Problem with Red Cradle

[Timothy Cole]

Hi there,

Have had this problem over the last week. I'm using two Globalmediapro batteries manufactered for Red cameras, on a Red cradle for my Red One.

I keep losing power to the camera, and it only takes a slight bump to the tripod, or moving the camera, or adjusting the Red cradle. And it happens with both batteries in exactly the same way so I'm thinking it's the cradle. Before this problem arose I could put both batteries on and it would work just fine. I'm thinking of perhaps buying a new cradle, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had the same problem, and if there are any solutions I should consider. I've tried cleaning the pins in the cradle, and making sure all the wires inside are connected properly, and it seems like it's all fine there. So I'm just not sure what it is.

Thanks,
Tim.

 

[Marcus Struzina]

There are multiple possible sources of the problem, it could be a break somewhere in the cable or sockets , but I had the same problem with an original red one cradle that was fixed by Red replacing the V mount plate . I seem to remember It was a design flaw on some of the earlier V mount plates that allowed them to become loose over time meaning that the battery pins would momentarily loose contact. As a temporary fix I used a wooden clothes peg to jam the battery release button ( in the non release direction) as tightly as possible which seemed to hold the battery a little more securely onto the plate.

 

[ericyoung]

Red's battery plates are definitely not the best. If you look closely at the pins, you'll see that they have a springy split part which can end up compressed and not springing back. You can use a very small instrument screw driver or maybe a pin to prise it out again, but this is only a temporary fix. At it's worse, the poor contact can result in local overheating which melts the plastic around the pins/pin shield/battery contacts.

There are third party battery plates. The ones that use genuine IDX V-mount plates are the best.

 

[Timothy Cole]

Great thanks - I might try the clothes peg trick for now. And I'll look into the third party battery plates. The whole plate does look pretty worn out, and the springy bits are not as springy as they probably should be. And I have noticed the plastic around the battery terminals starting to warp a little bit. Best I get a new plate soon.