My Brand New (to me) JVC GY500!

[Don Bloom]

I'm jealous-chrome and flames!

OK-looking forward to pics!

Good luck.

[Roy Sallows]

Well... I went down to talk to the battery guru yesterday, and he says no problem rigging my printer power pack to drive my camera. I went back today to pick up the camera (the modified power pack will be ready in a few days), and I gave him a sketch of the proposed "power tool" tap. He said that it would work, which makes me feel great. We didn't talk about how much it would cost to generate a prototype, so I will wait until we've gone there to post anything. I mean, if it costs a ton, then it's no saving.

And, hey, come on... chrome and flames aren't all that exotic. Listen for the sound of a Harley Davidson, follow it until it stops, and ask the nice biker man where he gets his work done. Then, go there. (Don't contact me with the outcome, OK?)

All kidding aside, I really hope that this works. Latah...

[Roy Sallows]

Well, yeah, the whole power supply thing will work. The guy... Larry... said that it would be no problem, and he'll try to get around to it. May take six to eight weeks, he said. Lovely, I said, not meaning it. Seems he's up to his butt in stuff he's actually getting paid for, and will stay in that uncomfortable position for about that long. Oh, the pains of ultra-low budget production! So, with my heart firmly in my throat, I am heading out to find an XLR4 plug, and a soldering gun that I can borrow, to make the connection myself. After all, I used to make cords for guitars and extension speakers. (And if that offers no real relevant experience, please don't tell me.)
About the power tool battery adapter thing... turns out several people have already tried this, and it works. Just gotta make sure about voltage. And, with all the portable tools going to 18v, there's a mess of 14.4v batteries, tools, chargers and such out there, just waiting for me. All I have to do it figure out the form factor of the battery I want to use, and go hunting through Goodwill and such. I'll post as I go along, just to pretend that I have a life outside the Realm of the JVC GY-500U.

[Paul R Johnson]

Pretty well any PSU that can give you 12-14V at just over an amp will work - the camera is very tolerant on the voltages, only cutting out when it drops to less than about 10.5V. XLR 4 plugs are probably easier to put on than audio plugs anyway and there is plenty of space in practice. Cable with conductor size up to 1.5mm2 fits - just make certain there are no whiskers as the gap is quite small. The big chunky transformer style power supplies are ok, as are more modern smaller switch mode ones, just make sure it can cope with 1.25 to 1.5A worth of current!

I've still got one of these in good order, and they are really tough and capable of giving excellent pictures.

[Roy Sallows]

Thanks, Paul. Electricity is a total stranger to me. But with the comments and help that I've gotten here, I'm about ready to take a run at wiring up the power supply my own self. Just waiting for a soldering setup from a neighbor. Good to know about the tolerance, especially from someone with the same gear. I'm hoping that the images I get will be good enough to market, if only at a documentary level.

Ron Sanders, an editor I worked with back when computer video editing was brand new, gave me a great education on the difference between video and film, and I have some ideas about the Grail - making video look like film - that I want to test out on the first few projects.

Truth be told, though, I just want to get images. I've been writing for thirty years, and, like almost everyone I know, I always wanted to direct. (cue raucous laughter) Yeah, I know, but I think visually, and I'm hoping that I can translate that into pictures that other people can see.

Roy

[Roy Sallows]

Well, an update. Mostly to clear from my mind the irritations and bad juju that is infecting me. Everything I set out to do, regarding the power supply, has wanderd into a minefield. Took me weeks to find a 4-pin DIN plug. Didn't know where to look, and they're not all that common. Apparently. Anyway, I tracked it down, phoned around about getting it soldered opnto the power cord, and got a really positive answer from Precision Camera, here in Winnipeg. My initial call even suggested that, since it was just a little solder on the DIN plug, it might be free. So, with heart singing and danding, I headed off. Precision Camera is about the best place in several hundred miles for getting camera work done, and I was jazzed. Alas, when I got there, I learned that the price would be around $80. For clipping a barrel plug, and soldering the DIN plug. MUCH more than I can afford. So I am back to square one, knowing nothing about electronics or soldering, upset and dismayed. Running out of options. Which is leading me into frustration and despond. Thanks for letting me vent,

[Jay Massengill]

Given the tens of thousands of video devices from the 1980's to the present day that used 4-pin 12-v power, I would think you'd have better luck finding a surplus genuine power supply on ebay or a local freecycle or for-sale list or junk store. They are heavy and I know shipping would be an expense, but since there were originally so many of them that went with now obsolete gear, I would think it could be found.
Another source to check would be local colleges and universities that may be getting rid of old equipment from campus video studios.

If you haven't already ordered or found the connector, it can be ordered online for cheap:

Neutrik USA Inc Neutrik XLR Connectors - 4-Pin Cable Ends XLR Connectors at Markertek.com

In addition there were other combinations that can make this up, such as 10-pin or 14-pin industrial camera power supplies coupled with a 4-pin XLR adapter cable instead of the larger cable that carried all the camera signals in addition to power. All of those pin standards are now obsolete and should be available at a relatively low cost.

Good luck with it!

[Roy Sallows]

Finally (today) got the power supply. Tested, verified, working. Camera fires up, the LED's light up, everything seems ready. BUT... and this is a big butt... er, but... I get a message, "VTR WARNING <HARD>... Err 4100". And the cassettes don't eject. They just sit there, almost popped free, mocking me.
The manual is singularly unhelpful.... "Lights when abnormality occurs in the unit"... and JVC doesn't show anything on their site about "Err 4100", what it means, or how to fix it.
It's disheartening. I didn't hook things up for a couple hours after I got home. I was jazzed, ready to go. And now, I'm back where I was, except for being out $60 for the cable... $60 that I didn't have. I think I'll go back to organized crime. At least they got equipment.
Anyway, any help about Err 4100, it's causes and cures, would be greatly appreciated. I don't actually want to go back to organized crime. They got no sense of humor...

