beachtek dxa 4 cable issue at DVinfo.net

Troy Davis · July 28th, 2010, 10:03 PM

Hello,

I used the beachtek dxa 4 with my vx2100 and have determined that the cable has become faulty causing static anytime it's moved. Is this repairable or I'm better off just getting a new XLR adapter? If so, any recommendations? Btw, don't really need phantom power just want something that gives clean audio from my sennheiser ew100 wireless.

Thanks,
Troy

Richard Crowley · July 28th, 2010, 11:56 PM

Same thing happened to our Beachtek box at the office. When I inquired about replacement cords, they sent me two new ones for free. Removing the bad cord and replacing it isn't trivial, but it's not rocket surgery, either.

OTOH, if you are just going from a wireless receiver into a camcorder, a simple adapter cable would probably do the job just fine.

Troy Davis · July 29th, 2010, 07:26 AM

Thanks Richard. I will contact Beachtek. I will also take the other option into consideration.

Jay Massengill · July 29th, 2010, 08:29 AM

It could be a bad cable on the BeachTek, or it is also possible that the blocking capacitors (inside the BeachTek) are no longer successfully dealing with the plug-in power coming from the mic jack of the camera. Any time the cable is moved this could also cause noise problems even if the cable itself is ok.
Do you have any other device handy that records with a stereo mini-jack mic input and doesn't have plug-in power on the jack? If so I'd test the BeachTek with it to try and confirm the problem is the cable.
(Also try cleaning the plug thoroughly if you haven't already, that can cause noise when the cable is moved too.)

Troy Davis · July 29th, 2010, 08:56 AM

Jay, I have another XLR device that gives no static at all when plugged in the mic/line port.
That's why I concluded that it was the beachtek plug.

Jay Massengill · July 29th, 2010, 09:15 AM

I'm saying the capacitors in the BeachTek could be bad. You need to test the BeachTek with a different recorder that doesn't have plug-in power to know whether it's the cable or an internal problem with the BeachTek.

Troy Davis · October 5th, 2010, 09:01 AM

I fixed the problem by opening the box and removing the cables from the board using my soldering iron. I cut some of the original cable and re-soldered back to board. Luckily it works like a charm. I guess that
high school electronics class finally came in handy;-)

July 28th, 2010, 10:03 PM	#1
Troy Davis Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Raleigh,NC Posts: 263	beachtek dxa 4 cable issue Hello, I used the beachtek dxa 4 with my vx2100 and have determined that the cable has become faulty causing static anytime it's moved. Is this repairable or I'm better off just getting a new XLR adapter? If so, any recommendations? Btw, don't really need phantom power just want something that gives clean audio from my sennheiser ew100 wireless. Thanks, Troy

July 29th, 2010, 08:29 AM	#4
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	It could be a bad cable on the BeachTek, or it is also possible that the blocking capacitors (inside the BeachTek) are no longer successfully dealing with the plug-in power coming from the mic jack of the camera. Any time the cable is moved this could also cause noise problems even if the cable itself is ok. Do you have any other device handy that records with a stereo mini-jack mic input and doesn't have plug-in power on the jack? If so I'd test the BeachTek with it to try and confirm the problem is the cable. (Also try cleaning the plug thoroughly if you haven't already, that can cause noise when the cable is moved too.) Last edited by Jay Massengill; July 29th, 2010 at 09:38 AM.

July 28th, 2010, 11:56 PM	#2
Richard Crowley Trustee Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,238	Same thing happened to our Beachtek box at the office. When I inquired about replacement cords, they sent me two new ones for free. Removing the bad cord and replacing it isn't trivial, but it's not rocket surgery, either. OTOH, if you are just going from a wireless receiver into a camcorder, a simple adapter cable would probably do the job just fine.

July 29th, 2010, 07:26 AM	#3
Troy Davis Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Raleigh,NC Posts: 263	Thanks Richard. I will contact Beachtek. I will also take the other option into consideration.

July 29th, 2010, 08:56 AM	#5
Troy Davis Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Raleigh,NC Posts: 263	Jay, I have another XLR device that gives no static at all when plugged in the mic/line port. That's why I concluded that it was the beachtek plug.

July 29th, 2010, 09:15 AM	#6
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	I'm saying the capacitors in the BeachTek could be bad. You need to test the BeachTek with a different recorder that doesn't have plug-in power to know whether it's the cable or an internal problem with the BeachTek.

October 5th, 2010, 09:01 AM	#7
Troy Davis Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Raleigh,NC Posts: 263	I fixed the problem by opening the box and removing the cables from the board using my soldering iron. I cut some of the original cable and re-soldered back to board. Luckily it works like a charm. I guess that high school electronics class finally came in handy;-)