Scopes & Ref Monitor Wiring Advice

[Bob Zelin]

Hi Ed –
you would rather be dead than hire an engineer in NY to assist you – isn’t that correct ?
https://www.yatesparks.com/

Anyway – you write –

Vid Reference & Sync: Herein the problem lies. I get proper feed to my Sony Video Broadcast Monitor BNC’ing out from the Kona3 BB’s Y/G/CVBS Monitor Out to the Sony’s Video1 in. But I am unable to discern the correct patch to get my rack-mounted Tektronix 528A Waveform scope & a Leader LV5100D Digital Vectorscope to receive signal.

REPLY – you dont’ need Vid Reference & Sync to your Sony Video Broadcast Monitor (you didn’t need it for an AVID, and you didn’t need it for a linear room). These sync inputs on TV monitors were for RGB signals that had no sync. DO NOT USE EXTERNAL SYNC on your monitor. As for your Tektronix 528A – THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE – it is an analog composite waveform monitor – you own a Kona 3. If your Sony TV is an older analog TV monitor, you want the best quality, so you will use the YPbPr output of the Kona 3 to monitor in analog component – not composite, and you cna’t have both, so THROW OUT that Tek 528A. Either way, go DO NOT NEED EXT SYNC or EXT REF into your Leader LV5100D or your Tek 528A or your Sony monitor – you aint’ timing analog cameras – forget this crap, and stop sending external reference to these products. And put the external refernce switch on these products back to INTERNAL where they belong.

I’ve a Gen10 patched to the Kona3 BB’s Ref Loop In, but have yet to receive the 75 BNC Terminator to close off the Ref loop on the BB.

REPLY – STOP IT RIGHT NOW. Put the GEN10 into your Kona 3 Reference Input, and put the GEN10 into the Ref Video IN of any VTR’s you have and THAT IS IT. Not to any monitors, not to any scopes. Markertek is in NY (Saugerties), and UPS Ground will have 75 ohm terminators at your door the next day. And I can’t believe B&H and Dale Audio don’t sell 75 ohm terminators. And you can still work without the terminators. And your VTR’s all have 75 ohm switches on them, so you don’t need the terms.

So the question is: should the patch to the scopes come from the Kona3 BB or the Video Out on the Sony Reference monitor? Or, in bewildered ignorance, should the Gen10 be elsewhere situated in the patch array?

REPLY – the correct answer is that you should put your TV monitor on INTERNAL REF (not ext ref), you should put both your Tek and Leader scope on INT REF, and tear out those cables from your GEN10 to these products. Why don’t you hire someone to help you – you are not in Kansas – you are in Manhattan.

I can only hope that you are familiar with the AJA Control Panel for your Kona 3.

Bob Zelin

[Edward Kulzer]

Thanks Bob—

Definitely not adverse to hiring an engineer for a VERY much needed “take me out to the woodshed for a whoopin'” training. This IS Manhattan, as you say, not the deep-woods of Goshen’s Amish country.

I’m all too well aware of my Grand-Canyon-sized blind spot in technical proficiency, and would FAR rather do the longer ground work of hands-on education / training than to just pay some dude tomorrow, slap a band-aid on my ignorance & move on with today’s problem solved for $250. Frankly, I’d just about give my left nut for that kind of training; it’s been long-neglected and is quite certainly essential.

Thanks for the advice on giving the Tektronix the heave-ho. I received both scopes recently from a long-standing post-house client who was relieving themselves of them; was unfamiliar with the model. I won’t stutter tossing the Tektronix to the curb.

Surprisingly, B&H was out of 75 Terminators; they’re shipping them to me; should have’em in a couple days. The Leader already’s got the Serials and Cb/B Out Terminated, but, even with the Tek weeping sadly on my curb, the extra Terminators’ll be good to have on hand.

The monitor’s a PVM-20L1 with a lot of mileage on it. It’s likely next on the agenda for upgrade.

And yep; I’m down-converting via the Control Panel near-daily. Signal to the monitor via the Control Panel’s 525 Composite & Y/C is flawless.

Thanks for the advice; any suggestions on somebody to kick some technical sense inta me via formal engineering training would be extremely welcome, especially as December’s slow AfterEffects & editing season.

[Bob Zelin]

contact Brandon Yates at Yates Parks, they can come over and help you.

Any cheapo modern LCD monitor with Y Pb Pr inputs will display HD signals, and B&H has my cheapo fav – the TH42PD12UK for $839, so if you need a quickie HD replacement, this is it.

Bob Zelin

[Edward Kulzer]

Once again my thanks; based on your suggestion yesterday, I contacted Brandon and am genuinely looking forward to the work ahead. Very much obliged.