Brevis and Dust....what's your solution?

[dlang]

For all you cinevate adapter owners...I have owned mine for just shy of a couple years now and I have never been able to remedy this situation...first I had a defective GG that had a pattern show, So I had to open the thing up and try to clean it thinking it was a smudge (how that would have gotten on there???) but it wasn't, it was simply defective, and cinevate replaced it, however since then I have yet to be able to get this thing dust free. I have used all the techniques on the cinevate forum, posted a thread that got little response and now it's time to utilize good ol' dvxuser. Any tips to keep this clean would be much appreciated. Cinevate really needs to seal this thing better, or come up with a better solution for keeping/removing dust off the GG, this has been such a headache and really reduces my confidence in the brevis (although when it's clean I love the image). Seems to me that you shouldn't ever have to open and expose the delicate parts of a pro piece of gear, much risk involved.

[astigmatic]

is the dust affecting the image when the motor is on? did you try wiping the edges of the carbon fiber tube and stuff? I think after a while mine stopped getting dust or i just stopped noticing it.

[dlang]

Well it depends on how big the spec is. If they're small they disapear an acceptable amount, but if they're even remotely bigger they just turn into a blurry circle. It's so frustrating I'll get the GG and unit clean then put it back together and only day or so later see specs again. If I understand correctly you think this may be pieces of the carbon fiber?

[astigmatic]

yeah could be carbon fiber.. which could explain why I stopped having dust spec issues after a while.. the tube finally shedding off all the loose bits. I use a blower everywhere and clean the notches where the screws bite into the carbon fiber. I am also very carefull when closing the brevis up. I try not to let the edges of the tube hit anything as I seal it back up.

[dlang]

Alright I'll give it one more go, anyone else what to chime in...

[Dave Draper]

anyone else what to chime in...

Sure.

You could always like... not use a Brevis? :beer:

More of a solution than a remedy, but hey.

DD.

[Shooter]

Are you able to seal the device surfaces yourself? ie with a lacquer.

[Lenilenapi]

I found it to be a problem as well. Once I got it clean and it was closed up it was usually OK but sometimes I would have to do it a few times in one sitting and every time I did open it up it took a real long time to clean it. I found that eventually i would just scrape dust pieces off with the plastic tip of the extension on my dust off can because some pieces wouldn't blow off.

[SPZ]

Use a Gas Blower. Thats the single best tool I find for usefull for cleaning mine. Usually my dust issues are confined to the first glass portion of the brevis. So its about 5 minutes of cleaning when it gets dusty.

[dlang]

I found it to be a problem as well. Once I got it clean and it was closed up it was usually OK but sometimes I would have to do it a few times in one sitting and every time I did open it up it took a real long time to clean it. I found that eventually i would just scrape dust pieces off with the plastic tip of the extension on my dust off can because some pieces wouldn't blow off.


yes I've had to resort to using a micro fiber rag to lightly push the specs off, makes me super nervous to do cause of the risk factor, but sometimes dust off just doesn't do it. I've used the soap method as well which worked decently up until I put it back together and find the next day new particles. Awhile back Dennis stated that he would be coming up with a solution (this was about a year ago I think) but he never did?

[jbednarski]

I had the same problems with mine. Got rid of it and got a Letus.

[dlang]

I had the same problems with mine. Got rid of it and got a Letus.

I'm so tempted to do the same. Problem is $$, I've already invested so much in this dang thing and the resale isn't that great. I just keep hoping there will be some solution soon. unfortunately this is only one of the few problems i'm having with the unit, now it won't turn on unless I tilt it it up. I sent the unit in for repair ($60 for shipping) when the first ground glass needed to be inspected, then customs screwed up and put the unit in it's case upside down and the switch got smashed and pushed inside the unit. So cinevate tells me sorry but you'll have pay for the repair, so I did $70 for the switch to be repaired. When i got the unit back I turned it on and everything worked fine, then the next day I turned it on and the power indicator light didn't turn on but the unit still did...things got progressively worse and now the unit doesn't turn on until I tilt it backwards and figit with it. So I'll have to send it back now (another $60 for shipping) to get the upgrade, although cinevate will subtract the repair costs for the switch on the upgrade, I'm still out the $$ for shipping it back and forth and worse of all time.

[dan]

Could you circle the specs of dust on the picture, please. Can't see them.

[Dennis Wood]

D, it sounds like you've got a REV2 unit there which is over a year old. When an older unit comes back we always strongly suggest an update to the MP.2 unit as we've made a multitude of advancements, including a microprocessor control system, modular motor (user replaceable with a spare provided), modular internal cells, onboard "smart" power protection, and significant improvements in the dust area including carbon fibre sealing. It's essentially a new unit (everything is replaced) for under $200 as an update, and takes the internals to an entirely new level of technology and certainly a build quality that eclipses in other unit anywhere close to it's price range. If your carbon tube has holes right through it, then you've got a unit there that's over 2 years old...and there's been 4 updates to that assembly too, including our micro-collimation front end. For anyone suggesting that our competition is more reliable, I'd suggest a search of the forums :-)

From your description it would appear that you opted to keep the old internals, and that it's also incurred damage in shipping somewhere along the line. Hubert has already offered a credit on your existing costs, and all we need back is the base unit...about $15 via Expresspost. You can quote this post and we'll also adjust the cost of the update (lower) to reflect your shipping costs in both cases :-) We want you happy.

There are some great recommendations in terms of managing the unit in our owner's forum section (sticky) covering a collection of products and techniques for dealing with dust during imaging element swaps, not only with our unit, but also with any other optics you use.

Cheers,
Dennis Wood.

[dlang]

Dennis,
Thanks a lot much appreciated. I am really hoping that the mp.2 is the solution for this cause I would much rather stay with my first choice, it's just time and money to change. Like I said earlier the image is nice I've just had to mess this adapter too much to say I'm happy at this point. The upgrade is signifigant and looks like it could revive my confindence in the Brevis. I'm leaving on a shoot for India and will be back on april 8th and will deal with it then. Thanks again for the help.

[brockraum]

Another great example of Cinevate's fantastic customer support system!
Keep it up Dennis!

-Brock Raum

[Dennis Wood]

Thanks for the kind words :-) We've learned a great deal over the last 4 years about the adapter world...and the MP.2 is pretty much the cullmination of all that knowledge. We are always improving and the update/upgrade program is priced on a cost recovery basis to encourage our customers to take advantage of it.

I hope those of you visiting NAB will stop by our booth...it's going to be something special this year with at least 5 new products unveiled :-)

Cheers,
Dennis.