Preventing Damage to SDI Outputs

Summary:

Under certain circumstances it is possible for an SDI connector to incur damage when connected to an accessory and powered without using shielded cables. When possible, avoid using P-Tap (also known as D-Tap) cables to power accessories. These cables are not shielded and may damage your camera. 

Workaround:

RED recommends only using high quality, shielded BNC cables that are rated for 12G-SDI signals and only using shielded power cables for connecting accessories via BNC cable.

Additionally, we recommend following a specific sequence for attaching accessories connected via SDI:

1. First, connect the power source to the SDI accessory.
2. Next, connect the BNC cable to the camera, then accessory.
3. Lastly, power the camera and accessory on/off.

When detaching an accessory mounted to an SDI output, it is recommended that you follow the following process:

1. First, shutdown the camera and the SDI accessory.
2. Next, disconnect the BNC cable from the camera, then accessory.
3. Lastly, disconnect the power source from the SDI accessory.