaging after each shoot. I am wondering whether this could be a software issue, which would explain why it has happened repeatedly and on two units simultaneously. Could it be that the software doesn't always recognise that a DC source is connected, or doesn't recognise the voltage? I am also at a loss to explain why a different and physically larger AC adaptor did not recharge the battery. Could uneven AC supply be to blame? The location was a large 4-star hotel and we were also running three dozen other pieces of equipment including a small 13 Amp lighting rig and did not notice any other problems.
One difficulty and shortcoming of the display is that it only shows battery charging and not the presence of DC power, as far as we could tell. Once charged the battery indicator shows a full battery and 100%, but no DC lighting flash, so it is not possible to tell whether DC is working until the battery level falls.
