The James Bond Case
03/03/09 08:00
Mobile Editing and Backup for your Red One Footage.
Over the last several months as I have had my Red camera I have been looking for a mobile solution that would allow me to both edit footage and back it up. The requirements were: it had to be as fast as possible, reliable, portable, operate off of both external power and laptop battery power, and allow at least 1080p viewing. So the research began on developing a solution that met all of these requirements. One of the blogs that I follow is Chase Jarvis. While he is a photographer, he does some amazing work and offers a lot of insight into his world. If you are not familiar with his work, you should definitely check it out. In one of his older posts he details out a case that he uses in the field to review and backup the stills he takes. This was definitely the direction that I wanted to head in. But the setup that he uses would not meet the needs I had, so I had to do some modification. After a some trial and error, I came up with the following James Bond Case that met all of the needs I had. Hopefully this setup will help you whether you are in need of a mobile solution for Red footage, or for any other CF or FW800 based media. I have provided links and details about the setup below. Enjoy!
The List:
17” MacBook Pro (The older generation that has both FW400 & FW800)
Delkin Devices FW800 CF Card Reader
Express34 to eSATA Card
Compushade
Sonnett Fusion F2 640GB Hard Drive Array
Flexible eSATA Cable x 2
Up Angle FW400 Extension Cable
Down Angle FW800 Extension Cable - 6” (Has to be custom made.)
Storm Case iM2370 w/ Laptop Inserts (DVXuser and Reduser Members get a discount.)
Plug / Connector Female (Something similar to this.)
Plug / Connector Male (Something similar to this.)
UPDATE: You can get the recessed Male Plug at www.mcmaster.com it is part #8036k1
Velcro
8’ Black Stinger (Extension Cable)
Gorilla Glue
The Details:
- The Laptop
The first thing I had to do was to find a laptop that met my requirements. When I first started working with the Red (last summer) the current 17” MacBook Pro was the obvious choice. I saved a couple of hundred dollars by buying a refurbished model, and it still came with the Apple Warrantee. That model allowed full viewing of 1080p material as the screen is 1920 x 1200. I maxed it out with RAM and I got the 7200 RPM drive to ensure greater speed. (When SSD become more affordable and reliable I’ll be swapping it out for one of those drive- like the yet to be released SanDisk.) The second thing I had to do was to get a reliable Extress34 to eSATA card for the Mac. After going to my local electronics store and buying two cards that did not work with the Mac, I went to Mac Guru’s web site and purchased their recommended card. At that time there was only one recommended card. Since then Sonnett has come out with their own card which is supposedly faster, and works better with their other offerings. I have not tried it out, so I cannot confirm this claim, but it is recommended by the Mac Guru’s so at the very least it will be compatible.
The next thing I had to figure out was the external hard drive situation. In Chase’s setup he used two USB drives which were daisy chained together. He has had reliable results with that setup, but it was not fast enough for me. Additionally, I have experienced some problems powering drives via USB when not connected directly to a power source, and I also wanted a larger capacity then the drives he recommended. So the search was on for another solution. This lead me to the Sonnett Fusion F2. It is a drive array that is powered via FW400, it is very small and light weight, and it connects via eSATA. (Much faster then USB2). At the time I bought it, 640GB was the largest offering they had, but now I believe that they go up to 1TB. The drive can function as an array (where it shows as one drive) or a two separate drives. Since redundancy is imperative in the tapeless workflow, I use the drives as two separate 320GB drives and make a copy of all of the footage to each drive. (And I’ll replace these drives with SSD at a future date to increase the speed as well as decrease the power needs.) The cables that come with this drive are the standard eSATA cables which work great if you have a lot of space to use them in, but not the greatest in tight spaces as they are stiff. Fortunately the people over at Cool Drives offer a very flexible eSATA cable that is perfect for this application. You’ll need these cables in order to not put strain on the F2 or on the Expresscard when they are in use. In keeping with the theme of speed, I also found a FW800 CF card reader. While it is not as fast as eSATA, it is faster then USB2 and it allows me to transfer the CF cards as quick as possible. Because the CF card reader is FW800, this is the one bottle neck in the system- the eSATA can only transfer as quickly as it gets information from the CF card reader.
The final pieces of the laptop puzzle lie in the small bells and whistles. The first addition is the Compushade. It makes the viewing of the laptop screen much more manageable- especially when out in the field on a sunny day, or on those occasions that you feel like editing in a park.
This is a highly recommended accessory if you plan on working outside at all. Fighting the sun to see the screen is no fun. The second and third addition are the right angle (down angled) FW400 and FW800 extension cables. Because of the way the FW400 connection is on the MacBook Pro, you’ll actually need to buy the Up Angle FW400 cable. If you buy the Down Angle FW400 cable it will actually be an up angle, and not work correctly in this application. For the FW800 cable, you need to use the custom cable creation option at USBFIREWIRE to create a FW800 Extension cable that has a down angle 9 pin Male to a 9 pin Female panel mount cord. And since it is being custom made, you might as well have it made as short as possible, which is why I went with 6 inches. The benefit of having these right angled extension cables is twofold. First it saves room in the case allowing everything to fit, and secondly it takes the strain off of the ports, ensuring that they will last longer and not become damaged. An extra expense that will save you in the long run.
