Video light does not work on 'auto' at DVinfo.net

Luc De Wandel · December 29th, 2009, 06:22 AM

On the PDW-F350, an attached video light, powered from the camera's powertap contact, and with the 'light' switch set to 'auto', should light up automatically as soon as recording starts. This does not happen. When I measure the output power at the power tap contact, the multimeter indicates 12.03 Volts, so that's perfect. But when I plug in the videolight , nothing happens. Plugged straight into the battery, the light works fine... very puzzling.

I've searched in the manual again and again and I don't find any explanation other than how to connect the light. Is there perhaps some hidden menu where something has to be set that I don't know of? Or anything else that I've missed?

Anton Strauss · December 29th, 2009, 06:34 AM

it works fine here with a connected anton bauer ultralight, I don't see anything related in the menu

does the light work with the auto switch in off position?

Don Bloom · December 29th, 2009, 06:38 AM

is the switch on the light itself set to on?

In the DSR series of cameras there is nothing in the menu to change, it's all in the switch.

Luc De Wandel · December 29th, 2009, 06:39 AM

Nope, the light only works when I plug it straight into the battery. It doesn't work from the camera's powertap outlet, no matter if the switch is on 'manual' or 'auto'. The strangest thing though is that I measure 12.03 volts there.

Andy Tejral · December 29th, 2009, 06:55 AM

Two possibilities: is the camera actually providing power to the light? Is it the same connector that goes to cam and battery? Or is there an adapter that could be failing to pass power?

Is your light drawing more power than the cam can deliver? (Causing a circuit breaker to shut down.)

Luc De Wandel · December 29th, 2009, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

is the switch on the light itself set to on?

In the DSR series of cameras there is nothing in the menu to change, it's all in the switch.

Yep, light switch is on and the light works fine when powered straight from the battery. The camera Powerplug outlet does deliver 12 volts, though.

Luc De Wandel · December 29th, 2009, 07:28 AM

I measure a very stable - so probably stabilised -12.03 Volts at the outlet plug of the powertap on the camera, so it's delivering the normal voltage. But when I plug the lamp in the same powertap-outlet, it doens't work. Nor in 'auto' or in 'manual'. But when I plug in the lamp straight into the powertap of the V-lock battery...it works fine.

So there are 2 possibilities: or the lamp needs more than 12 volts, which wuold surprise me, or the drawn current is too high and there's some protection circuit in the camera that limits the current.

Third possibily: I'm using a Bebop Light with a delay-cicuit in the plug. Could this circuitry be causing the trouble? I have no other light to do the comparison.

Don Bloom · December 29th, 2009, 10:18 AM

hmm, could be. I have only used Anton Bauer lights on my fullsized cams and when I plugged into the power tap on the cam and set the switch it always worked.

Is there a switch on the battery mounting plate? I had a switch on the AB plate but honestly I can't remember if I ever had to flip it on or off to make the powertap on the camera work.

Tom Roper · December 29th, 2009, 11:42 AM

You need to measure the current inline to the light, to see if it is accepting current. Also maybe try to use the meter to capture-and-hold the peak current in the event circuit breaker protection is at play. If it's neither of the above, it would sound like a possible open ground at the connector. A high impedance digital meter (which I assume) can accurately measure the voltage on the hot leg to a poor ground that can't deliver the current to sustain that voltage under an actual load. (You already knew all that.)

Luc De Wandel · December 29th, 2009, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

hmm, could be. I have only used Anton Bauer lights on my fullsized cams and when I plugged into the power tap on the cam and set the switch it always worked.

Is there a switch on the battery mounting plate? I had a switch on the AB plate but honestly I can't remember if I ever had to flip it on or off to make the powertap on the camera work.

No, no switch on the battery plate. Do the Anton Bauer lights have a delay-circuit that prevents a sudden current surge to the bulb? The Bebop lamp does have that, and I'm suspecting this circuitry to block the current, because the F350 is apparently already stabilising the current that comes out of the D-rap plug. Just a guess though.

Doug Jensen · December 29th, 2009, 12:41 PM

Did you say what brand your light is?
Does it happen to be a Frezzi?
I have a Frezzi that won't light sometimes and I can only get it to kick on by repidly flipping the toggle switch on the light back and forth. After 4-5 kickstarts it will usually fire up.

Luc De Wandel · December 29th, 2009, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Roper

You need to measure the current inline to the light, to see if it is accepting current. Also maybe try to use the meter to capture-and-hold the peak current in the event circuit breaker protection is at play. If it's neither of the above, it would sound like a possible open ground at the connector. A high impedance digital meter (which I assume) can accurately measure the voltage on the hot leg to a poor ground that can't deliver the current to sustain that voltage under an actual load. (You already knew all that.)

No I certainly didn't know all that; I'm just a simple still photographer, not a qualified electrician :-)
I'll try to do some more measurements with my (very basic) Fluke and the aid of some mini crocodile clamps tomorrow. Thanks for the advice!

Luc De Wandel · December 29th, 2009, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Jensen

Did you say what brand your light is?
Does it happen to be a Frezzi?
I have a Frezzi that won't light sometimes and I can only get it to kick on by repidly flipping the toggle switch on the light back and forth. After 4-5 kickstarts it will usually fire up.

