Premium Members David M. Aronson Posted November 13, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 I was filming a football game a few months ago and it happened to be the FOX 5 game of the week. So I started talking with the camera guy and I noticed that he was using a batter that I had never seen before and I started talking to him about it. To quote him, "I used to have about 5 dionic 160s scattered around the field charging, now I cary two of these and one of them will last me 3/4 of a game. He's using a Pany HPX-2000 which draws 43Wh. I bought one just to see if it was any good. It powered my HPX-2000 for 4 hours. There isn't any lithium or ions in this battery. They're full of magic. No, I'm not paid to say this, I just really like the batteries. http://www.synbat.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Eric Fletcher S.O.C. Posted November 13, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Looks like a chinese Li-ion battery, most likely it has a protection board in it that doesn't. Im sticking with AB's since I know they won't catch fire while I'm using them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members David M. Aronson Posted November 13, 2011 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 I don't know. I called the FOX station about them and they said that they haven't any issues with them after 4 years of using them. I think the guy said that they have 24 of them (2 for each mobile cameraman) and none of them have failed. To each his own I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members James Davis Posted November 13, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Whenever I use v-locks I would stick with reputable brands such as PAG, IDX and Red Bricks if need be, couldn't bring myself to trust my career and reputation on cheap chinese knock-offs.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Stefano Ben Posted November 13, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Hi Guys! I own 8 of this kind of batteries + a quad charger from 4 years now and I never had any problem with it!!! I choosed them instead of AB for differents reasons: 1) Price: 340$ each battery 2) Power: 160Wh, 11ah 3) Weight: 2.37 lbs With 8 of those batt. I can fly an ARRI (Movie Camera) or ALEXA in 24V and powering differents accessories with the other 3th battery with any problems. Here a pic with my "poor man's batteries"! ;-) My two cents Best, Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Thomas K. Jensen Posted November 14, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 AB's are so 80's :) The battery you bought will last a long time, and there's more power on them than the old Anton Bauer ones. We have four of these China-batts (190w) and they will power our two Panny 2000's for a whole day of shooting. For steadicam use, i use four 160, like the ones you posted a link to. I have done a number of jobs with Panasonic 2000, Bartech focus and transvideo Titan HD and just used two batts for a whole day of shooting. The 190w batteries are 5 years old, and works great.. 160w's are 2 years old, and still like new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Osvaldo Silvera SOC Posted November 14, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Univision has those batteries here in Miami, yes they do last long, in my particular experience with the 160 version of these. One powers the Ikegami camera I'm flying with the Link L1500 HD transmitter for exactly 70 minutes before the camera gives me a 11.0 volt warning, at that point I have like 4 minutes to change it out. My Anton Bauer Hytron 100's power the camera and HD transmitter for the exact amount of time. 70 minutes. The AB weigh more than these, but last the same amount of time. And if I want to keep my post shorter, I need the AB batts. I go thru 7 per day on the show I'm on. AB batts rock! AND PS, Some of the older chinese ( BEILEN) batteries sometimes swell and are super difficult to get on and off the AB mounts on the sled. The AB's snap on and off as they should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Sponsor John Ritter Posted November 16, 2011 Site Sponsor Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mihai Nicolau Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 Hello, Very informative post. One question, I have some switronix batts that have been used on my red one camera for some time now. You said you should never leave the battery attached to a load. I would sometimes let the battery on until the camera powered down (not being original red batts you don't have any sort of indication of the remaining battery time, and the onboard lcd or led doesn't show it correctly. Is this not good for them to be discharged to the end ? They take longer to recharge after a full discharge because the charger puts them in some kind of low voltage recharging for a time and only after that it resumes normal high speed charging. Also some one told me you should wait for them to cool down (they get pretty hot after being on the cam) before putting them on the charger ? Does this have some sort of truth to it ? thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jess Haas SOC Posted November 25, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 One trend I have noticed when people get new batteries they tend to compare them to what they have been using. The problem is usually that they are comparing a brand new pack to one with sometimes many years on it. Also I have noticed some chinese battery packs that have a great capacity when new but are horrible after less than a year. Make sure you compare apples to apples. -Jess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Tim Moynihan Posted November 26, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 Hi all, I'm using 7- 150 watt hour Li-On batts from "Batteries 4 Broadcast" out of Hollywood, FL. I bought them over 3 years ago when our show left the film world and went digital. They've been fantastic! I use 2 on the sled to power the Alexa and still get huge run time. What's interesting to me is that I have never heard anyone on this forum talk about this company and/or their batteries and chargers. You guys down south have surely heard of them? I highly recommend them, both the batteries and the company!! I don't do a lot of traveling so the 150's work fine for me but I can understand what a hassle it could be if you were flying often... Again, my 2 cents... Cheers, and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the US of A!! Tim Moynihan Rock Steadi Pictures Inc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Sponsor John Ritter Posted November 27, 2011 Site Sponsor Report Share Posted November 27, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jens Piotrowski SOC Posted March 9, 2012 Premium Members Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 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 John, is Anton Bauer using a different cell type in their HC line since they have the 10amp load.....? THX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Sponsor John Ritter Posted March 14, 2012 Site Sponsor Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members David M. Aronson Posted March 20, 2012 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 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 How does one open an AB battery? The only way I can think of is to cut it open with a Dremel tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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