PLEASE HELP! Black screen Ursa mini pro! Unresponsive

Hey..

So Ive had my Ursa mini pro 4.6k since June 2020 and its been fine. Switched it on today and the monitor is completly blank but back lit and the camera is not responding even though I can hear the fans powering.

It connects to my computer and I was able to do a firmware update but still no luck

Please help.

Kyle

That seems to be the way they end, peacefully in their sleep. They turn up on eBay as "for parts only" with the same failure mode described and sometimes sell for what I see as extraordinarily high prices US$1100 to US$1400 being the ballpark.

As long as you are the original buyer, from your description, you should still be covered by warranty. If you bought the camera from a previous owner, then a 12 months warranty may have timed out. The costs of repair if possible at all may be uneconomic.

If you are covered by warranty, then you should submit the camera for repair or replacement soon as you possibly can. With COVID and all manner of shipping and courier services being disrupted, your camera could travel for an extended period of time and fall outside of any period of warranty which may remain at this time.

As a hedge against the camera going MIA altogether, I would highly recommend you ask for shipping insurance although the extra charges will be a real pain.

Hey..

So Ive had my Ursa mini pro 4.6k since June 2020 and its been fine. Switched it on today and the monitor is completly blank but back lit and the camera is not responding even though I can hear the fans powering.

It connects to my computer and I was able to do a firmware update but still no luck

Please help.

Kyle

My URSA G2 did exactly that yesterday during a shoot! I removed the battery for a few minutes, switched it with another one. Put it back on, turned on the camera. Still wasn't working. Waited for 10 minutes, tried again and it finally powered up. But I am now extremely insecure with the product. I don't know what to do! Was it a one time deal or will it happen again during an extremely important shoot?!

Bought mine in July 2019. Warranty is "over", but I still wanna try something. I mean, a camera this price should work more than just 18 months?

Anyway, really hope you'll be able to do something with a warranty! Good luck!

I feel sorry for you (should have bought it in Europe).

Just out of curiosity, have your cameras been sitting idle, or do they get used daily/weekly? I am asking because my G2 has been working perfectly, but is now sitting idle since I am not doing much filming at the moment.

QUOTE: "Just out of curiosity, have your cameras been sitting idle,------------ ".

It is a dilemma. Complex electronic equipment being turned on and off frequently to make sure it works is said to introduce accelerated deterioration of solder joints and components due to many unnecessary thermal cycles.

Then there is the story that doubtful solder joints may remain serviceable by thermal cycles causing just enough movement to keep separated components polished and conductive. A long sleep apparently allows corrosion and open or resistive joints to develop.

I have had a few instances over the years where an appliance left in storage died in its sleep, a fridge, a computer, an electric drill, and most recently, a "big"URSA camera sensor and its PCB.

Conversely, I have an old GM Commodore wagon which laid down and I could not for the life of me get it running even though all circuits were fine. I gave up on it and left it getting full of spiders and leaves off the trees and grown in by weeds.

After two years, time came to move it out of the way of a yard clean. I gave it a kick in the guts and it started. It ran for another two years until the rooflining fell in and the exhaust fell off. By then the engine was really very weary so I left it to its rest in peace.

Just out of curiosity, have your cameras been sitting idle, or do they get used daily/weekly? I am asking because my G2 has been working perfectly, but is now sitting idle since I am not doing much filming at the moment.

Been using it 1-3 times a week since I got it. But it's been sitting idle from December 23rd to January 21st. On January 21st, everything worked fine on the full day of shoot. Used it again on the 25th then on the 27th. That's were I got the issue about 3 hours in my shoot. Since then, I tried to turn it on once a day to see if the issue was coming back and it didn't. Everything works as intended. Guess it was just a minor glitch in the software or something like that. But still, I'm slowly thinking about getting a second unit just in case...

But still, I'm slowly thinking about getting a second unit just in case...

That's what experienced professionals did when the Red One was showing it's flaws…

Economically, it made sense when the competitors were about ten times as expensive. The same now for BM's cameras: where do you get a camera (body) with the same image quality and ease of use for twice the price?

Hey..

So Ive had my Ursa mini pro 4.6k since June 2020 and its been fine. Switched it on today and the monitor is completly blank but back lit and the camera is not responding even though I can hear the fans powering.

It connects to my computer and I was able to do a firmware update but still no luck

Please help.

Kyle

Hi Kyle.

Does the camera actually record? Is it just the display that’s not working?

Either way you should still be covered by warranty. You should chase this up with BMD. Even if they can’t replicate it, if it happens again LATER when you’re out of warranty you have a good chance of them dealing with it then.

JB

This appears to be a disturbing trend with these cameras - and now even on the G2. Send it in pronto under warranty!!! I waited too long - mine was very intermittent - and when it finally got so bad that I didn't trust using it and sent it in (it is getting repaired as I write this) the bill came in at $1400.

Assuming that it doesn't happen a second time, and considering the cost of the camera in relation to it's specs - I agree that getting a second one (like a PCC 6K) as back-up is wise and ultimately cost effective. They G1 4.6K is getting pretty cheap on Ebay now that they have been out for a while. While I really cringe at the cost of this repair - I have to say I can't wait to get the camera back after shooting a couple of times without it.