Hi Doug,
yeah, I mentioned it is a Bebop. Not the most expensive or sophisticated kind of lamp, but for my purposes and on the HVR-S270 it was sufficient and it worked flawlessly. I just gave it the kickstart treatment and that didn't help either.

I tried it again on the S270 and there it works perfectly, even if I measure only 11.7 Volts at the D-tap output there. The F250 delivers slightly more than 12 volts an nothing happens. But I'll try to carry out the measurements that Tom suggested and see what happens.

Don Bloom · December 29th, 2009, 01:54 PM

yeah, depending on the AB plate it might not have the switch so that's obviously not it.

It could very well be something in the camera maybe a menu setting, I don't really know but if it works on the 270 then I doubt it's the light and no, the AB doesn't have a delay circuit that I'm aware of.

Luc De Wandel · December 29th, 2009, 02:14 PM

Then I'm suspecting the delay-circuitry in the plug. I'll try to find another brand of lamp somewhere to test if that suspicion is correct.

December 29th, 2009, 06:22 AM	#1
Luc De Wandel Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium Posts: 963	Video light does not work on 'auto' On the PDW-F350, an attached video light, powered from the camera's powertap contact, and with the 'light' switch set to 'auto', should light up automatically as soon as recording starts. This does not happen. When I measure the output power at the power tap contact, the multimeter indicates 12.03 Volts, so that's perfect. But when I plug in the videolight , nothing happens. Plugged straight into the battery, the light works fine... very puzzling. I've searched in the manual again and again and I don't find any explanation other than how to connect the light. Is there perhaps some hidden menu where something has to be set that I don't know of? Or anything else that I've missed?

December 29th, 2009, 06:34 AM	#2
Anton Strauss Major Player Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 201	it works fine here with a connected anton bauer ultralight, I don't see anything related in the menu does the light work with the auto switch in off position? __________________ Anton Strauss www.videoproductions.com.au

December 29th, 2009, 06:38 AM	#3
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	is the switch on the light itself set to on? In the DSR series of cameras there is nothing in the menu to change, it's all in the switch. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

December 29th, 2009, 06:55 AM	#5
Andy Tejral Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: New York City Posts: 523	Two possibilities: is the camera actually providing power to the light? Is it the same connector that goes to cam and battery? Or is there an adapter that could be failing to pass power? Is your light drawing more power than the cam can deliver? (Causing a circuit breaker to shut down.) __________________ Andy Tejral Railroad Videographer

December 29th, 2009, 10:18 AM	#8
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	hmm, could be. I have only used Anton Bauer lights on my fullsized cams and when I plugged into the power tap on the cam and set the switch it always worked. Is there a switch on the battery mounting plate? I had a switch on the AB plate but honestly I can't remember if I ever had to flip it on or off to make the powertap on the camera work. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

December 29th, 2009, 06:39 AM	#4
Luc De Wandel Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium Posts: 963	Nope, the light only works when I plug it straight into the battery. It doesn't work from the camera's powertap outlet, no matter if the switch is on 'manual' or 'auto'. The strangest thing though is that I measure 12.03 volts there.

December 29th, 2009, 07:28 AM	#7
Luc De Wandel Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium Posts: 963	I measure a very stable - so probably stabilised -12.03 Volts at the outlet plug of the powertap on the camera, so it's delivering the normal voltage. But when I plug the lamp in the same powertap-outlet, it doens't work. Nor in 'auto' or in 'manual'. But when I plug in the lamp straight into the powertap of the V-lock battery...it works fine. So there are 2 possibilities: or the lamp needs more than 12 volts, which wuold surprise me, or the drawn current is too high and there's some protection circuit in the camera that limits the current. Third possibily: I'm using a Bebop Light with a delay-cicuit in the plug. Could this circuitry be causing the trouble? I have no other light to do the comparison.

December 29th, 2009, 11:42 AM	#9
Tom Roper Trustee Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 1,891	You need to measure the current inline to the light, to see if it is accepting current. Also maybe try to use the meter to capture-and-hold the peak current in the event circuit breaker protection is at play. If it's neither of the above, it would sound like a possible open ground at the connector. A high impedance digital meter (which I assume) can accurately measure the voltage on the hot leg to a poor ground that can't deliver the current to sustain that voltage under an actual load. (You already knew all that.)

December 29th, 2009, 12:41 PM	#11
Doug Jensen Vortex Media Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,450	Did you say what brand your light is? Does it happen to be a Frezzi? I have a Frezzi that won't light sometimes and I can only get it to kick on by repidly flipping the toggle switch on the light back and forth. After 4-5 kickstarts it will usually fire up. __________________ Vortex Media http://www.vortexmedia.com/ Sony FS7, F55, and XDCAM training videos, field guides, and other production tools

December 29th, 2009, 01:54 PM	#14
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	yeah, depending on the AB plate it might not have the switch so that's obviously not it. It could very well be something in the camera maybe a menu setting, I don't really know but if it works on the 270 then I doubt it's the light and no, the AB doesn't have a delay circuit that I'm aware of. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

December 29th, 2009, 02:14 PM	#15
Luc De Wandel Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium Posts: 963	Then I'm suspecting the delay-circuitry in the plug. I'll try to find another brand of lamp somewhere to test if that suspicion is correct.