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Possible AJA GEN10 issue
Hi, I have one of these units and am working on a 1080i50 (PAL) project, using 2 FCP edit suites and 1 Matrox Axio suite. I have the GEN10 set up to all the appropriate settings that I require (DIP 1 & 2 to HD, DIP 3 to BLK, DIP 4 to 50, DIP 5 to 1080, DIP 6, 7 & 8 to 0), and directly connected (no DA or patch in between) via good quality SDI cabling to all the REF IN BNCs on my various video I/Os (1x BMD Multibridge Pro, 1x BMD Decklink SDI, 1x Matrox Axio HD), but on each of these devices, when I look at the setup panes for each, I see the message “no reference signal detected”. I have tried the usual turn-it-on-and-off-again and unplugging/re-plugging all the connections, but I still have the same result.
I have also tried switching the GEN10 over to SD settings and outputting both black and bars to the suites (have restarted them all just to be sure), and I get the same result across the board. At present, I have no VTR in the studio, but I had an A500 in 2 days ago and was unable to get bars or (apparently) black into the VTR – the GEN10’s output being connected to the REF IN on the VTR and REF IN on the video I/O of the system I was using to output to tape – with the GEN10 set to SD mode.
As a final check out of desparation, I tried connecting the GEN10 (in SD mode, outputting bars) directly to an SD monitor, but saw nothing…I presume this should work, though I’m no engineer! This is the first time I have used the GEN10, so I’m obviously concerned to know whether I’m mis-using the unit, the unit is defective, I missing something glaringly obvious or doing something utterly wrong (yes, it’s on, I’m using the correct PSU and the green LED is lit)? Can anyone suggest any straightforward tests I could undertake to establish whether my usage of the unit is correct or not? [Bob, please be gentle ;)]
Thanks, Oli
Oli da Costa
Fraktiv Post Production
London W1 -
5 Replies
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Hi –
I do not have a GEN10 manual in front of me at this moment. If you refer to the manual from AJA (the
.pdf manual), and simply set the unit to generate PAL Standard Def BARS, and plug a single BNC from the GEN10 into a TV monitor composite video input (not SDI input), and you do not see color bars, then your GEN10 is defective. It’s unlikely, but it certainly can happen.There is only one power supply – the standard small AJA DWP power supply. If this is what you have (what else could you have ?) – and the LED is on, then you should be able to generate color bars (standard def) into a TV monitor.
Carry the tiny GEN10 into the room where the TV monitor is, and plug it in there – not thru your machine room patch bays, DA’s, etc.
Bob Zelin
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Hi Bob, thanks for getting back to me, especially on a Sunday! Ok, the GEN10 does output bars on all outputs when connected to an SD monitor over composite, so it’s me, not the box…as usual 😉
I’ve just returned the box to its old home after testing it, and low and behold, one suite now say “reference input connected” (that’s after it having been connected for about 2 minutes), whilst another (BMD Decklink SDI card) still cannot detect the reference. Again, these are direct connections, no DA or patchbay. Is it usual for it to take a few minutes for a reference to be detected? I have to honestly say, that this is the first time I’ve seen any suite say it’s connected to ref, and I’ve been checking and furiously unplugging/re-plugging for the last few hours! Maybe it’ll give it a shake and try again…
Thanks again, Oli
Oli da Costa
Fraktiv Post Production
London W1 -
another classic example of how difficult it is to diagnose problems without a waveform monitor.
This is not magic, but it seems like it if you dont have the test gear to see what the hell is going on.BobZelin
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How long are your runs from the Gen-10 to the equipment? Since you don’t have any test equipment, it will be a trial and error approach. Consider testing one of the signals with a DA and boost the signal. If your equipment is getting sync then, it may be cable run length and require some signal boost.
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Hi David, they’re very short…less than 4m each. However, without any further fettling (I promise), the 2nd Mac suite now displays ‘reference connected’…go figure! I’ll keep an eye on it as if this is an intermittent issue, it obviously raises the question about the reliability of this particular GEN-10 and it may be worth me taking it to an engineer at a local facilities house to have a look at, or return to AJA. Will keep an eye on it.
Oli
Oli da Costa
Fraktiv Post Production
London W1
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