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Camera viruses?
Hi there –
I am having a very frustrating problem with some miniDV cameras, while using iMovie and FCP in a class of high school students. We have 6 miniDV cameras, different brands, models, years, etc. and one miniDV deck, that we’re using to capture. The issue is that most of the cameras have stopped getting recognized by either IM or FCP, and it seemed to happen randomly. They were all working fine and then stopped communication with the computers. I know the software settings are fine because some of the cameras and the miniDV deck work.
Is it possible that interchanging tapes, firewires, etc. amongst the cameras could’ve caused a virus or the like? That sounds silly to ask but I have no clue what else could be wrong. One student noticed that one of the cameras smelled like it was burning the other day, which made the tape smell, which then got transferred to another camera and made that camera smell.
Thanks for any advice! These poor students just want to edit their film and are ready to throw the laptops out the window.
April -
8 Replies
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The FW ports on those cameras are likely toast. I’m sorry. Normally I wouldn’t jump to that conclusion, but from what you’ve posted that is probably the case.
Figure out every single piece of equipment those 6 cameras have been plugged into, including cables. And do NOT plug anything else into that gear.
There are no viruses for cameras. Someone could possibly use a firmware updater utility to damage it, but it would be unique to each brand of camera. The culprit would have spend countless hours reverse engineering the code for six different cameras.
6-pin Firewire (the big connector) has 2 pins for power. But on the camera end (the mini connector) it is data only. If I had to guess, I’d say that power voltage was introduced into one of those 4 data pins. Perhaps maliciously. Some troubled student could easily potentially switch the pin configuation on a FW cable that would send voltage into a data port.
Or it could be a bad circuit in your building, a bad power strip that all the chargers were plugged into – who knows. It’s not a virus though.
Sean
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Thanks Sean. Ugh, that sounds ominous. Are FW ports replaceable or are these cameras forever lost as far as capturing goes?
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Also, we never plug Firewire cameras into computers with the cameras powered up. This can easily toast the Firewire input of the computer. Not sure if it can toast the camera too. Your environment of people plugging in with power on willy-nilly is likely to result in fried firewire circuits. Bummer. Sorry.
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I had a bad 6-pin cable take down my entire system last year. The first thing it did is take out the drive on my Firestore. After that when testing it with an different drive, it took out the Firewire port and then cascaded down the line and took out my logic board. I had to have the logic board replaced along with the small USB/Firewire board on the front panel of my G5. A also had to get the control board on the Firestore disk replaced. All in all, it cost almost $1000 to get everything back up and running. Collect all of the Firewire cables and replace them. It might not be the actual problem, but it’s a cheap place to start and at least it won’t cause any more damage.
Tom -
Before tossing those cables, you might want to have them tested for shorts or mis-assigned pins. Maybe someone from another department at your school can help (engineering student or something). Because if you do find a bad cable, you can at least rest knowing you’ve identified the cause.
Sean
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[April Hill] “Are FW ports replaceable or are these cameras forever lost as far as capturing goes?”
Yes, but finding a reputable camera repair facility nearby might be tough. If you send to the manufacturer you may not be seeing those cameras for quite sometime.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
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Here’s an interesting white paper on firewire port failure:
https://www.wiebetech.com/whitepapers/FireWirePortFailures.php
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Steven,
Wow! Now I know EXACTLY why my firewire ports have died. Doesn’t make me feel any better, but at least I know! Thanks for the reference.
Mark “Six firewire port repairs and counting” Raudonis
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