Steadicam 802-0106 Cable

[holly stern]

I'm trying to make the power cable for the Steadicam. Part number is 802-0106.

 

Thank you to ANYONE that can provide any assistance - much appreciated.

 

Links:

http://www.tiffen.com/displayproduct.html?tablename=steadicam&itemnum=802-0106%20%A0%20%A0

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/736302-REG/Steadicam_802_0106_RED_Power_Cable.html

 

Questions:

1. How long in the OEM cable harness?

2. Why is one harness above have both straight plug sand the other one has a right angle plug? Is the original OEM harness straight plug or right angle plug?

3. Will straight plugs on both ends work and won't have any interference fit with the RED camera? It is cheaper to procure straight plugs.

3. What are the Part numbers for the 2 LEMO STRAIGHT plugs connectors at the end of the cable?

[holly stern]

Anybody? Really need to figure this out!

 

Thanks so much

[Afton Grant]

I know the RED manual, and probably your Steadicam manual will have the connector part numbers you need in them. Have a read before freaking out.

The RED is a size 2, 6 pin. Nobody can tell you what your Steadicam is because you didn't tell us what kind of Steadicam you have. Make the cable as long as you want. Right angle connectors are indeed more expensive, but are effectively identical to their straight counterparts in terms of electrical performance. The pictures you're looking at are probably generic stock photos, not the actual product, which is why they look different.

I might recommend just buying a cable from a reputable source. Will probably be worth the time and hassle you save yourself.

[Bryan Fowler]

I might recommend just buying a cable from a reputable source. Will probably be worth the time and hassle you save yourself.

I second that. It would probably be much faster and much less stressful.

 

http://eastcoastcables.com/

[holly stern]

I intend to make them, not buy them as $295 or even $200 is crazy. Buying some low-cost connectors and making 'em by myself for $50.

 

I lost the manual and all I know unfortunately, is the 802-0106 part number.

 

Anybody know what part numbers the connectors are?

Edited April 27, 2012 by holly stern

[Richard James Lewis]

What rig do you have?

 

 

 

I intend to make them, not buy them as $295 or even $200 is crazy. Buying some low-cost connectors and making 'em by myself for $50.

 

I lost the manual and all I know unfortunately, is the 802-0106 part number.

 

Anybody know what part numbers the connectors are?

[Afton Grant]

You still haven't told us what kind of Steadicam you have, so we can't tell you what connectors you have. Regardless, if you spent 5 seconds on Steadicam's website you'll find the manuals available for download there, so losing them is not an excuse. As for the camera end of the cable, I already told you what connector you need - another piece of information easily found by checking the manual.

 

$200 may seem like a lot for just a cable, but what's the cost going to be when you're on set and the cable you made with cheap knock off connectors goes bad? Also, if you're serious about Steadicam as a career, you'll have to get used to bleeding your cash. From the discussion so far, it doesn't seem like you have a great deal of knowledge about this topic, which is why it might be better in the long run to just buy one you know will work. All it takes is a little too much solder to join two of the pins or a little too much heat with the iron to melt the plastic insulation and you've ruined one of your $15 connectors.

[Alan Rencher]

I've made that exact cable for my Steadicam zephyr, but you still haven't said what Steadicam you have. It isn't going to cost you $50, either. It's $80-$120 in Lemo parts alone depending on which exact connectors you need.

[holly stern]

Alright Afton, I'm going to school you since you seem to have a huge ego and seem to be a big d.

 

I'm an Aerospace Engineer and my specialty is electrical engineering. Let me tell you something, only people who aren't technical and knowledgeable about how the world works and parts are manufactured would pay $295 for a cable. A genius like you, I assume. Someone who think he is getting "quality" because he is paying $295 for a cable harness and "yeah it works" it must be great and worth the money. Oh yeah and Lemo connectors are "reputable".

 

What you don't realize in your little world of yours who an electrical connector is an electrical connector. It's function is to either transmit power or data signals (analog or digital). When you pay $60 for a connector, you are mainly paying for the mechanical aspect for the connector. In other words, an electrical connector Bill of Materials is made of maybe 10 individual parts. These individual parts goes together and form an assembly. Because there are so many components which require different processing such as CNC machining, stamping, surface finish, etc, there is a huge cost build - all because the design "requires" that many components just to allow for "moving parts" such that the "push-pull" mechanism is achieved, i.e. mating between the male and female connectors.

 

What you are NOT paying for is "ohhhh this $60 connector allows great signals" "oh don't risk your job or quality on your work on cheap knock-offs". Only someone who isn't privy to any technical knowledge would say that and unfortunately, 99.9% of the world aren't electrical engineers. Gold plated contacts are meant for corrosion resistance. Most electrical contacts (pins/sockets) are made of copper alloys like brass and they are gold plated. Copper is more electrically conductive than gold.

