Foolography Community

Just received the N1 unit. Works well with my D800. When plugged into my D4 it shows D5100, all functions are blocked.

Hi mwolfer1,

Unfortunately, there were some camera model codes that we couldn't get a hold on. The Nikon D4 was one of them. We assigned it a code nonetheless but apparently, it was the wrong one.

Nikon assigned each camera a model code. It is interesting that the code we have for the D5100 was already on our list and it's just next to the code for the D4. The code for the D5100 is 28 and for the D4 we have 29. We will wait to see if more people report model issues with the D5100 and the D4, perhaps we have swapped the codes.

Nevertheless, the Unleashed should be able to communicate with the D4 without a problem, both with and without a USB cable. The fact that you're getting a camera model means that the Unleashed is talking to the camera. Are you still having problems with it?

Hi,

Indeed the D4, along with the D4s and D810A were the only cameras we could not get the code for and we had to guess. Now that we know it from you, we can correct it in the next app update! We've already added the codes for the Z6 and Z7 after getting them at photokina.

But if you got the D5100 name, that means that the communication with the camera works, so the all the settings should be available.

Can you write what it shows when you tap on one of the greyed out settings? The error message might help us (and hopefully you as well) to clear things up.
The error messages, or rather "reasons" for why a setting or control is unavailable or read-only were only added in the app in the last few months - you have no idea how often we were searching for some big problem in our firmware or app during development when all the settings were greyed out, only to find out that the camera was turned off :-/

The D4 and D800 only added support for the communication protocol on the 10-pin port after one of the latest firmware updates. so make sure that your camera's firmware is up to date if you're not seeing the settings without the USB cable.

Andy, Oliver, thanks for the response. I am traveling right now and will check how the app reacts and what firmware level the D4 is on. I recall that all controls were just greyed out.

Regarding the USB cable: Out of the box it neither works for the D800 nor the D4. The D4 has a USB mini-b connector, the D800 a USB 3.0 Micro B.

I am just wondering: Did you get a listing of model codes or did you have to reverse engineer the interface? Assuming you don't have a D4 just sitting on the shelf somewhere collecting dust, is there anything I can do with the app (like debug mode) to establish the correct code?

Martin

Update: Upgrading the firmware in the D4 from 1.10 A/B to 1.11 A/B helped and made the controls available in the app. The only remaining issue is the fact that the camera shows up as D5100. That's a cosmetic issue.

Regarding the USB cable included with the N1: I can cobble a couple of adapters together that will end up at least mechanically making the connection. Without having tested it yet I am concerned about reliability and performance of the electrical connection (instead of two transitions and a 6 inch cable, 4 transitions and about 12 inches of cables), and the reliability and stability of the mechanical connection. I would very much prefer to have bespoke cables for each of the two additional configurations connecting the N1 interface directly with USB mini-b, or the USB 3.0 micro B connectors respectively.

Thanks

Martin

I'm glad the Unleashed is working now for you :) The camera model is already taken care of and it will be fixed with the next firmware update.

What is the problem you have with the USB cable? Did you get the wrong kind?

Hi mwolfer1
I don't know your real name, but if I deduced correctly ;-) , you chose the D800 as the camera you want to use the Unleashed N1 on in the survey. So we sent you a cable that fits that camera.
What you might not know is that the USB micro plug fits into the bottom half of the Micro USB 3.0 socket on the D800. You wouldn't be the first! In fact, we got so many questions about this that we made a video showing how to plug that cable in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7uchvt2s7M

The D4 requires a Mini USB cable. We still have these on stock and will make these available in our online-shop very soon.

Thank you, Oliver.

I'm far too old to be embarrassed about not knowing this handy little gem of USB lore. I'm sure there are a lot more.

I'd appreciate it if there would be some sort of a message once the N1 USB mini cables are available for purchase.

Martin