John Ritter

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I am listing this for a friend of mine and I know it is in great condition. I will provide photos on request. Contact Email: maxof21@outlook.com Steadicam Glidecam V-25 system FOR SALE! $4567 It is about 4 years and used it on and off. It's in great condition. It comes with all the kit that I got upon purchase. The system includes: Vest, Arm, Sled, Camera Plate, Monitor LCD DV, accessories ( cables, bolts etc ). Worked with RED One & EPIC cameras several times. in good condition Regards John Ritter 954-557-9765

A continuity tester and a volt meter will help tremendously, start by checking positive to ground (any of the metal i.e. camera, post, etc.) then check further downstream. Kind of hard to guide you without seeing it or knowing the wiring. From your description of the connection order I would guess the issue is with the camera negative to case (grounding) since your rig has never done this before with another set up. Could possibly be in the camera battery plate....... Since the camera is not yours it is very possible something came loose during transport/handling. I would check the camera & battery plate before going into your rigs systems. Regards John Ritter 954-557-9765 www.ritterbattery.com

Hi Kyle "just out of curiosity knowing that Antons have a reputation for being 'overcharged" You can rule out the Battery being the culprit. Reports of Anton Bauer overcharging are false since the charger and on board circuitry will limit max charge to 16.8 Volts. All the Video Li-Ion battery packs will limit the max to this voltage or slightly less. The discrepency of out put voltage will show up with older battery packs which usually will not charge as high as a new one so that is what may be the case when you swapped packs. (also the use of the adapter plate can cause a slight voltage drop) And if a lower voltage eliminated the sparking then you will have a very small hard to detect short or contact fault somewhere. Unfortunately the only way to find the cause is to open things up and trace out all the wiring and connections as you have a short or back feed ocurring (wire/contact/connection) somewhere in the system. Regards John Ritter www.ritterbattery.com

I would be Happy to take them off your hands and pay the shipping and handling cost. Regards John Ritter 954-557-9765

Just thought I would pass on an observation that seems to be trending this year, For all who use V-Mount batteries I have noticed that pin wear has been an issue with V-mount systems. So far this year I have traced 6 battery issues down to worn V-mount plates or to be more precise it is the positive and negative pins. Check your battery female contacts for signs of heat damage/melting you will be able to actually see it as the plastic will bubble or deform around the contacts. If you notice this occurring either change out the plate or send it back for pin replacement. Also if you are filming in or around water, especially salt water it is a good idea to coat the contacts with conductive grease, water corrosion will usually show as a green fuzzy film on the copper contacts. (had 9 of these come in) Thought I would mention this as I am looking at 7 RED Brick batteries all with damaged contacts.............. Regards John Ritter

Just could not resist jumping in here............ This really has nothing to do with the original post/thread but I feel the need to back up "Mark" somewhat since he is quoting what I have passed on about the Dionic 90 series. Some history on the Dionic 90...Tech stuff: relates to just about all Li-Ion based packs. most all cells are rated in capacity and then are rated at max capacity, so if you take the full rated capacity which can be 2 to 2.5 times the true capacity then you are right back to 50% of quoted rating. Here is an example: first generation Dionic were rated at 80 watts.... packs are made up of 3 cells in parallel, each cell is rated at 21500mAH or 2.15AH so 3 in parallel should be 6.45AH (at 4.1 to 4.2 volts full topped out charge) now you add 4 in series to get the 14.8 volt output. Now if you add this up 6.45amps x 14.8 volts =95.4 watts, sounds good but wait the cell manufacturer only quantifies a 2100 nominal average because no matter what cells cannot be manufactured with absolute precision.. hence only an 80 watt rating thus allowing some wiggle room. Next generation Dionics.... cells have improved due to manufacturing process now 2250mAh 2200 nominal for a truer 90 watt rating but hold on it is still rated at only 1 x capacity but can be discharged at 2x capacity.... - Anyway it gets long and boring after a while, later generation Dionic 90 are better than earlier versions,and re-celled are current cell production for the best possible rating and output. So to make a long story short 6.6 amp cells can be pushed to 12.2 theoretically, just like you can drive your car at 100 miles an hour all day everyday..... just because your speedometer goes to 120. 2nd matter: the factory dionics have thermal protection no real in line circuit breaker or fuse, and just control board, this leaves the cells vulnerable, I add a second thermal current limiting fuse inline with cell output that will self reset. The reason for this is that over 4 years of repairing and Re-Celling hundreds of Dionic 90 packs I traced the warranty replacement problems to high current applications (cost me a lot to learn this) Hence I have added a fuse to the battery, So far not one has returned with blown cells. (yes they do sometimes have other problems, try as I may I can't win them all) I will cut this short and hope I do not ruffle any manufacturers feathers but some claims are on the liberal end, I will just say this, if you want a safe margin of operation Use 50% to 60% of claimed rating as a good baseline for any application. also keep in mind that manufacturing variations can produce a great result and also a mediocre result in the same exact product. Regards John Ritter

