Komodo Batteries

[Andreas Eymannsberger]

I just found a couple of Canon BP-970G Batteries 7.4V 7200mAh from about 5 years ago. Provided they charge will they be usable with the Komodo? I haven't seen this model brought up in the thread yet.

I second this. Just got two chipped 970 Redbox batteries on sale dirt cheap I bought them without really thinking and they share the voltage as well as the physical size of the contacts / locking grooves with the original Canon BP-975s (telling from photos, the bottom side of the battery looks identical). Could it be that it's 975 with the power tester button / LED indicators and 970 without it?

Would be a bummer if there's some sort of functional difference between 970/975 except the power indicator.

[yann LHENORET]

Next announcement from Tilta, horizontal mining V-Mount to dual Canon BP-9 mount.
I see two D-Tap, two Lemo and one USB-A? Apparently there's no cable needed, 14.8V to 7.4 converter included?

Isn't that a great accessory?

More on July 17...

[Hugo Noir]

Will the Komodo give you battery percentage/time remaining? Or will it just be working of the voltage without extra data?

[Phil Holland]

Will the Komodo give you battery percentage/time remaining? Or will it just be working of the voltage without extra data?

With the smart chip in the Canon BP series batteries yes, if feeding power random other ways, not so much.

And yep, the Tilta V-Mount adapter is cable-less, which is it's biggest strength IMO. Tidy rig.

[Bob Gundu]

With the smart chip in the Canon BP series batteries yes, if feeding power random other ways, not so much.

And yep, the Tilta V-Mount adapter is cable-less, which is it's biggest strength IMO. Tidy rig.

Any word on a AB version?

[Andrew Reese]

Any word on a AB version?

Im right there with you on AB mount. Already highly invested in gold mount batteries so hopefully there will be that option by Tilta because the Komodo battery adaptor module is pretty awesome.

I have been trying to hassle GDU on social media / via email about making mini AB GM versions of their aluminum cased batteries but haven't gotten any acknowledgment from them yet. I'd buy at least 6-8 of them. Jarred if you're listening....

I also kind of wish someone like Tilta or Wooden Camera or even Bright Tangerine would make an expansion module similar to the Tilta module above (like the DSMC2 IO base expander but for Komodo) but one that still uses BP series batteries for a lighter weight option but still gave all the extra ports (i.e USB, control, sync, etc.). Basically the same module but the BP battery mounts remain, basically as a pass through to keep weight and bulk as minimal as possible.

Part of me hates having to swap batteries (V-Mount / Gold Mount makes sense here) but I think the whole point to Komodo for me is going to be keeping the rig as small, light, and mobile as possible (basically the opposite of my DSMC2 camera) as I already have Gemini for larger builds and rigged up shooting. Once I put a module/battery plate, baseplate, rails, and a VM/GM on Komodo it's not going to be that far off of a fully stripped and more modular DSCM2 camera other than its reduced height and a little weight savings. Just a VM/GM has a weight of its own and is probably comparable or not far off of the Komodo brain itself. So now we are doubling or even tripping entire rig weight just to get accessory ports and larger battery options. Go grab your DSMC2 cam in a handheld form factor and check the weight you feel with/without a battery on the back. Even a DSMC2 camera would be pretty stinking awesome if you could use it without a V-mount / Gold-Mount on the back which is kind of what I envisioned for Komodo. BP series batteries basically weigh nothing.

It's just my opinion, but the last thing I personally would want to do is take a tiny Komodo and and rig it out like an Alexa Mini with rails and battery plates and wires (i.e. junk hanging off of it). I have always wished Alexa Mini would have a built in battery plate like RED instead of relying on a battery mounted on rails. It's cool looking and obviously has some certain benefits and would make a great A-cam to many in that form but to me that kind of defeats the purpose of Komodo's intended design to live on gimbals, car mounts, or in a form factor that is tailored towards travel, inconspicuous shooting, or tiny handheld builds that prior was unachievable even with a stripped down DSMC2 cam.

[Adam D. Ouellette]

Anybody own Bebob 45s? Feeling like that would keep this rig amazingly compact.

[joshua csehak]

I also kind of wish someone like Tilta or Wooden Camera or even Bright Tangerine would make an expansion module similar to the Tilta module above (like the DSMC2 IO base expander but for Komodo) but one that still uses BP series batteries for a lighter weight option but still gave all the extra ports (i.e USB, control, sync, etc.). Basically the same module but the BP battery mounts remain, basically as a pass through to keep weight and bulk as minimal as possible.

I like that, but can BPs power a d-tap? If not, it probably makes sense to just have a breakout cable for those extra ports. And really, a breakout cable for just timecode. Speaking of which, any word on if anyone's working on that?

[Alex Dolgin]

Thank you for mentioning Bob :-)

[Alex Dolgin]

Nice. Thanks Bob! That is one pricey charger but looks great.

I was looking at the SWIT LC-D421 4-ch Multi-type DV Charger. No idea if it is good.

@Phil, yea the Watson one is the one that comes up the most when I do a research. I'll look at that one too.

And I know everyone is recommending to go with the OG Canon batteries but here in Hong Kong, the BP 955 and 975 are impossible to find (even if they are made in China) so I was thinking of testing the SWIT BP 955.

I also saw some Canon BP batteries on ebay but I am skeptical if they are real...

You will not go wrong with SWIT S-8845. They are real thing
https://www.switusa.com/product-page...on-bp-945-970g