Camera connectors

So far, I've come across only two cameras that had reverse polarity protection, and that's still no guarantee of complete protection, especially if the protection circuit gets damaged through repeated abuse.  Always check power wiring, and that connectors have not been forced in the wrong way.  Particularly CCJ connectors, where the locating pin/notch may have damaged, and batteries with spade terminals.

Also, do not grind connectors around trying to fit them into the socket, use your eyes and align them properly before connecting.  You will break pins, sockets, loosen backshells, and then break off wiring inside.

When wiring these plugs, check that you're following the diagrams correctly; plugs and sockets are mirror images of each other, and some diagrams show the wiring side of a connector, others show the connections side.  Look for pin numbers stamped on the sockets.  In around 40 years of wiring camera leads I've found them all to have numbers stamped on them somewhere, but that's still no guarantee that you will, too.  When in doubt do some multimeter testing of ground pins back to ground points on the chassis.  Do this with the meter in both polarities, in case you measure across a shunting diode on power pins (designed to blow a fuse if you wire power backwards).  If you're concerned about reverse power protection, you should ensure that everything uses polarised plugs that can only be inserted one way, and you can add a fuse and diode (use a very hefty diode).

If you have equipment that uses those DC barrel connectors that may be wired in opposite ways by different manufacturers (pin positive or pin negative), you'll have to be very careful about using the right power supply with the right device.  Label them well, keep the power supplies with the equipment.  Alternatively, you can change connectors if it's mechanically viable.  Or have a pigtail lead permanently attached to the equipment, that leads to a polarised plug that cannot be incorrectly powered (such as a 4-pin XLR connector).

Manufacturers often use the same connectors across a wide variety of models of equipment, and wire them all differently.  While they tend to standardise some pins (power and video connections), other ones may be model-specific.  You may find that only some cameras work with some VTRs, you probably will find that only some cameras work with some CCUs.  Sometimes there are thinner, more basic, leads for VTRs which only carry the commonly used signals, whereas CCU cables usually wire all the pins up.

I update this page from time to time, if you're returning after a long time, scroll through to see if anything has been added or corrected (last modified on 01 Jun 2022).

There are often multiple ground pins on connectors, each for their own purpose.  Don't use the wrong ground.  The ground pin for the power supply may be labelled ground or power ground, it'll have heavy wiring to the power circuitry.  Ground pins for audio signals will have a shield around the audio wiring that's isolated from other shielding.  Likewise, video shielding will be isolated from other signal shields.  Cross-coupling the ground pins can put heavy current through places it's not meant to go, and can cause hum problems.

Since there's a whole series of multicore camera cables, with names like CCF, CCJ, CCK, CCQ, etc., it's a fair bet that the initials CCJ mean Camera Cable (or Camera Connector) type J, likewise for the other variants.

CCF

A 6-pin DIN cabling scheme used by Sony in the 1960s/1970s.

  1. Video input
  2. Vertical sync out (4 volts peak-to-peak)
  3. Shield for pin 2
  4. Sync clip
  5. Horizontal sync (4 volts peak-to-peak)
  6. Shield for pin 1

You may find pins 3, 4, & 6 all grounded together (they are in the Sony SEG-2000P vision mixer), and that pins 2 & 5 mayn't be using shielded wiring.  I haven't found any definition of what Sony called “sync clip.”


CCJ

A 10-pin connector cabling used by Sony, and other manufacturers in the 1960s/1970s.  I could guess that the name might represent Camera Cable type J, as there are several CCx camera cable names (for different camera cable types).

There are many variations on what signals go on what pins, but this is the original CCJ wiring scheme:

  1. Video coax core (largest coax)
  2. Shield for pin 1
  3. Shielded wire
  4. Shield for pins 3 and 5
  5. Coax core (thinner coax)
  6. Unshielded wire
  7. Shielded wire
  8. Shield for pin 7
  9. Ground wire
  10. Unshielded wire

All shields are isolated from each other, other than the two that join on pin 4.  There may be a shield around all the wiring in the cable, this may be joined to the pin 9 ground.  Many newer cameras don't use all the pins, and may use some of the pins with unshielded wiring.

Common black and white portapak camera wiring

A 1970s B&W Panasonic WV-85, and many others, used this wiring.  Although there's plenty of other variations.

