Canopus ADVC 100 Gives Only a Black Screen With a Thin Vertical Line

[dman535]

I have had good luck in the past with my ADVC 100 - but trying to capture some old VHS stuff - it doesn't seem to be working. I tried it on multiple machines - difference cables, different VCRs and all I get is the black screen with the red line. Bought a new TI chipset firewire card - and it did the same thing.

I am using WinDV - which is what I used to capture before without issue.

Any thoughts on what the problem could be?

D.-

[mohamed]

For future readers, this issue has to do with power. You are not using the original power adapter, or you are using a defective power adapter.

Example:

PSP 100 power adapter will work fine for 55/110, but not for the old models of the 100. Swap the power adapter with the original one, and it will work just fine.

(source: personal experience)

[Peter Bundy]

Mohamed - following on from your post last year, I'm seeking your guidance. Where does one find the original power adaptors for the ADVC-100 ??

My original power adaptor died years ago and so I found a replacement from an authorised reseller which I have been using for many years. It was only earlier this year when I started receiving the black screen either through my trusty Sony Vegas or WinDV. I've tried different VCRs / firewire cables (firewire card on my PC works fine with other devices) and have tried the various IEEE 1394 drivers (including the recommended Legacy one) available on Windows 7. All to no avail...

I recall reading another comment about the power adaptor potentially being an issue but the aforementioned replacement adaptor I purchased (UNIFIVE model number UI318-05) seems to meet all the specs mentioned in the ADVC-100 manual and others have commented online that it should be fine.

Per my original question where can you find an original power adaptor?

[mohamed]

Hi Peter,
There is no "original" power adapter that is canopus branded, Canopus shipped their devices with 3rd party power adapters from Unifive, so you're using the "original" power adapter.

Are you getting a plain black screen or black screen with vertical a yellow line/diagonal white dotted lines?

Even though you're using the "original" power adapter, maybe it went bad over time and needs to be replaced or might be something wrong with the device itself... Sorry

[Peter Bundy]

Hi mohamed,

It's a plain blank/black screen.
The ADVC-100 was working fine until earlier this year and then it became flaky - I had to turn it off and on numerous times to get the video signal on Sony Vegas Pro or WinDV (my two legacy capture programs that are rock solid/still work as intended). Since then it just stays black no matter how often I power on/off the device or connect/re-connect the cables and reset my PC.

I've tried a couple of different VCRs, replacement RCA cables (all my VCRs are VHS only no S-VHS), I even tried a RCA to S-VHS cable (to plugin to the S-VHS in on the front - knowing the picture will still max out at VHS) as well as a replacement 4pin to 6pin Firewire cable and even a 6pin to 6pin Firewire cable (using the DV IO port on the back of the ADVC-100).
I use a Win7 64-bit PC for these kinds of capture and the legacy IEE1394 driver that comes with Win7 works fine - my MiniDV camera connects perfectly fine directly via the same Firewire cables (not connected through the ADVC-100) and capture works fine on Vegas Pro/WinDV so the Firewire cables work fine as does my card on the PC.

I've tried all the suggestions I could find on the web (e.g. dip switches, analog vs digital) and none of them made a different.
All of the above iterations I have listed have been tried to no avail - I still get the dreaded black screen constantly.

I have been going through a simple process of elimination to try and figure out what's causing the issue.
I said your message saying it's the adapter hence my query to you. I will buy a replacement adapter (got one via eBay on its way to me).
If that still doesn't work then it seems like I will have exhausted all avenues and the device is dead - not completely in the sense it powers on and all the lights work and the my PC and capture software detect when it turns on/off (per normal via the Firewire connection) but still dead in the sense that the signal passthrough chip/hardware inside the device looks like it is gone.

I'll let you know if the new adapter makes a difference.