vitekcz Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 Hi, this is my first post here. So exciting. First, sorry for my English. Does anybody power their sound bag with RC lipol batterries? I want to power my sound bag with SD664, 3x sennheiser 2000 wireless with lipol batteries. I love the weight and price/ capacity. I want to keep as less weight of bag as I can. Because I'm shooting documentary often throught hole day. greetings from Europe Czech Republic Vitek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebeaudry Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 Hi, this is my first post here. So exciting. First, sorry for my English. Does anybody power their sound bag with RC lipol batterries? I want to power my sound bag with SD664, 3x sennheiser 2000 wireless with lipol batteries. I love the weight and price/ capacity. I want to keep as less weight of bag as I can. Because I'm shooting documentary often throught hole day. greetings from Europe Czech Republic Vitek. I have three of the batteries you describe and use them to power my Nomad, four Lectro 211 receivers, and a Lectro D-4 camera hop through a BDS. When I have more time I can share the details. One thing to keep in mind, these systems aren't as robust as the usual powering solutions. I've had to repair all three batteries and the charger. If you're able to solder and check continuity its not a big deal. I started using them about three years ago and have been fairly happy with them. With my setup I get about four hours per battery with a 5600 mah capacity and the weight is a little less than an NP-1. Length is about that of an NP-1, a little thicker but about half as wide. Your English is just fine and welcome! Bernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Maier Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 I always find it amusing when someone apologizes for their English then its better than some native english speakers. I wish I could say the same about my French, Spanish, and German. Welcome to the board. I know there are some that use RC batteries for their bags, but I dont have experience with them in that application. I know there was at least one thread about "alternative powering" solutions a while back, try looking for that. Hopefully it will be useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefanosound Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 ...i use thi Kind of battery too. I have just to take care at the discarghe. Tis kind of battery don't have protection. If lipo battery go down to much they broke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebeaudry Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 ...i use thi Kind of battery too. I have just to take care at the discarghe. Tis kind of battery don't have protection. If lipo battery go down to much they broke. The batteries are available with circuits that prevent over discharge. Not a good idea to not have that on the batteries. The ones I have have PCB circuits for proper charging and discharging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackHenry Posted March 6, 2013 Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 The batteries are available with circuits that prevent over discharge. Not a good idea to not have that on the batteries. The ones I have have PCB circuits for proper charging and discharging. Do you have a link to a supplier or similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebeaudry Posted March 6, 2013 Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 I'll post some later today or tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruben Rojas A Posted March 7, 2013 Report Share Posted March 7, 2013 Hey Bernie, You mention 5600 MAh, but how many cells (C's)? 2, 3,4? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundslikejustin Posted March 7, 2013 Report Share Posted March 7, 2013 I used to power my bag with lipo batteries designed for RC cars. A few things to keep in mind: 1. They have no charge or discharge protection - they can VERY easily be over discharged which results in bloating, instability and can even start a fire. When charging you have to watch them like a hawk. Newer cells with BMS are safer, but bigger and more expensive. These control boards are the reason NP-1's and the like are the size and cost they are - the cells are the same. 2. There is almost no limit to the curren these can supply - if you accidentally cause a short with an NP-1, the battery will limit its output to around 6A. A typical RC lipo can output anywhere between 30 and a couple 100 amps, which can REALLY wreck things. And no, protection circuitry in things like a BDS won't really help - well, it'll stop your gear getting totally fried but it sure as hell won't recover. 