Convergent Design nanoFlash User manual

nanoFlash™ / nano3D™
HD/SD Portable Recorder/Player
User Manual
For nanoFlash Formal Release Version 1.6.248, 12 – Jan - 2011
For nano3D Formal Release 1.6.246, 16 – Dec - 2010
4465 Northpark Drive, Suite 400
Colorado Springs, CO 80907 US
http://www.convergent-design.com
Support: ++[phone]
“cd” -- “support” -- “at” -- “convergent-design” -- “.com”
nanoFlash 1

nanoFlash 2

Table of Contents
Welcome and Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Essentials: Required Reading (Quickstart), CompactFlash Cards . . . . 5
Input / Output Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Front Panel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
LCD Screen Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Menu Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
System Configuration: Date/Time, Time-code, Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Video Setup: Data-Rate, CODEC, PSF I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
udio Setup: nalog / Embedded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Play Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Loop, Cue Play, Loop Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Compact Flash: Capacity, Usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
File Naming Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Firmware Update Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Hardware ccessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Operating Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Safety and ESD Protection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Connector Pin-Outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Mounting Plate Dimensions and Hole Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Warranty and Obtaining an RM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
ddendum : Camera Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
ddendum B: Recording Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
ddendum C: Monitoring Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
ddendum D: Playback Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
ddendum E: Viewing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
ddendum F: Other Software ccessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
ddendum G: NLE Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
ddendum H: Managing Menu Settings / Menu Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
ddendum I: RS232 Remote Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
ddendum J: nano3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
ddendum K: nano3D Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
ddendum L: nanoFlash Known Issues / Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Version History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
©2009-2010 Convergent Design, Inc. ll Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission.
nanoFlash 3

Welcome and Than You
Congratulations on selecting Convergent Design HD/SD Portable Recorder, nanoFlash. nanoFlash is
manufactured in the US of foreign and domestic components, and shipped from the factory in the
most secure packaging available. Please inspect the contents of the package. In the unlikely event
that you find any shipping damage or missing components, please contact us.
Shipping Contents
Your nanoFlash shipping container should come packaged with the following:
1. nanoFlash recorder/player
2. Power Supply (100 to 240 V C Input; 12V DC @ 1.25 Output)
3. USB Reader (for CompactFlash cards)
nanoFlash Overview
nanoFlash is a revolutionary solid-state HD/SD recorder/player that uniquely utilizes the very high-
quality Sony XDC M 4:2:2 CODEC to write native Quicktime, MXF (video/audio/time-code), or MPG
files onto affordable Compact Flash media. nanoFlash breaks ground in terms of weight, power, size,
ruggedness and ease of use. We are confident you will agree that the video quality is
indistinguishable from uncompressed (at 100+ Mbps Long-GOP or 180+ Mbps I-Frame modes).
Product Support Contacts
Please read the user manual before contacting support.
1. Support E-Mail: “cd” -- “support” -- “at” -- “convergent-design” -- “.com”
2. Sales E-Mail: “cd” -- “sales” -- “at” -- “convergent-design” -- “.com”
3. Main Telephone: ++[phone]
4. Sales Telephone: ++ [phone]
5. Web Site: http://www.convergent-design.com
6. Forum: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/convergent-design-nanoflash/
nanoFlash 4

