Ted any chance of an EX1 plate now?

[Dan Chung]

Ted,

Now that you've made the EX-3 plate and found the VCT-14 wedge part is there any chance you could turn your attention to the EX-1 as well? I was thinking all it needs is a plate with raised ridge that snuggly sat along the rear of the battery compartment to stop movement should it become loose. It would also be good to incorporate a shoulder mount option too.

Dan

[Ted OMalley]

I actually have been giving that a lot of thought. However, I don't have an EX1, so it was difficult to design and test ideas. I would agree, though, that this would be a great next step.

[Bob Grant]

Originally Posted by Ted OMalley

I actually have been giving that a lot of thought. However, I don't have an EX1, so it was difficult to design and test ideas. I would agree, though, that this would be a great next step.

I've got an EX1, where I work we've got another two. We've looked and looked and really cannot see any simple way to address the issue on the EX1. It's probably not as pressing a problem as it is on the EX3 as you can't fit a massive lens onto the front of the EX1.
Still we've already got one attachment plate working loose.
There was a rumour that Sony were going to come up with a fix but I'm not holding my breath. Local Sony suggestions of using Loctite on the screws would not address the issue adequately either.

[Jeff DeMaagd]

I think I might have a workable idea, but I don't know anyone that has an EX1 and I don't want to buy another camcorder just yet. I need to have it in my hands to know for sure.

[Bob Hart]

My inclination until something better comes along would be :-

Cut a 3" strip of 1 and a half inch x 1/4" thick aluminium flat bar, drill and tap several of the two sizes of tripod screw holes in it.

Choose one of the smaller threaded holes for the mount to the Sony camera base.

End-mill a clearance hole in the chosen threaded hole of sufficent depth for the head of a tripod screw to fastening the plate onto the existing base of the EX1 without sticking up proud of the lower surface of the flat bar.

Mill a 5mm wide x 3mm to 4mm deep border on the upper surface of the front and rear ends of the flat bar. This is to assist easier removal of the plate from the camera body later on.

Then, make sure the tripod screw can fasten down firm before reaching the bottom of the hole in the Sony camera. You may need to file a millimetre off the end of the screw. Don't forget to file a 0.5mm chamfer around the end of the thread and clean the threads with a wirebrush otherwise it will be awkard to start in its hole when fitting up.

Sandpaper the top surface of the aluminium flat bar. Clean any oils off with solvent.

Apply a coat of white silicon bathroom sealer to the top surface of the aluminium flat bar.

Fasten the flatbar onto the base of the camera and wait for the sealer to set.

This will not increase strength for sustained overloads, but will assist in stabilising the camera and provide a little bit of added area support which will reduce the strain on the small plate and neghbouring casework during momentary overloads.

The silicone sealer will with some difficulty, come away from the plastic if the plate needs to be removed for a more permanent solution to replace it. Slide a piece of 1mm metal sheet or a steel ruler under the milled borders on the front and rear of the plate, between plate and camera base. Find a flatbladed screwdriver.

Insert the blade under the overhang of the plate and on top of the metal sheet or steel rule and gently twist the screwdriver and hold the tension. Do not use it as a lever. The metal sheet or steel rule protects the plastic. There will be enough case compliance to enable the silicone sealer to stretch. You can then part it with a thin scalpel blade or parcel knife blade. It may come off without need for cutting.

Do not add a small peg to fit into the small hole in front of the screwhole on the original small plate under the camera. This peg may stop the camera from twisting on a tripod but will be one of the main reasons for the plate to tear out of the base of the base of the camera during an overload with a torsional component.

The silicone sealer will be more than strong enough to deal with the plate wanting to turn on the base of the camera.

A layer of doublesided craft tape is a fair substitute but is sticky muck to get off later. It is also much thicker and may allow case compliance and the small screws to pull if the tripod screw is tightened too hard. If left installed for a long time, the case compliance may become a permanent distortion.

Good luck. No warranty of satisfactory performance is made, either express or implied. You get out the mastic gun at your own risk.

If you want a readymade plate, part of the Jumbo Mattebox kit with rods and baseplate for JVC GY-HD100 type cameras from Cine City in Chandrigagh India is a plate. It is a bit of an expensive way to get the plate though.

[Alister Chapman]

A word of warning about using silicon sealant around delicate electronics. As it cures most types of silicone sealants give off acetic acid (the nasty smell). This is very corrosive to many of the solders and components used in modern electronics. It can set up a nasty chemical reaction that breaks down the connections between components and the PCB. You can get special electronics friendly sealants, but most of the common bathroom sealants should be kept well away from delicate electronics. Any failures may not occur straight away as once the corrosion starts it may continue un-noticed for months after the smell has gone away.

[Bob Hart]

Alistair.


I commend your intervention. It would not do to have cameras go dead and buried through bad advice.

The one I use is the product you can clean up with water afterwards, not the acrid stuff which won't clean off without a real fight.

Common sense should also apply to how much if the stuff goes between the bottom of the camera and the plate. Too much and some may be forced through the joint in the casework when the baseplate screw is tightened.

A perimeter ring of the stuff laid down well away from any joints in the casework would still provide an adequate bond. Bonding the centre will yield little if any added strength.

[Ted OMalley]

What would EX1 owners want a plate to accomplish?

1 - provide a reliable, strong mounting point for the camera

2 - provide a mounting location for batteries or other gear

3 - provide a shoulder mount

4 - All of the above

[Chris Leong]

4) please!