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IQ backs and Firewire on Windows?

narikin

New member
Anyone got this working?

I had a perfect functioning P65+ solution on both my laptop and desktop, but after 2 weeks of case support by Phase, I still do not have a working tethered solution for Windows 7/64 workstation or 7/32 laptop.

Phase seem to be adopting their 'blame everyone else' attitude to the problem, asking me to change various components/ firewire boards/ drivers etc, despite the fact that everything was fine with a P65+

Very frustrating. I am beginning to wish I had not upgraded to the IQ series. It has not been a smooth path so far, with loose fitting backs and broken tether solutions and color casts.
 

vjbelle

Well-known member
My setup is working. Windows 7 Professional on a desktop that I built. Using C1 6.2.1 with an IQ180 and firewire. I am, though, anxiously awaiting for USB 3 which should be more Windows friendly. My past experience is that FW and Windows are not the happiest campers. I had a very difficult time getting anything to work (P45 era) until 6.0 arrived..... then miraculously everybody shook hands.

Victor
 

Stefan Steib

Active member
Narikin

do you have a Firewire hub with external power to connect the back ? I think this is essential. The new backs may draw some more power and this can cause the trouble. We had seen this on several cases, with Hasselblad 50MS but also with a Leaf Aptus II 12 and other backs and it always was the power supply.

greetings from Munich
Stefan
 

vjbelle

Well-known member
Stefan,

My setup uses the internal FW board on an Asus P6X58D with no power issues. I built two computers with that motherboard and I get handshaking on either computer.

Victor
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
do you have a Firewire hub with external power to connect the back ? I think this is essential. The new backs may draw some more power and this can cause the trouble. We had seen this on several cases, with Hasselblad 50MS but also with a Leaf Aptus II 12 and other backs and it always was the power supply.
Phase is ahead of the game on that aspect regarding the design of the IQ backs. They use the internal battery to power the back during tethered capture, and only use the FW power to *charge* that internal battery. So the issue you're referring to should not be able to effect an IQ back.

Doug Peterson (e-mail Me)
__________________

Head of Technical Services, Capture Integration
Phase One Partner of the Year
Leaf, Leica, Cambo, Arca Swiss, Canon, Apple, Profoto, Broncolor, Eizo & More

National: 877.217.9870 *| *Cell: 740.707.2183
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Stefan Steib

Active member
Hi Doug

Clever ! I always wondered why nobody did this ! But this is IQ only ? The Aptus 12 R I tried recently did not have this, we needed an extra battery to shoot tethered. Good to hear this is solved.
But.... one question: what happens if your battery is empty ? Does this mean you can´t shoot tethered if there is no battery ?

Regards
Stefan
 

narikin

New member
do you have a Firewire hub with external power to connect the back ? I think this is essential. The new backs may draw some more power and this can cause the trouble. We had seen this on several cases, with Hasselblad 50MS but also with a Leaf Aptus II 12 and other backs and it always was the power supply.

greetings from Munich
Stefan
I use a quality add-on PCIe firewire board the one 'recommended' on the Phase list as working properly with Windows 7, (it has an optional extra power connector, which is connected) and it simply doesn't work anymore with the IQ series. For that matter neither does the IQ180 work on my W7/32 laptop, that has a 4 pin mini-firewire port, which worked perfectly with the P65+.

As neither of these previously functioning solutions work anymore, the common link is my upgrade to IQ180, which doesn't seem to fully engage with C1 6.2.1. I get the Event Log showing "camera error" when I try to connect. (the IQ shows up correct in the Device Manager - so its ok with its driver) I think it will take a firmware update on the back to correct this, or C1 6.3 hopefully.

Any suggestions welcome. Phase seem out of ideas, other than getting me to spend money on endlessly switching out firewire cards, (twice already) that worked perfectly before.
 
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Stefan Steib

Active member
Stupid question: did you try to change the cable...??? I mean - just in case. I know this sounds _really stupid_, but stupid things happen.....

Stefan
 

narikin

New member
Thanks Stefan. Yes.

The FW800:FW800 is the Phase supplied one to the workstation. I tried another one too.
The FW800: mini FW 4pin (for my laptop) is a fresh cable.

both give same results: "Camera Error"
thanks for the suggestion though.

maybe USB3 will help things when that is implemented.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
But this is IQ only ? The Aptus 12 R I tried recently did not have this, we needed an extra battery to shoot tethered. Good to hear this is solved.
Yes, IQ only.