  1. Camera video
  2. Shield for pin 1
  3. Vertical sync
  4. Shield for pins 3 and 5
  5. Horizontal sync
  6. Record stop/start
  7. Camera audio
  8. Shield for pin 7
  9. Power ground
  10. +12 volts DC

The microphone is usually amplified, but still at the usual microphone levels.  VTR playback re-uses pin 1, with a few volts DC on top (as a mode switching signal).

Common colour portapak camera wiring

  1. Camera video
  2. Shield for pin 1
  3. unused, or used various different purposes
  4. Shield for pins 3 and 5
  5. Right channel audio (on stereo cameras)
  6. Record stop/start
  7. Camera audio (left channel on stereo cameras)
  8. Shield for pin 7
  9. Power ground
  10. +12 volts DC

The microphone is usually amplified, but still at the usual microphone levels.  VTR playback re-uses pin 1, with a few volts DC on top (as a mode switching signal).

Various 1980s/1990s Panasonic colour portapak camera wiring

  1. Camera video
  2. Shield for pin 1
  3. Serial data
  4. Serial clock
  5. Standby (steady +5v or 0v)
  6. Record stop/start (momentary +9v/0v)
  7. Camera audio
  8. Shield for pin 7
  9. Power ground
  10. +12 volts DC

The microphone is usually amplified, but still at the usual microphone levels.  VTR playback re-uses pin 1, with a few volts DC on top (as a mode switching signal).

A JVC colour portapak camera wiring

  1. Camera video
  2. Shield for pin 1
  3. Line view / tape playback
  4. Shield for pins 3 and 5
  5. Audio return / tape playback & standby voltage
  6. Record stop/start
  7. Camera audio
  8. Shield for pin 7
  9. Power ground
  10. +12 volts DC

The microphone is amplified, but still at the usual microphone levels.  A DC voltage placed on pin 5, by a switch on the camera, puts the VTR into standby mode.

A JVC HR7700 VHS wiring

  1. Video in/out
  2. Shield for pin 1
  3. Tally (controls the video & audio in or out direction by being a high or low signal, depending on whether in play or record mode)
  4. Shield for pin 5
  5. Audio in/out
  6. Record stop/start
  7. Camera mic
  8. Shield for pin 7
  9. Power ground
  10. +12 volts DC

Panasonic WV-341N B&W camera wiring, 1970s vintage

  1. Camera video
  2. Shield for pin 1
  3. Vertical sync
  4. Shield for pins 3 and 5
  5. Horizontal sync
  6. Tally lamp
  7. Intercom audio (tip)
  8. Intercom audio (ring)
  9. Line view video
  10. Tally lamp

Two 24 volt tally lamps are directly wired across pins 6 & 10, the top and rear tally lamps, in parallel.  The intercom line is wired directly to the tip and ring of the ¼ inch TRS jack, with a 3 volt (if I recall correctly) baristor from tip to sleeve.  The intercom is totally isolated from the rest of the camera, ground, and the chassis.  The intercom headset has a 35Ω carbon mike between tip and sleeve, and a 160Ω earpiece between ring and sleeve.  The camera is separately mains powered.

Panasonic WV-3200N single-tube colour camera, 1980s vintage

  1. Camera video / playback video (with +5 volts DC on top)
  2. Shield for pin 1
  3. Not connected
  4. Grounded
  5. +3.2 volts standby / 0 volts operate
  6. Record (+5 volts) start / stop (0 volts)
  7. Camera audio
  8. Shield for pin 7
  9. Power ground
  10. +12 volts DC

Directly usable with the NV-100 portapak VCR.

Panasonic NV100 portable VCR, 1980s vintage

  1. Camera video / playback video (with +5 volts DC on top)
  2. Shield for pin 1
  3. +4 volts
  4. Grounded
  5. +3.2 volts standby / 0 volts operate
  6. Record (+5 volts) start / stop (0 volts)
  7. Camera audio
  8. Shield for pin 7
  9. Power ground
  10. +12 volts DC

If video is present on pin 1, record/pause control is from the camera.  Otherwise, the pause button on the VTR is used.

Panasonic WV-3600N single-tube colour camera, 1980s vintage

  1. Camera video
  2. Shield for pin 1
  3. Line view video, and tally signal (DC added to the video)
  4. Shield for pins 3 and 5
  5. Genlock video in RCU mode, something else (but unknown) in VTR mode
  6. Pedestal control in RCU mode, record start/stop in VTR mode
  7. Presumed intercom in RCU mode, and camera audio in VTR mode
  8. Shield for pin 7
  9. Power ground
  10. +12 volts DC

Directly usable with the NV-100 portapak VCR.


