Mark, I probably should have done that. But, well, I had switched off the camera, so I thought it was safe to disconnect the mic. By the way, the manual says you should switch off the phantom power when you connect or disconnect a mic in order to avoid damage to the mic. Hear, hear! No word about damage to the camera itself.

Gee, I have a shoot in two weeks with actor and all. Should I get nervous?

Rainer, make arrangements to have a back up XL2 body on set, just in case.

Good shooting.

XL2, FU-1000 and blown fuse -update
 

Hi,

this may interest all users of the XL2 with the FU-1000. I just got my XL2 back from the repair shop. Its main fuse blew last week. The camera came back with the following remark from Canon Germany (sorry for my somewhat crude translation):

Important notice:

If you use the FU-1000 B/W viewfinder with your XL2 please don't use it anymore becaus the connecting cord of the viewfinder may cause a short circuit which in turn can blow the main fuse. Please send the FU-1000 to us so we can replace the connecting cord with a re-designed one. You can use the standard color viewfinder with your XL2 because the problem arises only with the FU-1000.

Regards

Your Canon-Service-Team


To me this sounds as if Canon Germany acknowledges that the FU-1000 (or rather the connecting cord) is faulty. If it's true, that the cinnecting cord causes the trouble with the XL2 main fuse, then at least there is hope, that it will work without major problems in the future.

I'll send my FU-1000 to Canon on Monday.

Rainer,

Could you please ask them if they will replace cords on other FU-1000s, or if just some are incompatable. I would like to be able to use my FU-1000 without worries.

Thanks---Mike

Well this would explain why some folks have had issues and others, like myself, have not.

Of course a faulty cable could cause the short circuit and take out the main fuse. It could be an issue with the molded plug on the viewfinder or the cable itself.

This is good information for others since Canon service said they wanted to replace it with a re-designed cable. That tells me they have identified a flaw in the original design that could cause this issue.

I remember earlier threads where people were having main fuses blow and Canon was attributing it to removing and replacing the lens with the camera powered on even though the user insisted that this was not the case.

Thanks Rainer for sharing this information with us.

-gb-

I need my camera tomorrow, so I won't try it now. But, I assuming if it works once, it will be OK after that!?!? May I'll try mine next week, depending on what Rainer finds out.

One last question----Has anyone had this issue with the XLH1?

Mike

I just got a used FU-1000 for use with the XL H1. Am holding my breath that I won't see similar problems (none yet). I did write Canon this morning to ask about the problem. My original e-mail to Canon and their (somewhat unhelpful) response follows:

MY email to Canon:

INQUIRY: A problem with fuses being blown out on the Canon XL2, if used with the FU-1000, was posted on dvinfo.net. I attach the post below as well as a message from Canon Germany. Does the same problem exist with the XL H1 A? Should I not use the FU-1000 with the XL H1 A until the FU-1000 is upgraded by Canon???

Post on dvinfo.net:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...621#post519621


Canon's reply:

Thank you for contacting Canon product support. We value you as a Canon customer and appreciate the opportunity to assist you.

Canon USA will have no known issues or technical documents of this issue. I do apologize, but Canon USA does not monitor, confirm, endorse, or attest to the accuracy of any information posted on third party websites. It seems many customers are overwhelmed by the barrage of information (or misinformation) being posted on unregulated, non-Canon websites. Unfortunately, this is not something which Canon has any control over. We are able only to confirm the performance of the camcorder based on our own testing.

We hope this information is helpful to you. Please feel free to contact us again if you have any other questions or concerns.

Thank you for choosing Canon.

While I don't (obviously) know what the problem is, I wouldn't make this assumption! First, if it was as simple as plug it in and bang, then the problem would have been very easy to find. Second, the way the reports of problems come in, people seem to have used the configuration without problem for some time before they experience the problem. And lastly, the flaw could quite easily be intermittent, meaning that every time you plug it in, you have some chance of disaster...

Hi everybody,

I forgot to mention in my original post, that I have a PAL XL2 and also the PAL version of the FU-1000 of course, so the information given by Canon Germany may not be valid for the respective NTSC versions.

Mike, the notice of Canon said "CAN cause a short circuit" not "will cause a short circuit". May be, they are just being cautious in what they say or it actually means that not all cords have the fault. Who knows?

No, you can't assume that. In another thread Mark Sasahara said he was told that the fuse could be weakened. I guess, that's what happened to mine because I used the FU-1000 frequently without any problems and then, one fine day, the camera wouldn't power up.

You better use the color viewfinder until the FU-1000 problem is solved. Yes, I know, it's almost impossible to focus correctly with the color viewfinder, so a field monitor would be a must when you use a manual lens.

