Nick Madeo Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 Nick here, I'm a new steadicam op using the Flyer-LE with a Sony EX-3. This cam does not have the pro 4-pin XLR power connection which is standard on larger pro cams. Did some searching but was unable to find a power cable so I fabricated my own. I purchased a lemo connector from a third party vendor to create my own power link for the rig however the DC plug for the EX-3 connector is a rare find. I wound up cutting and splicing about a foot of cable from the EX-3's charger power cable to attach to the 3-pin Lemo. If anyone knows of a prebuilt assembly, or a source for the Sony power plug, please let me know where it can be purchased as I would like to have a back-up cable as well. Thanks, Nick Madeo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Tom Wills Posted July 30, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 Hey Nick, Vortex Media makes a power cable that goes from the EX power connector to a 4 pin XLR. You could use it as is or chop it up to make your own one with a Lemo. http://www.warmcards.com/DC1.html Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Daigon Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 Nick here, I'm a new steadicam op using the Flyer-LE with a Sony EX-3. This cam does not have the pro 4-pin XLR power connection which is standard on larger pro cams. Did some searching but was unable to find a power cable so I fabricated my own. I purchased a lemo connector from a third party vendor to create my own power link for the rig however the DC plug for the EX-3 connector is a rare find. I wound up cutting and splicing about a foot of cable from the EX-3's charger power cable to attach to the 3-pin Lemo. If anyone knows of a prebuilt assembly, or a source for the Sony power plug, please let me know where it can be purchased as I would like to have a back-up cable as well. Thanks, Nick Madeo Here you go Nick. I went thru the same process. I purchased the stinger from here http://shop.dm-accessories.com/products/ex-cord then got the lemo from Glidecam and had Siggy at Clairmont Camera to build me a wonderful cable which allowed me to power the EX3 off the rigs second AB battery. I needed to do this to allow the weight of the batteries to be configured in a manner that allowed me to get a good balance and gimbal placement in low mode. Call the owner up. Hes been very helpful in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Madeo Posted July 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 Hi Tom, thanks, I do have one of these and use it connected to my anton bauers when I'm not on the flyer rig. It's this arrangement that allowed me to chop off the connector on the charger. Great suggestion though, if no other source exists for the Sony power plug. Thanks, Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Daigon Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 (edited) Hi Tom, thanks, I do have one of these and use it connected to my anton bauers when I'm not on the flyer rig. It's this arrangement that allowed me to chop off the connector on the charger. Great suggestion though, if no other source exists for the Sony power plug. Thanks, Nick There is another plug that I found which after wired closes like a clam shell but it was very cheaply manufactured and fell apart before I even had a chance to use it. Its yellow and black and can be seen on this product. http://www.warmcards.com/DC1.html But from my experience I would not recommend it. Edited July 30, 2010 by Tom Daigon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Madeo Posted July 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 Tom D., thanks for the link. It's already ordered. This is a great solution since the cable is already attached and the only soldering to be done is on the Lemo. Again thanks to all for you assistance. Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Daigon Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 Tom D., thanks for the link. It's already ordered. This is a great solution since the cable is already attached and the only soldering to be done is on the Lemo. Again thanks to all for you assistance. Nick Glad to help out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Ken Nguyen Posted July 30, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 Oh man! Why pay too much for such cable??? I found ton of those for $3.00 at local electronics supply store. Cheers, Ken Nguyen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Stone Posted July 31, 2010 Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 The power connector to the EX3 is a EIAJ-4 connector. What I did was go from the lemo to a 4 connector power tap multi and then powertap connectors to the various devices including an EX3. When it comes to the lemo connectors I leave it to the cable specialists like Terry West to do them. The lemo connectors are super fincky and expensive but I can see why some don't want to pay to have it done as it is expensive compared to stock cables or DIY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mike Germond SOC Posted July 31, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 (edited) Sony Vaio Power Supply It's the same connector across most sony products, including their consumer camcorders and vaio laptops. Just pick the connector of your choice, cut to length, and solder. For me it was the Ptap since I use the Ptap-Multi on my Flyer LE. This is the exact one that I purchased several of for multiple cables: Vaio Power Supply w/ 90° plug Edited July 31, 2010 by Mike Germond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Brad Grimmett Posted July 31, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 I'm curious why you guys are powering that camera off your rigs. It's a little infolithium battery right? It can't be much more than a few ounces. Why spend the time and money making a cable for that camera? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jess Haas SOC Posted July 31, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 When trying to properly accessorize a camera on some of the smaller rigs I can see how saving an ounce here and there can be helpful. Otherwise normally you are probably going to actually want the weight on the back of the camera because it can be a bit front heavy. I did have one gig doing 3D with two ex3s and a 3D rig that was not designed for steadicam so the ass end up one of the cameras was way up in the air. In that situation an ex3 power cable was useful even on my big rig. ~Jess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mike Germond SOC Posted August 1, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted August 1, 2010 I made the cables just because, but I haven't had to use them yet. I usually prefer the extra ballast on the top and rear of the rig with those lighter pro-sumer cameras anyways. What prompted me to make the cables was an EX-1 w/ Letus35 Elite, Zacuto rails, Canon lens, mattebox w/ polarizer and ND, and my BFD. I haven't seen that setup again since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Stone Posted August 1, 2010 Report Share Posted August 1, 2010 Mike hit the nail on the head. In most instances you probably want the ballast of a battery on the back of an EX3 but if you throw a lot of stuff on the camera, you will want to put the weight at the bottom of the sled requiring to power the camera from the sled. If you use an EX3 on a Flyer say with a wide-angle zoom through (which is probably more common than a Letus these days) and a few other on camera accessories, like the ones mentioned, you will probably want your battery ballast on the bottom of the sled. I run my Flyer about 70% of the time powering from the sled in order to get good weight distribution, drop time and to get the gimbal the right height just below the top stage. It's also good to have different sized batteries. I have Dionic 90s, Hytron 50s and Trimpacs to tweak the weight distribution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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