Larry McConkey Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 I agree Paul, but what I have been looking for, for a long time, is something that would give me a clear measurement of the relative strengths of my individual batteries (as well as an inexpensive backup for a charger). There aren't many options out there for 28.8v packs, and this device works for any of my other batteries as well (I still carry Model 3 batteries as a source of gyro power in a backpack, and I also have kept the "horseshoe" 12/24v. packs I designed long ago with Seitz for various, usually unforseeable needs). I discharged all 6 of my Ultra batteries several times and the resulting AH ratings were all within .1AH for each battery, so regardless of how accurate the discharger is, it is very consistent, and therefore very useful information. The most I saw was 2.1AH for a new pack, which as you now may yield decidedly different results at different loads, and for all I now may not even be accurate at this discharge rate, but I do have a great benchmark for each battery's performance now. I can test new recell jobs as soon as I get them back and immediately tell if something is wrong as well. I can tell over time if one is starting to "take a dump". I labelled each battery with its AH rating, so I now know which ones are healthy and which are not. I can choose the very best for the really long takes and I don't get confused by a battery giving out unexpectedly soon - I do expect it. As soon as I got my first results it was clear that 2 of the batteries should be recelled, information I wasn't sure about before. I can also now determine just how accurate the LED's are, and I am sending in another 2 packs to have the fuel gauges replaced or recalibrated so that the displays are worth paying attention to. Until now I had to tell my assistants to pretty much ignore them because sometimes they meant something and sometimes they didn't. I plan to do a charge/discharge cycle on a regular basis from now on, or at least before any big jobs overseas... I now feel much more comfortable about the batteries because I know what shape they are really in and that eliminates one of the many uncertainties in this business and lets me concentrate more on the real job. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulEdwards Posted January 25, 2004 Report Share Posted January 25, 2004 Larry, I take your points about being able to compare your batteries. I think knowing which batteries are the best ones in a group is really useful information. I wonder if your being able to use the AstroFlight unit to discharge your batteries at this constant "half C" rate (or lower) will be beneficial to battery longevity. It kind of feels intuitive that a constant low current discharge would be good for the cell balance. Anything which might help to keep the cells balanced is a good thing. It seems that a string of 24 cells in series is a very difficult battery pack to keep in good trim. All six of my Ultra batteries have died and had to be re-celled. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Erwin Landau Posted January 26, 2004 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 26, 2004 Is it possible to use 12 volt batteries with the Ultra rig if you were just using a 12 volt camera and 12 volt monitor ?Joe McNally Tiffen is selling the Ultra Elite which is a 12 Volt system. I'm not sure if you can on the 24 Volt Ultra. But I guess as they are almost the same in design, it could be possibel to modify... but then again just go with the 24 Volt Ultra, it has 12 Volt out and in a pinch you also have 24 Volts... Was that the question? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinThwaites Posted January 26, 2004 Report Share Posted January 26, 2004 Tiffen is selling the Ultra Elite which is a 12 Volt system. I'm not sure if you can on the 24 Volt Ultra. But I guess as they are almost the same in design, it could be possibel to modify... but then again just go with the 24 Volt Ultra, it has 12 Volt out and in a pinch you also have 24 Volts... Hi Erwin Actually the Ultra Elite is a 24v system but it comes with 2 batteries and leaves out some of the extra features like the motorised stage, hard vest case etc. Robin Thwaites OpTex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Rhodes Posted January 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2004 Hi, I'll reiterate Mr. McNally's earlier question in the hope that Mr. Thwaites will notice - is it possible to use 12V Master-style batteries on an Ultra in a 12V situation? I guess this would require a lot of flexibility from the inverter. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Erwin Landau Posted January 27, 2004 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 27, 2004 Actually the Ultra Elite is a 24v system but it comes with 2 batteries and leaves out some of the extra features like the motorised stage, hard vest case etc. Sorry my bet... not the Elite I was referring to the lowest model of the Ultra, the "Ultra" as well as the "Master/Ultra upgrade" that were 12 Volt only but were upgradeble to 24 Volt (optional). On the Price list of the Ultra is also a 12-24 volt Inverter listed at $1995.- So 12 Volt only... Other upgrades and optional equpment included: Motorized Stage, Frameline Generator, Artifical Horizon, On Screen battery Display, 12-24 DC to DC Power inverter and 24 Volt Batteries. So... Yes there are 12 Volt Ultras out there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinThwaites Posted January 27, 2004 Report Share Posted January 27, 2004 I'll reiterate Mr. McNally's earlier question in the hope that Mr. Thwaites will notice - is it possible to use 12V Master-style batteries on an Ultra in a 12V situation? Hi Phil I have been talking to Joe off board on this issue. The short answer is not without modification to the sled and dependant on which monitor is in use. Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mike Scott Posted February 16, 2004 Premium Members Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 Hi Chaps Just to clarify, the Ultra is available at 12v, I've got one as I've been doing mainly broadcast work. I would have ordered 24V if I'd had any sense, but at the time all the rigs that were previously hired to me were 12V so in my rush to go freelance I never considered it. At least I can borrow batteries from my Master for Digital Links or long location days! I think Joe may have been asking what would happen if you used 12V batteries on a 24V rig. Only guessing here, but I think 12V would appear on the hard wired 24V pin of the 3pin lemos at rear and front of the stage. However any output that would normally be regulated at 12V, ie the monitor socket and 4 pin hirose sockets would most probobly be dead. The raw voltage would be below the input threshold of the regulator. Only guessing of course! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry McConkey Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 The 24v Ultra system (actually a nominal 28.8v nicad system which drops from about 30v fresh off the charger to 24v when dead with 20 cells in the pack) is pretty simple: the full voltage goes out on one pin of the 3 pin Lemos on the camera stage and also goes to a DC to DC converter which puts out 100W of regulated 13.2V which goes to another pin on the 3 pin Lemos. The third pin is GND. You could use 12v batteries but they would have to be rewired (or the Ultra battery mount would have to be rewired) and the 3 pin Lemos would also need to be rewired (or the cables you plug into them). You would then have the problem of what to do about 24v needs... lots of headaches here and you lose compatability with the world which can lead to other headaches down the line. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members GerardSava Posted January 12, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 I had 5- 24volt tiffen batteries for my Ultra and have had them all recelled by Emery Soos at Lentequip in Toronto. Five of the old ones could get a little tight in the winter but now six seems extravagant given the run time improvements of Emery's upgrade. To accomodate the upgrade the LED fuel gauge was removed but I have gotten used to checking voltage on the camera rather than at the battery. The lingering problem is with the durability of the Ultra battery case and its tendency to pull the countersunk screws through the carbon shell. Has anyone seen two Hytrons in the place of the one tiffen bat? It would seem to be a nice conversion as I could use a hytron to power my transvideo monitor. Back to Emery, he is great at what he does and with very little complaining converted all of my batteries two at a time in very little time. A note of caution: the converted batteries are considerably heavier than the originals. In for a penny, in for a pound. Gerard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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