After putting all of these items together I have a completely mobile editing station that allow the fastest transfer of CF cards possible, quick access to the footage on the hard drives, and I can operate without the need for an external power source. The two things that I’ll add at a future date will be additional MacBook Pro Batteries and a Battery Charger / Conditioner.
-The Case
After looking around for cases, the majority of cases that i found would only fit a 15” Laptop, which would not work for me. So after talking with Eric Olson of Overland Films I settled on the Storm Case. (If you are a DVXuser or Reduser member he offers a discount on the case- it is always great to save some money. ) I ordered the case with the laptop inserts which allow for laptops of up to 17”. Underneath the laptop two hard drives can be stored in a padded area. I prefer for everything to travel as set up as possible so that there is minimal connecting and disconnecting of cables. So in order to have enough room for the Express card to connect I removed the inner organizer that was on the upper lid. (It connects via velcro, which was perfect, as I put velcro on the CF card reader and I had an instant place to connect it to.) The laptop now rides on top of the foam allowing the Express card to easily be connected, and the FW cables stay connected as long as the latop remains in the case. (There is enough clearance in the upper lid to allow for both the CF card reader and extra space for the laptop to not be affected.)
In the bottom of the case there are cutouts for two hard drives. The Fusion F2 is small enough to fit into one of those cut outs leaving the second area available for the storage of the black stinger. (I was able to find an 8’ black stinger for a couple of bucks at Target, unfortunately they do not show it online, but it is similar to the one that I linked to above.) Also, with the help of my AC, Jerry Turner, (Thanks, Jerry.) we drilled a hole and installed a power outlet that enables me to plug in the laptop should external power be available. He was also able to find a recessed male connection that works much better then the one that I have linked to above. since it is recessed, there is a lot less potential for damage. With a little sealant around the plug I would call it water tight, but not water proof. I would not throw this into a pool anytime soon. But it is good enough to keep everything safe. If you plan on swimming with your laptop, then I would recommend that you not make this modification to the case. The external power connection rests inside the accessories compartment that is also on the lower portion of the case. After cutting a couple of slits in the foam I was able to feed all of the cable to their respective places.
I should also note that initially I left the foam padding as it was and just let the laptop ride on top. However, after some use and travel I found that it started to break apart due to the constant pressure. So to fix this I took apart all of the foam inserts for the upper laptop portion and then used Gorilla Glue to fasten them back together. Since doing this I have had no issues what so ever with the foam. Now that you know all of the details, it is time for the pictures ...
The List:
17” MacBook Pro (The older generation that has both FW400 & FW800)
Delkin Devices FW800 CF Card Reader
Express34 to eSATA Card
Compushade
Sonnett Fusion F2 640GB Hard Drive Array
Flexible eSATA Cable x 2
Up Angle FW400 Extension Cable
Down Angle FW800 Extension Cable - 6” (Has to be custom made.)
Storm Case iM2370 w/ Laptop Inserts (DVXuser and Reduser Members get a discount.)
Plug / Connector Female (Something similar to this.)
Plug / Connector Male (Something similar to this.)
UPDATE: You can get the recessed Male Plug at www.mcmaster.com it is part #8036k1
Velcro
8’ Black Stinger (Extension Cable)
Gorilla Glue
The Details:
- The Laptop
The first thing I had to do was to find a laptop that met my requirements. When I first started working with the Red (last summer) the current 17” MacBook Pro was the obvious choice. I saved a couple of hundred dollars by buying a refurbished model, and it still came with the Apple Warrantee. That model allowed full viewing of 1080p material as the screen is 1920 x 1200. I maxed it out with RAM and I got the 7200 RPM drive to ensure greater speed. (When SSD become more affordable and reliable I’ll be swapping it out for one of those drive- like the yet to be released SanDisk.) The second thing I had to do was to get a reliable Extress34 to eSATA card for the Mac. After going to my local electronics store and buying two cards that did not work with the Mac, I went to Mac Guru’s web site and purchased their recommended card. At that time there was only one recommended card. Since then Sonnett has come out with their own card which is supposedly faster, and works better with their other offerings. I have not tried it out, so I cannot confirm this claim, but it is recommended by the Mac Guru’s so at the very least it will be compatible.
