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Portable jump starter power bank battery experience?


lukesmith

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The USB's are one thing but the output amperage on anything other than the USB ports will kill your gear very quickly. 

The people on this forum will tell you that professional equipment, or even semi-pro equipment, will require the correct, and standardized, power solutions.

My advice is that before you are able to purchase the correct power system, like an NP-1 and BDS, stick with AA and AAA. It is frustrating to change batteries constantly but you can buy rechargeables which will be a good investment regardless and save considerable money in the long term especially as you will use them in transmitters for many years to come.

For an NP-1 system, there are often used sales on this and similar forums, and eBay is always worth a try.

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I've bought 6.8Ah and 9.8Ah 12V batteries on eBay to power my receivers remotely for much cheaper. They worked OK. Not as reliable as NP1s and started to lose capacity after two or so years, but were fine for a stationary set-up.
Similar to these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nice-Super-Power-DC-12V-Portable-6800mAh-Li-ion-Rechargeable-Battery-Pack-/391393476315?hash=item5b20de7edb:g:nuUAAOSwQYZWz8mE

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The USB's are one thing but the output amperage on anything other than the USB ports will kill your gear very quickly. 

The people on this forum will tell you that professional equipment, or even semi-pro equipment, will require the correct, and standardized, power solutions.

I disagree strongly with both statements. Too much ampere is no problem, the connected devices will draw as much as they need. However, the power supply it may not run very efficiently.

Trying out new, unorthodox and non-standard solutions is a key part of our professional life and is what helps driving new developments by the various manufacturers

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(This is really where Glen Trew should step in and promote his new product.)

Just moments before reading this request I received a promotional flier from Trew Audio about their new products. Among them are the "Hi-Q" rechargeable batteries with "intelligent" circuitry to manage the charging and discharging of the cells.

Here are links to information from the Trew site:

http://www.trewaudio.com/product/remote-audio-hi-q-49wh/

http://www.trewaudio.com/product/remote-audio-hi-q-98wh/

These are the same batteries being used in the new Cantar and in the Sonosax SX-R4+.

I bring them into this discussion because I was struck by how inexpensive they are. The small one is only ~$105 and the bigger only ~$160. I compare that with the previous generation of Aaton batteries that were about $500 each.

I recognize that one would still need both a charger (probably not cheap) and some sort of Battery Distribution System so the final cost is a bit of a stretch for someone in the early stages of building a kit. Still, an investment in this sort of powering solution is likely to continue to have value for years into the future. 

David

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On 18/05/2016 at 4:52 PM, David Waelder said:

(This is really where Glen Trew should step in and promote his new product.)

Just moments before reading this request I received a promotional flier from Trew Audio about their new products. Among them are the "Hi-Q" rechargeable batteries with "intelligent" circuitry to manage the charging and discharging of the cells.

Here are links to information from the Trew site:

http://www.trewaudio.com/product/remote-audio-hi-q-49wh/

http://www.trewaudio.com/product/remote-audio-hi-q-98wh/

These are the same batteries being used in the new Cantar and in the Sonosax SX-R4+.

I bring them into this discussion because I was struck by how inexpensive they are. The small one is only ~$105 and the bigger only ~$160. I compare that with the previous generation of Aaton batteries that were about $500 each.

I recognize that one would still need both a charger (probably not cheap) and some sort of Battery Distribution System so the final cost is a bit of a stretch for someone in the early stages of building a kit. Still, an investment in this sort of powering solution is likely to continue to have value for years into the future. 

David

Unless my maths is flawed the units quoted from the E-Bay advert are a totally different animal to Glen's new product. Two of the units are rated at 68,800Ma/h which is just over 825w/h whilst Glens are rated at 49 & 98 respectively.

Malcolm Davies.

 

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8 hours ago, mikewest said:

I use TURNIGY batteries intended for model aircraft etc and has a solid case

Easily available 14.4 volt 84watt costs around $55

mike

I think you mean Tenergy Mike?  I've been doing the same thing for years.  The charger is inexpensive as well.  I got them from here: 

http://www.all-battery.com/index.aspx  You want the packs with the circuitry that prevents the batteries from overcharging or fully discharging.  I wired mine with TRAXXes connectors.  I do have to say I'm thinking about the smart batteries and chargers as an upgrade to my current set up.  I'd like more capacity in a more professional package.  What I have works fine, but isn't ideal.  

