ARRI Mini

[mikewest]

Flavor of the year!

Shooting a small drama currently

Denecke box permanently attached to camera set 24fps

Jammed as was my slate from my 664 all 24fps

Camera monitor intermittently flashes a red flag !!!?::??

Correct code always displayed on monitor

1st AC says code box or cable is faulty!!!???

Help please - day 3 tomorrow

mike

[astro]

We had big problems with the mini on my latest project. There was no way to keep the mini in sync with a tentacle box or a tiny lockit. The picture was always one or two frames off. The only cure was to modify the camera to allow genlock input on the 2nd video out and use a lockit with tc and genlock connected to the camera. Took us two weeks to figure this out.
The manual states that genlock can be generated from the timecode but this didn't work...

[John Blankenship]

The important question is what firmware they're on.  There was an update, somewhere around NAB time, that was reported by Arri to fix the time code issues.  We shot yesterday with two Minis and no problems were reported.  I'll ask today what firmware we're using.

[Philip Perkins]

Yesterday with 3 Minis and an XT.  Business as usual, all good.  Minis took external 23.98 from lockits, and audio just fine.  To Mike--are you sure the AC has the camera set to 24 or to 23.98?  I saw "red TC" on one Mini yesterday when I had a bad TC cable--that was "no TC".

[Wandering Ear]

2 mini's today at 29ndf, with different firmware, no issues.

Do the denecke boxes have adjustable output?  I have had some Arri's in the past that would flash warnings occasionally but hold code fine.  Bumping the voltage to 2 volts (on an erx) had helped.

[John Blankenship]

Two Minis again today -- no issues to report.

Those experiencing problems, it would be really helpful to all if you'd share what Firmware Version and the Revision Number that the Minis had installed.

[Philip Perkins]

My job was a mixed bag of TC gear, that all worked fine:  TIG Q28 on the XT (steadicam), old green Lockits on 2 of the Minis and an original (no longer made) TIG on the 3rd mini.  The TC output levels were whatever they were--no adjustment made.

[mikewest]

Thanks folks

Time-code seems to hold despite the red flag

What number update should I hope the camera is at ?

Cheers

mike

[mikewest]

Well my post guys say that the Mini still has drift problem even with a tc box on camera at all times.

They also said that with the press of a button in post it's all OK

So it's not my problem!!

mike

[berniebeaudry]

I'm working with a mini next week.  I'm planning on using an ERX on it.

 

[John Blankenship]

Although I haven't heard from post, I had good success on set with two Minis for a few days last week.  I was using an RX200 receiver on each.

At NAB an Arri person said the time code issues had been resolved with new firmware.   Noticing that the 4. series came about then, that may be the magic number -- but that's only a guess.

The two we worked with were:

CAM A:   4.0.24. Rev. 19682
CAM B:   4.1.7. Rev.20167

Please report back what firmware you encounter and how it performed.  If enough of us do so I think we'll know better what we're dealing with.

 

[mikewest]

Thanks for the update, have a 4 day drama with a Mini coming up soon!

mike

[sonic_reducer]

Hmm... I jam twice daily on our minis with a betso box, and no issues. I'll double check our settings/firmware.

 

By the by, the TC input is in a really shitty location on this camera... No one particularly likes where it sits.

You said 24fps.. Not 23.976?

[RPSharman]

I still contend that this isn't our problem. We hand a TC box to camera that has been jammed from a reliable source. My machine and the box hold TC perfectly, and have for years. The variable in question is always the camera. They should be calling the camera assistants not the sound mixer if there are issues. And frankly, if there's an offset, then click a switch in post. It takes a matter of seconds. Way less time than trying to sort out some 1 or 2 frame offset on location when we're trying to record sound or shoot pictures.

If there's a drift, then it's a settings issue. 99.9% of the time it's camera or editorial. Again, why are they calling us?

Drives me mad.

[JesseF]

On 8/10/2016 at 6:45 PM, Wandering Ear said:

I have had some Arri's in the past that would flash warnings occasionally but hold code fine.  Bumping the voltage to 2 volts (on an erx) had helped.

I see that somewhat frequently when I'm jamming Arris from my ERX.  The warning will blink a couple times then go away.  I'm wondering if it's the same reason that jamming my TS-C from my Nomad will occasionally show a SYNC ER 24, but still sync the timecode fine.

Never had complaints from post about sync issues when it's happened.

[Philip Perkins]

It would be good to get to the bottom of why you see those messages.  I never see them hooking many diff Minis up to Lockit or SBT or Moze or Tentacle boxes.  No complaints from post does not guarantee that there were no issues--often post has no time (or inclination) to communicate about minor sync issues--we just fix them and move on.

[John Blankenship]

59 minutes ago, Philip Perkins said:

It would be good to get to the bottom of why you see those messages.  

...

I've tried, Philip, but despite my request that folks list Mini firmware numbers they've worked with and how they performed, to date I'm the only person who has done so -- at least in this thread.

 

 

[Wandering Ear]

1 hour ago, Philip Perkins said:

It would be good to get to the bottom of why you see those messages.  I never see them hooking many diff Minis up to Lockit or SBT or Moze or Tentacle boxes.  No complaints from post does not guarantee that there were no issues--often post has no time (or inclination) to communicate about minor sync issues--we just fix them and move on.

I don't always see them, and it seems like I haven't seen them in a while.  I have verified with DIT that there were not sync errors though.  

[petersonfilm]

What timecode boxes do you guys recommend for the Arri Mini (and amira)?  I have tried them all and hear lots of negative feed back from the small guys not being having reliability to the big ones being heavy.  Would love to hear the groups take on whats actually working and something that doesn't add to the already present set anxiety.  Thanks!!

 

[Constantin]

What timecode boxes do you guys recommend for the Arri Mini (and amira)?  I have tried them all and hear lots of negative feed back from the small guys not being having reliability to the big ones being heavy.

Which "small guys" are you talking about? Nowadays, I use Tentacles on any camera. There a no reliability issues and they have quickly become something of a standard now. Camera crews almost expect them. I have been in contact with the assistant editors on various occasions and I've had the Tentacle on all commonly used Arri and RED and some other cameras and there was never ever an issue. Only wrong settings on the camera cause issues.