Genesis Power Problems

[Mark Karavite]

Although I have a MK-V Nexus base, I have an XCS post, so it has the heavier guage cable up the post. I also use a Y cable, made by Panavision, so it's not that.

 

I am in the middle of another movie, so I won't have time to take my sled into my engineer pal until around Thanksgiving. He thinks it might be a ground issue, but will have to look at it in person. I am using a RED on this show & powering the camera with an on board battery (per the DIT), so no power issues for now.

 

I think there is something going on in my Nexus base. The AC I was working with on the Genesis job took that same package on another gig, and had no problems, so it's something in my sled.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Mark

[Richard James Lewis]

I thought that second 12v line had gone from the MK-V D-Box, to make way for AR data? I was also under the impression that the d-box was fused at 7amp, mine has a poly switch inside rated at that.

 

Rick.

 

 

Although I have a MK-V Nexus base, I have an XCS post, so it has the heavier guage cable up the post. I also use a Y cable, made by Panavision, so it's not that.

 

I am in the middle of another movie, so I won't have time to take my sled into my engineer pal until around Thanksgiving. He thinks it might be a ground issue, but will have to look at it in person. I am using a RED on this show & powering the camera with an on board battery (per the DIT), so no power issues for now.

 

I think there is something going on in my Nexus base. The AC I was working with on the Genesis job took that same package on another gig, and had no problems, so it's something in my sled.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Mark

[David Luckenbach]

Just to clarify something - when you are powering the Genesis with deck off the sled, are you using a Y-Cable? This of course splits the load between two wires up the post and is the standard Panavision power cable for the PRO to Genesis (at least here in New York). Therefore, on the upper stage you are plugging into both the camera output and the AUX output on a PRO junction box. Does the MK-V do something like this?

 

Yes, Panavision made a "Y" cable to power the Genesis on my MK-V.

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

I thought that second 12v line had gone from the MK-V D-Box, to make way for AR data? I was also under the impression that the d-box was fused at 7amp, mine has a poly switch inside rated at that.

 

 

You would be correct. It's a pretty bad tradeoff/"Design" add to the 22ga wire and you have a bad power situation

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

Yes, Panavision made a "Y" cable to power the Genesis on my MK-V.

 

 

Problem is, that y cable is plugging into the single 22ga wire running up the post. There is no Aux power in a MK-V wired rig.

[Richard James Lewis]

Yes, Panavision made a "Y" cable to power the Genesis on my MK-V.

 

 

Problem is, that y cable is plugging into the single 22ga wire running up the post. There is no Aux power in a MK-V wired rig.

 

You could probably have it corrected and re installed back in at the base if you know an engineer, or perhaps MK-V would do it for you, but I guess that would involve making the AR connectors on the V2 box redundant.

 

I personally had my own post cable made with 14AWG speaker cable, my J-Box rewired with thicker cable, and in the D-Box I had the tracks on the circuit board beefed up. Plus I sacrificed having Dual battery plates, and run 2 separate single plated batteries into the D-Box on I think 18AWG (biggest you can fit in the 4 way Lemo 1B's, an improvement over the 24 or 23AWG Van Damme microphone Quadflex cable used with dual plates.

These could be solutions for the issues you are having. Every little helps. Everything is cumulative with these things?

 

Best,

 

Rick.

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

You could probably have it corrected and re installed back in at the base if you know an engineer, or perhaps MK-V would do it for you, but I guess that would involve making the AR connectors on the V2 box redundant.

 

I personally had my own post cable made with 14AWG speaker cable, my J-Box rewired with thicker cable, and in the D-Box I had the tracks on the circuit board beefed up. Plus I sacrificed having Dual battery plates, and run 2 separate single plated batteries into the D-Box on I think 18AWG (biggest you can fit in the 4 way Lemo 1B's, an improvement over the 24 or 23AWG Van Damme microphone Quadflex cable used with dual plates.

These could be solutions for the issues you are having. Every little helps. Everything is cumulative with these things?

 

 

Seriously at that point why the hell even bother with the MK-V sled? There are Sleds out there that already have it done correctly (XCS, Tiffen U2) and do it better than a bodged up MK-V sled...

[Richard James Lewis]

You could probably have it corrected and re installed back in at the base if you know an engineer, or perhaps MK-V would do it for you, but I guess that would involve making the AR connectors on the V2 box redundant.

 

I personally had my own post cable made with 14AWG speaker cable, my J-Box rewired with thicker cable, and in the D-Box I had the tracks on the circuit board beefed up. Plus I sacrificed having Dual battery plates, and run 2 separate single plated batteries into the D-Box on I think 18AWG (biggest you can fit in the 4 way Lemo 1B's, an improvement over the 24 or 23AWG Van Damme microphone Quadflex cable used with dual plates.

These could be solutions for the issues you are having. Every little helps. Everything is cumulative with these things…

 

 

Seriously at that point why the hell even bother with the MK-V sled? There are Sleds out there that already have it done correctly (XCS, Tiffen U2) and do it better than a bodged up MK-V sled...

 

Well when you buy a system of such expense, you expect it to work properly. Not knowing about all these issues at the time of purchase didn't help. You would presume that someone else has already done all the hard thinking and worked out any problems before taking it to market.

In principle I love my setup. The 2" 2 stage post is nice, the gimbal is great, the topstage it Betz. The V2 monitor arm is sturdier than the V1. It's nice and light. It's just the original electronics that let it down, with my electronic engineers’ changes, it’s very capable. Although granted not as sound as the Ultimate.

 

I upgraded my old system bit by bit. It allowed me to build the system up over the course of a year as funds allowed. I changed out the base, the post, the gimbal, the topstage etc... Not as easily done with the other systems.

 

If I was given a lump sum to invest in a new sled, then I would probably go with XCS, but it's just the way that this has worked out for me to this point in my career. Who knows that the future holds, but my rig is working great for me at the moment.

 

Best,

 

Rick.

Edited November 1, 2008 by Richard J Lewis