BMPCC AC/DC Adapter Failure

Curious if anyone else has had this problem?...

While on a location shoot last night using the Phihong AC/DC adapter that came packaged with my BMPCC as well as an internal battery, the camera died. I was confused at first since I was using the adapter. I should have been charging the internal battery and running the camera off 12v provided by the adapter. I immediately tried several different power sources(wall outlets) with the adapter to no avail. The external power icon in the middle of the battery icon on the display was not present. Luckily, I had enough fully charged EN-EL20's with me to make it through most of the shoot. Most of it.

This morning, I connected the adapter to a verified power source and got out my multimeter to test the output. Nothing.

Needless to say, this is a flimsy piece of gear at best from the time it's removed from the original packaging.

I've sent in a support request to see if this is covered under my warranty, which it should be. Hopefully. Right?

Adorama has the original unit listed on their site at US$50. Wow. $50? A quick interwebs search returns several outlets with the same adapter "Phihong Model: PSM11R-120" for anywhere between US$8-$14. With a 2.5mm barrel plug however. The .7mm plug can also be found online for about US$1. So for a max of US$15+Shipping I can replace the unit for way less than US$50, with a bit of soldering on my part.

Hopefully, I won't have to do that. We'll see.

Harumph.

Understandable that equipment fails from time to time. It seems to be a cheaply made piece of gear though.

If Blackmagic requires me to send the unit back in order to replace it under warranty, hopefully they'll accept just the case. I have a shoot tomorrow and no other alternative so I popped the case open, removed the cord and hotwired it to a small 12v SLA battery to get by til I have a better option. Works perfectly. If anyone tries such a thing, the white/center wire from the Blackmagic AC/DC adapter cord is positive. Make sure you don't confuse the polarity.

It's nice to have the AC/DC adapter in the bag for certain situations. I never expected I'd need a backup adapter quite so soon. That Murphy guy always makes an appearance when you least expect him

Radio Shack here in the states sells "power tip" versions which keep the adapter and the pin thing seperate, so you could pick up a few adapters and pins,and swap out for whatever size is needed.

If you want to go the warranty route, BMD would probably do an advanced replacement and get it to you within two days. It's usually a 20 minute or so wait , but there is always someone to talk to on the tech support end.