Some Issues.....
 

Hi Dan, Mike and all,

My company got perhaps the 1st Flash XDR in Singapore and we got it to work with our Polecam HD (and occasionally our XDCAM-F355s). I was way excited when it came but the truth set in when I opened up the box. The LCD display was not sealed in any way and the electronics were exposed. My gaffer's first impression was this whole thing will go up in smoke if any rain got in. Of course we were not going to get this in the weather on purpose but to have a LCD display that looked like it had been ripped apart is a tad appalling. As we were going to use it on a shoot the next day, we glued a piece of lcd protector to the unit but that came off...

We still used it however and on our 3rd shoot, the CF card eject button for Slot 2 was used and somehow it managed to loosen and got lost within the innards of the unit...and very normal force was used.

The rest of the unit is well padded but these 2 issues were totally unexpected and being supposedly a new unit, I had expected a better-made product.

Cheers,

Weehan

Damn. For something that price, one would expect a better build for it. I was considering getting one but i think I'll wait till someone comes out with something better.

Mr. Weehan,

we will be glad to repair your unit, please contact us off-list at support@convergent-design.com and we will make arrangements.

Our apologies that you are having trouble. All electronics manufacturers occasionally
face manufacturing defects on particular units, particularly when launching a new product.
We are working hard to prevent and eliminate any such problems.

We are designing a cover for the lcd screen to make the screen more visually appealing, as others have commented on its unfinished appearance.

The Flash XDR has never been promoted as water-proof. Most cameras, for that matter, are not water-proof either. You are correct in assuming that getting the unit wet will potentially damage it.

Tommy Schell

Exactly how much moisture can the XDR take?

Since I work in the Pacific Northwest and we are know for our wet winters, I have concerns. My productions can happen in all sorts of conditions: rain, snow, freezing rain, fog, very humid, etc. In the summer, we do get some high heat days as well.

When I can, I'll put up a flag or umbrella to protect the camera and I have a rain cover for my camera. I'll see if it will fit over the XDR as well, but what other precautions do you think need to be done?

Does the LCD screen area need to be covered with an extra piece of glass and sealed?

Thanks,
Scott

Dear Douglas,

The Flash XDR should be protected from rain, just as a camera should.

First, we would like you to use the provided protective side covers.

At a bare minimum, the protective side code for the CompactFlash card side should be used, if rain, dust, or blowing dirt is expected.

If you are not using the external audio connectors, please cover the other side.

Then, a simple sheet of Saran Wrap can be used to wrap the unit, mainly the front cover. This should easily protect the unit while allowing fully access to the controls.

Other plastic wrap could be substituted for Saran Wrap.

We may come up with a clear protective cover at a later date.

I use the heavy duty bag the XDR came in until I find a small camera bag cover that will work with velcro on the bottom. That will allow the XDR to be covered and the cables can still come out the velcro bottom and have their connections covered. Since you can start the XDR with the camera record button by timecode it is easy. And if you need to adjust something in the XDR menu if the cover is clear which makes sense you still have full control while covered.

How about heat dissipation while the unit is completely enclosed?

Good question we will need Dan or Mike to comment on that. And there is still opening at the bottom of the bag so there is air movement since the XDR is sitting up at 60 degree angle.

I admit I find
 

these facts a little concerning, I shoot a lot in the Australian outback with cattle and horses etc. And it's hot and dusty, and the North of Australia is humid and wet in summer, so it didn't even occur to me that these units would have poor protection, I use a Tascam CF card audio recorder and it doesn't come with the slots covered, but they provide their own velcro carry case which has a flap that covers the slots, and some other velcroed tabs for covering all inputs and outputs as well.
It would seem that the convergient crew would do well to design such an item for this otherwise brilliant product. How hot do these units run? Do they use fans or is it a passive design?
It would be a shame if the units were only suitable for studio work.

Tommy and Dan,

Thanks alot for the great service. It's always to get people like you all in the industry. I will get into contact with you guys soon.

To all,

Just to clear the air a little, the unit is definitely a solid one. The 2 nits will be the exposed LCD panel and the CF card eject button. My problems may be unique so do not give up (no one should!) on this great recorder. As to recording reliability, it has been excellent and no heat issues in sunny and very humid Singapore. I have had it plugged in to the Polecam for about 3 hours and it just feels lukewarm. The files are easily editable on a Macbook Pro on FCP 6. Oh....and be sure to continually check for the firmware updates....Im always looking forward to the next one. :)

Cheers

WeeHan

We have used the XDR successfully in a closed protective nylon cover in a racecar in Daytona in warm weather. The unit performed without any problem even over a long period of time. It was quite warm to the touch when we took it out. When we have used other recording devices (SD flash recorders and VTR's) in racecars for many years and they have also come out very warm if not hot as well.

I imagine that just like Portabrace makes covers for cameras, audio gear, decks, etc. which makes those units more resistant to moisture (but not absolutely so) that someone may come up with a nifty cover with velcro openings for cables and ventilation for the XDR.

As Portabrace is my neighbor here in southern Vermont. I feel compelled to give them a visit in the near future. I will report my findings.

Jeff Silverman

Dear All,

Sorry for the delay in posting a reply, Mike and I were out of town at a trade show in California.

The unit is designed to take extreme heat, hotter than anyone would want to be.

There are massive heatsinks in the unit to spread the heat out to the chassis. Under high ambient temperature conditions, the unit will get warm and sometimes hot. This is not a problem.

Mike and I discussed your heat and moisture concerns prior to posting the information about the Saran Wrap.

First, we recommend usiing the protective covers that we supply with the unit to protect both sides of the unit, the CompactFlash card side and the External Audio side. Of course, when one is using the exernal audio inputs, one can not use that sides' protective cover.

Second, Mike and I feel that a single layer of Saran Wrap will not cause the unit to overheat. We would like the Saran Wrap to cover the front panel of the unit. In high mositure conditions, we would expect that the unit be mounted so that the water will drip off the unit and not drip into the panel with power connector.

The Flash XDR will work at very high temperatures. We have tested the unit in enclosed spaces and at elevated temperatures to be certain that we would not have heat related problems.

The Flash XDR uses a passive radiator design, with no fans, to keep dust out of the unit and to ensure that the unit is noise free.

I recently used the XDR to shoot in the midst of customized off-road vehicles performing various stunts in a bowl that also contained a series of jumps.

There was so much dust flying around all the time that it actually was detrimental to the vehicles being seen at times and we had to have them stop to let the dust settle.

The XDR had no issues. I had both end caps on as suggested above by Dan.

At the end of the shoot, all the equipment was covered in dust and took a good deal of time to clean.

Now that we can trigger recording on/off from the timecode stream, I would use a Zip-Lock type sandwich bag when environmental conditions are of concern. If condensation or humidity is a concern, I would use a small silica condensation baggy (same as what many electronics are shipped with) as a preventative measure.

All of these envirnonmental issues I believe to be a positive for the no-moving parts design of the XDR vs. a tape-driven camera or VTR. I have shot skiing and have run into problems with humidity warnings when bringing the camera in and out of buildings to the outdoors. Have not had this same opportunity yet with the XDR, but I am betting it will not be an issue. Maybe others can attest to experience of moving in and out from extreme cold to the warmth of an indoor locale.