jb reodica Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 is there such a device where you can continue to keep your Rig powered when docked for an extended period of time, during lunch hour, coffee breaks, etc. so I could dock and plug my rig into a standard 12VDC power supply, and walk away for a bit without losing sync to my wireless transmitter, or not having to powering down the camera, or pull the battery out, etc. especially for single battery rigs... (i presume with the big rigs you can easily hot swap batteries since they use more than 1 battery.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Steve Acheson Posted January 17, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 You can get something like this to put on you rig. http://www.adorama.com/ABBCTT70.html?gclid=COLj8Ii78LQCFQ45nAod6EsA3g Im not sure how it would affect your balancing.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mark Schlicher Posted January 18, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 Yep, that would be the ticket. It's not terribly heavy as I recall...but I don't see a big downside of powering down the gear for lunch either. A perfect time to change battery for a fresh one. What rig do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb reodica Posted January 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 @Steve thanks. interesting. but i think im more interested in a small piece of kit that i may add on / wire up into the rig instead. Not sure if one like this would even exist unless i make it myself. @Mark thanks. i've got the little Pilot used with an EX3 and a Pro-X Wireless HD-SDI Transmitter to video village for live events... the rig is pretty much maxed out, LOL. I try to keep my signal live at all times in-case i unexpectedly need to run out and capture something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mark Schlicher Posted January 19, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 What batteries do you have? The Anton Bauer Tandem will allows exactly the kind of hot-swap you are looking for. Sandwich the unit between your plate and battery. When docked, plug in to shore power to keep the rig alive and charge your battery at the same time, or to hot-swap to new battery. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members RonBaldwin Posted January 19, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 the new pro docking bracket might have what you need...plus/minus leads on the docking forks to automatically charge the sled's batts when docked. The best feature is the docking stand meter that up until now has only been a fantasy from the much missed mind of uncle Teddy. It keeps track of how long you are in the saddle and calculates rate based on either a per minute or per foot basis (via wifi gps locator mounted on the sled). It also comes in any color you want, as long as it's black. rb 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alan Rencher Posted January 19, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 JB, I think what you're suggesting isn't really practical for a professional set. You just need to have at least two batteries on your sled, and enough on the chargers to last all day. That's how the pro's do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Victor Lazaro Posted January 19, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 the new pro docking bracket might have what you need...plus/minus leads on the docking forks to automatically charge the sled's batts when docked. The best feature is the docking stand meter that up until now has only been a fantasy from the much missed mind of uncle Teddy. It keeps track of how long you are in the saddle and calculates rate based on either a per minute or per foot basis (via wifi gps locator mounted on the sled). It also comes in any color you want, as long as it's black. rb More info about this? Photos, link? Sounds interesting and super geeky, like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alan Rencher Posted January 20, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 (edited) I heard that "gullible" was removed from the dictionary. :P Edited January 20, 2013 by Alan Rencher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Steve Acheson Posted January 20, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 The charging part in the docking bracket not at unimaginable... With things like charging mats and such. Contacts on the gimbal and bracket, coiled cable (ran inside your stand) that connects the docking bracket to the bottom of your stand that's connected to a block battery or AC power. Now I wouldn't use it to charge your batts but to switch power sources to larger one is not a bad idea... Saves you money, you would have to buy less batts, and your battery overall life would be longer. I have thought about adding a 4-pin and a 3-pin XLR in the bottom of my sled to plug in a block battery so that the camera would be powered from that instead of my batts. For those long lighting setups and stunt resets that take a long time. Also Alan, the Zephyr only has one battery postion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alan Rencher Posted January 20, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Also Alan, the Zephyr only has one battery postion... Hmm, then I wonder what I've been hanging on the bottom of mine this whole time? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Victor Lazaro Posted January 20, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Yes there is a 2nd optional battery on the zephyr. But I realized that placing a battery on the back of the Epics I usually fly is easier to balance, plus I have my Hyperdeck under the post. As for hotswap, I Kert the side handle with a small battery inside. I know people have been complaining about hotswap not working sometimes, here I the fix. Unplug the battery plate from the DC plug then hotswap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb reodica Posted January 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 @MarkS - My batts are V-Lock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mark Schlicher Posted January 22, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 JB, I don't know of any unit for V-lock that functions like the AB unit, but someone else may. You could have your battery plate swapped out for an AB gold mount so you could use the Tandem, or build a custom solution into your existing plate (not hard I suppose if you know what you are doing). Steve, Victor, Alan, I find the second battery hanger for Zephyr indispensable...depending on the camera package. Great for fine-tuning balance and keeping the post short with heavier cameras. Sometimes I mount it without a battery to add just a small amount of desired weight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Steve Acheson Posted January 22, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 I was not aware of the second battery mount on the zephyr. Thanks guys for letting me know about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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