I Bought 5 Broken Arri Alexa Cinema Cameras... Can I Fix Them?

[@FoxTailWhipz]

The first 1,000 people to use the link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/foxtailwhipz07221

[@Mizai]

you definitely needed that sponser i blocked using sponsorblock

[@Nobody-Nowhere]

I think you bought part donor cameras. They all have some unfixable underlying issue. And getting those parts that have been harvested from them is impossible, otherwise they would not have harvested them and ordered spare parts.

[@uhohwhy]

All their cameras just do a fancy video filter, they are overpriced junk.

[@thetys4659]

@@uhohwhy Lol what are you talking about ARRI cameras?

[@daviduribe5897]

@@uhohwhy brother the 10+ years of color science development for this camera specifically is SO far beyond a “fancy video filter”… you really should educate yourself on the history of cinematography before you belt out bullshit like that so confidently

[@derrollmops]

@@daviduribe5897 i bet he prefers the colors of his iPhone, because it's Apple 😂

[@xp8969]

@@uhohwhy lmfao, bruh, sober up 😂☠️😂

[@CalHallows]

I think you've been mugged off, the fact most of these are missing their buttons and exterior parts, ports etc., makes me think that these are all parts donor cameras which have already had the working bits taken from them. It'll be amazing if you can make a working camera out of these 5, but Frankenstein's monster wasn't without his issues...

[@sharifsalem]

Same

[@ashedinthewoods]

Yeah I mean… if these would compromise parts to complete one camera with an appropriate amount of work, the seller would likely have done that, sold one working camera and four cameras “for parts”. This is very often the case for those lots (watch movements would be another typical example), it’s leftovers someone piled up while sourcing parts for a project, and likely at least one or two critical parts that are hard to obtain will be missing in all of them.

[@axialivanov6101]

Despite the missing parts he got a extremely good deal check prices on any fully built one

[@ashedinthewoods]

@@axialivanov6101 well I stand corrected anyway - seemingly it was possible to get one working camera out of the lot (meanwhile I have watched the second video ;)) - but that’s really a big risk when buying such lots. Luckily he was lucky :)

[@daryl.bernardingtons]

@@ashedinthewoods bro what the fuck with the spoilers

[@thomasmaagaard]

You have a unique ability to talk without saying anything.

[@bgeardigital]

Cool video! I saw that auction on Ebay but said nah. You may not need SXS cards. If you have working BNC outputs you can record to an external recorder. If you have one with the ARRIRAW license you can record the highest quality to an external recorder like Odyssey 7Q.

[@AndreasKielb]

Awesome you got these! The DC input expects 24 volt, that's why battery warning is active at the first booting camera. If you get a battery plate you can power the cameras also with a single 14,4 Volt battery.

[@FoxTailWhipz]

That’s what I figured! I can change the low voltage warning to a lower voltage so the warning goes away but every time I power the camera back on it resets back.

[@stevenriverman7920]

@@FoxTailWhipz try changing the little 3 volt battery in the camera, it may also be able to handle a firmware update after that

[@iaincowell9747]

@@FoxTailWhipz what model number are these. I've seen the 35 for €86,000 😱

[@stevenneaves8079]

I SAW THIS LISTING AND ALMOST BOUGHT IT 😂😂😂 glad you got them for some content. I considered doing something similar

[@dncviorel]

Unless you're someone with deep knowledge in Electronics I would never touch a project like this.

[@racocrea]

bro i need the secodn part!!, hope you made it man!, honestly this is the truth behind everything, always grinding for our equipment, i would to love to know what it takes to build an arri , that´s amazing man, i hope you can get this done bro ! good luck !

[@whodatdere1]

I know it seems like $100 is a lot for a cable, but those LEMO style ends are really not overly cheap for brand name. China style ones are not terrible under normal use if you need to make one or get the chassis mounts for them

[@thomashenden71]

Believe it would benefit @ARRIChannel too, to give a helping hand, as the more of these cameras can be held in service, and tried by, also amateurs, the more interest it will be for the brand. If your fix simply is swapping parts between broken cameras and there is no DRM bullshit preventing you, it is really good news for indie film makers too, and still, they will come back to ARRI for more parts and acessories, meaning ARRI will still benefit from these broken cameras getting a new life.