 

Now that I've established that, use your head and think when copper wire with a certain gauge (say AWG20) cost $0.10 per foot, would an electrical connector that cost $60 is ANY way improve or degrade a signal when you are already transmitting all your signals through a cheap copper wire? If indeed the connector did transmit "great signals" in laymans terms (which isn't the case), what would the bottleneck be? The wire/cables. Still no benefit. You have to realize that everything electrical in this world, is transmitted on copper based materials - this includes electrical contacts, electrical wires/cables and electrical traces on printed circuit boards (PCBs) that are inside the camera's computer and signal processing units.

 

And by the way, if you had any idea how to make a simple harness, you will realize how silly it is to pay $295 for a cable. I'm great at soldering and tinting wires and shrink tubing. It's a piece of cake. Hope you're happy with spending $10,000 in your career on OEM harnesses.

 

Alan, is it for a RED camera. It isn't my camera, it's a friends that is why I'm a little confused here. Also, I buy my lemo compatible connectors from a low-cost source for like $10-$15 each.

 

I think based on Afton, he said it is a size 2, 6 pin. I guess it is a FGG.2B.306.CLADXXZ with XX the size of the strain relief. The other side seems to be a FGG.XB.303.CLADXXZ with the XX the size of the strain relief - I'm guessing since both links say it is a 3 to 6 pin lemo connector. Don't know what size the 2nd one is though.

 

Would appreciate it if someone knew what they were. I'm going to try to look it as well but I thought someone might know immediately based on the OEM PN 802-0106.

[holly stern]

Another example of the habit of the market who happens to be non-technical in general is the HDTV industry. Companies like Monster cable who make billions of unknowledgeable consumers who think "oh i don't want to degrade my signal, let me pay $80 for a HDMI cable". So companies like Monster feed off and make a ton of profit from consumers who don't know any better and because they don't know, are more willing to go with the safe-side and pay a bundle for copper wires. Luckily, smart companies like http://monoprice.com/ educated a lot of consumers and in the process sold $3 HDMI cables in like 2003 and in turn, transformed their company from a 2 person business out of an apartment to a $50 million dollar company.

 

http://www.inc.com/ss/2009-inc-500-top-10-asian-run-companies#8

[Kareem La Vaullee]

.../...

 

...my specialty is electrical engineering. ...

 

.../...

 

... unfortunately, 99.9% of the world aren't electrical engineers. ...

 

.../...

 

By witnessing your horrible attitude here it seems to me that that's actually a good thing!

[Bryan Fowler]

So, what kind of Steadicam is it?

[Brian Freesh]

Holly,

 

I don't know anything about Lemo vs "knock-off" Lemo connectors, and I don't feel I know more after your "schooling" of Afton. You may be correct, but I can't tell cause your argument is all over the place.

 

More importantly, you missed the point entirely. Maybe you know what brand connectors you want to use. Great, you're smarter than us in that area, good for you. But 4 people have asked what model steadicam you are using and in 3 replies you have not answered. So far everyone, including Afton, has tried to help you find your answers, and Afton has repeatedly suggested you look in the manuals for the camera and for the steadicam. Both of which are only a few seconds away via google.

 

Here's what i do know: Expensive cables tend to be built very well out of the best components. Maybe they are not the only solution, but the peace of mind for me, someone in the 99.9% of the world who is not an aerospace engineer, is worth not shopping around and trying to build my own. I know that Afton is very intelligent and knows a lot about wiring. And he happens to be a very nice and very helpful individual. More importantly, he knows steadicam, as do the other people who have responded. Afton was very respectful to you and tried to help, he responded relatively calmly to your assertion that $200 is a "crazy" amount to spend on a cable, effectively telling all of us we're crazy. That's not a good way to make friends, and I think Afton was pretty friendly in response considering.

 

Based on my limited knowledge: If gold is the difference in expense between a Lemo connector and a knock-off (I couldn't tell for sure from your post) I for one can say I'd rather have the connector that is more resistant to corrosion. these cables are constantly pushed, pulled, connected, disconnected, taken to dry, humid, cold, hot, sandy, salty, etc and so on places. I want the most physically durable connectors and cables, and want them assembled by people who can put them together well enough that they last despite the harsh conditions they are put through.

 

In all honesty, if you have time and want to make some side money, perhaps you can assemble them more cheaply than our current vendors, with the same or better build quality. But don't expect most operators to be content with cheap connectors.

