2011Video Assist and Video Accessories forum
Power supply compatibility and voltage sensitivity of Blackmagic HDMI-to-SDI mini-converters
15 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
DisputedParticipants disagreed and reached no conclusion. Read the findings as positions, not as an answer.
What the thread found
- Original Blackmagic HDMI-to-SDI mini-converters have a maximum input voltage of 12V and will shut down if supplied with voltage above 12.5V.
- Blackmagic Heavy Duty and Battery Converter versions of the HDMI-to-SDI converter accept input voltages between 12V and 31V.
- Older generation Blackmagic mini-converters are more sensitive to voltage variations than newer versions, with some units unable to tolerate voltages above 14V.
- Newer generation mini-converters of the same model have been redesigned to accept wider voltage ranges, making generation 1 and generation 2 units behave differently despite having the same model designation.
- Power from V-mount battery sleds may output unregulated voltage that can exceed 12V when the battery is fully charged, potentially damaging converters with strict voltage requirements.
- An inline voltage regulator cable (such as those with P-tap connectors or LEMO connectors) can protect sensitive converters when using unregulated power sources from battery sleds.
- AJA mini-converters and Decimator converters are generally more tolerant of higher voltages than older Blackmagic units.
- Blackmagic SDI-to-Analog converters in the Heavy Duty line have different voltage specifications than their HDMI-to-SDI counterparts, with the analog version limited to 12V input.
Depends on
- Thread discusses equipment from 2011, and Blackmagic may have updated designs since then.
- Voltage sensitivity appears inconsistent across Blackmagic product line, with different models and generations having different specifications.
- No definitive method provided for safely testing a converter's voltage tolerance without risk of damage.
- Original poster did not follow up with resolution to their specific problem.
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