Power button not working?

Dan Keaton · December 11th, 2009, 07:37 AM

Dear Steve,

Could you please email me the serial number of your nanoFlash?

Steve Brown · December 11th, 2009, 11:14 AM

Jeff,

I am using the latest firmware (1.1.154). Does that make a difference? From what Dan wrote above, it sounds as though the software/firmware won't affect the switch.

Doug Jensen · December 16th, 2009, 09:45 AM

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but the more I use my nano the more I want a power button. I think I've been in the business long enough to be to handle the complexity of turning a device on when I need it. I'm tired of the nano sapping power from my camera battery unnecessarily -- or yanking the power cord and leaving it to dangle around. I vote for a working (and durable) on/off switch.

Piotr Wozniacki · December 16th, 2009, 02:35 PM

I second Doug on this.

Mike Schell · December 16th, 2009, 02:44 PM

Hi Piotr, Doug-
Have you enabled the power save function on the nanoFlash? This reduces the power draw from 6W to 0.2W when the HD-SDI signal turns off. This battery life is increased by 30X in low-power mode.

Thanks-

Olof Ekbergh · December 16th, 2009, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Jensen

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but the more I use my nano the more I want a power button. I think I've been in the business long enough to be to handle the complexity of turning a device on when I need it. I'm tired of the nano sapping power from my camera battery unnecessarily -- or yanking the power cord and leaving it to dangle around. I vote for a working (and durable) on/off switch.

I am considering making a cable with an inline switch.

I am actually thinking of one for the Swit batteries that splits the power, not from the D-tap but from the power cable. I just got the biggest 95wh Swit and the power tap is on the bottom of the battery (using the EX1), somewhat vulnerable in my opinion. It will just velcro onto the battery top and have a good quality switch to the NanoFlash cable, and a cable that goes to the EX1/3, the D-tap could be used for a light monitor or whatever.

If anyone is interested, contact me.

olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283

Piotr Wozniacki · December 16th, 2009, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Schell

Hi Piotr, Doug-
Have you enabled the power save function on the nanoFlash? This reduces the power draw from 6W to 0.2W when the HD-SDI signal turns off. This battery life is increased by 30X in low-power mode.

Thanks-

Hi Mike,

I have enabled the power save function, and yet I'm just not comfortable knowing my Nano is constantly on - which leads me to pull out the power cable, which is not good either.

I guess I might be over-sensitive to the battery draw problem after my experience with the EX1, which has been notorious of ta (even when off).

Let me ask - is the Nano power button disabled in hardware, or firmware? If it's the latter, why not give users the choice of having it activated or not?

Doug Jensen · December 16th, 2009, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Schell

Hi Piotr, Doug-
Have you enabled the power save function on the nanoFlash? This reduces the power draw from 6W to 0.2W when the HD-SDI signal turns off. This battery life is increased by 30X in low-power mode.
Thanks-

No, I haven't turned that on because the manual says the "sleep" mode will never engage when there's a signal on SDI input. Well, if my camera is on, then there's always going to be a signal on the output because my nano gets it's power from the D-tap on the F800. The only time there won't be a signal on the SDI input is when the camera is turned off - and that means the nano will already be off, too.

Piotr Wozniacki · December 16th, 2009, 05:17 PM

Doug,

I guess the reasoning is simple: camera on = SDI signal on = nanoFlash on; to switch it off you need to turn camera off (or yank the power cord)...

So really, this is a concern only when shooting with nanoFlash attached, but NOT intended to be used - which of course may happen quite often. It's these circumstances when I, like you, would prefer a switch...

Dan Keaton · December 16th, 2009, 05:22 PM

Dear Doug and Piotr,

We have tried to find a replacement power switch that is more reliable, and still fit into the same space, etc.

Please note that the power switch is a very low-profile switch so that it does not get accidently pressed.

I have run tests with our smallest 2-Cell Lithium-Ion battery. If you enable "Power Save", the nanoFlash powers down when no HD-SDI is present. I ran the nanoFlash for about 4 days in this mode, and I still had power in the battery.

For any normal shoot, with any regular battery, the power save should work fine.
Just power down the camera when you want, and the nanoFlash will go into low power mode, power the camera back on, and the nanoFlash is ready to record.

The potential to fail to power-on the nanoFlash again, after a battery change, is very real. It may never happen to you, but it has already happened to professional camera operators.

If we can find a suitable in-line power switch, we could build a custom cable that has a Male 4-Pin Hirose connector, the switch, and a Female 4-Pin Hirose connector. Thus, one could just this this switch to power down the nanoFlash.

Doug Jensen · December 16th, 2009, 06:11 PM

Dan,

I understand all the reasons things are the way they are, but Im offering my comments as a suggestion and not as a complaint. If you never hear any feedback from people who DO want a power switch, you might assume we don't care. I do care, but it's not a huge issue.

Also, I'd love to have a tally light on the front face since most of my recordings are triggered manually. Neither of the tally lights is in position where I can see them. The timecode numbers changing is really the only confirmation I have and that is not good enough.

Again, just a suggestion and not a complaint.

Barry J. Weckesser · December 16th, 2009, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olof Ekbergh

I am considering making a cable with an inline switch.

I am actually thinking of one for the Swit batteries that splits the power, not from the D-tap but from the power cable. I just got the biggest 95wh Swit and the power tap is on the bottom of the battery (using the EX1), somewhat vulnerable in my opinion. It will just velcro onto the battery top and have a good quality switch to the NanoFlash cable, and a cable that goes to the EX1/3, the D-tap could be used for a light monitor or whatever.

