I purchased two Canon CR N500 PTZ cameras and the RC-IP100 joystick controller for the cameras. I also purchased a custom hard case shell to hold all three items with their power supplies. The PTZ has a 24v power supply and the controller has a 12V power supply. The power block for the camera is about 1 3/8" longer and 1/2" wider than the one for the controller. Since all the power blocks were in the same case, I picked what I thought was the power block for the controller and plugged it into the controller only to burn the motherboard. I didn't know it at the time so I sent it in for a warranty repair since I only had it for a few weeks. They explained that the damage was likely caused by using too much voltage which is why I assumed that I used the wrong power block. So it was not covered by general warranty.
I understand this was the most likely scenario and therefore my fault. But I do have a few questions.
1. If the joystick is meant to be used with other Canon cameras that also use power blocks but with higher voltages, why not manufacture the joystick power-block with a connection that cannot fit the other Canon camera power blocks thus preventing accidental damage (which isn't covered by CarePak or a general warranty) ?
2. Since the joystick is a low voltage and is commonly used on a network to communicate with the camera, why not make it capable of being powered over ethernet like many other camera controllers ? Another way to avoid accidental damage but more importantly, it's much more convenient than using another power block.
That one simple mistake that happened while trying to quickly setup for an event cost half the price of an already expensive joystick ($960). To make matters worse, I was told by Canon that the CarePak covers products from day 1 of the PRODUCT'S purchase, not the day of the CAREPAK purchase so I bought the CarePak since they said I would get a refund since I already paid for my repair. Just got a call today that it's not covered by CarePak either, so I'm out another $400+. Consider yourself warned.
