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Preston to Red Epic remote start/stop cable


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Does anyone have any solid leads on an Epic run cable for a Preston. It's a smaller Lemo connector than the Red One, I believe it's a size "0" or "1" labeled "sync" port. I hear this connector alone cannot be obtained from Lemo and was custom built for Red. I also hear from Preston that they need to build a special cable with a built in chip to interface with a special Red 3 headed Sync cable which interfaces with the Epic body. And Preston is currently backordered on it's half of this cable collaboration. Anybody have any more info on how we're supposed to run/stop an Epic through our Preston? Any word from Red?

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Don't know if this will be of any help, but below are some links I collected when I was looking into triggering Epic run/stop. Your information is correct, the Epic isn't a simple close two pins and camera rolls.

 

Possible cable starting point options:

RED sells a Lemo 00 to 3 BNC breakout cable:

RED Store: 3BNC-TO-00 SYNC CABLE

 

RED sells a Lemo 00 to no connector cable:

RED Store: 4 Pin Lemo 00 to Flying Lead

 

 

Schematic for the relevant Epic port copied out of the Epic Operation Guide and some brief discussion is on this REDUser forum thread:

REDUser: Remote start/stop schematic discussion

 

The complete schematic and RED notes about operation can be found on page 131 of the Epic Operation Guide - Please note: ZIP archive containing PDF documents linked below:

RED Support: Epic V1.632 Manuals (ZIP)

 

Mark

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Thanks for the info Mark. Looks like the 4 pin sync input on the Epic requires a 3.3 volt signal to start/stop the camera. Is this something the Preston MDR puts out? Maybe this is what Preston is talking about when they require a chip or voltage converter? I also saw the three headed BNC to Sync cable Red is selling. Since you're only using one of the BNC leads for start/stop, theoretically you can cut off the other two. So now you have two cables: An MDR to BNC cable which mates with a BNC to Epic sync port cable. So eliminate the BNC junction and make it all one cable, right? Am I missing something here? Personally, I'd love to simply buy a working cable and stay out of the technical stuff. I talked to Terry West today and he's looking into it. Terry, or somebody, please give a shout when you have a completed and fully tested Epic run cable. There will be many orders for this one I'm sure.

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Yes the epic is retarded and it is beyond me why they decided to reinvent a simple start/stop cable.

 

Afaik, neither preston or cmotion have come up with a way to trigger the epic.

 

On my recent 3D movie shooting on epics the guys over at ET made a small box with a 9v battery inside with a toggle switch on the outside and bnc's on the sides to connect to the red pigtail breakout cable......

 

That said it still didn't work consistantly. Sometimes one camerra would roll and not the other or one camera would cut and not the other etc..... Ad then of course sometimes the battery would run out and we have to scramble for a 9v....

 

 

Now on my current 3D show we have the "new" GiG-E cable witch is a lemo. We run that in-between both cameras and now it link the controls together including start/stop.

 

I wonder if your could use the gige cable to send a start trigger to the camera instead on using the bnc on the pigtail cable.

 

Why? Well that pigtail cable is sooooo fragile. I have gone thru countless of that vital but very fragile cables. My current feature we have like 5 of them as spares.....

 

Last i spoke to cmotion they were busy working on a start/stop soluton for the epic......im sure preston is too. 2 months ago they said they were havi a difficult time getting information nesecary from Red to complete the solution. I hope they got what they needed and are working on it now as not having start stop is a big PITA.......

 

I would love to hear any updates anyone has

 

I will post pictures of the start stop box i have with me. Also pictures of the inside as soon as i get home from set......might help someone out.

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we are not using it right now just because it is not consistent enough and now we have the gig-e cable so we just roll one camera and the cable sends the roll command to the other camera.....so makes this little box useless.

 

 

this is it.

 

IMG_5114.jpg

 

inside

 

IMG_5115.jpg

 

closer look

 

IMG_5117.jpg

 

not sure it helps but there it is....

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  • 2 weeks later...
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I make cables for the preston to run the Epic if anyone needs one.

 

Given the aforementioned circumstances Chris, I find this a little hard to believe. Can you show some sort of working proof or photos of this alleged Epic run/stop cable of yours. If it works, I'll buy one. But given that the geniuses at Preston and C-motion can't devise a solution, please understand my skepticism.

 

And an open message to the guys at Red: This is ridiculous! WTF!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Panavision London have made some Epic start / stop cables for the Preston. One end Preston, the other end is a BNC plug. They work.

 

Rick.

 

I make cables for the preston to run the Epic if anyone needs one.

 

Given the aforementioned circumstances Chris, I find this a little hard to believe. Can you show some sort of working proof or photos of this alleged Epic run/stop cable of yours. If it works, I'll buy one. But given that the geniuses at Preston and C-motion can't devise a solution, please understand my skepticism.

 

And an open message to the guys at Red: This is ridiculous! WTF!

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 6 months later...
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I make cables for the preston to run the Epic if anyone needs one.

 

Given the aforementioned circumstances Chris, I find this a little hard to believe. Can you show some sort of working proof or photos of this alleged Epic run/stop cable of yours. If it works, I'll buy one. But given that the geniuses at Preston and C-motion can't devise a solution, please understand my skepticism.

 

And an open message to the guys at Red: This is ridiculous! WTF!

 

 

Nick,

 

Sorry for the late reply, I don't check up on the forum as much as I should.

Just to be clear I do not advertize things that I can not deliver. If you would like proof please ask around on the forum or go to my website and have a chat with some of the clients I have made cables for, a client list is there.

If you need anything feel free to contact me via phone or email.

 

Thanks,

Chris Konash

www.eastcoastcables.com

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I've been successfully using Preston's Epic/Scarlet run/stop cable connected to the white BNC on the RED medusa-cable plugged into the SYNC port. Make sure you have the RED's menus setup correctly for the port to function as desired. The negative of this setup is that I am reliant on having an Epic BNC medusa-cable, and there are a crap-ton of extra cable bits to dress on the rig. Positive is that it doesn't eat up the port for other things, like wearing a clock-it full-time (as we have discovered we need to if we want to keep time-code).

 

-Matt

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Hey Alec, not that you can ever rely on this, but I thought most Epic/Scarlet cameras came from the rental houses with this breakout cable as a standard item? Or perhaps in lieu of another standard item for 30+ years, a leveling eyepiece?

I think I'm going to buy a 2nd cable, although a different version that doesn't require the breakout cable. I love how RED has again deviated from it's own non-standard. Good call guys!

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