Premium Members Victor Lazaro Posted November 12, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Hi, I am wondering if there is any way to have more power plugs on the top stage. As of now there is only two (one for the camera and one for the Bartech) I am wondering about having a P-tap to plug a wireless transmitter. Any idea? Is a Lemo to Ptap cable the solution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Louis Puli SOC Posted November 12, 2012 Moderators Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Hi Victor A friend of mine added a battery distribution system to his top stage and in doing so rewired his system to work with it. Here is a still of what he did.www.remoteaudio.com Good luck Louis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alan Rencher Posted November 12, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 I really like that distro system, Louis. I just made a simple P-Tap breakout for my Zephyr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Robert Starling SOC Posted November 12, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Before you blindly add too much power load to your Zephyr, you definitely need to make sure the wire gauge inside the sled is able to handle the additional draw on the system. I don't know what they use but there is definitely a limit (to most all rigs). Somewhere I had a photo of the wiring inside the top stage on a Zephyr sized Tiffen rig and the wires were pretty small. Small is relative but I'm sure someone here knows the gauge and the current capabilities of it. It would be a good idea to ask the factory first before you fry the wiring harness or end up on a job having power issues. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Brian Freesh Posted November 12, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Way back I added a power junction box to my Flyer, adding 4 power ports. Also had the rig wiring upgraded to 14ga. It was 22 before I think. I dunno what the Zephyr wiring is, but I imagine for most cameras you are likely to use that the rig can handle it, if for no other reason than most cameras you use will not be powered through the sled. Any DSLR or prosumer camera won't be. Even Scarlet's and Epic's will balance better if you use a battery on the back. Only once you get to stripped Alexa's, ENG cameras, and Red One's (MX or not) will you need to get concerned. But, really, why NOT upgrade the wiring? That question is why I did. I thought the Zephyr was supposed to have the option of adding more ports, up to 3 or 4 I thought. Perhaps I'm misremembering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mark Schlicher Posted November 13, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 Tiffen offers their "tally upgrade" for $1k that adds another power connection as well as a tally connector. I had received confusing info from Tiffen on whether the wiring harness is actually replaced or if the stock Zephyr harness has extra lines already. There is certainly room on the topstage for an additional power lemo, which I'm sure someone like Terry West could hook you up with. You should definitely be cautious about power overload and on the Zephyr. I've seen a Red Epic shut itself off from the momentary power draw of an analog BFD receiver being switched on. The simplest/cheapest solution would seem to be a lemo to p-tap and a p-tap multi. I keep these in my kit. Tiffen states the Zephyr wire gage as 22 AWG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Eric Fletcher S.O.C. Posted November 13, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 here's how a Zepher is wired, I wouldn't power a Red from it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Robert Starling SOC Posted November 13, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 ...I've seen a Red Epic shut itself off from the momentary power draw of an analog BFD receiver being switched on. Hey Mark, Good to know! I have heard of this too on the Zephyr and Flyer but I don't own one. A BFD receiver itself doesn't draw much at all, so if that's the case there's very little "bandwidth" left in the wiring. Was there a motor attached to it? If so, the motors draw most of the power and when I owned a BFD system I seem to remember Don at M-One telling me the motors pull even more and spike when they hit a stop at the end of the focus ring or are struggling with a stiff lens. On another note, is the Zephyr top stage made of plastic? Looking at the photo it looks like plastic mold markings but I think you're right, there appears to be spots for additional connectors to fit. Back to power and those such things. Sorry to get of topic on the top stage thing. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Victor Lazaro Posted November 13, 2012 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 St true I had some shut downs with the epic and analog Bartech. I guess I'll power the camera and the wireless on one top battery and monitor and focus on another one on the bottom stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mark Schlicher Posted November 13, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 For me, the problem happened at power-on of the receiver/motor combo (I have a Heden motor). I presume the receiver has a spike in current demand at power-on. I also have heard that Epics are very sensitive to voltage dips. The Epic is about a 65-70W camera, add Marshall monitor at 12W. Jim's doc's describes the BFD receiver at "up to 36W". So it makes sense that, considering the Zephyr's wire gage, extra demand at power-up might create a momentary voltage sag that offends the Epic's delicate sensibilities. I've never personally had a shutdown from the current demand of the focus motor just while trying to turn a stiff lens. But it was pretty repeatable at power-up of the BFD. Whenever possible, I now run the camera off a separate power source from the BFD. As for the topstage, all of the structural components are metal. The plastic housing is partly cosmetic, but also is molded to hold the lemo and BNC connectors in position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Eric Fletcher S.O.C. Posted November 13, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 On another note, is the Zephyr top stage made of plastic? Looking at the photo it looks like plastic mold markings but I think you're right, there appears to be spots for additional connectors to fit. Yup it's plastic, lots of mold lines and marks and recycling indicators (along with a manufacture date molded in) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Eric Fletcher S.O.C. Posted November 13, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 As for the topstage, all of the structural components are metal. The plastic housing is partly cosmetic, but also is molded to hold the lemo and BNC connectors in position. I am concerned about electromagnetic shielding with the plastic mounted connectors. also the long term durability and integrity of the connectors being mounted to what in essence is a plastic chassis. Im trying to think of another manufacture that uses plastic in place of an aluminum chassis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Victor Lazaro Posted November 13, 2012 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 (edited) As for the topstage, all of the structural components are metal. The plastic housing is partly cosmetic, but also is molded to hold the lemo and BNC connectors in position. I am concerned about electromagnetic shielding with the plastic mounted connectors. also the long term durability and integrity of the connectors being mounted to what in essence is a plastic chassis. Im trying to think of another manufacture that uses plastic in place of an aluminum chassis You mean like PC laptops vs Mac (and no I don't want a Mac/PC war here or a G70/PRO for that matter) I guess it's how they were able to take the price down for the Zephyr compared to the "big ones" Edited November 13, 2012 by Victor Lazaro 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Eric Fletcher S.O.C. Posted November 13, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 As for the topstage, all of the structural components are metal. The plastic housing is partly cosmetic, but also is molded to hold the lemo and BNC connectors in position. I am concerned about electromagnetic shielding with the plastic mounted connectors. also the long term durability and integrity of the connectors being mounted to what in essence is a plastic chassis. Im trying to think of another manufacture that uses plastic in place of an aluminum chassis You mean like PC laptops vs Mac (and no I don't want a Mac/PC war here or a G70/PRO for that matter) I guess it's how they were able to take the price down for the Zephyr compared to the "big ones" Macs are shielded by an aluminum chassis, PC's make use of extensive faraday cages (The metal shield that incases the guts of the laptop) Both are Sheilded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinThwaites Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 The stage is metal inside a plastic shroud. The RF connections are all self shielded via the connector and screened cable (which is the case in the metal stages as well). Robin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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