A little late to this one, but I have an Ursa Mini 4.6k that had a similar issue. Not sure if it would be the same fix as a Pro, but there are two solutions here.

1. Run a monitor through the SDI Out, and use the camera that way. Luckily the pro has more button function than the standard Mini.

2. Get a TR9 screw set, and perform minor surgery to fix (EASY AS HECK)

I bought one of these a few years ago and it's been on a shelf for a while. Earlier this week I made the decision to take a chance and open her up, found that theres a connection behind the LCD that comes loose, you just have to gently push it back on, and it will work again.

TOOLS:
Get one of those phone/laptop repair kits, with TR9 screws. Any electronics store or amazon should have a basic set. I got an ifixit brand one off amazon for about $30.

INSTRUCTIONS:
-Find the right size to match the screws holding the LCD together and undo them. (Mine was a TR8)
-Carefully pull the screen apart
-On the backside of the lcd monitor, you should see a loose tab, Either with the plastic try, or your finger (if you're grounded), gently push it back into the slot.
-Put it all back together.
-Turn it on, you should see a display again.

May want to reset the camera in the menu, as any frantic button touching while it was unable to display may have flubbed a few things. My screen came back with a pink display, then I realized it was just from me blindingly touching different things in the settings menu while blacked out (I'm a dumb).

After I did this, I had the camera ready to go again, and used it as a b-cam early this week.

To be absolutely clear, I did this with an Ursa Mini 4.6k, not the pro model. I think the fix should be the same, just have to be a bit more ginger to not hurt the front facing display.

If you're still hanging on to the camera, and are willing to try this, hope it works out for you! Happy shooting!

Great post on fixing the UM4.6K monitor. May come in handy one day although mine is still working as expected. I also have the BMVA12G7 that I’ve connected so if your fix didn’t work, I’ve got a good alternative to at least verify the camera itself is okay.

Hi Team,

I seem to have revived a black screen Ursa Mini Pro.

Same deal as most, intermittent black screen of death that gets worse with time. It would reliably black screen within an hour of turning on. Menus keep going, black on lcd, sdi and recording.

I considered my camera written off so I popped it in the freezer and let it freeze. Thawed it out in some warm but not intense afternoon sun and the results have been cautiously impressive.

Iv'e run it for three days now, about 5-7 hours a day, non stop recording, zero black screening. This was not possible before.

Granted it's a sample size of one, a correlation not causation and i'm unsure if it's a permanent fix. I intend to run the camera daily for a week before reinstating it as a B cam.

Obviously I don't endorse anyone doing this to their camera, unless they are willing to risk a total write off.

However it has been an interesting experiment, something happened during the thermal contraction and expansion that has led to an impressive improvement. I'm hoping someone can pick up on this information and improve on it, (heat gun on a specific solder joint?). There's a bunch of these black screen Ursa's around that deserve a second life.

Mike, that post could go viral, but I hope it doesn’t bring down the internet!

Starting to have similar issues with my pocket 6K. Repeatedly lost power for no ascertainable reason during a shoot a couple weeks ago. The good and bad of these cameras is that they're cheap. Not sure I'd buy another one.

Figured I should follow up with an update.

My once black screen of death URSA Mini Pro G1 is now back to 100% reliable. I've run the camera for 50 hours+ and power cycled 100+ times, not a single black screen.

So yeah, as ridiculous as it sounds freezing and thawing out the camera has fixed it, for how long for who knows, but it's back shooting content.

Over and out for now, I'll post should it start black screening again...

Figured I should follow up with an update.

My once black screen of death URSA Mini Pro G1 is now back to 100% reliable. I've run the camera for 50 hours+ and power cycled 100+ times, not a single black screen.

So yeah, as ridiculous as it sounds freezing and thawing out the camera has fixed it, for how long for who knows, but it's back shooting content.

Over and out for now, I'll post should it start black screening again...

Hi, I am kind of late to this post but I've had the exact same problem with my Ursa Mini Pro G1.

First, flickering screen after turing on the camera. Initially it occurred at every tenth start, the interval then became shorter and shorter.

Then, the flickering was visible after every start of the camera and sometimes it would not show anything on the screen at all. - Classic Black screen of death.

FIX (at least worked for me as well) - Take of all accessories, remove the battery and put it in the freezer for ~ 1 hour. Take it out and slowly warm it up to room temperature. Done.

I've almost considered my Ursa dead, but after reading the post in here I thought why not give it a try. Since then, my Ursa works perfectly fine again. However, perform this fix at your own risk. Freezing the Ursa should really be the last option.

Bizarre, but I’d try that if need be given it’s worked in more than one instance. Would be interesting to hear from a BMD engineer.

I've almost considered my Ursa dead, but after reading the post in here I thought why not give it a try. Since then, my Ursa works perfectly fine again. However, perform this fix at your own risk. Freezing the Ursa should really be the last option.

Great, I'm glad someone tried and had success!

However I recommend you use your newfound time with the camera wisely. I immediately bought a G2 and switched my dying G1 to B camera, I got well over 6 months, 100+ hours of use but I'm afraid it's back to the flicker of death.

I stripped the camera and subjected the sensor board to a heatgun in a vain attempt at a solider reflow to no avail. Interestingly running the camera at 60fps helps, a lot less flicker but I now consider the camera dead.

Thanks for the update. Good advice.