Powering the Marshall Monitor
- Thread starter Brian Petersen
- Start date
davetronic
Well-known member
For what it's worth, I'm not experiencing the plate looseness mentioned with the DVXuser batteries. I've run 4 different batteries on the Marshall for weeks now, and I've never suffered a power loss or a loose connection. Perhaps there are very slight manufacturing anomolies in the plate?
adolgin
DVXuser Sponsor
Actually, the issue is that some non- Panasonic batteies have their (+) and (-) contacts just a bit too deep inside the pack plastic case. We experienced that when the same plate would make perfect connection to any Panasonic battery, most of the other brand, but many of the same other brand, from a different batch would not connect reliably. The plate contacts can be adjusted a bit, causing the problem to go away. But this is not practical on the equipment that is already made, and the plate is already mounted.davetronic said:
davetronic
Well-known member
Thanks for the insight Alex. It would be interesting to note if current runs of the other brand are still creating the issue, or if this has been addressed with thier production team. I'm not planning on buying more batteries for the Marshall specifically at this point, but undoubtedly others are and there may be a need for me to do so in the future.
Rob DuBree
Member
OK Guys... here's the inside skinny:
NEBTEK has been primarily a Video Assist, 24 Frame and Remote Head company for over 18 years. They only broke into the manufacturing business 6 years ago when the demand for the custom products they designed for themselves became so high that it warranted a sales division. Everything they sell is used on set by their technicians in LA, SLC and Portland. If enough people ask them about one of their custom items while on set, then they decide if they want to manufacture said item for consumer sales. If they can sell the item for a price that they would expect to pay themselves then they add it to their sales division. If they decide that they can not manufacture the item at a cost that they (themselves) would expect to pay then the item is reserved for the production division. In other words everything they are selling they are using, which is why their technical support is so good.
NEBTEK LITHIUM ION BATTERY ADAPTERS:
About 5 years ago NEBTEK pioneered and patented their Lithium-ion battery adapters in the US. The plates themselves are very easy to come by, but it's the circuitry card inside that does all of the work. It adapts 7.2V to 12V and provides power protection to the monitor. There are a lot of "knock-offs" out there, but their reviews all suggest that they tend to burn out quickly. NEBTEK has been producing these units for a very long time at a price of $135 per unit, and they have many customers with adapters that are still going strong 4-5 years later.
NEBTEK MARSHALL MOD COST:
The reason it costs $210 (no tax if your outside of UT) for the modification to the Marshall is because of the additional parts and labor required to make the Lithium-ion battery adapter and original IDX battery adapter interchangeable. NEBTEK also warranties the modification for the Marshall so if anything goes wrong with your unit you simply send it back and they fix it... no questions asked. If you were to buy the Lithium-ion battery adapter on your own and try to install it you would void you warranty.
PANASONIC ADAPTER PLATE ISSUES:
Because the plastic Panasonic Adapter plates are purchased from Lenmar one would assume that they would work perfectly with Lenmar's Panasonic batteries. This is unfortunately not the case. When these molds were first cut in China they used the original Panasonic, Sony, Canon and JVC batteries for fitting. This is why the manufacturers batteries always fit better than the "knock-offs". Some 2nd party units fit fine and others do not... generally because the 2nd party batteries also have issues with their molds (ie. low cost means low quality). My own personal experience has been that the original manufacturer's batteries almost always perform better and last longer than 2nd party brands no matter what the Mah (Milli-Amp Hours).
BATTERY RUN TIMES:
One of the best features about the Marshall V-R-70P-HDA is the low power consumption of only 600 Mah at 12V. The NEBTEK Panasonic LIBC upconverts 7.2V to 12V with a 38% power loss. Therefore the Panasonic brand 5400 Mah battery should power the unit for 5+ hours under ideal conditions. As we all know ideal conditions do not exist in the film industry so my estimate would put it between 3.5 - 4.5 hours of constant runtime.
How do I know all this?
Rob DuBree
GM Sales & Marketing/NEBTEK... Damn glad to meet you all!
Any other questions please feel free to email me or call me directly anytime.
NEBTEK has been primarily a Video Assist, 24 Frame and Remote Head company for over 18 years. They only broke into the manufacturing business 6 years ago when the demand for the custom products they designed for themselves became so high that it warranted a sales division. Everything they sell is used on set by their technicians in LA, SLC and Portland. If enough people ask them about one of their custom items while on set, then they decide if they want to manufacture said item for consumer sales. If they can sell the item for a price that they would expect to pay themselves then they add it to their sales division. If they decide that they can not manufacture the item at a cost that they (themselves) would expect to pay then the item is reserved for the production division. In other words everything they are selling they are using, which is why their technical support is so good.
