How To Build A Wireless Monitoring Solution For Under $250

[Matt Gottshalk]

Pretty cool.

Will have to try that:

http://fstoppers.com/how-to-build-a-wireless-monitoring-solution-for-under-250

 

[rzxrey]

Cool indeed. Will be my next project.

 

[achaps12]

Any one tried this yet? Would be interested in your response.

 

[Chris Adler]

Wish it worked on the BMCC.

 

[CharlesPapert]

There's nothing really new here, the Nyrius has been out there for a year or so and discussed plenty. The first thing that strikes me about this setup is that it adds two more batteries to your system, so you would be managing four batteries of likely three different kinds. That's a lot to manage, especially if you don't have much (or any) crew. If the picture goes out to the director, you have to stop everything to check your transmitter battery, your receiver battery and the monitor battery to figure out which one it is. Ugh.

The solution involves more work but not a lot more money and it does depend on what camera and batteries you are using. If you can jack into the leads powering the camera and monitor, you splice in an inline voltage regulator down the 5V required and power the transmitter off the same batteries. I have a director's monitor setup with a 9" Ikan powered by an AB battery, with the regulator in a little external box velcroed to the back (one of the easiest ways to find said regulator is to pull apart a cigarette lighter to USB adaptor, which can be found for a couple of dollars these days, remove and project box or shrinkwrap the little board inside).

In the ugly old DSLR days, I had a phalanx of regulators made for any and all devices that would ride onboard that couldn't manage the 14.4v out of a brick battery--the dumb Blackmagic HDMI converter, Sennheiser mikes, the Canon cameras (had a dummy battery cable for 5D/7D and 1DMKIV)--all terminated in D-tap plugs and with a couple of 4 way splitters onboard, everything including onboard monitor, transmitter, Preston FIZ receiver etc could all power off a single brick. It was a lot of work but I never had to worry about individual batteries going down at critical times. It's a good way of life.

(Oh hey--anyone interested in any of those cables? D-tap to 1DMKIV, D-tap to Sennheiser mikes...happy to sell, never use any more).

 

[Paul F]

I use the Nyrius. Instead of using USB batteries, I have standardized on Sony NPF batteries.

On the camera side, I use this battery pinch: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLR-15mm-R...318?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4174afc816

It feeds power to the camera and transmitter.

The monitor already uses the Sony battery. I then connect a 12V to 5V adapter to the 12V input of the monitor. Even though there is only 7.4V on the monitor, it works.

This keeps the batteries down to one type.

 

[wgzn]

looking at the nyrius unit as opposed to the paralinx. what do you get with the paralinx for the extra $700?

 

[Matt Gottshalk]

There's nothing really new here, the Nyrius has been out there for a year or so and discussed plenty. The first thing that strikes me about this setup is that it adds two more batteries to your system, so you would be managing four batteries of likely three different kinds. That's a lot to manage, especially if you don't have much (or any) crew. If the picture goes out to the director, you have to stop everything to check your transmitter battery, your receiver battery and the monitor battery to figure out which one it is. Ugh.

The solution involves more work but not a lot more money and it does depend on what camera and batteries you are using. If you can jack into the leads powering the camera and monitor, you splice in an inline voltage regulator down the 5V required and power the transmitter off the same batteries. I have a director's monitor setup with a 9" Ikan powered by an AB battery, with the regulator in a little external box velcroed to the back (one of the easiest ways to find said regulator is to pull apart a cigarette lighter to USB adaptor, which can be found for a couple of dollars these days, remove and project box or shrinkwrap the little board inside).

In the ugly old DSLR days, I had a phalanx of regulators made for any and all devices that would ride onboard that couldn't manage the 14.4v out of a brick battery--the dumb Blackmagic HDMI converter, Sennheiser mikes, the Canon cameras (had a dummy battery cable for 5D/7D and 1DMKIV)--all terminated in D-tap plugs and with a couple of 4 way splitters onboard, everything including onboard monitor, transmitter, Preston FIZ receiver etc could all power off a single brick. It was a lot of work but I never had to worry about individual batteries going down at critical times. It's a good way of life.

(Oh hey--anyone interested in any of those cables? D-tap to 1DMKIV, D-tap to Sennheiser mikes...happy to sell, never use any more).

Thanks Charles.

Do you think this regulator would work?

http://www.amazon.com/DROK-Adjustable-Regulator-Experimental-Converter/dp/B00BYTEHQO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391707446&sr=8-1&keywords=regulator+voltage+12v

 

[P13]

looking at the nyrius unit as opposed to the paralinx. what do you get with the paralinx for the extra $700?

Longer range and a thinner wallet.

 

[Paul F]

Thanks Charles.

Do you think this regulator would work?

http://www.amazon.com/DROK-Adjustab...1707446&sr=8-1&keywords=regulator+voltage+12v

Use this one for 12V applications. It's sealed, mountable, and there are different versions with various USB connectors. It also works for the 7.4V batteries.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-Conve...684?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item338a490a5c

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1PC-DC-DC-C...982?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4860d3e5d6