[@tombuck]

What a journey! I’m excited to dive into the next videos…this is like a new Netflix series to binge now 😁

[@FoxTailWhipz]

I really appreciate the support! Love your videos too!

[@tombuck]

@@FoxTailWhipz oh wow thank you! 😁

[@Nekomakesnoisesagain]

The relief I felt when it turned on...

[@NickXXXToday]

Looking forward to where this goes. I’ve used these cameras a 1000 times. They are still better then most cameras out there.

[@blairwilliams136]

Omg I saw this ebay add last week and now you got them, that's awesome! I had the same dream as you to buy them all and hopefully make 1 working camera but it was a bit out of my $ range . I ended up buying a C100 extra cheap and am very happy.

[@daytonars5]

Hope you can get one running my dude, your enthusiasm for it is so deserving of this going well. Watching, liking and subscribing and hoping the money you make helps you get there.

[@gaelxmdb]

i would recomend that you make your own cables for the camara, its more cheaper than buying the cable

[@bennybbergeron]

I had been watching this listing and was contemplating buying and fixing them hahaha. Glad you got them and made a great video on it!

[@ForestCinema]

So cool! I’m not as bold as you, I think I saw that listing though. I’m holding out for a working Alexa at around $4K

[@DanielCaiMedia]

I got a full Alexa Classic 16:9 kit for around $3600, so you can definitely find deals, maybe kits with fewer extra accessories. Just keep in mind the rather high individual cost for key accessories like the viewfinder, top handle, battery plate, and PL mount (though Leitax's EF mount is relatively inexpensive). And the high wattage batteries and heavy duty fluid head and tripod hahaha

[@andrewsaraceni]

Great video! This is a really cool project - the kind of thing most people think about (myself included), but wouldn't bother going through with given all the headaches, etc. Having the ambition to give it a try and capture the entire process is really appreciated. Looking forward to seeing where this all goes.

[@salvadoralvarezproduccionv2542]

Woooo this is awesome, I mean wow, as a person who loves rebuild things, like the ooooold sx-980 Pionner amp which I bough few months ago, I'll start to rebuild it to its original and new state, but come on, is one of my passions but is only a 500 dollar amplifier, but a really expensive and marvelous camera, cinema cámera like this, wow I mean, I wonder which movie those cameras taked, who used it before, amazing video, I stay tuned for the next part!, regards from San Luis Potosí, México!

[@the180degreerule3]

man if You could get DIY PERKS on this, who knows You may create an Arri Alexa XLF by bringing 4 sensors in one body lol

[@FoxTailWhipz]

Let’s make it happen!!

[@lburger404]

This is sick dude! Excited to see what you do with them

[@hoodzie9671]

My Amazon echo going crazy while I’m watching this. Lol…Alexa. …Alexa….

[@ebaystars]

Photograph both sides of each pcb you remove ensure the REV numbers are checked and log each board per camera chassis serial as manufactures change functions on different revs of the same camera , and you may find that one board will not be supported in external firmware to it - use a bunch of Brady number/letter labels - dont lose track.... !!!!

[@whatsappme3600]

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[@MrAllstar]

Did you manage to get info behind why these units got junked?

[@FoxTailWhipz]

I haven’t figured out the history behind these. Surprisingly though they have very low hours! Alexa #1 has just over 1500 hours and #2 has 790 hours!

[@Alabel78]

I doubt they just dump the cameras. So, there is a possibility someone, at some moment, make a damage report prior to release them. Try to reach the seller, at least they can give you a better idea of what is missing. I think the will have more info to share about it. I hope you got through. Nice proyect. And also online forums (every one knows this last one piece of advise). Godspeed!😊👍

[@cinobro6393]

From what I remember they were used for parts by the reseller that sold them. They sold a few other Alexa’s and that’s why these would have been stripped. Before that I don’t know. Inventory clean out of a large rental house or repair centre?