Definitely Run The Camera with it's own battery, The Dionic 160 should safely give you an hour+ Run time (if it has anywhere near full capacity if it is older than 1 year do not expect over 80% capacity subtract about 10% for each additional year). Battery Date codes: T=2006, U=2007, V=2008, W=2009, x=2010, y=2011, z=2012, 2 digits before the "S" is the month 01=January and so on Power everything else separately. A full set up with monitor,Focus, zoom, remote, wireless can top out at 140 watts plus. John

Hi All Thanks so much for the great testimonials. My Contact information is: Email: siebold35@hotmail.com website: www.ritterbattery.com Phone: 954-557-9765 I also do RED Brick Batteries, IDX, Varizoom, Frezzi, and the ones Rathbone Energy sells, along with all the Chinese knock off packs sold under all the different brand names, plus of course my favorite "ANTON BAUER". Quick note on all Li-Ion packs.... about 60-70 percent of the ones I see have suffered Shock damage (dropped or even a bumping during handling) this causes broken weld tabs/ broken solder joints. If you have a pack that stops working after being dropped or shipped do not let it sit for long as the cells will self discharge below a recoverable level. I can easily repair them for minimal cost versus a full cell replacement. Just did 7 Red Brick packs with this type of issue. Regards John Ritter

John, I have attached copies of the MSDS for the DIONIC 90 and DIONIC HC cells. You can see by the chemical make up that they are different. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Regards, Paul I was thinking the actual Data sheet for each cell, the MSDS covers a full range of cells in various capacities. John

Hi Paul Any chance of seeing the spec sheet for the 2 cells? I understand if it is proprietary information. John Ritter

I am curious as to the system/configurations being used for High power draw on cameras and Li-ion, Dionic 90/HC batteries, I have been dealing with a lot of battery life issues lately and find that the base cause Is the high power consumption with the newer digital camera configurations. For example: Alexa: 83-90 watts camera only Red One/MX: 75/80 watts camera only Red Epic/ Scarlet 60 watts Sony Cine Alta F35-F23/SRW9000 56 watts/57 watts Phantom Miro M310 65 watts Panasonic HPX 3700/2000 42/43 watts Now add a monitor between 18 to 28 watts Wireless transmitter: 28-36 watts Follow focus (drive when operating) 28-36 watts Zoom lens servo drive: 4-12 WATTS Total power requirement can top out at over 130 watts for a complete rig setup. A recent system quoted to me: Red MX fully rigged totaled out at 148 watts total power draw. Standard usage for all batteries is 50%-60% of rated capacity for long life, constant use at Full/maximum capacity drastically reduces the life expectancy for example A Dionic 90 will handle up to 50 watts, exceeding this will shorten the life drastically (overheating becomes a major issue). How does one handle these scenario’s? Even 2 Dionic 90 in series or parallel would be stressed How many of you come across a scenario like this? John

