Cheap backup battery?

[Shawn Nelson]

So I've been on a journey to discover cheap battery backups and I seem to have found a good one!

Now this is not in place of Red's system. I have a full power pack reserved and hope to use that. I'm just thinking of a couple of these as emergency backups.

I know it's unconvential, and doesn't neatly pack onto a shoulder mount, but for 130wH at 16v output for a Li-Ion battery with recharger for under $200...it just seems like a hell of a backup option.
http://www.notebook-laptop-batteries.com/Universal-External-battery-1.HTM

[Shawn Nelson]

Or is there a reason this wont work?

[Stephen Williams]

Hi Shawn,

Many companies sell Lithium rechargeable batteries on Ebay for less, your cheapest emergency solution would be sealed lead acid.

Stephen

[Shawn Nelson]

I wouldn't want *the* cheapest. Wouldn't this work? I don't see why this wouldn't work well, except a little physically awkward.

[Stuart English]

You would need to know the current it can sustain, not just the voltage or the capacity. So a 12V car battery is a reasonable thing to consider as a secondary power source, but this specific item may not be.

[JohnF]

For that we need to know what RED's current consumption would be!?!

minimum to maximum ie RED body only to RED body with EVF & RED DRIVES with cooling systems on full.

JohnF

[I Bloom]

...it just seems like a hell of a backup option.
http://www.notebook-laptop-batteries.com/Universal-External-battery-1.HTM

Hey Shawn, I guess we'll have to see if this is suitable for camera. But you might as well buy it anyways because you will likely run into situations where you need to power a laptop for extended periods away from AC power.

IBloom

[jbeale]

Interesting battery pack. It has 12V or 16 V input, and 16 or 19 V output (switch-selected). It does not output 12 V which is what Red uses, isn't it? What's the upper limit of battery voltage that Red can safely handle?

It seems probable that there is a switching power supply inside that "universal" laptop pack which generates the two output voltages, meaning that the output current will be limited by that supply, and not just the battery internal resistance.

[Champe Barton]

Shawn,

That battery looks like it would be great for a laptop but it might not even power up your Red. Check these out: http://www.blbattery.com/en/video.asp. A bit more expensive but I've been using them on my F900 for about a year now and they've been great. Mine are 160 wH but they also make a 190 wH that's a little bigger. They're made in China and have several independent distributers here in the States. I only know the Florida guys but if you can't find them I'd be happy to pass on the info. I paid $1600.00 for 4 bricks and a 4 way charger/power supply. Not to take business away from Red (their stuff looks much cooler) but I'd rather spend the money on accessories.

I also use a sealed 12 volt gel cell marine battery which cost about $80.00 at a marine supply store. I put them in a small Pelican case and add a couple of 4 pin XLR connectors. They're smaller than a car battery and fit nicely on a dolly.

Hope that helps.

Champe

[Stuart English]

What's the upper limit of battery voltage that Red can safely handle?

The acceptable input voltage range for the RED ONE is 11.5V - 17V

[Shawn Nelson]

Uh...this isn't an off-topic post....as this directly relates to being able to operate a Red One

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Uh...this isn't an off-topic post....as this directly relates to being able to operate a Red One

I think it got moved OT because of the discussion of third-party battery products. Seems all the third-party hardware talk is in the OT forum due to lack of a better place.

I'm not sure if it should be moved back into the main forum or not, I think it could go either way... I'll move it back there for now and see where it goes.

I think if you're desperate for dirt-cheap battery power in a pinch, you could probably go with a lead acid battery that I think someone suggested, like a motorcycle battery to make it more manageable. But I think what you're really after is alternatives to the $400 or so prices on the V-Mount batteries that will come from RED and are available now from other manufacturers. I'm not sure what to suggest there, but I don't see where this ~$150 laptop battery kit is the answer. Perhaps we as a REDUSER.NET community could approach one of the common V-Mount battery suppliers and contract a large bulk-order. Maybe that could potentially knock some prices down if we have REDUSER batteries kinda like the DVXUSER battery deal that was started a couple years ago.