[@MrAllstar]

@@FoxTailWhipz Surely they can't have such low hours, for top flight professional cine bodies that's near newborn baby hours.

[@g0battimicrofografia]

amazing video and it’s touching to see your emotions going through all that. keep up bro!

[@FoxTailWhipz]

Thank you so much!

[@chattymatt]

Awesome video man, love the content!

[@KJ_rnb]

i wish you the best, and hope you fix them

[@KJ_rnb]

is this scam? @foxTailWhipz

[@VagiPeti]

Dude I got excited watching the video, such a well documented journey :D :D Amazing! LOL that happy face when you had the box!!!!

[@lerx1980]

This video blew up!! I hope this kicks your channel up a little bit. Looking forward to this project :)

[@FoxTailWhipz]

Thank you!!

[@MarkusGjengaar]

I hope you can make one of them work. Good luck!

[@esteva03]

First video I've watched in your channel. Love the concept and can't wait for the resolution but please leave out the whole "oh I don't know what is going to happen" or "I am so exited for this moment I am anticipating". Like, we know. I understand creating tension but 10 minutes of the video is just buying the cameras from ebay. 🤷‍♂️ Or at least make it a fast cut like "BAM BAM BAM look what I got!". Just that. Hope you can make it work. Making just one of them work will be worth it, and I can't even imagine how much having that level of gear will allow you to develop as a filmaker. Good luck! 😁👍

[@DavidCowie2022]

That whole sequence about "I don't know if I'm going to get them" was pure padding. Clearly you got them, otherwise you wouldn't be making the video.

[@JasonM00n]

So many questions… How did they even get into such a sorry state in the first place? No caps to protect the sensor? 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@FoxTailWhipz]

I wish I knew the full story of all of these 😬

[@petertorda5487]

Excellent, looking forward to second part.

[@AtomGee]

The anticipation is killing me!

[@EdwinvandenAkker]

You know that you can put an SxS card in a laptop that has a PCMCIA slot? It's kind of the same thing. Older MacBooks have it (and still the reason why I still have an older MAcBook laying around). Some Windows laptops still have that, too.

[@MarcusVLewis]

FYI u need 24 volts to actually power the camera. Excited to see how u get it together

[@alain99v6]

Alexa also supports typical 13.2 14.4 battery , there's a power converter inside , however in the menu you need to define the low voltage setting for both the Fisher 2 pins 24V and the taps inputs for the battery eithe goldmount or Vmount, right now he will always be in low voltage warning unless he reach the right menu and drop the warning value to something like 12.5V it was always a problem when mounting a Classic on a steady cam to change that valu when the stead was only supply single voltage (1 battery and not 2 to make 24+V)

[@knife-wieldingspidergod5059]

At least you will have some nice display items on your shelf.

[@whatsappme3600]

You are selected among the greatest winners 💐🎉Kindly send a direct message to receive it immediately, thank for watching and commenting.......,,,,

[@uiopuiop3472]

aston from the future here: hey you did good

[@joshherumdp]

Look forward to seeing more of these!

[@ultimativlenny9378]

Great Video! I love Cinema Cameras and I love electronic fix videos thanks KZbin algorithm. :D Maybe you can bring an expert in from the industry if you don't know what to do. Cinema Cameras are very complex machines!

[@A_Fortunate_Traveler]

Great and fascinating project, I'm so curious to see the final result.

[@nachoupe]

Me too!!!

[@DanniCreep]

POST PART 2!!!!

[@EposVox]

Well that's a unicorn deal that no one will ever be able to find

[@FoxTailWhipz]

Definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity haha

[@louisoppenheimer]

so only the blue sxs cards will work with the alexa good luck also as for recording you can record off sdi it will be more useful at this point.