So the HC essentially just has the same cells but with a better casing with a heatsink so it doesn't get so crazy hot at the higher current load? Your assessment is correct. John

How does one open an AB battery? The only way I can think of is to cut it open with a Dremel tool. Very Carefully............ Each style case has a different method for opening, based on the original manufacturing process, The older brick styles have to be saw cut open and resealed, the newer case's are engineered snap interlock closure case halves and are disassembled as two half sections. The procedure for each requires practice to do without casing any damage, you need to know were the adhesive was used and be able to break or un-bond the joined sections. Anton Bauer has a very good consistent manufacturing process so that you can use the same procedure on each case. Other manufacturers vary their production runs so the assembly, adhesive application is inconsistent, making opening the case an unpleasant surprise at times. John

The top photo is the Dionic HC cell Bank (note the individual cell holder and relocated control board) The bottom photo is a standard Dionic 90 cell bank (note the control board attached directly onto the cell bank) Look at the photo's and draw your own conclusion..... Regards John Ritter

Hi Brian I am located in the greater Fort Lauderdale Florida area, I am 10 minutes west of the Airport. My website has full contact information: www.ritterbattery.com. John

They have been sold. John

In response to the question about discharging /leaving battery on camera It is not a good practice to leave Li-Ion or any battery on the camera/load to total discharge If left unattended they can self discharge below a recoverable level. With Li-Ion the built in electronic control should shut down the battery at the preset level, but what will happen is the battery pack will recover some during the shut down/off period and reactivate the low voltage shut off circuit and again cycle to the cut off voltage. This short cycling will continue till a self discharge can go to below a recoverable level. When left attached and unattended this short cycling will go unnoticed and the battery pack can be ruined. With NiCD & NiMH they will also drain completely if left attached to a load. What is happening to yours is they are going below the discharge cutoff but not total discharge so your charger is going into a recovery/low voltage condition, pulse cycle to bring the pack back to the desired charging level before initiating the actual charging cycle. The indication for this will vary with brand charger, on the Anton Bauer be it will flashing red green (on display models it will say rejuvenate/low volts) and once voltage rises it will go to a flashing red to indicate charging. If you have the time to allow a cool down of the pack it is advisable, most chargers will put the pack on hold anyway if the temperature sensor detects overheat conditions (a steady red on AB and a hold with LCD display) and will not start a charge cycle. Most packs will not heat up if they are being discharged at or below normal operating conditions however under high load or steady operation at there upper discharge limit will cause excess heating. Regards John Ritter

All the Li-Ion packs are pretty much the same, They all use a variation of the industry standard 18650 size cell in mAh rating of 2000 to 2900 What is different is the case, control and safety features. all use the same required cell protection circuitry required by Li-Ion cells for prevention of over charge, over discharge and current limiting. Just about all the import battery packs originate with the same case manufacturer and of the shelf components, just add a label and you have your own brand. The key to getting a good import is how fresh the internal cells are and if they are true to the claimed mAh/amp hour/capacity. All Li-Ion cells have a definitive shelf life use them or not (about 28 to 36 months) getting good capacity from them has more to do with how they are used and stored never leave a battery attached to a load (the protection circuit will cycle on and off till the cells are completely spent) as the pack will self discharge to below 2.5V-0 per cell there by rendering the pack useless. Li-Ion cells cannot be recovered after a full discharge unlike Ni-Cd & NiMh (which can tolerate some abuse). Anton Bauer Dionic 90 packs have been improved over the years and are much more durable than they were in the previous decade changes have been added to the protection control scheme and prevention of shock damage to the internal electrical connections. The Dionic HC series is a complete revamp of the Dionic 90 design, incorporating a custom cell holder to isolate each cell and dissipate heat along with a well nested protection control board along with a durable case. It becomes a financial and travel consideration when choosing a Battery pack there are some very good imports out on the market but I still strongly support the Anton Bauer product and recommend them over all others. They have been the industry standard for many years unfortunately the imports can under cut cost and have sacrificed profit it is amazing what can be purchased at such low price's since everyone is using just about the same cells. I see a lot of different battery packs but 80% of them are Anton Bauer packs, it is not uncommon to see packs 10 years old and more that are being used and re-celled most older ones can be upgraded and improved with newer generation internal cells a lot more capacity is being squeezed out of the same size cell by manufacturer's. I have attached some photo's of the Dionic HC internal cell construction compare this to anyone else currently on the market only Sony comes close in design and internal features and IDX would rate 3rd (only because of the thin shell and extreme compact design). Regards John Ritter

