XL2 main fuse blown -- FU-1000 culprit!

[Rainer Hoffmann]

Hi everybody,

sorry to hijack this thread, but yesterday the main fuse of my XL2 blew. May be, I have some additional info.

I disconnected a phantom powered mic and I swear the camera was powered down (I always power down when I plug or unplug something due to reports of blown main fuses here on DVinfo)! So obviously powering down is not enough. There must still be power on some systems.

The next time I plug or unplug something I'll even disconnect the power supply. When I told the tech at Canon that my XL2 would not power up he said: "Oh, well, then probably the main fuse blew". So they obviously are aware of the problem.

[Jonathan Gossett]

After reading this thread, I flipped through the xl2 manual and saw that it recommends powering down to do anything, even change out the tapes. I was wondering if any of you guys did that, or if not doing so would cause the fuse to blow. With all these reports of blown fuses, I'm paranoid to even look at my xl2 the wrong way.

[Rainer Hoffmann]

Well, I did exactly that: powering down even to change the tape. But it seems, it's not enough to power the cam down, you even have to disconnect the battery or whatever power supply you use. As long as the battery is attached, there is some power supplied to the cam. Otherwise you would not be able to change the tape with the camera switched off.

I wonder when it will happen to me again...

[Mark Sasahara]

I wonder if you should turn off the phantom power switch on the back of the camera before disconnecting?

I'm looking at getting another body to keep as a back up. What a piece of junk.

[Jonathan Gossett]

Thanks for the info Rainer. I suppose this fuse is just a ticking time bomb, not a matter of if, but when it goes off. I just pray that it doesn't happen to me right in the middle of a shoot. I can't understand why Canon wouldn't fix the problem in newer xl2's if they already knew about this problem. It is certainly serious enough to warrant their concern, because I really don't like the idea of being on pins and needles waiting to see if my xl2 will be kaput when I need it.

[Rainer Hoffmann]

Originally Posted by Mark Sasahara

I wonder if you should turn off the phantom power switch on the back of the camera before disconnecting?

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?

[Mark Sasahara]

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

Good shooting.

[Rainer Hoffmann]

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.

[Mike Teutsch]

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

[Greg Boston]

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-

[Mike Teutsch]

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

[Patricia Lamm]

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.

[Brendon Whateley]

Originally Posted by Mike Teutsch

But, I assuming if it works once, it will be OK after that!?!?

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...

[Rainer Hoffmann]

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?

[Rainer Hoffmann]

Originally Posted by Mike Teutsch

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!?!?

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.