[@grumpybunny]

The Plus camera is just the head unit for an Alexa M. Sensor block is somewhere… good luck finding just that. The OG Alexa is still a good camera, the M is just kinda dumb in modern day. I took my old Mini apart one time years ago, nothing crazy…

[@pkendall99]

20:10 "M" stands for Marie Antoinette because they removed her head, just like what you can do with the Alexa M

[@Slowico]

As a private filmmaker you want to travel as lightly as possible and the camera has to be handy! Have fun repairing!

[@whatsappme3600]

You are selected among the greatest winners 💐🎉Kindly send a direct message to receive it immediately, thank for watching and commenting.......,,,,

[@SidelineMediaCo]

here from facebook 😎

[@JasonCharlesButkiewicz]

Hell yes brother stoked for this project! Def subbing to stay updated. Hope you get one of these bad boys up and running. That would be so awesome!

[@nachoupe]

Same here!

[@edwardenciu]

After opening all of these up did you find a way to lose any heavy body components to lessen their weight a bit?

[@noukhollands]

theres a way to do the same with sony camera's as the ALEXA M, the venice can also have its sensor seperated with a max 12m cable, this is also how avatar is being filmed rn, look it up

[@Keith4Prez]

Fantastic video. Commenting to push the algorithm

[@Scyth3934]

I think the E and W stand for "error" and "warning" respectively

[@cheesessticks]

the penmanship is so cute its like its written by a 5 yr old

[@kameramanhv]

imagine ARRI Certified Pre-Owned email you and ask for all 5 alexa classic for one fully working alexa mini package!!!

[@FoxTailWhipz]

Haha that would be insane

[@sunusomanathan]

I think ,mainboard memory chip had one or more corrupted partitions.... Any how I am eagerly waiting 🧐

[@ismapierre]

Part 2 please

[@AA41975]

Lol had to literally change the name of my Amazon Alexa speaker for all the times he said "Alexa".

[@ElChapoDel8]

I guess you could solve some of those error, if that's not the case then respond to this comment and i will dm you. I'm not an expert on this cameras (or any camera xD) but i love to repair things and i learned a lot from doing it. There's not so much info about this cameras out there but from what i found and read about it: 1) I assume that "E" stands for "ERROR", its an actual problem that the camera has. "W" stands for "WARNING", its a potential problem for the camera but its not a problem (some of them are normal). 2) High sensor temperature: I don't know in what moment the camera shows this error, so there could be several reasons. If the camera shows this error as soon as you start the camera (assuming that you let the camera cool down for a while) then it may be an error from the sensor itself (bad connection or malfunction). If you use it a little bit and then it shows this error, it may be the "cooling system" that is not working properly (could be as easy as replacing the thermal paste from the heatsink, i don't know what kind of cooling system the camera has because there's no photos or info on the internet) 3) Main bat. Low Power: It could be just the charge of the battery or the connection/the cable that you used (i need to watch it in detail in order to know). 4) LDS failure. Reboot: LDS stands for Lens Data System, i'm not explaining for what it is because its complicated and i assume that you already know but some lenses have LDS port on them and some cameras have them on a "module", so maybe there's a problem with that. 5) Low sensor temperature: same as the high sensor temperature but this one is a warning and i think its usual when turning on the camera until the sensors reach the "normal temperature". 6) APIC Update Failed. Please reinstall: It could be part of the installation process, just need to restart the camera and update again, or it could be a failed installation because of the other errors. 7) Sensor boot error: Sensor has not booted and you need to restart the camera. If continues showing up it could be because of the bad/incomplete firmware install from before. Ps: There's also sd cards to sxs converters that may also work for the memory.

[@JayLang7]

Gave you a sub and a thumbs up. Hope your channel takes off. Best of luck mate.

[@ayneSFilms]

When you power it on the camera should output the picture through Sdi. And my god, please don’t get sensor exposed.

[@jasonl3445]

Awesome man you got it!

[@choasisgoated]

Sad you couldn’t get that plus working

[@AI4QT]

The question I would beg to know is how the cameras got in such bad shape. I mean most photographers pride themselves in taking great care of their tools. Ha. The first thought seeing them was thinking that possibly Alex Baldwin had them on the set of RUST and he threw them around when he realized he "accidentally" shot someone.