[Jaime Vallés]

Perhaps we as a REDUSER.NET community could approach one of the common V-Mount battery suppliers and contract a large bulk-order. Maybe that could potentially knock some prices down if we have REDUSER batteries kinda like the DVXUSER battery deal that was started a couple years ago.
Count me in!

[Stuart English]

If you really need to run for extended periods of time, but remain tripod mounted and do not have A.C power available, then a 12V lead acid car battery is a pretty good option to compiement your RED BRICK batteries.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Count me in!

I just kinda threw that out there. I don't know how possible it is and I also wouldn't want to buy junk batteries. In the end, there may not be any real savings... Something to look into though.

A car battery if your tripod mounted doesn't seem all that bad. However, a compact generator seems to make a lot more sense to me if it's something you'll need regularly.

[Richard Andrewski]

Shawn,

http://www.blbattery.com/en/video.asp.



Oh great! Been looking for a capable battery company and they're not that far from where I'm at here in China. Personally, I think lithium ion and lithium polymer is the best technology out there for this kind of stuff and keeping it small and light. That's what most laptop batteries use now too. The problem I see with sealed lead acid is size and weight.

[Shawn Nelson]

Hey Richard! You could be the perfect one to create a 12v li-ion battery!

[Stephen Williams]

Hi,

I usually use sealed lead acid batteries for film cameras, 12v 7ah costs about $30. Can be recharged 100+ times I have some 5 year old ones that still work fine. You don't want to get car or motorcycle ones as they can leak acid if you knock them over. Google sealed lead acid batteries.

Stephen

[Michael Brennan]

Last week a UK DP had a nasty experience with a Lithium battery on charge that exploded and fizzed around the room like a firework.
Fortunatley it was a small battery and he was in the room when it occured.
He thinks the cause was that he had let it fully discharge.


His advice is

1) use a good quality charger
2) DO NOT leave unattended
3) When charging have a powder extinguisher handy or a bucket of sand
4) DO NOT use water, this generates hexafloric acid.
5) These things will combust, when exposed to air or water!
6) perhaps you should charge them in a Lipo Bag for ultimate safety
7) DO NOT fully discharge, if you do, dispose of them DO NOT try to charge
them.

Here's a video of li ion fizzing after being hit with a stick!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OsBc8RqSKU
You Tube has numerous other examples of lithium pyromanic activity..

Mike Brennan

[Scott Webster]

Last week a UK DP had a nasty experience with a Lithium battery on charge that exploded and fizzed around the room like a firework.
Fortunatley it was a small battery and he was in the room when it occured.
He thinks the cause was that he had let it fully discharge.
Mike Brennan

Mike, Was that a broadcast V-lock type battery? or one of the L series for the Z1 etc? In my time (and we still have some of the original BPL60's in service) I've never heard of an incident of a broadcast camera battery doing that.

[number6]

If you really need to run for extended periods of time, but remain tripod mounted and do not have A.C power available, then a 12V lead acid car battery is a pretty good option to compiement your RED BRICK batteries.

Stuart, how about using a Red battery charger for pouer, plugged into something like a Black and Decker DC power station with an AC inverter?

[PaulClements]

If you really need to run for extended periods of time, but remain tripod mounted and do not have A.C power available, then a 12V lead acid car battery is a pretty good option to compiement your RED BRICK batteries.

RedBlock™

[Stephen Williams]

Mike, Was that a broadcast V-lock type battery? or one of the L series for the Z1 etc? In my time (and we still have some of the original BPL60's in service) I've never heard of an incident of a broadcast camera battery doing that.

Hi,

Sony recalled & replaced many Li batteries about 12 years ago, the larger ones are no longer made as you can't fly with them. There in the same category as dynamite!

Stephen

[Scott Webster]

Hi,

Sony recalled & replaced many Li batteries about 12 years ago, the larger ones are no longer made as you can't fly with them. There in the same category as dynamite!

Stephen

Yes I remember the recall. Still waiting for one of the various Chinese clones to go off and have lithium banned from airplanes altogether.