HPX Audio Hack

Thanks I was thinking of doing something similar but drilling a hole in the radio receiver blanking plate and mounting a female XLR socket so that I have access to all four audio channels as it seem a bit of a waste not to be able to use ch2 unless you have an expensive radio mic receiver in the slot.
 
I considered that option, but spending a month out on an island in tropical climate where you can get hammered but short but intense rain squalls, it seemed like a bad idea to have an upward facing female connector mounted in the blanking plate. I went with the perfectly sized holes drilled in the blanking plate and sealed with silicone seal.
 
Awesome. Glad to hear you it just takes a DB25 to interface!

I've been considering this option myself; glad it works.

Now, to get power out of the slot for the receiver. Though the regular cam power out would work for that anyway.


- Mikko
 
Mark Smith said:
I considered that option, but spending a month out on an island in tropical climate where you can get hammered but short but intense rain squalls, it seemed like a bad idea to have an upward facing female connector mounted in the blanking plate. I went with the perfectly sized holes drilled in the blanking plate and sealed with silicone seal.
Click to expand...

Take your point but I suppose I could use one of the rubber blanking plugs from the rear XLR's when it isn't in use.
 
"Now, to get power out of the slot for the receiver. Though the regular cam power out would work for that anyway."

Power is available at the DB 25 or you could take it out of the 4 pin hirose connector on the back of the camera. I just use the rechargeable double AA batteries in my receivers because the run time for a set is easily 10 hours.
 
I agree with powering from the camera- makes total sense. If you are using Lectro 410's just be aware that your camera run time will be less per battery. Those lectros are hungry for power.
 
Mikko ---nice tip on the sennheiser power supplies. I got a pair of them from B&H and am wiring them up for on camera use.
 
Let me know how it works out!

I left mine overnight with the batteries out, and put them the next day and the units powered back on automatically.

- Mikko
 
there is a case where the Sennheisers will power up with out hitting the switch. I think it has to do with turning them on and then killing the power by pulling a battery or cutting external power without going through the normal power off procedure.
 
Mark Smith said:
there is a case where the Sennheisers will power up with out hitting the switch. I think it has to do with turning them on and then killing the power by pulling a battery or cutting external power without going through the normal power off procedure.
Click to expand...
Yes, that's exactly what I tested. So you should be able to just have them always come on with camera power.

- Mikko
 
I have to build my "Y" power cable yet and I'm still looking for the right polarized connectors. Its the last piece of the puzzle.
 
I'm thinking of making a mod that would have 1 or 2 standard Hirose 4-pin power outs + 2 audio ins (Ideally XLR - probably mini) just built into the "blank plate".

- Mikko
 
I thought about that too since power is available on DB 25. In the end it might be easier to make a "Y" cable connect to the D Tap on the battery plate.
 
..Or the existing 4-pin Hirose "Power Out" on the back of the camera ... which is intended exactly to power Mic Receivers.

- Mikko
 
So I went the cheap way here first.
No power to the receiver yet; I'll need to order the external power module for the G2 receiver for that.

DB-25 (M) connector from Radio Shack: $2
Short little Headphone extension/volume control cable with molded right-angle 1/8" stereo plug: $8
4 zip ties.


Audio hookup as follows:
3.5mm Tip: DB-25 Pin #2 (+ Signal)
3.5mm Ring: Not connected
3.5mm Sleeve: DB-25 Pin #1 (Ground) and Pin #3 (- Signal)

I found that with a nice thin cable; it could slip under a notch in the blank plate, held in place by the foam seal within. So I didn't need to drill or cut the plate. A "no damage" mod; my favorite kind. :)

The parts:
HPX370_AudioMod1.jpg


Empty open slot:
HPX370_AudioMod2.jpg


Cable leaving slot; with just enough reach to get to the receiver and the cable hook. Note the strain relief zip-tie just inside the wall of the slot:
HPX370_AudioMod3.jpg


The cable coming out of the existing slot in the side of the blank plate once re-attached to the camera:
HPX370_AudioMod4.jpg


The cable can be tucked securely under the cable hook (normally used for on-camera light cable from battery plate D-tap) when the receiver isn't on the camera:
HPX370_AudioMod5.jpg


Sennheiser G2 radio mic receiver is attached using normal bracket & Velcro:
HPX370_AudioMod6.jpg


Attached mic receiver is low profile with a minimal cable:
HPX370_AudioMod7.jpg


As seen from above:
HPX370_AudioMod8.jpg


I ended up tucking the antenna underneath the cable and through the cable hook to keep it out of the way.


I set the slot for "Single" mode in the camera's menu. So that one input is available as "Wireless" on the audio source switches for any and all channels.

- Mikko
 
Best thing about this hack is it really allows for some creative use of audio channel assignments, and ultimately getting some value out of having 4 audio channels for possible use. In my case I had 3 radio mics out with High priority given to channels 1&2 channel 3 being a lower priority and channel 4 being an on board schoeps shotgun to pick up the scraps.
 
Exactly.

We shoot primarily news. The ability to choose what gets recorded where with everything on-board and built in is very handy.
We can record shotgun & wireless; while still getting 2 external feeds for a larger production. Or shotgun & wireless for news. Or slap the wireless to all channels if we have a fast edit; or shotgun to all for nats only B-roll shooting. So many options; and so fast all at once.

Which, really, is the point of a Unislot receiver in the first place. :)

But we can get 90% of the benefits without having to shell out 4 grand for a new wireless system.

- Mikko
 
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