Panasonic WV-F15 single-CCD colour camera, 1990s

Camera head 10-pin VTR connector

  1. Camera video out
  2. Shield for camera video
  3. VTR serial data in
  4. VTR serial clock in
  5. Right audio out
  6. Record start/stop
  7. Left audio out
  8. Shield for audio signals
  9. Power ground
  10. +12 volts DC supply

There is a custom 10-pin connector on the camera head, leading to a standard CCJ style plug on the other end of the cable.  The cables are wired pin for pin (pin 1 to pin 1, pin 2 to pin 2, et cetera).  The camera can (supposedly) be run from 12 volts DC up to about 20 volts, it's internally regulated.  Though I'd only use such high voltage through long video cables, where the some of the voltage will be lost through the cable.

Camera head 14-pin VTR connector

  1. Ground
  2. +12 volts DC supply
  3. Left audio out
  4. Audio ground
  5. Audio ground
  6. Camera video out
  7. Return video in (only works when the side-panel power switch is on 14-pin mode, and the “ret” button is pressed at the front of the camera)
  8. Ground
  9. Ground
  10. VTR serial data in
  11. Chroma out (when the side-panel 14-pin switch is on Y/C mode)
  12. VTR warning in (battery/tape)
  13. Record stop/start
  14. Return audio **

This is a custom connector (and wiring) for this, and (perhaps) some other Panasonic cameras.

WV-AD36 genlock back end

  1. Camera video
  2. Shield for camera video
  3. (pin omitted)
  4. Shield for genlock video
  5. Genlock video
  6. (pin omitted)
  7. Audio from camera microphone
  8. Shield for audio
  9. Power ground
  10. +12 volts DC supply

This is a custom 10-pin connector on the back of this device (the same connector type as the 10-pin VTR connector, on the head, but it's wired up differently).  It may lead to another custom 10-pin connector, or to a common CCJ connector, I haven't seen the cable.  The cables are wired pin for pin (pin 1 to pin 1, pin 2 to pin 2, et cetera).  The genlock back-end won't work unless it's powered through its own 4-pin or 10-pin connector.  The VTR connectors, on the side of the camera, won't power the circuitry in the back end.

WV-AD37 studio RCU adaptor back end
and on the WV-RC35 CCU

  1. supply ground (connected to a shield around all the wires)
  2. supply +12 volts DC (heavy gauge wire)
  3. intercom to camera (part of a two-core shielded cable)
  4. intercom from camera (part of a two-core shielded cable)
  5. shield for pins 3, 4 & 14
  6. video from camera (coaxial wiring)
  7. shield for pin 6
  8. shield for pin 9 & 11
  9. line view video to camera (coaxial wiring)
  10. serial CCU data to camera (single insulated wire)
  11. genlock video to camera (coaxial wiring)
  12. serial CCU clock to camera (single insulated wire)
  13. horizontal phase DC control voltage (single insulated wire)
  14. coarse subcarrier phase DC control voltage (shielded wiring)

This uses a plastic 14-pin connector, the same physical connector as the K connector (or CCK) on the old domestic Betamax/Betacord decks, but with the pins used for completely different purposes.  Panasonic used the same connector, for their 14C-30 (30 foot) and 14C-100 (100 foot) camera cables, for a variety of Panasonic cameras, using the same cable wiring for different functions in different cameras (the cables are compatible, but you can't cross-connect mismatching equipment).


CCK

A 14-pin connector cabling used by Sony, and other manufacturers in the 1970s.  Be aware that several different cameras use the pins for completely different purposes, and that you should only connect equipment together that were designed to be connected together (see the WV-AD37 back end, above, for an example, as well as the ones below).  The connectors, often, have + and − stamped on them instead of pins 13 and 14, which tallies with Sony's use of putting the power supply on those pins of the connector.

Panasonic

This is the wiring in generic 14C-30/14C-100 CCK cables made by Panasonic, used with various different Panasonic cameras.  It doesn't look compatible with general CCK usage (there are thin wires in the Pansaonic cable where there'd be heavy-duty power wires in a Sony cable).