[@sharifsalem]

Based on comments on others they have already picked apart for repairs on other cameras.

[@vladislavsmusic]

Your videos - top! Greetings from Ukraine!

[@DJCRAZY99LP]

super exciting

[@chuave892]

Great video !!!

[@winfilms3681]

I saw this ad too lol!

[@KaniaOrzel]

Write directly to polish KZbinr Daniel Rakowiecki. In the past he tried to fix RED camera :) he fixed tons of electronic devices 😊 Maybe he could help you!

[@nachoupe]

Good advice !

[@StanleyKubick1]

It's malfunction like malcolm, not mail. And the past tense of cost is cost, not costed.

[@adamdrakestudio]

Let’s see what happens.

[@duneofficial1931]

Danke!

[@sixsoxsex1]

I also own an Arri Alexa EV and I love it. Do you think is possible to replace the case in a 3d plastic printed one for to make a more light weight camera?

[@whatsappme3600]

You are selected among the greatest winners 💐🎉Kindly send a direct message to receive it immediately, thank for watching and commenting...................!!!!!!

[@galliontrillion]

The son of Doctor strange,, must be ,, keep looking,, lol

[@whatsappme3600]

You are selected among the greatest winners 💐🎉Kindly send a direct message to receive it immediately, thank for watching and commenting.......,,,,

[@XXMatter4454XX]

Subbed!!

[@gregmckay666]

Come on @ARRIChannel , let's help this kid out!

[@ErikHill1]

Did the seller on eBay message you or ARRI themselves?

[@FoxTailWhipz]

The eBay seller did.

[@alekberry5491]

You triggered my Alexa so many times

[@SeanBarrett]

more romantic than the notebook

[@NEMEDYINYI]

Oh it's so interesting video 😌

[@Manual_Labour]

Stop saying Alexa, you're driving my echo dot crazy

[@microminstrel]

how does someone even BREAK 5 alexas? lol. I can't even imagine

[@stevenneaves8079]

Also consider tweeting potato jet, tbh he’s the one on KZbin I see the most directly interacting with Arri. He might get a kick out of the project and know someone he could send your way

[@FoxTailWhipz]

I actually emailed and DM’d him about a week ago about this project but I’m still waiting for a response haha. It really seems like something he would love to check out!

[@380productions2]

Potato jet is gonna go potatoes !!! When he hears what you bought and for how much imagine just fixing one your good

[@sonidojamon]

@@FoxTailWhipz any news on Potato? We can bomb him with requests if need be!!

[@PWN_Nation]

@@FoxTailWhipz recommend just doing a public tweet. The upvotes and response from his subs will get his attention easier, IMO

[@goldcd]

I'd have been a little bit worried about buying from somebody who had "5 of these" If you've got 5 of anything, that's not likely to be random stuff you picked up in a yard-sale - they've been collecting. If the collector then sells off "5 in a random state of completeness" - you can be pretty sure they've stripped out anything of value. The "oh it's weird that that's missing" is going to be list of consumable parts required to make a functioning camera.

[@FrequenzBlog]

This. Arri has great customer service. If they were fixable individually they would have been. They were used for scrap already - why would they be missing buttons and whatnot ? Additionally : Sensor boot errors and failing software updates are also a big nono. It seems that these got fried somehow.

[@AGTech]

Awesome project, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the results! The main question to me tho is why the heck they didn't bother to protect the sensors on these... 🤦‍♀

[@FoxTailWhipz]

I know it was a litttle scary but luckily there’s no damage to the sensors. They could definitely use a good cleaning though

[@zollotech]

Interesting. Definitely would like to see a follow up after working on it some more.

[@JacobVossFilms]

Please don’t do a 3D printed top handle - Arri classics are heavy and imo not worth the risk at all of a plastic top handle

[@doulos5322]

The whole damn camera is plastic

[@YouTube_can_ESAD]

@@doulos5322 No it’s not, that Alexa is a literal boat anchor bro… You’ve clearly never operated one and know nothing of what you speak. 🤫👉🏽🤡

[@doulos5322]

@@KZbin_can_ESAD yep your right I'm clearly wrong. I thought the hammer finish was fiberglass reinforced plastic instead it's milled metal with a hammered powder coat my mistake.

