Premium Members Chris Konash Posted October 30, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 Hi, Did a live cable show tonight and for the first time ever my J-7 zoom control on a Canon 8 pin lens started to jump all on its own. It really started to piss me off when I would dock, adjust the little pot screw, and test it. Then as soon as that damn tally light came on it started intermittently zooming in a little bit at a time then stop. It wasn't a creep or drift either, just like you pushed the zoom control all the way down and then let go. Has this happened to anyone else and is there a way to fix it? The J-7 is only about 8 months old and am getting discouraged and not to happy it has been discontinued. I guess my next option would be the ZOE. Thanks, Chris Konash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jason Torbitt Posted October 30, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 Hi Chris Good to hear from you I had very similar sounding problems with my Zoe - as soon as I would plug it in, the lens would just crash in by itself at top speed, as if you had depressed the telephoto rocker on the controller. It turns out I had to have the cable replaced, it was a wiring disconnection where the cable goes into the Zoe. Sounds like you have a similar problem, or it is somehow shorting out. The problem is that there's always going to be a certain amount of kinking or twisting going on around that area, due to the nature of the gimbal and the route we need the cable to take. Don't have any suggestions as for repair, other than sending it to Tiffen or maybe drop Bebob, who manufacture the Zoe a call, and see if they can take a look at it for you - they're helpful guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Erik Brul Posted October 30, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 I didn't had this problem sofar with the LIBEC remote zoom controller. I have 2 of them, one for the DV cams and the other for the Canon/Fujinon lenses. The only bad thing is that both are a little big and just fit the Gimbal.. but it was a bit xtra learning to use the Gimbal and the controller at the same time. Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Chris Konash Posted October 30, 2006 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 Erik, I was just looking at the Libec control. I was wondering if it was small enough to fit on the gimbal in place of the J-7, I guess it is. I will be a B&H in NY tomorrow and will compare the Libec and Zoe. In the mean time I took apart the J-7 and found a wire that wasn't soildered to anything. Couldn't tell if it broke off of a soilder joint or not, everything is very small. The three wires that lead to the zoom pot all look intact. The wire that is loose is red and looks like it may be for the VTR/Run function. I'm not sure if that could be floating around inside causing some trouble. I'll probably buy the Zoe or Libec and use it while my J-7 is out getting repaired. Thanks, Chris Konash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jeff Muhlstock SOC Posted October 30, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 Hey Chris, I retired the J-7 about 3 years ago. I found it was not handling the newer digital lenses. I had creeping issues, and I never really liked the ergonomics of it. I am much happier with the Zoe. I have 2, and I made a cable mod to use a thinner loop. It works great and very comfy. Time to get rid of the J-7. Cheers, Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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