Westernize your commiecam!

Westernize your Commiecam, continued... Section 5: Into the Belly of the Beast!
		Okay, the scary time has come to open up your camera. The following sequence will illustrate how to coonect the new xlr to the Kinor 35H. For installation on the 17 EP motor for Konvas cameras, click here. There are 4 screws you must remove to open the back of the camera; one on the bottom....
		...one on the side...
		... and don't forget this double-dimpled one on the top. Use a lens wrench with pointed fingers or the equivelent to turn this screw. Please use a tool that fits and don't make a mess of it -- you will regret it later on if you do!
	Carefully lift off the rear cover and feast your eyes on the magical world of soviet era electronics! The rear cover is still attached to the gram via it's wiring harness -- so be carefull to treat it gently and don't twist it or tug on it or do anything else that might damage the delicate wiring. Again, if you do you will weep openly and curse the day you were born. SUPPORT the rear cover on your workbench, DON'T let it hang by the wires!
		SUPPORT the rear cover on your workbench, DON'T let it hang by the wires!
		Here are the power wires as they came from the factory. You will identify and mark them as your next step...
		Here you see a blue label on the ground wires,which terminate in a ring connector which is clamped under one of the power connector's mounting screws. Now loosen those screws so you can pull the russian connector (with the wires still attached) away from the camera Now, here's the important part - - pay attention! Two of the wires attached to the russian connector are positive, and two are negative. Here's how to tell them apart
		See the guide pin slot that has been cut away near the top two pins in the photo to the left? The two pins closest to that slot are always negative -- hence the bottom two pins in this photo would be... yup, you guessed it -- positive! Mark and double mark these wires -- keeping them straight is that important.
		When you have marked the positive and negative wires correctly, it's time to break out the trusty soldering iron and disconnect the wires from the old russian connector. Playing the old Soviet National Anthem during this procedure is optional.
		Here are the labelled wires free and ready to be connected to your new 4 pin xlr connector. Do not despair -- victory is almost ours!
	Test fit your xlr/ stand-off block assembly to the camera and get it oriented correctly. Tap one of the existing russian connector holes (photo at left) for a 4-40 machine screw and then test fit your new xlr assembly to the camera by screwing a 1" 4-40 machine screw thru your new panel mount xlr connector, down through the aluminum stand-off block and then into the newly tapped hole on the camera body. Tighten hand tight and check the fit of the new xlr -- make sure none of the pins are touching the camera body where they protrude through the hole into the camera. When you are satisfied with the fit, mark the spot for the second whole by dipping the end of your 4-40 machine screw in nail polish and pushing it through the xlr block and against the camera body. Now remove the block and you will see exactly where to drill for the second hole. Drill and tap as with the first hole and attach the new xlr block to the camera.
		With the new xlr assembly bolted in place it is time to solder the two negative (-) wires to the #1 pin of the xlr, and the two positive (+) wires to the #4 pin. Don't forget to put heat shrink tubing on the wires before you solder them in place. Slide the shrink tubing over the pin connectors when you are finished and shrink it so the connectors are insulated against short circuit.

		Finish off the job by clamping the ground screw ring under a 4-40 hex nut with a lock washer and some loc-tite. You don't want your ground coming loose in the middle of a heavy shoot!
		Here is the camera with the new xlr assembly attached, ready to be re-assembled and put to good use!
	If you happen to have a zero gravity head lying around the house, for god's sake now is the time to take advantage of it. Re-attaching the four screws for the camera's rear panel is a snap with my trusty weaver-steadman holding the camera just so!
		The finished camera,converted to 4 pin xlr power, plugged in and ready to go head to head with any arri or moviecam.
		I use 14.4v anton bauer batteries with a gold-mount adapter plate that has a 20" 4-pin xlr connector on it. Hey, what a convenient coincidence -- I just happen to have a 4 pin xlr power plug installed on my camera!
		Peter the Great was right -- westernization is good! Now, in the words of Patrick Steele: "Comrades! Make Cinema Now!!!
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