If anyone is interested, contact me.

olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283

Olof - I know we talked about this last night but I am not completely clear - are you talking about inserting the power cord (that normally goes to the camera) of the Swit battery into a switch with two cables coming from the switch- one to power the camera and the other with a Hirose connector for the Nano?

Olof Ekbergh · December 16th, 2009, 08:04 PM

Barry,

Yes that is what I mean.

And the one to the NanoFlash would be switched by a quality slide switch, so you can turn the NanoFlash on and off.

It would all be housed in a small box that is attached to the battery with velcro, probably moulded rubber.

Barry J. Weckesser · December 16th, 2009, 09:19 PM

I would definitely be interested in that - let me know when you come up with a working model.

Dan Keaton · December 17th, 2009, 03:08 AM

Dear Barry,

Yesterday I started searching for a small, reliable in-line switch for this purpose.

If anyone knows of a good switch that we can place "in-line" with our power cable, then I would appreciate an email or reply here.

There are lots of switches available, but few switches are designed to be used in-line with a cable. And few of the ones available are small. Most switches are designed to be mounted on a panel, or on a circuit board.

December 11th, 2009, 07:37 AM	#16
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Steve, Could you please email me the serial number of your nanoFlash? __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

December 16th, 2009, 09:45 AM	#18
Doug Jensen Vortex Media Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,440	Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but the more I use my nano the more I want a power button. I think I've been in the business long enough to be to handle the complexity of turning a device on when I need it. I'm tired of the nano sapping power from my camera battery unnecessarily -- or yanking the power cord and leaving it to dangle around. I vote for a working (and durable) on/off switch. __________________ Vortex Media http://www.vortexmedia.com/ Sony FS7, F55, and XDCAM training videos, field guides, and other production tools

December 16th, 2009, 02:35 PM	#19
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	I second Doug on this. __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

December 16th, 2009, 02:44 PM	#20
Mike Schell Convergent Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 869	Power Save Functions? Hi Piotr, Doug- Have you enabled the power save function on the nanoFlash? This reduces the power draw from 6W to 0.2W when the HD-SDI signal turns off. This battery life is increased by 30X in low-power mode. Thanks- __________________ Mike Schell Convergent Design

December 16th, 2009, 05:17 PM	#24
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	Doug, I guess the reasoning is simple: camera on = SDI signal on = nanoFlash on; to switch it off you need to turn camera off (or yank the power cord)... So really, this is a concern only when shooting with nanoFlash attached, but NOT intended to be used - which of course may happen quite often. It's these circumstances when I, like you, would prefer a switch... __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

December 11th, 2009, 11:14 AM	#17
Steve Brown Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 96	Jeff, I am using the latest firmware (1.1.154). Does that make a difference? From what Dan wrote above, it sounds as though the software/firmware won't affect the switch.

December 16th, 2009, 05:22 PM	#25
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Doug and Piotr, We have tried to find a replacement power switch that is more reliable, and still fit into the same space, etc. Please note that the power switch is a very low-profile switch so that it does not get accidently pressed. I have run tests with our smallest 2-Cell Lithium-Ion battery. If you enable "Power Save", the nanoFlash powers down when no HD-SDI is present. I ran the nanoFlash for about 4 days in this mode, and I still had power in the battery. For any normal shoot, with any regular battery, the power save should work fine. Just power down the camera when you want, and the nanoFlash will go into low power mode, power the camera back on, and the nanoFlash is ready to record. The potential to fail to power-on the nanoFlash again, after a battery change, is very real. It may never happen to you, but it has already happened to professional camera operators. If we can find a suitable in-line power switch, we could build a custom cable that has a Male 4-Pin Hirose connector, the switch, and a Female 4-Pin Hirose connector. Thus, one could just this this switch to power down the nanoFlash. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

December 16th, 2009, 06:11 PM	#26
Doug Jensen Vortex Media Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,440	Dan, I understand all the reasons things are the way they are, but Im offering my comments as a suggestion and not as a complaint. If you never hear any feedback from people who DO want a power switch, you might assume we don't care. I do care, but it's not a huge issue. Also, I'd love to have a tally light on the front face since most of my recordings are triggered manually. Neither of the tally lights is in position where I can see them. The timecode numbers changing is really the only confirmation I have and that is not good enough. Again, just a suggestion and not a complaint. __________________ Vortex Media http://www.vortexmedia.com/ Sony FS7, F55, and XDCAM training videos, field guides, and other production tools

December 16th, 2009, 08:04 PM	#28
Olof Ekbergh Sponsor: Westside AV Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Mount Washington Valley, NH, USA Posts: 1,365	Barry, Yes that is what I mean. And the one to the NanoFlash would be switched by a quality slide switch, so you can turn the NanoFlash on and off. It would all be housed in a small box that is attached to the battery with velcro, probably moulded rubber.

December 16th, 2009, 09:19 PM	#29
Barry J. Weckesser Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 427	I would definitely be interested in that - let me know when you come up with a working model.

December 17th, 2009, 03:08 AM	#30
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Barry, Yesterday I started searching for a small, reliable in-line switch for this purpose. If anyone knows of a good switch that we can place "in-line" with our power cable, then I would appreciate an email or reply here. There are lots of switches available, but few switches are designed to be used in-line with a cable. And few of the ones available are small. Most switches are designed to be mounted on a panel, or on a circuit board. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia