Genlock issues on the Epic

[sammy]

There has been a bit of noise about having trouble with the Genlock on the Epics, so I wanted to list some information that may be useful in trouble shooting Genlock problems.

One culprit is the older Genlock cables that were provided by Red. These cables provided insufficient shielding, which allowed radiated EMI to cause problems on the genlock.

Another potential problem is insufficient voltage. If the voltage falls below 12V, then the camera can still operate, but the genlock circuitry will not work correctly.

Also, the breakout sync cable can fail, so this should be considered when trouble shooting.

Problems have been seen when using the Everts 5600 master clock

Also, an issue that can cause more than just genlock problems is running the rig, camera and other equipment off more than AC power supply. This will create ground loops and all kinds of fun problems.

One other thing to watch for is putting the genlock cable next to a power cable. The overall system draws quite a bit of current, so there is a chance this will cause issues on the genlock.

Here are some links to the Red forum that might be useful:
http://reduser.net/forum/showthread....genlock+issues
http://reduser.net/forum/showthread....genlock+issues
http://reduser.net/forum/showthread....genlock+issues

[Tanner Stauss]

We have been powering all the accessories(Aja Gen 10, Lens Control Box and the Rig) from one battery plate. Both cameras are powered from a second, separate battery plate. I believe Red has improved their sync cables because we have been using the same set for 4 weeks now with no issues. However we have keep the rig built throughout the whole shoot, so the cables have been more or less untouched since we started. With this setup we have had zero genlock issues.