Jay, thanks belatedly for the advice. I had a power supply that would work (does work). What I lacked was someone who could/would put it together for nothing. As to the other suggestion, about the gear that is being gashed, it looks as if I'm gonna have to go there, avoid the feeding frenzy of the other filmmakers that are prowling around, and see if I can score a camera that will work.

[Jay Massengill]

You can also connect the firewire output from the JVC camera to any device that records firewire.
That's what I did after my JVC mini-DV deck stopped working and I switched over to other formats that also had firewire inputs. The JVC camera still worked fine, so I could have used it to shoot AND capture, but I had already added better cameras and formats by that time.
To get continued use of a perfectly good camera in multi-camera setups, I stopped recording internally on the JVC and used external recorders that I could capture from more reliably and had longer recording durations.
Obviously that's not as easy (but still possible) if you wanted the JVC to be a fully-portable camcorder, but it works fine for studio or large presentation recording to use an external firewire capable recorder.
A Digital8 camera or deck with built-in LCD screen, a mini-DV camera, a DVD recorder with firewire, or a laptop with firewire and software, will all work.
The recorder doesn't need external manual controls or inputs for audio either, the JVC camera's on-board manual controls and XLR inputs for audio do the hard work and the combined audio and video are simply recorded via firewire.

[Roy Sallows]

Nice to know there are options. I've been hammering my reluctant brain for a while, now, trying to figure the next step. I didn't know that I could record 'off site' as it were. I will have to try that.
It's been pretty discouraging. I had people lined up to help... actors, a great editor, a terrific director... they've all moved on, can't say I blame them. But I do regret wasting their time.
I contacted JVC in Toronto, well, Scarborough actually, and my questions and frustration were very well received, and, all together, I am delighted with the consideration that they've shown.
Up until tonight, when I read your email, I was saving up to ship the camera. Now, maybe, I'll go looking for an external recorder. Just hope it doesn't take me another 3 years.
I'm OLD, dammit!

[Roy Sallows]

Well, another update. The camera works, fires up, everything. Got picture, viewfinder is lovely... yeah, everything works fine except the tape transport. No joy whatsoever. Managed to get hold of a firewire cable and got picture in my antiquated Mac laptop, nice and clean and gee whiz. Except I don't have a program that can capture the data stream. And, no, I don't have money to buy one.
I tell you the truth, this is just about as far as I can go. If I could get a file into my antiquated desk top... an XP3 from a hundred years ago or so... I have an old copy of Premiere 3 that I could use for editing. So, unless someone can suggest a FREE video capture program, I think I'll just stick the camera in the closet and chalk it up.
Ups and downs, ups and downs. Life is a lot like Seven Flags. Except without the flags...

[Don Bloom]

Roy,
Glad to hear the camera works (mostly) sorry about the transport but it might be something really simple or not. In any case to get a video capture program goto Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com and then to 'video software' then 'videocapture software'. there are a number of free to use programs there, not sure any are any good but AVS Video Recorder seems to have good feedback and lots of downloads which generally means a decent program. You might take a couple of minutes and search thru the others there to see if there is anything else that might be better for you, as always, YMMV!
HTHs

[Roy Sallows]

OK! I got video!
After the incredible disappointment of finding that the tape transport didn't work, meaning that I couldn't record... although I did get image on my battered old donated Apple laptop... I contact JVC Canada, in Scarborough, Ontario, and talked with Greg Cameron, the 'head honcho' at JVC repair. I told him the story, from beginning to end, and he asked me to send the camera in.
Enter FedEx, the most astounding shippers that ever drew breath. I saved for, like, months to get bucks to ship the camera, and the wonderful man at the counter at the airport told me about the ground rate! Saved me $120! So the camera goes to JVC, and I get it back four business days later, fixed, and at no cost!
JVC! I will make absolutely certain that they get credit in everyting I do! Greg Cameron! He gets back from NAB tomorrow! I win the lottery, I'm gonna buy him a house!
And the camera works perfectly! I got footage in IMovie on my donated laptop, and I can work with it!
Oh, and I'm getting a computer... dual processor, 4GM RAM, 2x750Gb drives and an 80Gb system drive, top-end (meaning I didn't write down the specs and forgot what kind, but a couple years ago, computer people were drooling over it) video card, and stuff... all donated.
Now, for the question.
I can get SLA batteries here for, like $10.00. Yeah, I know, they're not LiIoNiMhNiCad whatever batteries. but they're also not $75 bucks a pop. The camera asks for 12-15 Volts and draws 20 Amps. If I were to wire 12V SLA batteries together, how could set it up in order to get enough watts, amps and volts to run the camera for, say four hours? I am considering a belt/vest - think fanny pack with pouches or fishing vest - to give me the storage, with XLR power plugs, etc. And it should be set up so that I can change to a second set up fairly quickly.
And, in case you haven't read the rest of this thread... I am a total yutz. Incompetent to change a light bulb, not to be trusted with a rotary light switch. (I do have access to some folks that do know all that electrical mumbo-jumbo, but they want money and stuff like that, so I would rather do it myself. Because I work really, really cheap. And worth every cent!)
Thanks again in anticipation of an outpouring of sage and revelatory advice, and I wish to announce that I am now, officially, starting to set up for the first flick, tentatively a rather claustrophobic thing entitled "Betsy and Bess".
Yay!