The next thing I had to figure out was the external hard drive situation. In Chase’s setup he used two USB drives which were daisy chained together. He has had reliable results with that setup, but it was not fast enough for me. Additionally, I have experienced some problems powering drives via USB when not connected directly to a power source, and I also wanted a larger capacity then the drives he recommended. So the search was on for another solution. This lead me to the Sonnett Fusion F2. It is a drive array that is powered via FW400, it is very small and light weight, and it connects via eSATA. (Much faster then USB2). At the time I bought it, 640GB was the largest offering they had, but now I believe that they go up to 1TB. The drive can function as an array (where it shows as one drive) or a two separate drives. Since redundancy is imperative in the tapeless workflow, I use the drives as two separate 320GB drives and make a copy of all of the footage to each drive. (And I’ll replace these drives with SSD at a future date to increase the speed as well as decrease the power needs.) The cables that come with this drive are the standard eSATA cables which work great if you have a lot of space to use them in, but not the greatest in tight spaces as they are stiff. Fortunately the people over at Cool Drives offer a very flexible eSATA cable that is perfect for this application. You’ll need these cables in order to not put strain on the F2 or on the Expresscard when they are in use. In keeping with the theme of speed, I also found a FW800 CF card reader. While it is not as fast as eSATA, it is faster then USB2 and it allows me to transfer the CF cards as quick as possible. Because the CF card reader is FW800, this is the one bottle neck in the system- the eSATA can only transfer as quickly as it gets information from the CF card reader.
The final pieces of the laptop puzzle lie in the small bells and whistles. The first addition is the Compushade. It makes the viewing of the laptop screen much more manageable- especially when out in the field on a sunny day, or on those occasions that you feel like editing in a park.
This is a highly recommended accessory if you plan on working outside at all. Fighting the sun to see the screen is no fun. The second and third addition are the right angle (down angled) FW400 and FW800 extension cables. Because of the way the FW400 connection is on the MacBook Pro, you’ll actually need to buy the Up Angle FW400 cable. If you buy the Down Angle FW400 cable it will actually be an up angle, and not work correctly in this application. For the FW800 cable, you need to use the custom cable creation option at USBFIREWIRE to create a FW800 Extension cable that has a down angle 9 pin Male to a 9 pin Female panel mount cord. And since it is being custom made, you might as well have it made as short as possible, which is why I went with 6 inches. The benefit of having these right angled extension cables is twofold. First it saves room in the case allowing everything to fit, and secondly it takes the strain off of the ports, ensuring that they will last longer and not become damaged. An extra expense that will save you in the long run.After putting all of these items together I have a completely mobile editing station that allow the fastest transfer of CF cards possible, quick access to the footage on the hard drives, and I can operate without the need for an external power source. The two things that I’ll add at a future date will be additional MacBook Pro Batteries and a Battery Charger / Conditioner.
-The Case
After looking around for cases, the majority of cases that i found would only fit a 15” Laptop, which would not work for me. So after talking with Eric Olson of Overland Films I settled on the Storm Case. (If you are a DVXuser or Reduser member he offers a discount on the case- it is always great to save some money.
) I ordered the case with the laptop inserts which allow for laptops of up to 17”. Underneath the laptop two hard drives can be stored in a padded area. I prefer for everything to travel as set up as possible so that there is minimal connecting and disconnecting of cables. So in order to have enough room for the Express card to connect I removed the inner organizer that was on the upper lid. (It connects via velcro, which was perfect, as I put velcro on the CF card reader and I had an instant place to connect it to.) The laptop now rides on top of the foam allowing the Express card to easily be connected, and the FW cables stay connected as long as the latop remains in the case. (There is enough clearance in the upper lid to allow for both the CF card reader and extra space for the laptop to not be affected.)In the bottom of the case there are cutouts for two hard drives. The Fusion F2 is small enough to fit into one of those cut outs leaving the second area available for the storage of the black stinger. (I was able to find an 8’ black stinger for a couple of bucks at Target, unfortunately they do not show it online, but it is similar to the one that I linked to above.) Also, with the help of my AC, Jerry Turner, (Thanks, Jerry.) we drilled a hole and installed a power outlet that enables me to plug in the laptop should external power be available. He was also able to find a recessed male connection that works much better then the one that I have linked to above. since it is recessed, there is a lot less potential for damage. With a little sealant around the plug I would call it water tight, but not water proof. I would not throw this into a pool anytime soon. But it is good enough to keep everything safe. If you plan on swimming with your laptop, then I would recommend that you not make this modification to the case. The external power connection rests inside the accessories compartment that is also on the lower portion of the case. After cutting a couple of slits in the foam I was able to feed all of the cable to their respective places.
I should also note that initially I left the foam padding as it was and just let the laptop ride on top. However, after some use and travel I found that it started to break apart due to the constant pressure. So to fix this I took apart all of the foam inserts for the upper laptop portion and then used Gorilla Glue to fasten them back together. Since doing this I have had no issues what so ever with the foam. Now that you know all of the details, it is time for the pictures ...
The Pictures:
The Exterior Of the James Bond Case
The External Recessed Plug
The Inside of the Case, Laptop Secured.
The Laptop In Action! (Everything is connected.)
The FireWire Ports.
The Internal Power Supply / Connection.
The Fusion F2 along with the 8’ Stinger.
All you could need for mobile editing and backup of your Red One footage. It should also be noted, that this application will also work with the Red Drive as it also connects via FW800. And since it is 320GB, you can copy the entire drive to the F2. I hope this has been helpful to you as you look for mobile solutions for your productions. Now get out there and shoot!
Cheers,
Ryan E. Walters, Cinematographer
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