  1. Overall cable shield (15 gauge)
  2. insulated wire (18 gauge)
  3. two core shielded (28 gauge)
  4. two core shielded (28 gauge)
  5. shield for pins 3 & 4 (20 gauge)
  6. coax (28 gauge)
  7. shield for pin 6 (22 gauge)
  8. shields for pins 9 & 11 (18 gauge)
  9. coax (28 gauge)
  10. insulated wire (28 gauge)
  11. coax (28 gauge)
  12. insulated wire (28 gauge)
  13. insulated wire (28 gauge)
  14. shielded wire (28 gauge) [shield goes to pin 5]

A stereo Sony Betamax/Betacord camera pinout

  1. Camera video out
  2. Ground for pin 1
  3. Video in (e.g. for recorder monitoring)
  4. Ground for pin 3
  5. Pause (momentary ground closure)
  6. Tally input (+5 volts active)
  7. Camera channel 2 audio out
  8. Record review playback trigger
  9. Camera channel 1 audio out
  10. Audio ground (for pins 7, 9, 11 & 12)
  11. Audio channel 1 in (e.g. recorder monitoring)
  12. Audio channel 2 in
  13. +12 volt power
  14. Power ground

A different Sony Betamax/Betacord camera pinout

  1. Video in (camera to VCR)
  2. Ground for pin 1
  3. Video out (VCR to camera)
  4. Ground for pin 3
  5. Record start/stop
  6. Tally
  7. (not used)
  8. (not used)
  9. Audio in (camera to VCR)
  10. Ground for pin 9
  11. Audio out (VCR to camera)
  12. Ground for pin 11
  13. +12 volt power
  14. Power ground

Panasonic WV-RC33 CCU
& WV-AD33 back end for (unknown) camera

  1. Ground
  2. +17 volts power supply
  3. RCU intercom (to camera) / VTR audio (dual use)
  4. RCU intercom (from camera)
  5. Ground for pins 3 & 4
  6. Camera video
  7. Ground for pin 6
  8. Ground for pins 9 & 11
  9. Line view / return video (dual use)
  10. RCU DC control
  11. Genlock video
  12. RCU serial data / VTR serial clock (dual use)
  13. +17 volt (270Ω resistor to pin 2 in back end, pins directly wired together in CCU)
  14. RCU character out (for superimposing camera OSD on a CCU video out)

Taken from the service manual for these devices, which has conflicting information about pins 13 and 14 being the other way around, in different places in the manual.  I'd check for which pin (13 or 14) links back to pin 2 (directly, or through a resistor).


CCQ

A 14-pin connector used on a variety of Sony, and other manufacturer's, cameras, portapaks, and CCUs.  It's a moderately safe bet that some pins are nearly always used for the same purposes (video out, power), other pins may be re-used for other features (for rudimentary CCU usage, I expect the microphone pins will be repurposed for intercom, and others for serial camera control signals.  And other manufacturers may change things further.

Sony CCQ (generic) camera/VCR pinout

  1. Power ground
  2. +12 volt power
  3. Camera mic balanced audio X
  4. Camera mic balanced audio Y
  5. Ground for pins 3 & 4
  6. Camera video
  7. Ground for pin 6
  8. Ground for pin 9
  9. Return video (playback, confidence-head monitoring, CCU line-view)
  10. VTR Battery alarm
  11. Framing pulse
  12. Record tally
  13. Record start/stop
  14. VTR save / audio monitor input

The VTR save function on pin 14 may be used in different ways on particular equipment.  It could shutdown the motors to minimise head/tape wear while in record-pause.  It could just shutdown some of the electronics to save some power when in record-pause.

Sony CCQ (generic) camera CCU pinout

  1. Power ground
  2. +12 volt power (10.6 to 17 volts)
  3. Intercom audio + (-20 dB, 600Ω)
  4. Intercom audio − (-20 dB, 600Ω)
  5. Ground for pins 3 & 4
  6. Camera video
  7. Ground for pin 6
  8. Ground for pin 9
  9. Return video (CCU line-view & genlock)
  10. Serial data in/out (CCU controls)
  11. Red video signal
  12. Green video signal
  13. Tally (on is 4.5 Vdc, off is 0 Vdc, both ± 0.5 Vdc)
  14. Blue video signal

NB:  Pins 8 & 9 have been swapped around in some of the information that I've gathered (differently for the VTR or CCU usage), you'd want to measure and confirm (they may be swapped, or the schematics I've seen could have errors).  And it lists tally on different pins for each (VTR or CCU).  No shielding information was given for pins 10 to 14 for CCU use, I would guess the RGB video would share a ground pin with of the composite video in or outs, perhaps the same for the serial control signal.

The camera would have to be in CCU mode for pins 8 & 9 to be used for genlock.  Normally they're used as video in to the viewfinder, and this can be confidence playback from a portable VTR.  You definitely would not want the camera to be sync-locked to a VTR that it's recording to.