The Essentials (Quic start), CompactFlash Cards
1. Please Register your nanoFlash by sending an e-mail to “cd” “support” “at” “convergent-
design.com” with your name, serial number of unit, and where the nanoFlash was purchased.
You will get automatic notice of firmware updates and service bulletins.
2. Use only the ualified Compact Flash cards for the specified bit rates:
1. **Lexar 32/16/8 Gbyte 300x CF cards up to 220-280 Mbps (ver1.6.226)
2. Lexar 32/16/8 Gbyte 600x or 400x CF cards up to 280 Mbps (ver1.6.226)
3. **Transcend 400x 64/32/16 Gbyte CF cards up to 180-220 Mbps (ver1.5.249)
4. Transcend 600x 32/16 Gbyte CF cards up to 280 Mbps (ver1.6.29)
5. ***Del in UDMA 420/450x 64/32/16 Gbyte CF cards to 180 Mbps (ver1.6.245)
6. ***Del in UDMA 625x 32/16 Gbyte CF cards up to 280 Mbps (ver1.6.245)
7. **Calumet ProSpec 64/32 Gbyte CF cards to 180-220 Mbps (ver1.6.226)
8. Hoodman 675x 32/16 Gbyte CF cards up to 280 Mbps (ver1.6.226)
9. Silicon Power 600x 32/16 Gbyte CF cards up to 280 Mbps (ver1.6.226)
10. SanDis Extreme / Extreme Pro 64/32 Gbyte CF cards up to 280 Mbps
11. Axtremex 600x 128 Gbyte CF cards up to 220 Mbps (ver1.6.226)
12. Axtremex 600x Plus 64 Gbyte CF cards up to 280 Mbps (ver1.6.226)
**Card performance may vary from card to card. The bit rate will automatically be
reduced during record for under-performing cards. (ver1.5.31)
***Delkin cards require firmware version 1.6.245 or later.
3. Please keep your firmware up to date. (pg 20)
4. ** Note: This user manual is subject to change with each firmware update. Please see the
most up-to-date nanoFlash user manual at:
http://www.convergent-design.com/Portals/58/Documents/nanoFlash_Manual.pdf
5. Connect a power source to the 4-pin Hirose on the nanoFlash.
6. Set the time and date (page 11), set the video input (System->Vid Src) as SDI or HDMI
7. Set the file format to Quicktime (M C) or MXF (PC) and Record Trigger Source (page 11,12)
8. Select the Time-code source and set the initial value (if needed) (page 11)
9. Set the compressed bit-rate and choose I-Frame or Long-GOP CODEC (page 13)
10.Set the PSF In and PSF Out options, depending on your video format (page 13)
11. Set up the audio source, line/microphone input and gain (page 15)
12.Connect a valid SDI or HDMI source and time-code source (as appropriate). Connect the SDI
or HDMI output to a compatible monitor. You should see valid video output.
13.Insert a qualified Compact Flash card into either CF slot (manufacturer’s logo side up) and
format (System->Format). Warning: all files will be erased off the card!
14. Ensure that your camera's SDI / HDMI output has any status display information turned off, so
that this is not recorded to the CF cards.
15. Please bac up your data. There is a very slight ris of damage to CF cards upon
insertion and usage with a USB or Firewire CF reader attached to a computer. As a
precaution to protect your video, please consider bac ing up your data as a 1st step
after recording, and before inserting CF card into a CF reader attached to a computer.
We suggest using the portable Nexto Drive for this purpose (see accessories, page 21).
16.Do a test record, transfer data from CF card, preferably via Nexto drive, or via USB or Firewire
CF reader, to computer for viewing / editing. (See viewing / NLE options, ddendum F, G).
17.Charge your batteries or use a reliable C source to prevent loss of data.
18.Hot-swapping of CF cards during record is now supported. See discussion in “Recording
Notes” ddendum. (ver1.6.226)
19.Enjoy some fantastic video/audio!
nanoFlash 5

Input / Output Connections
Left Side Connections
Bottom Connectors
nanoFlash 6

Left Side Connections
•CompactFlash Slots (2): Insert (at least 1) solid-state Compact Flash card(s) face up for
record and playback.
•CompactFlash LEDs: Compact Flash Status:
> No Light means no card inserted or the card has not been properly recognized.
> Solid green means card is OK and ready for use.
> Flashing Red means card is being written to during a record session (do not remove card).
> Flashing green means card is being read from during playback (do not remove card).
> Solid Red means the card is full (may be removed).
Bottom Connections
•Status: General indicator.
> Solid Green: cards are inserted and ready to record.
> Solid Red: recording.
•Remote Control / LTC input: 10-pin hirose locking connector for external trigger and tally light
control. To use Remote for recording: press tally once to start record, press and hold for 2 to
3 seconds to stop record. To use Remote for playing: press once to start play, once to pause,
twice in quick succession to stop Play. See System->Trigger for uses, or pg 27 for pin-out.
lso can be used for Linear Timecode input. Tally light flashes once a second during normal
record, twice a second during record with less than 5 minutes total record time remaining, 4
times per second with less than 1 minute total record time remaining. (ver1.5.31)
•Power: 4-pin Hirose locking connector power input.
•On/Off (Red): power button. Note that units shipped after October 2009 have the power
button disabled or removed, so that the nanoFlash always powers on when power is applied,
and only powers off when power is removed. See System->Power Saving to help reduce
power consumption.
•HDMI In: non-locking mini-HDMI input (HD/SD) . Please note that the HDMI port is not nearly
as robust as the SDI port for handling high motion environments, and therefore the HDMI input
is not recommended for use in such conditions. lso, be careful if using with HDMI switchers,
a poor quality switcher can cause nanoFlash to frequently lose the video lock.
•HDMI Out: non-locking mini-HDMI output (HD only) . Ideally, to use, do not connect this port
until after the unit has been powered on. (ver1.5.31)
•SDI/ASI In: SDI or SI video source for recording. (HD/SD)
•SDI/ASI Out: SDI re-clocked stream with embedded audio and time code, or SI re-clocked
output stream. Note there is no delay in the SDI output in E to E mode (Video->E to E) from a
live source. If E to E is turned “off”, there is a bit of delay (4 frames). (HD/SD)
•Analog Audio In: 3.5 mm consumer line level or microphone 2 channel stereo input.
•Headphone Out: 3.5 mm headphone audio output. No delay in Headphone Out from a live
source. lso, headphone out provides 2 rising beeps at record start, 2 falling beeps at stop.
nanoFlash 7