 

You don't know steadicam. That's okay. That's why you're here, to ask for help. Just because we exist in the 99.9% of the world without your specific education doesn't mean we aren't trying to help you to the best of our ability, which everyone here has done. There's nothing to gain by "schooling" any of us on connectors.

 

So, what kind of steadicam? when you get the answer, try looking up the manual online. I wish you the best of luck in your cable-making for your friend.

 

ETA: As I was writing this, another yet another query as to the model of steadicam, and Eric came in with some of my sentiments (and a better connector/electricity background than myself) so yeah, I may be redundant at this point, but gee, I went to the effort to type all that, so...

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

Alright Afton, I'm going to school you since you seem to have a huge ego and seem to be a big d.

 

< snipping a whole lot of condensending and wrong crap>

 

 

Alan, is it for a RED camera. It isn't my camera, it's a friends that is why I'm a little confused here. Also, I buy my lemo compatible connectors from a low-cost source for like $10-$15 each.

 

I think based on Afton, he said it is a size 2, 6 pin. I guess it is a FGG.2B.306.CLADXXZ with XX the size of the strain relief. The other side seems to be a FGG.XB.303.CLADXXZ with the XX the size of the strain relief - I'm guessing since both links say it is a 3 to 6 pin lemo connector. Don't know what size the 2nd one is though.

 

Would appreciate it if someone knew what they were. I'm going to try to look it as well but I thought someone might know immediately based on the OEM PN 802-0106.

 

Afton I've got this one

 

Holly,

 

With a post like that I think you're going to find it next to impossible to get any help in your quest, not only are you wrong on most of your points (Gold is a superior conductor to copper, or we're you absent in chem 101 when that was taught?)

 

I like how your saving money with shitty knockoff connectors, obviously you don't understand why ou would want to use a bomb proof connector on a mission critical part, but hey you're the "Aerospace Engineer with a electrical engineering speciality" ( and which one is it? Aerospace engineer or Electrical engineer? I ask that because my uncle is a retired vice president Boeing military airplane and he was an electrical engineer and never called himself an aerospace engineer yet by definition he was. Then there is his wife, my aunt who retired as senior lead structures engineer as Cessna, last project being the citation X and she never referred to herself as an aerospace engineer even though she earned the right too)

 

Amazing how someone so smart is incapable of using something as mundane as google and getting a copy of the Steadicam wiring diagram and the reds wiring diagram where the both call out the connectors required.

 

What's funny is not only do we know, but many of us own the cable, and none of us are willing to help based on your arrogant asinine post. You come here knowing nothing, act like an ass to those that do know the answer and then still expect that we will give you the answer because you're an "Aeropace Engineer with an Eleectrical Enginering speciality"

 

Good Luck in your endevours our going to need all the luck ou can muster

[Afton Grant]

Wow.

 

Well, I'm sure by the time I'm finished responding, you'll have all the answers you are looking for, because you have just made friends with most of the people on the forum.... you know, the ones you called non-technical and ignorant of how the world works because they're buying their cables from a reputable source.

 

I make all my own cables, by the way. I wonder if all the other operators on this forum and around the rest of the world who I've ever made a cable for, or rewired their sled, or installed some sort of amplifier or regulator, or created completely from scratch an electronic accessory... I wonder if they could chime in and also call me a big D because until you just schooled me right there, I've just been selling them colored string and painted bits of play doh. Now I understand how a LEMO connector works! I've been working with them for years and years, and until now, I've just been stuffing any black colored wire into the end without the little pin things and pouring a bunch of Elmer's glue over the whole thing. No wonder I've never been able to power a camera, and I've been fired from every set I've ever been on, and I've accrued absolutely no experience in this profession!

 

Holly, for someone with such knowledge about connectors and electronics, you sure did ask a couple basic questions... twice. Questions that anyone with any sort of engineering degree (except Aerospace apparently) could have figured out quite easily with some simple online research. More than 18 hours passed between your first questions and your follow up "Really need to figure this out!" cry. Took me 5 minutes to go to Red.com and Steadicam.com and find the documentation I needed.

 

There's a level of respect that is expected on this forum. I'm not saying I'm one of them, but you're in the company of many of the best operators this profession has ever seen. People with experience and wisdom I would never, ever dismiss. When you show up, unknown and brand new, asking some questions, expect to be given advice. Advice we would give to anyone. You got tripped up by rejecting that advice and insulting those that might take it.

 

Best of luck.

 

Oh, and the first time you get a knock off LEMO connector stuck because the manufacturing tolerances aren't quite what a real LEMO is, and you have to send the entire device in to be serviced... all because you wanted to save $15... think of me.