Stereo 2.5mm Jacks

[flait 0]

I want to make a cable to extent my AV jack on my pc8. I wanted to buy a 2.5mm jack and a 2.5mm socket, mount the socket somewhere easily accessible on my helmet and connect the jack like I do my cameye. This is because its a hassle to connect to a tv as I have to take the camera off sidemount to reach the sockets.

If I buy a standard 2.5mm stereo jack will this work? As its only stereo would the video part work, I cant find any AV jacks anywhere.

If I can do this is there a website anywhere that will show me how to make the cable?

Thanks

[nacmacfeegle 0]

"As its only stereo would the video part work, I cant find any AV jacks anywhere."

Nope, the wee jack plug that carries video and audio is a Sony special.

All is not lost, think about approaching it from the other end of the cable. If you really are keen on this idea, I'd suggest you think about securely fixing the composite lead (with the red white and yellow connectors) to your helmet, devising a means of fixing or stowing the tv end (duct tape/velcro pouch type of thingie), either remaking the phono connections, or stowing the lead in the helmet somewhere, and procuring a couple of these....
http://www.euronetwork.co.uk/acatalog/Phono_Adaptors.html


Buy a fistful, they are cheap as chips, and very popular with people who want to borrow them.

Then you'd need a standard composite lead between your helmet and the TV/VCR, any Hifi shop will have those..

I might be tempted to just stow the audio connectors and only worry about the video (yellow end) to see how things work out, we don't always need the sound. Be sure to securely stow any excess cable, and only connect the wee adaptors on the ground. They won't really last long in freefall.

If your really keen, and feel comfy wielding a soldering iron, you can get panel mount kits for phono connectors, this would allow you to fit the sockets directly to your helmet, but would involve sacrificing your Sony special cable.

Would any of this work for you?
Give me a shout back if I have the wrong end of the stick.
Of course, this is no use for editing or snagging your pals' dubs via firewire, but cool for casual footage reviews.

--------------------

He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[gmac324 0]

I've got the same setup on my pc8.

You need a stereo 3.5mm jack actually, it's just slightly bigger than a cameye :-) You can buy the 3 way plug from maplin electronics, but the stereo plug works fine.

The only problem is that when you get it wired up, you can't use the existing sony download lead. You just use a stero phone lead with the red plug as video and the white as mono audio.

PM me if eyu need more help.

Graeme

[sammer 0]

I am considering doing just what you mentioned with my new camera set up. It is a pain in the ass for me to pull the video camera out of my FF2 everytime I want to plug into the TV at the dropzone.

I have found a 4 conductor 3.5mm panel mount socket at digikey: SJ-43502PM I have not been able to find a right angle 3.5mm plug though. I am thinking of sacrificing a $15 Sony cable. Before I do, does anyone out there know of a reason why this wouldn't work?

My biggest concerns are that the wires inside the sony cable might be too small to work with (I've had that happen before), or that the 4 conductor socket might not be compatible with the Sony 4 conductor plug.

[sammer 0]

I just found this page: http://www.minute-man.com/acatalog/4_Conductor_3_5mm_Plugs_and_Jacks.html They have everything you need to build a small extension cable. And the stuff is cheap enough that I wouldn't loose too much sleep if it didn't work.

[CTSkydiver 0]

Quote

I just found this page: http://www.minute-man.com/acatalog/4_Conductor_3_5mm_Plugs_and_Jacks.html They have everything you need to build a small extension cable. And the stuff is cheap enough that I wouldn't loose too much sleep if it didn't work.

I've been browsing this forum quite extensively lately, and dug this up. My goal is to build a short extension cable, of a length equivalent to the CamEye II extension cable provided by SkyTools, with the male Sony equivalent 4 conductor audio/video plug on one end and an equivalent female receptacle on the other ... parts are available as above.

UNLESS someone has found such am extension cable already exist?

The point of using this is to allow hooking up to the TV for playback without taking the cam out of the D-box ... and to save wear & tear on the camera's female AV receptacle.

Since the cam needs to be removed from the box frequently (changing tapes; ground footage using zoom or effects) the lead needs to be small enough to be secured to the camera (as my CamEye extension is - it wraps around the front of my TRV-17 and sticks out the back of the D-box) ... and although I looked into the cool use of adding plugs into the helmet itself the fact the camera needs to be removed from the helmet frequently (sadly) intergration with the helmet is not an option.

It looks like this is quite doable with the parts listed at the above sight and a bit of well placed solder. Anyone tried it? How do Sony cameras function with an unplugged AV cable plugged into them?

Peace...

[Zoter 0]

I tried 'making' my own....but i wasnt happy with it and to be frank....I dont think it would have stood up to long term abuse !!

I use this set up on my FF2......I have a short AV cable attached to the camera.
I 'stow' the lead by running them through a stow ....which I route to the Dbox ( around the Camera bracket).....this puts enough tension on the stow to hold everything in place.

The AV ports are then under the helmet inner.....it looks and sounds like it would be uncomfortable....but in fact I cant even feel them at all.....

Pictures attached.....hopefully they make it a bit clearer than the above waffle !!

[sammer 0]

I have been using one of these setups since a couple of weeks after I made that last post.

The camera works fine with the cable plugged in. I used a flush mount female socket (think it was from the same web page). I put the socket on the bottom front part of the camera cover (mine is a FF2 also). I usually don't take the camera out except to change tapes, so it works really well. I can just plug the sony A/V cable that's allways dangling from the DZ's TV right into the helmet and play. Keep your remote handy and you won't even have to open the box on the helmet.

I'll try and post some pics of mine when I get home from work.

[ltdiver 3]

Quote

Keep your remote handy and you won't even have to open the box on the helmet.

Just don't use your remote during a competition........unless you want the other cameraflyers to kill you!

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[sammer 0]

Soldering the female connector is kind of a pain in the ass, and you need to give it a good coating of liquid electrical tape or something similar once you're done.

Here are a couple pics of the helmet:

[base428 1]

Arcade Electronics sells a 3' long cable if that's short enough for some of you?

(c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted. <==For the media only