Genlock /Sync, Dip Switch Setting Clockit

[christian99]

For a couple of hours I am trying to genlock two REDs with a Ambient Clockit. I don't need TC to be synced.
The genlock is working with the RED and the Clockit set on 29.97 fps. But as I am located in germany I would like to shoot in 25 fps, there is not genlock setting on the lockit which is working.
I read here in the forum, there have been some guys using a Clockit - could you shoot on 25fps? Which settings did you use?

[Joerg]

I’m having the same issue, but can’t get the Genlock to work at any frame rate. Though I’d prefer 23.98, I’d right now be happy to make it work at 29.97. My settings right now are 4K, 2:1, Redcode38. The Genlock units are Ambient ACL 202CT. No luck at all. Any help is appreciated.

[Joerg]

OK it’s working. I had to connect both cameras to a single Ambient unit using a BNC, T connection. Obviously that hardwires the two cameras, but since they are on a 3D rig it doesn’t matter. All frame rates are working. I hope this solution helps you too.
Best:
Joerg

[Brian F Kobylarz]

While I have not yet taken delivery of my body to personally test the RED's sync and TC functions, allow me to offer up the following info:

As with other HD cameras, the RED is looking for tri-level sync at the genlock connector. Tri-level sync is made up of a three-level sync pulse (zero volts Blank, -0.3 V pulse, +0.3 V pulse) followed by the image information.

Each camera or device should have its own lockit box!
While splitting the video output of a lockit box with a BNC T may seem to work, it is a procedure that is fraught with risk. Some of the signal strength is lost when you split the signal, then add in the loss that each connector point in the path introduces.
Now, factor in battery drain.
At some point, the signal strength will fall below the threshold that the camera is looking for. Even if it worked at the start of the shoot, at what point did which camera not detect what it needed to stay locked? When your starting point is a signal that has a reduced strength, that failure point will happen sooner.
Another note about adding a "T" - an intermittent connection can cause a hiccup in the signal that makes a frame unusable. The lower the number of connection points, the better.

The lockit boxes are designed to provide both tri-level sync and time code. A warning based on a hard lesson learned: I do know that if you feed multiple cameras time code from lockit boxes without attaching the tri-level sync, the cameras will drift away from each other. This is because you now have two different crystals - each clocking differently - one in the camera, one in the lockit box. When the difference reaches a full frame, the system will reclock and you will lose the ability to edit the footage. Ouch.
While I have never tried feeding multiple cameras sync without code from a lockit, I would suspect the potential exists for a similar problem.

If the time code being generated internally by RED continues to track from its own crystal when external sync is applied, the TC and sync would drift away from each other. If the RED time code generator automatically recognizes and locks to the sync source, then this point is moot. RED tech needs to answer this question.

At this point, the TC connector on the RED camera accepts TC in, but I believe the TC output is not yet active.
So each lockit box needs to be jam synced externally - not to the camera. In critical shoots with other cameras, I've been using Ambient's ACC501 controller to jam sync all the lockit boxes with good success.

Side note: the Sound Devices recorders (such as the 744T) use the same time code electronics as Ambient clockit hardware. Great match if you are building a system.

Looking forward to testing this on my own RED in a few weeks!!!

[Zakaree Sandberg]

good luck!
I just got totally EFFED on a shoot..
We were syncing 4 cameras with lockit boxes.. at first we could not genlock period.. then we found if we set up the boxes.. powered down.. and then powered up it would finally Lock (the lock would be there instead of the lock inside of a big red circle and dash through it)
So we thought we were locked up.
However we now come to find out that indeed we were NOT genlocked!

We got boned big time..


ps we jam synced externally with a master clock

[nugget]

We have an Ambient Clock-it and are having a hard time sending external TC to the red at all... Trying to Jam Sync the camera, the smart slate (denecke ts-3), and the Fostex PD-6... The camera won't take the TC (23.976). Any ideas?

Thanks...

[Stuart English]

Sounds like a good situation to dig into.. What Builds are you guys running?

You can P.M me or we can discuss here. I'm not seeing what you are describing, but there are some boundary conditions (such as Open Gate enabled) that can affect the working of Genlock.

I also run Ambient ACL 202CT as my source for tri-level sync and timecode.

[nugget]

We're on build 15... I'm not sure the version number but I can get that if it's helpful.
Thanks...

[chuck colburn]

OK it’s working. I had to connect both cameras to a single Ambient unit using a BNC, T connection. Obviously that hardwires the two cameras, but since they are on a 3D rig it doesn’t matter. All frame rates are working. I hope this solution helps you too.
Best:
Joerg

I was on some 3D shoots (65mm) and was wondering what rig your using.

[Zakaree Sandberg]

Hey Stuart,
all four of my cameras were on the latest build