 

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It is "Turnigy" Bernie, though I'm not sure which model Mike is referring too. The ones I looked at were 15.2 or so volts, which is fine for most of us and 6.4 Ah.

I think I recall reading that Tenergy is no longer making batteries (or went out of business).
Don't know if there's any relationship between the two.

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Quote

 

Unless my maths is flawed the units quoted from the E-Bay advert are a totally different animal to Glen's new product. Two of the units are rated at 68,800Ma/h which is just over 825w/h whilst Glens are rated at 49 & 98 respectively.

Malcolm Davies.

 

I expect that you are quite right, Malcolm. I didn't mean that the new batteries being sold by Trew would be an exact match in capability to products the OP was finding on Ebay. But the original purpose of his inquiry was to achieve powering for his "basic boom and lav kit." I brought the "smart" batteries to his attention because they are modestly priced. I thought it might be worth a budget stretch to acquire something that would be useful for a long time rather than to spend money on a stop-gap solution.

David

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On 5/18/2016 at 7:31 AM, Rick Reineke said:

I've bought 6.8Ah and 9.8Ah 12V batteries on eBay to power my receivers remotely for much cheaper. They worked OK. Not as reliable as NP1s and started to lose capacity after two or so years, but were fine for a stationary set-up.
Similar to these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nice-Super-Power-DC-12V-Portable-6800mAh-Li-ion-Rechargeable-Battery-Pack-/391393476315?hash=item5b20de7edb:g:nuUAAOSwQYZWz8mE

I bought one of those 6800mAh for experiments. The charging is superslow (e.g. > 12 hours), mainly because the battery has no temp sensor, so can't be fast charged.  OK for their intended use, stationary supply for a lower power load.

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Yeah, 12-14 hr.s for an exhausted one. I recall they auto-shutdown around 10.5v. And the molded on coax power plugs suck as well. I had bought a different one at some point (basically the same specs and price) and it didn't have the POS hard-wired tails... just a power jack and on/off switch. Much nicer,  but I haven't seen any lately. I gonna look into the 15v RC batteries, as well as Glenn's new Hi-Q batt.s for my bag. My NP1s have seen better days.

"I think I recall reading that Tenergy is no longer making batteries (or went out of business)."
   - update: I can't find anything about that.. maybe it was another company or I drempt it whilst on mind-altering 'meds'.

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19 hours ago, Rick Reineke said:

Yeah, 12-14 hr.s for an exhausted one. I recall they auto-shutdown around 10.5v. And the molded on coax power plugs suck as well. I had bought a different one at some point (basically the same specs and price) and it didn't have the POS hard-wired tails... just a power jack and on/off switch. Much nicer,  but I haven't seen any lately. I gonna look into the 15v RC batteries, as well as Glenn's new Hi-Q batt.s for my bag. My NP1s have seen better days.

"I think I recall reading that Tenergy is no longer making batteries (or went out of business)."
   - update: I can't find anything about that.. maybe it was another company or I drempt it whilst on mind-altering 'meds'.

The batteries and charger I've been using don't take 12-14 hours to charge.  More like 4-6 hours.  I have three altogether.  Two will get me through an 8 hour day.  I'm leaning towards the HiQ batteries after using these for about four years.  Just want something more pro.

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I used a LiPo RC battery in my bag for many years, with a simple DIY breakout cable to Hirose.  LiPo needs to be treated well so i always had a cell monitor attached which would sound an alarm if the voltage got too low and I could keep an eye on the cell balance. 

This isn't the model I have but this is the kind of gadget: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__41637__HobbyKing_8482_Cellmeter_7_Universal_Digital_Battery_Checker_Balancer.html

I had a total of 11Ah plus a smaller spare which was enough for two days of shooting.  A good quality RC charger and a fireproof charging bag (essential) meant I could recharge both batteries in just over 2 hours.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've been using Gold mount batteries in an effort to keep the number of different charging systems to a minimum. I use these on my camera, so the choice of gold mount was easy. Switronix just released a 75wh "slim" series battery that weighs just over a pound and is rated for 10 amp loads as well, really meant for gimbal rigs etc., but it makes a small and powerful power source for my BDS dist. inside the small Orca bag, and runs the 633 & receivers for several days. A dependable and sturdy battery with LED status lights on the side, and is UN approved for air travel, a big consideration for me. About $300.

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