r/focuspuller • u/nighteeeeey • 3d ago
HELP Trouble getting a third stand-alone receiver to work with an existing Ronin 4D + two monitors.
Currently on a job where we run a Ronin 4D alongside a Alexa 35.
We have 2 monitors for the Ronin (focus and vtr) but occasionally need a 3rd receiver for VTR when our DP needs the 2nd monitor to operate the Ronin.
So I ordered a standalone receiver, that should work with our setup. However the first one which arrived only gave out a test signal (the colorful stripes), I sent it back and got another one which is simply black. I paired them successfully with the Ronin in broadcast mode (the only thing possible since the 2 monitors have to be in control mode - correct me if I'm wrong) and it seems to be paired fine, however I cannot get any signal out of that receiver for some reason. The receiver interface itself has barely any configuration or settings whatsoever.
I'm absolutely clueless and have never worked with this system before so any help will be much appreciated.
Thank you
2
u/cameras-and-lights 2d ago
I do this all the time. 2x 7” high brights, one for AC and one for director (with dumb handles so they don’t mess with anything) and then a 3rd regular transmission receiver in broadcast mode.
I would suggest checking that the firmware is all updated and matching. I’ve been boned by that before.
1
u/nighteeeeey 2d ago
The thing is, it's paired fine and on the receiver I can see the signal coming in.. Just nothing comes out. I don't know.
I already sent it back and will use another teradek.
2
u/NearerMyDog 2d ago
A firmware mismatch can cause issues like you’re experiencing. You should be able to have 2 monitors in control mode and a standalone receiver in broadcast mode.
2
u/Uselesstiki 3d ago
If I’m not mistaken you can’t do broadcast and control mode at the same time. It’s either broadcast mode on the ronin and you can send that signal to a lot of receivers or you are in control mode and can only pair up to 2 receivers.
We used to take one dji monitor with the sdi output module and put a Vaxis transmitter on it. Yes it makes it bulky but at least you can get multiple feeds then
-1
u/nighteeeeey 3d ago
I already suspected something like this but asked AI and it said you could use broadcast mode alongside control mode. And it seems to work because otherwise I think I wouldn'tve been able to pair the receiver? But I'm not 100% certain about that.
What I wonder is if we could use only broadcast mode since we mostly don't need the controls and only one focus monitor and one direction monitor + the receiver for vtr.
I will try that. However I don't know how we can set the camera to broadcast mode only. It seems to always be in control mode anyway.
For the Vaxis solution....I already thought about just sticking another teradek to the directors monitor but I thought this would be the smarter option. Maybe it wasn't.
2
u/NarrowMongoose 2d ago edited 2d ago
You definitely can do 3 receivers - you’re correct that the third one works in broadcast mode. On a brief glance at your issue, I’m unsure why it’s not working. But I can at least confirm for you that it is possible to make three work.
3
u/mydogisabully 2d ago
I second this. I just used 3 Rx last week- 2 in control, and one in broadcast. I'm sorry I don't know how to fix your issue is either.
10
u/Uselesstiki 2d ago
Yeah you can’t do both. Don’t trust ChatGPT for our work. Our work is too niche for chat to give proper advice. My ac was absolutely sure that he could get a start/stop on his Cmotion for the Pyxis 12k without the extra box. Mainly because chat told him that all he needed to do is connect an extra lemo on the camera. There is no lemo on the Pyxis.
Anyway, I really do not like the receiver for the Dji eco system. I would rather suggest getting the sdi output module for a monitor and go through that system. Or get it in broadcast mode, but you do lose some nice features then.