3. Soft cell pouches can be punctured and compressed in the field, which will almost instantly result in a fire. Hard case lipos can prevent this, but you're getting closer to the weight, size and cost of a NP-1 or similar. Also, the C-rate designation on Lipo batteries has nothing to do with the capacity, more so the amount of current they can output. In a sound bag, I'd be surprised if you need over 2.5A (and that would be a MONSTER bag). A 5200mAh lipo with a 30C rate is able to output 30 x 5.2A = over 150A!! Probably only for a few minutes at most, but that's way overkill for our needs, and pretty dangerous considering the lack of protection circuitry mentioned above. Hope this has been helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackHenry Posted March 7, 2013 Report Share Posted March 7, 2013 Hey Bernie, You mention 5600 MAh, but how many cells (C's)? 2, 3,4? Thanks. Packs are usually specified as something like 3S4P (Series & Parallel) Series give voltage. In Parallel gives amp/hr 1 cell = 3.7 volts 2 cells in series = 7.4 volts 3 cells in series = 11.1 volts The above 'Voltage' pack is then wired in Parallel with another of the same configuration. A LiPo cell might be 2500mAh (Cell dependent) So a 3S4P would be 11.1 volt, 10,000mAh consisting of 3 X 4 batteries (12 in total) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebeaudry Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 Hey Bernie, You mention 5600 MAh, but how many cells (C's)? 2, 3,4? Thanks. Finally getting back to this. I misspoke the batteries are 5800 mAh. I bought them here: http://www.all-battery.com/148volt-6350mahheavydutyli-polypackwithpcb.aspx The charger is an older version of this one: http://www.all-battery.com/tenergytb6b-charger01321.aspx power supply for it: http://www.all-battery.com/110-240vacto12vdc5aswitchpowersupply-01236.aspx I installed the Traxxes connector on the batteries (available at any hobby store that has radio controlled planes etc.) and then adapted that as necessary. The battery has four 3.7 volt cells totaling 14.8 volts. It charges to 16.80 volts which is within the power parameters of the gear in my bag. I've replaced the wires on all the batteries over the course of a few years of use, and I also took the output fan out apart and went with the only connector (Traxxes http://www.all-battery.com/traxxastrxfemaleconnector14awgwires-80371.aspx) that I was using. It was beginning to come apart. The charger fan got really noisy until I lubricated it. It will need replacement eventually. Its not a perfect system, but it did save me some money over the long run. The All-Battery site has any technical info about all the devices linked to. Hope this helps. Bernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackHenry Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 So do you have mains into the charger (connected to the battery) all the time? Is that how I read the comment about the noisy fan? Or are you referring to it being noisy only when you're actually charging, and you use the batteries as batteries, as opposed to using it like a UPS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruben Rojas A Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 Thanks Jack, thanks Justin, thanks Bernie for the info. It is a bit scary, but the price and capacities of such batteries is hard to beat maybe for a first battery system until I can get the dough for a IDX NP kit. I'll give it more thought. Ruben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebeaudry Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 So do you have mains into the charger (connected to the battery) all the time? Is that how I read the comment about the noisy fan? Or are you referring to it being noisy only when you're actually charging, and you use the batteries as batteries, as opposed to using it like a UPS. I don't use the charger as a mains source. I was referring to when the battery is charging. I have a different system for use as a mains source that doesn't have a fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebeaudry Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 Thanks Jack, thanks Justin, thanks Bernie for the info. It is a bit scary, but the price and capacities of such batteries is hard to beat maybe for a first battery system until I can get the dough for a IDX NP kit. I'll give it more thought. Ruben I think the LiPo chemistry is pretty safe as long as the batteries have that PCB circuitry to prevent over charge and undercharge. I've been using these for about three years and even when the wires failed I didn't experience anything but a battery that lost connection. I've flown with them and have gotten questioned about them, but they're clearly labeled as to what they are and I've always gotten thru security. It is a good point that the shrink wrapping on the outside isn't the most durable, but in use I keep it in the battery space in the back of the Petrol bag so it isn't exposed to wear. I can actually fit two of them in that space if I don't mind the extra weight. When I needed to repair the wires it was easy to cut away the wrapping to get at the wire connections on the battery. I then put a piece of foam over the connections and rewrapped with electrical tape. The Traxxes connectors are very durable, easy to solder, and make a very secure connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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