[@doulos5322]

There is nothing wrong with a properly designed 3d printed handle. 3D printed material can support 160,000 times it's own weight, but if you don't know how to design one or run a proper FEA on the part then just use a cage.

[@ThaGhettoBlaster]

@@KZbin_can_ESAD 🖕🏽💩

[@jasonwawro7409]

An AC power adapter to have constant power to camera for trouble shooting would be a big plus. Might be another $100 investment. The SxS-1 card your using is not supported by Arri, look into SXS pro card. That will be another expense as well. Love the project! Hope you can get one of these up and running. In my experiecne Andrew Shipsides is a great resource on these cameras, if he doesn't know he will direct you to someone that will know.

[@terenceokane]

If he's in LA or NY or another industry heavy town, check craigslist. You'll be surprised what people will let go for next to nothing (comparatively).

[@ebaystars]

any Lab supply will do they are cheap and chinese Ive several in use for years....

[@yealevi2850]

Definitely get AC power adapter. That’ll clear up one of the warnings, and reduce the risk of a shut off during critical work! Plus; these things eat through batteries quickly, so a v mount battery will only get you so far for so long. Also I’m sure you’ve scoured, but the Alexa manual has an error/warning code list with at list minimal explanations. Last, I’m excited to see the things that you can learn about these cameras. Now that they are getting cheaper I’m hoping more people will be able to dive into the internals and see how these tick. My Alexa Plus’s fan is a little loud so I’d love to find out if the fan has a widely available replacement;)

[@TheGalacticWest]

Tear it apart rewind the motor. just kidding but not if you're desperate

[@yealevi2850]

@@TheGalacticWest not desperate enough yet to mess with a working Alexa haha

[@ebaystars]

Build a DC regulated supply or buy one they are cheap...Lemo connectors are mega expensive military use them in non-critical applications!

[@LearningCurveTech]

Lol, I actually saw these for sale and wondered who would buy them. Good to see that you got them!

[@mcmadskillsz]

same lol

[@AdrianTache]

Someone with more money than sense, probably.

[@JohnWick-dn6ty]

You bought Alexa's that already salvaged, they know how to pick functional parts, it would be very difficult if you could not get the parts to make it functional. .... I still admire the hard work and the process. Hope you could get it working soon.

[@TheBigNegative-PhotoChannel]

„ I can‘t believe the first camera powers one without any problems“ Alexa: Please kill me. Nice vieo tho :D

[@RudyAyoub]

This is madness lmao

[@glevasseur]

My KZbin algorithm knows me too well: DIY project, repair and Arri Alexa. Count me in!

[@Filmitvfxstudios]

Errors : Arri does not do well with after market items , you definitely need to plug this into the wall to do a firmware update as you could end up bricking it also I know it’s a little bit of money but invest in official plug unit for Arri you we’ll find it may clear up some of the errors x also that’s wrong memory card you also have a overheating issue check the fans are spinning correctly as if not could over heat and fry the board check to see if connection to fans not lose

[@MatthPeder]

What a cool idea and I wish you the best of luck! Just a note though - the editing on future videos in the series could use some tightening up. I found myself skipping 30-60 seconds at a time yet the same thought was being repeated.

[@zakaroonetwork777]

First Step…. Aquire a Service Repair Manual. Examine boards for shorts or blown caps. 3 lean how to test electronics. 4 Call an Arri service technician and makes friends. Good Luck.

[@rx2316]

I used to work at a TV station, I think I might have seen one of those camera hanging on the wall of dying or dead cameras

[@BestKiteboardingOfficial]

I hope you get your $1250 worth of value in new subscribers, cos you ain't getting any now those cameras working just by swapping parts.

[@whatsappme3600]

You are selected among the greatest winners 💐🎉Kindly send a direct message to receive it immediately, thank for watching and commenting.......,,,,