My FU-1000 is back from Canon
 

Just got my FU-1000 back. Unfortunately there is no additional information. Canon just says they replaced the connecting cord and the connector. Well, I keep my fingers crossed.

I had a shoot yesterday and focusing with the color viewfinder is really just guesswork. So I hooked the camera up to a notebook via firewire and we checked sharpnes in the capture window of PPro. Very professional. But I'm still somewhat reluctant to connect the FU-1000 because we have 3 more days of shooting and I don't want to risk another blown fuse.

Could you
 

use an NTSC monitor for this?

Well, I'm living in PAL country...

But, yes, an external monitor is next on my shopping list.

Alert: loose board inside the Fu-1000!
 

I bought the Fu-1000 viewfinder from US and tuned it from NTSC to PAL myself. Se this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...hlight=fu-1000 how this is done (scroll down to Elmar Tewes first replay in this thread).

My point is that I don't think it's any difference between the NTSC and PAL version of the Fu-1000, except that they are tuned differently from the manufactor.
I also discovered that one of the electrial board inside the Fu-1000 was loose, when I opened it! This could have caused to an electrical shortcut; as Brendon Whateley says: "...people seem to have used the configuration without problem for some time before they experience the problem..."
Well, I fastened this board, tuned the viewfinder to PAL, turned on the XL2 and everything worked great. Haven't experienced any issues with this configuration since I bought the Fu-1000 in february this year and fixed it. And I have used it alot, outside in cold, snow, rain, sun...., lots of traveling, shaking etc.

I haven't thought about this loose board until now, but if this happend to my viewfinder in the assembly process at the manufactor, I guess that some of you guys might have a Fu-1000 with the same fault!

There's little excuse for plugging in a mic to blow the main fuse. Phantom power should be current-limited to a few milliamps at most. Mic preamps need only the tiniest bit of power. So is this another case of bad design?

I've used phantom power extensively with my heavily modified antique Radio Shack PZM mics without blowing any fuses (so far). I'm sure somewhere in there I've un/plugged them while the whole business was powered on.

But just to be safe, from now on I'm going to disconnect the battery, lock it in a steel box, bury it three feet deep in the back yard and move at least a half mile away from it before un/plugging anything! ;-)

-cw-

Remember to switch off the XL2 before disconnecting the battery. :)

Richard

no power
 

Same thing happened to me yesterday drove me crazy. I was filmming a wedding and was all most ready to give up. I started messing with the battery and got power I think one of the connectors got bent I adjusted it with my knife and it working fine now. scared the crap out of me...

My XL2 won't turn on!
 

Hello ppl.

Sudenly my XL2 won't turn on.
I tried different batteries and pluged it directly to its power adapter, but nothing happens, and the cassette compartment doesn't open or make any sound. I am really worried about it and I am way far far away from any canon place.

Is there anything I could do?

Any body knows what might have happened.

Thank you!

Hi Kalil. Sounds like the main fuse has blown, which has happened to a few people already on this forum. You can do a search if you like, but I don't see any alternative for you other than taking or sending the camera to a Canon repair centre. Feel sorry for you.

Richard

Hi Kalil, yes, the main fuse most certainly. It happened to my XL2 as well. It is a real design flaw of the camera. And, what's worse, it is not possible to replace the fuse yourself. It has to be done at a Canon service center.

By the way, did you use the FU-1000 B/W viewfinder? If so, then send the FU-1000 to Canon as well as it is the likely source of the blown fuse. This board is full of stories about this camera/viewfinder combination.

Sorry, but it seems you will have to do without your XL2 for a while.

Not really a flaw... just a unique situation. This will usually happen when doing something you should not do (switching lens with camera on, plugging in the B&W viewfinder while hot, etc.) Most cameras in this class dont have those options and most people are not fully aware of the care you must take.

To be the safest, only change peripherals with the battery off.



ash =o)

So, If it is the fuse!
 

can a different technition fix it?

How long will it take the canon to repaire it the fuse?

thank u

I never had any issue with my XL2/FU1000 combo, but others have. There was an interesting story from someone who had this combo and it was found to be a defective wiring harness in the FU1000 causing a short. I believe it was in a post here on DV-INFO and IIRC, the person was in Germany. The gist of the story was that it was a possible weakness in the design of the wiring harness, and not so much the XL2.

This would not have manifested itself on the XL1/s because they use the battery tray adapter to power the FU-1000 so power never goes through the camera body.

-gb-

Greg, you are right. The person you mentioned is me. Indeed Canon Germany acknowledged that the wiring of the FU-1000 was faulty. They repaired it at no further cost.

Ash, I allways powered my XL2 down before I removed the lens or plugged something in. Still, one fine day, the camera wouldn't power up. End of story. Actually, as an engineer, I would call this a design flaw. At least they could have made the main fuse a LRU (airline slang for Line Replaceable Unit, meaning any chimp can replace it while the aircraft is sitting on the ramp). Then you could carry a bag of 10 cent fuses with you while shooting.