Front Panel
nanoFlash 8

Front Panel Details
1. LCD Display: Shows the status of the nanoFlash in the various operating modes. lso
displays warning and errors in correspondence with flashing LED error lights. (see p. 10)
2. Navigation Buttons: llows the user to navigate the menu. (see p. 11)
3. Record, Stop, Play Buttons: <REC>, <STOP>, and <PL Y> buttons for control of respective
modes. The nanoFlash, when powered on, is in a ready mode. Record or Playback can be
activated by pressing the appropriate buttons, as described below:
REC: Press <REC> to start recording a clip to the card. (This assumes that System-
>Record Trigger is set to “Record Button” - other Trigger modes will disable the Front
Panel buttons. See Record Trigger menu description for more details.)
Unless stopped, the unit records to current CF slot til full and continues recording to
next card slot til full. Cards may also be hot-swapped for indefinite record length.
During Record, the led next to the actively recording CF card slot will flash red, and a
rotating hourglass will appear on the lcd screen.
“Skip to next file”: Pressing the Record button during a record session will cause the
current file to be closed and a new clip started.
“Skip to next card”: Similarly, pressing the Record button twice in rapid succession
during a record session causes the recording to continue on the next card.
(See “Recording Notes” ddendum.) (ver1.6.226)
STOP: Press <Stop> button to terminate record or playback mode. lso used to
cancel a card format.
Note: the STOP button is immediately responsive upon being pressed. To prevent
accidentally stopping a record, see alternative record trigger options (timecode trigger,
remote trigger)(page 11), which de-activate the REC and STOP buttons.
PLAY: Press once to enter Playback mode. By default, Play will start with the last
recorded clip. Other features:
1. Use the left and right arrow keys to advance / backup to the next / previous file.
You can hold down these keys to move very quickly from file to file.
2. During Play, press Play button to pause, press again to resume play.
3. During Play, hold Play button 1 second for fast forward 2x, hold 2 seconds for
fast forward 4x, 3 seconds for 6x (see progress bar on menu for fast forward
level). Fast forward performance will depend on card speed and bit rate – see
Play setup for more details. Press Play again to return to Play/Pause.
4. Set the Loop option in the main menu off or on to loop play.
NanoFlash now also supports playback of Canon XF Series CompactFlash card recordings at 50
Mbit. (ver1.6.226)
Other button functions:
Delete Last Clip: Press and hold the Stop key, then press left arrow key, to delete last clip off
of currently inserted card which was last recorded to. (Not working in version 1.6.248)
Fifo Meter Display: Displays the CF card's ability to keep up with the data rate of the video.
From the main menu, press and hold the left arrow key, and then press record button to initiate
a record session. If Fifo meter rises over time towards 100%, the CF card is too slow to
handle the data rate. (Small spikes in the meter will appear during file transitions.) (ver1.6.226)
nanoFlash 9

LCD Screen Layout
The LCD screen will change in appearance depending on the operating mode. This is the essential
layout information:
1. Compact Flash Card levels: 0 to 100% full
2. Individual Compact Flash Level Indicators
3. Time-code Display
4. Play Menu Line with current file name displayed
5. udio Channels 1-2 Level Indicators
6. udio level markers (-60dB to 0dB)
7. Current Video Source Format
8. Recording (compressed) bit-rate
9. Total remaining record time (minutes) across all cards
10. udio Over-Range Indicator
11. Not shown: Record Ready Indicator |>
nanoFlash 10