But.... one question: what happens if your battery is empty ? Does this mean you can´t shoot tethered if there is no battery ?
Of course if your battery is just "low" and not empty then the battery will be charged as you shoot even if it starts near empty.

If it's completely 100% empty you'd need to switch (menu option) to run off firewire power. If you have no battery inserted it will automatically use the firewire power. In that case you are at the mercy of the amount/consistency of power coming out of the computer. With most Mac Pros this is enough, with many MacBookPros it is not, with most iMacs it is not; any of those could be used with a powered hub for maximum dependability.

Doug Peterson (e-mail Me)
__________________

Head of Technical Services, Capture Integration
Phase One Partner of the Year
Leaf, Leica, Cambo, Arca Swiss, Canon, Apple, Profoto, Broncolor, Eizo & More

National: 877.217.9870 *| *Cell: 740.707.2183
Newsletter | RSS Feed
Buy Capture One 6 at 10% off
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
I think it will take a firmware update on the back to correct this, or C1 6.3 hopefully.
That sounds likely. Firewire and windows has always been a bit of an issue, but I'd put pretty good odds one of those two will resolve it (for at least one of your firewire cards) in a reasonable period.

I didn't know you shot much tethered?

Doug Peterson (e-mail Me)
__________________

Head of Technical Services, Capture Integration
Phase One Partner of the Year
Leaf, Leica, Cambo, Arca Swiss, Canon, Apple, Profoto, Broncolor, Eizo & More

National: 877.217.9870 *| *Cell: 740.707.2183
Newsletter | RSS Feed
Buy Capture One 6 at 10% off
 

Stefan Steib

Active member
Narikin

from the things that Doug told arise some more stupid questions: what happens if you remove the battery from the back and power the back with the Firewire cable only ? And of course you tried to change the batteries also as well as the cables ? And-if running off the cable without battery , can you try to use a Firewire-hub? ( I know this worked with the P65+ but I _think_ the 80MPix chip uses more power.......

Regards
Stefan
 

narikin

New member
Thanks Doug and Stefan,

Neither of these suggestions change a thing.

I wish Phase themselves were more honest in their responses - I have pointlessly spent over a hundred dollars on fresh firewire boards and cables, at their suggestion, plus wasted a lot of time swapping this or that component in my workstation, only to find it is almost certainly an issue with the IQ backs current firmware.

And once again: an upgrade P65+ to IQ series should not leave you without functioning tethering. That is a serious flaw. Yes I shoot tethered sometimes, and will be in a 2 week European trip starting Wednesday. Make that would have. Phase have let me down badly in this regard. I don't mind the firmware not having its newer features ready, but I do expect a back that works tethered as well as the old one, and locks down securely to its mounts like before. In other words I don't expect to LOOSE major functions/ abilities when I upgrade.

I am of the mind that the P65+ is a better and more reliable product at this point of time.
 
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Stefan Steib

Active member
OK- know you run a PC, but do you have a chance to plug it into a Macpro or an old Macbook pro (no unibody!) and try there ? The reason I ask is - this would eliminate several possibilities - driver, firewire power and capture one version/Platform dependence.

Regards
Stefan
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
OK- know you run a PC, but do you have a chance to plug it into a Macpro or an old Macbook pro (no unibody!) and try there ? The reason I ask is - this would eliminate several possibilities - driver, firewire power and capture one version/Platform dependence.
O I don't think there is any question that his back would connect immediately and without any hassle to any Mac.
 

Stefan Steib

Active member
Doug
To MacPro and old Macbook Pro... maybe, that´s an easy bet, and - then it would be clear the back works physically and with sufficent power and the Firmware is ok. I don´t think it´s about the Capture Pro win version, nor the driver. If this is the case it MUST BE the firewire power.

Regards
Stefan
 

vjbelle

Well-known member
Narikin,

Have you checked which driver Windows is using for the back? I am using version 1.61.0.45360 dated 1/5/2011. If you are not using that version you may want to update or do a complete clean re-install of C1.

Victor
 

narikin

New member
O I don't think there is any question that his back would connect immediately and without any hassle to any Mac.
I only have access to a 1year old MacBook Pro, (unibody?) with FW800. The IQ180 does not connect on that either (although I am not an Apple person and may be missing something)

C1 6.2.1 in DB mode
OSX 10.6.7
 
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