Hello New members I should have clarified the Steadicam forum Battery repair/Re-cell pricing issue, I am very loyal to my dedicated Steadicam customers and the discounted pricing was meant for the sustaining members. You need to be an active member with history on the board to qualify for the price structure. Please do not sign on and join the group in order to qualify for the special pricing as I do verify membership. I apologize for any misunderstanding. Regards John Ritter

I may be a little late in adding to this thread but here are some photo's showing which screws need to be removed. For a full set of photo's showing the cover removal and chip location see: https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=70030689fc4fbc4c&page=play&resid=70030689FC4FBC4C!291 Regards John

Hello All I decided to post here since I have been getting numerous inquiries as to which packs I do and pricing. I can repair the full line of Anton Bauer Batteries, ProPac, TrimPac, Magnum, Proformer, Hytron (50, 100, 120, 140) Dionic's (90, 160, HC) plus the older models. I also do just about any Pro Video battery pack, IDX, Switronix/Pro, Frezzi, Varizoom, Steadicam/Tiffen, Sony, etc. My website is: www.ritterbattery.com Steadicam Forum pricing is quoted upon request and only to members who have been on-board at least 3 months, it is a substantial discount from my website rates and I do verify members. I take trade In's of dead packs for credit against Repair/Re-Cell orders or I can do outright purchase, contact me with specifics and I will quote. If you decide to go ahead just ship the batteries to me and I will invoice upon completion of the repairs/Re-Cell. Please be sure to include your contact info (phone number, email address, etc) in the package. I recommend the use of the US postal service flat rate boxes as they are not weight based rates (medium box runs about $11.00 and the large is about $15.00, you do have to use there box. The medium will hold up to 4 ProPac batteries. Thank you to all the members who have used my services over the last few years. Regards John Ritter 954-557-9765

Hello all First I wish to Thank all the members who gave me a recommendation, I am blown away by the support!! The Hytron 50 is one of the few battery packs for which there is no economical upgrade path. In theory they can be converted to Dionic 90 but the cost is very prohibitive as only the case is reusable. If you can get your hands on some dead Dionic Packs they can be repaired/re-filled/ReCelled economically. The best that can be done with the Hytron 50 is refilling it with new cells to original specifications. I also wish to Thank all the other Steadicam Forum members who have used my services, well over a hundred referrals have come from this forums membership from all over the world. Regards John Ritter

I received a couple of Anton Bauer Proformer battery packs on a trade in. They are freshly Re-Celled with all new internal cells. I have had inquiries for these when I did not have any, so now is a chance to get a hold of some if you need them. $75.00ea and free shipping (USA only international at cost)If you want both I can save you another $6.00 (less shipping cost) 90 day/12 month prorated warranty I have two available now, possibly get my hands on 2 more if there is any demand. Contact me at 954-557-9765 or email: siebold35@hotmail.com Regards John Ritter

I received a couple of Dionic 90 batteries on a trade in. They are used but run at 80% so they are not yet ready for a re-cell. Tested with 20 watt load /run-time of 3.5 to 4 hours. I am offering them at a good price with a 90 day satisfaction warranty. I will throw in a 50% discount on a re-cell for them if they don't last a full year. Price is $179.99ea (I have 2 available) free shipping USA only, international at cost. Contact John Ritter 954-557-9765 (ritterbattery.com) Regards John