My Brand New (to me) JVC GY500!
 

Been a long time, and a lot of miles since the last time I was here. I mentioned way back when that I was getting a camera for free. Well, I finally got it. And I am jazzed. I have seen the pictures it takes, and I like them. Yes, I know it is ancient technology. The manual is in heiroglyphics, after all. But I got it, and it's free, and I love it.

Question, though. It came without a power supply. The manual calls for a reed boat and a guy with a hawks head... er, that is, 12V and 3.5A. Now, I have a printer power supply that has those kind of numbers. (The printer died, unlamented.) So... being an electronic genius like I'm suave and sophisticated, what I wanted to know is... can I stick an XLR plug on my printer power supply, stick the XLR plug into the camera, and make pictures happen?

Thanks, and if anyone wants to swap a RED camera, with all the accessories, for my Brand New (to me) JVC GY500... well, I'll consider it. Maybe. But probably not.

Congratulations. Good price!
As concerns the power supply, anything that supplies the correct voltage and wattage would probably work, BUT, it comes down whether it can maintain under load especially in regards to heat. If it was mine I'd buy a battery charger for the brand I wanted and just use it as the power supply till I bought the batteries.

You will need to do some research before you stick that hawk head onto the reed boat.

Some (most) modern power supplies do not supply plain old boring DC voltage, but some combination of DV and pulses, depending on the battery type. More specifically the power supply may supply clean DC voltage to operate the camera without a battery (or discharged battery) and the DC + pulses to charge the battery.

So go find that Rosetta Stone!

Wayne... thanks, but the issue is, as always, bucks. And not having any. I've got the camera, a mike, forty or so MiniDV carts and great intentions. I've got access to an edit suite once I get footage (thank God for enlightened high schools!) but I've got to do everything absolutely no bucks.

Ervin... assuming (remember, electricity is a vast foreign land to me) that the printer powerpack would put out straight, un+ DC, and that I don't have batteries in the camera, does that 'pulse' thing mean that I could, or couldn't use the powerpack? From what I'm reading, it sounds like I could use it, but any batteries wouldn't be charged. Is this so?

We did something similar 12 years ago and adapted a Radio Shack 12v power supply to have a 4 pin XLR DC output for use with our Ikegami Z-One cameras (the first two years of Goldeyes at the CanWest stadium, I was the upstairs camera op and supplied the camera). All was good AS LONG AS we didn't add the studio viewfinder to the system which starved us for current and caused the video voltage output to drop and sluggish iris response and other WEIRD stuff...

I'm no electronics genius but getting the polarity right could be critical here. As I understand it some electronic devices have built in protection against reversing polarity and others do not. Reverse the polarity on something unprotected and you now have a great conversation piece. My assumption would be... but you know what they say about assumptions...

Yes, the camera should operate as long as you get the polarity right, the battery may or may not charge, or anywhere in between (may charge a little but not fully). Some cameras are not even designed to charge the battery while on camera, so you really need to find and read the manual.

I found a power supply that also charges NP1 batterys and while I know you won't be charging those the power supply/charger is only $30.00 and a 10 foot 4 pin cable is $40.00 so if you can put together about $70.00 plus a few bucks for shipping you can get a proper power supply and no tkae a chance of damage to your camera.

You can also check the big auction site that starts with an E. i've seen power supplies there around the 20 or 30 dollar range, but they're not on the site all the time.

At least this way you know you've got the right thing to power the camera and won't damage it.

BTW, the 500 still produces a great SD image. Have fun with it.

Thanks to all of you for the info. Specifically...

Shaun... Goldeyes! Yay! I kind of figured it might work. But I can't risk my (MY!!) new camera. So, thanks for the 'been-there, done'that'. I feel a lot better about the idea.

Jase... yeah, that was a worry. I've got the schematics for the camera plug, and I can find the + and - on th epower pack. So, hopefully, I will fry neither 1) the camera or 2) me.

Ervin... at this point in time, I don't have batterries. I'm confined to interior shots. Works with the project I have in mind to shoot, so no loss there.

Don... cash is waaaay tight. But I will keep the information in mind in the event that I win the Lottery. or get a contract. Or find change in the couch...

Ugly Old Thing...
 

Roy: So here the ugly old rig is. Unfortunately you can't see the AC/DC but thought you'd get a kick. This is from the inaugural season down by the forks.

Thanks, Shaun... truly cool stuff. You've worked a few places I've been... Bomber games, Goldeyes, etc. Also, I have a son, Sean, who did ENG/EFP for the New VR, in Barrie. He did a lot of indie shooting, as well, and directed some things, wrote a few more. Just had a meeting with an electronics engineer who used to be a battery consultant, and he says, should be no problem. Also working on an idea I had... a plug that will let me power the cam off power tool batteries - 12V to 15V. Cheaper than Anton Bauer, but then, what isn't?

Ah, powered by 'DeWalt'-gotta love it. When you get it done, make sure you post some pics.

Be careful though, don't blowup the camera.

Thanks Don... the guy that I bounced the idea off is a battery expert... the guy that's putting the plug on my printer power pack. He said he would look at it, but that it should be possible, just as long as we stay in the voltage range... 11- 14.5, that is. I'm going to his office on Monday, and if it works... and if the voltage is stabilized (I think that's the right word - no peaks or valleys)... then it might be one way to get portable power without mortgaging the farm. And I'll definitely take and post photos. But DeWalt? Doesn't that mean I have to paint the camera yellow and black?

Well actually yellow and black might look....Naw never mind ;-)

On a serious note, I can't remember what the amp draw might be on the camera or even where a fuse might be, I had a 5000 and never paid any attention to it, but you might want to see if a JVC service center can give you that info or maybe find it on google.
I'm rying to remember what the power draw was on my 5000 but I think in record mode it pulled 17W. I was using 90W batteries and they ran about 4 to 4.5 hours to dry with my Anton Bauer on camera light using a 30W bulb.
Just thought you might want to check this stuff out before you go to far with the battery thing you know just to be on the safe side.

But where's the dignity in yellow and black? Besides, it would clash with my chrome, flamed Manfrotto, and my electric pink wind sock...
Specs say the camera draws 18W in record. I don't plan to use on-camera lights, so that might make a difference. I figure that the cost of the power tool batteries makes it at least attractive to try. I'll know more on Monday.