Anyway, since Canon changed the wiring in my FU-1000 there haven't been any further issues. I keep my fingers crossed...

EDIT: Kalil, I can't tell how long the repair will take in your case. It depends on where you live and where the next Canon service center is. It took one week over here in Germany, using Canon Professional Service (CPS).

I am not using any FU-1000 BW view finder!
 

Hey, and thank you all for the infos u gave me,
but, I am not using any FU-1000 BW view finder!

I use the original view finder that came with my XL2.

Like Rainer Hoffmann said it was "one fine day" when it stopped working.

I am in Afghanistan and I have been filming this Documentary for the past few months.

anyway thank you all.

bye

I had a fuse in my PDX-10 blow. According to the service manual, there are about 4 microfuses, directly soldered to the circuit board.

Supposedly, they are designed to protect the device from faulty batteries putting out too much power.

Thank you Rainer for helping out my memory. ;-)

Apparently this b/w viewfinder problem doesn't apply to Kalil since he says he isn't using the FU-1000.

-gb-

You are welcome, Greg.

Yes, and that scares me. So a faulty FU-1000 wiring is not the only source of the problem. Well, let's hope the best.

I was one of the first with this problem, and had a LOOONG and sordid runaround, finally resulting in a replaced camera. I shoot with the FU-1000

Short version is this.

The camera was working on a documentary shoot. I put it in 'standby' and moved to a new location. Went to take it out of 'standby' and it was dead. Zip, zilch, nada... with the cassette inside.

Shipped it to canon. They claimed the fuse was blown, because I had MISTHREADED the lens, damaging the lens mount, and blowing the fuse. I argued, but to no avail. I paid $670 to have the ccd block remounted and the fuse replaced.

I received the camera.

I was reading this board, and someone asked a question about the FU-1000 viewfinder. To answer the question, I pluged in the camera w/viewfinder, and powered it up. (NO LENS MOUNTED ON IT AT ALL). I looked in the viewfinder, typed my answer on the board, and then the camera was dead.

Two days after it had been returned.

I sent the camera BACK. Spoke with the Canon rep. He said the replaced the fuse again, that there was a "KNOWN ISSUE" with some of the viewfinders. And they would send the camera back. I told them that was unacceptable, that I couldn't rely on that camera any more.

My dealer (God bless him) stepped in, and got me a new camera.

I don't know if they 'rewired' the fu-1000, upgraded the fuses or what. But I have had no problems with the fuse since, and I've had the cam for two years now. (Knock wood.)

And yes, I ALWAYS power down before changing lenses, etc.

Boy, this is like a reunion of sorts... There's all sorts of things you can do to set off the fuse. I did mine when plugging it into (I think) a faulty 1394 port on my computer. Pfft... camera stopped working.

While there's a bunch of us on this board who have had problems, I think most of us (with the exception of Richard) have had the problem quickly fixed by Canon.

I guess "quickly" is a relative term, and could be a little longer from Afghanistan, than, say, Seattle.

Since I had my cam fixed, I only let it touch the computer when uploading blue barn presets into the cam, and am very careful with lens changes, or anything slightly sensitive...

Bill

My XL2 Blew on a shoot.

FU-1000
16x Manual lens
It happened Xmas Day on a shoot.
Boy. That was a Kicker.

It's in the shop now. I'll report back how much it's going to run me and what they say. The initial cost they put down as $499 or sommat to fix it. I wonder if that'll go up or down.


JT

They charged me $430 after taxes to fix the blown board/fuse and the fu-1000 took no repair costs, but they replaced the microphone holder for free.

The price is dropping - as the camera fades into the sunset :)

Good evening,


My fu 1000 came slightly unplugged lifting it in and out of the truck, ushed it back in and bang, end of fuse!!


I recomend using a tye rap around the cord and handle to prevent it!!!

Cost me 407.00 to get it fixed!!!!

thats pretty steep to change a fuse!!!

it is a great view finder, just be careful!!!

My XL2 died last week. Unfortunately I lent it out to a friend so I do not know 100% what led up to it.

I took it into a 3rd party repairer and they confirmed the fuse was blown but also a number of components in the internal power supply section were obviously damaged and needed to be replaced including a coil/inductor that was obviously to the eye that it was blown.

I have not seen the camera yet but the repairer says that it is showing too much green in recordings when white balance is set to auto but is better when the fluro or incandescent preset is selected.

As I said, I was not there when it failed and can only state that it was running on batteries and had possibly just had the 3X lens swapped over but the user states the power was off.

I will report further findings after testing.