News

HD-SDI, HDMI, USB, Power and Antenna repairs

Many devices used in film making are interconnected in ways that give rise to faults occurring in the most sensitive parts of the equipment's circuitry.

Issues which occur range from reverse polarity, power line spikes, shorting cables, potential differences with respect to ground, and static electricity.

All good quality equipment will provide protection to inputs and outputs both to protect the device and to prevent interferance from crossing into or out of the device. The design of the equipment is focused on meeting EMC standards regulating the electromagnetic emissions of equipment, and ensuring the immunity of that equipment to electromagnetic interference.

The parts used in the manufacture of modern equipment are designed to be as small as is posible to meet electrical requirements but also to take up as little space on the printed circuit board so that the equipment itself can be small.  Below are some of the parts of the HDMI output circuitry removed from a popular item of equipment. Reverse polarity blew the chip and associated components. They include the TVS chips, EMF filters and the HDMI chip. 

Electrical safety testing 

Visual inspection and PAT testing equipment are required to to meet the regulations including record keeping and labling. PAT testing training courses are provided by a number of Irish firms around the country at resonable cost and are normally of 1 day duration.

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) regulations:

SI 299, 2007 - Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations, . 
S.I. No. 732/2007 - Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) (Amendment) Regulations 2007.