Epic-X Dragon - Weak SDI Signal

[Stian Eriksen]

Hi Everybody!

I know that this camera is discontinued and that RED don't have parts for it any longer, but maybe it can be fixed somehow anyways.

The SDI port on the back does not give a steady signal.
It gives a steady signal to our SmallHD 702 monitor, but when I go straight from SDI in the back of the camera to a TeraDek bolt 4K sender, it says "no video" on the TeraDek.

If I loop through the 702 (Camera to 702 IN, 702 OUT to TeraDek) it works.
It's almost like the signal is too weak for the TeraDek, but enough for the 702. Maybe the 702 boosts the signal in some way also.

Have any of you had similar problems? How did you fix it?
I would like to get this fixed and I'd also like for the camera to get a proper cleaning on the inside as it heats up quite quickly.

Do you know of any service centers in Europe that will try to fix a discontinued product?

Thanks for reading!

 

[Joshua Wilson]

I repair and service DSMC1 cameras. Please give me a call @ 5202588947 or email me at contact@cgpent.com

 

[Eric Santiago]

I repair and service DSMC1 cameras. Please give me a call @ 5202588947 or email me at contact@cgpent.com

I can vouch for Joshua.

Wish we had one of him on every continent

 

[Craig Lees]

From my experinece, Dont barrel / use right angle bnc adaptors etc when going into wireless senders. Straight cables into devices seems to work fine.
Craig Lees
UK

 

[Eric Santiago]

From my experinece, Dont barrel / use right angle bnc adaptors etc when going into wireless senders. Straight cables into devices seems to work fine.
Craig Lees
UK

Any tips on an extender from the SDI port? I know for the HDMI I use an angle one so I can get to it.
SDI is a tough one to access on the fly.

 

[Alex Lubensky]

Recently I’ve got some issues on the SDI port on my b-cam, and it worked fine with tv-logic 058 but my other monitor - bon didn’t show any signal at all. I’ve tried all kinds of cables and it didn’t work. But it works with my other camera. It has some signal issues on tv-logic, so I think it’s the SDI board.

maybe try a straight cable as mentioned, and if this won’t work - call Joshua. I’ve bought boards from him and can assure he is a credible person.

another thing you can try - try to pull the SDI cable a little backwards on the camera side, when locked. It does help in my case. If it does help - check the SDI port on any kind of soft damage - like a dirty center pin, or misplaced pin etc

in my case anything helps, and the tv-logic only works below 30hz rate. Auto setting sets the signal to 25hz, while manual settings work on 24, 25, 30hz. Bon monitor still doesn’t work on any hz rate or cable (I’ve just got some brand new ones and those also didn’t work).

 

[Stian Eriksen]

Hi Everybody.

Thank you so much for your replies.

I'm only using straight cables, no extenders or right angle adaptors. When I jiggle the cable, nothing happens, so the connection seems to be solid.
I've got an old(er) Scarlet-x lying around and I thought I might try to dissect the Scarlet and swap the SDI board with the one from the Dragon.

First I'm going to try giving the port a thorough clean with electronic cleaner.

Joshua:
I'm in Norway, and I'm a little hesitant sending the camera to the US. With covid, the time it takes for anything to arrive from the US or to the US varies a lot.
Just out of curiosity, how much would it cost to repair the camera with a new SDI board and a thorough clean of the heat sinks and the ventialtion channel inside the camera?
Do you sell functioning SDI boards as well?

Thanks!

 

[Craig Lees]

hi Eric,

try a single direct cable into the wireless to test. I had the same problem with my dragon but going in direct helped. Some cheaply manufactured thin cables from can be an issue too. I used an old school bnc cable and it worked much better. You can use a DA or a cheap sdi splitter (like this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/eSynic-Splitter) but it’s more video kludge to handle and power portably.

craig

Any tips on an extender from the SDI port? I know for the HDMI I use an angle one so I can get to it.
SDI is a tough one to access on the fly.

 

[Eric Santiago]

hi Eric,
try a single direct cable into the wireless to test. I had the same problem with my dragon but going in direct helped. Some cheaply manufactured thin cables from can be an issue too. I used an old school bnc cable and it worked much better. You can use a DA or a cheap sdi splitter (like this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/eSynic-Splitter) but it’s more video kludge to handle and power portably. craig

Agreed on the video kludge. My situation is more of the annoyance of not being able to reach the SDI port to remove/add cable.
Ive had issues with HDMI and wireless gear in the past and thankfully it was the cable.
Still an easier thing to deal with than LEMO

 

[Craig Lees]

Maybe try a gold right angle bnc to see if that performs better?

Craig Lees
UK

 

[Craig Lees]

My favourite lemo is the GigE on the Epic once you have all the other lemo sync cables in there

Craig Lees
UK