NEBTEK LITHIUM ION BATTERY ADAPTERS:
About 5 years ago NEBTEK pioneered and patented their Lithium-ion battery adapters in the US. The plates themselves are very easy to come by, but it's the circuitry card inside that does all of the work. It adapts 7.2V to 12V and provides power protection to the monitor. There are a lot of "knock-offs" out there, but their reviews all suggest that they tend to burn out quickly. NEBTEK has been producing these units for a very long time at a price of $135 per unit, and they have many customers with adapters that are still going strong 4-5 years later.
NEBTEK MARSHALL MOD COST:
The reason it costs $210 (no tax if your outside of UT) for the modification to the Marshall is because of the additional parts and labor required to make the Lithium-ion battery adapter and original IDX battery adapter interchangeable. NEBTEK also warranties the modification for the Marshall so if anything goes wrong with your unit you simply send it back and they fix it... no questions asked. If you were to buy the Lithium-ion battery adapter on your own and try to install it you would void you warranty.
PANASONIC ADAPTER PLATE ISSUES:
Because the plastic Panasonic Adapter plates are purchased from Lenmar one would assume that they would work perfectly with Lenmar's Panasonic batteries. This is unfortunately not the case. When these molds were first cut in China they used the original Panasonic, Sony, Canon and JVC batteries for fitting. This is why the manufacturers batteries always fit better than the "knock-offs". Some 2nd party units fit fine and others do not... generally because the 2nd party batteries also have issues with their molds (ie. low cost means low quality). My own personal experience has been that the original manufacturer's batteries almost always perform better and last longer than 2nd party brands no matter what the Mah (Milli-Amp Hours).
BATTERY RUN TIMES:
One of the best features about the Marshall V-R-70P-HDA is the low power consumption of only 600 Mah at 12V. The NEBTEK Panasonic LIBC upconverts 7.2V to 12V with a 38% power loss. Therefore the Panasonic brand 5400 Mah battery should power the unit for 5+ hours under ideal conditions. As we all know ideal conditions do not exist in the film industry so my estimate would put it between 3.5 - 4.5 hours of constant runtime.
How do I know all this?
Rob DuBree
GM Sales & Marketing/NEBTEK... Damn glad to meet you all!
Any other questions please feel free to email me or call me directly anytime.
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Brian Petersen
Well-known member
Thanks so much Rob! This is great stuff!
So if I'm understanding correctly, if I get the Panasonic adapater put on my Marhsall, and i take it off and use IDX batteries if I decided to switch? Is this something I can do on my own or would i have to send it in and have you guys switch it back to IDX style mount?
Thanks a ton!
So if I'm understanding correctly, if I get the Panasonic adapater put on my Marhsall, and i take it off and use IDX batteries if I decided to switch? Is this something I can do on my own or would i have to send it in and have you guys switch it back to IDX style mount?
Thanks a ton!
davetronic
Well-known member
Thanks for the great information Rob. I can personally vouch for the exceptional level of service I received from you guys and really appreciate having you participate on the board.
Rob DuBree
Member
Hi Brian,
This is absolutely something you can do by yourself. We make it as simple as possible.
TO SWAP BATTERY PLATES:
All you need to do is remove 3 screws (4 on the IDX Plate) unplug the Panasonic (we use a simple 2.1mm connection) and then plug in the IDX and screw it back on... It takes about 3 minutes.
And Thank You David for the warm reception!
I was aware that a majority of the sales of our Marshall modified HD's were coming from the DVX user's group, but I was swamped with preparations for the Cinegear trade show we just attended. I'm an old Canon Watchdog user, and I love the fact that groups like this exist to help out other techs.
As a matter of fact I wish I had known about this site before I bought our Sony Z1U last year:furious3:. I definitely should have waited to see what the competition had in store before I shelled out that much. The only good thing that came out of it was the Marshall HD upgrade. The moment I saw the picture quality on the Marshall and the the price tag... I was floored! The nearest competitor that I trusted was at $3200. As soon as I realized how little power it drew, I put a Sony battery adapter on it. I'm using the Sony 6600 Mah batteries, so I'm good for all day.
We're all trying to make our lives a little easier on set. If it works for me... I'll tell you about it, and if somebody else makes it... I'll tell you where to find it and who has the cheapest price (because odds are I've already looked it for myself)!
-Rob
This is absolutely something you can do by yourself. We make it as simple as possible.
TO SWAP BATTERY PLATES:
All you need to do is remove 3 screws (4 on the IDX Plate) unplug the Panasonic (we use a simple 2.1mm connection) and then plug in the IDX and screw it back on... It takes about 3 minutes.
And Thank You David for the warm reception!
I was aware that a majority of the sales of our Marshall modified HD's were coming from the DVX user's group, but I was swamped with preparations for the Cinegear trade show we just attended. I'm an old Canon Watchdog user, and I love the fact that groups like this exist to help out other techs.
As a matter of fact I wish I had known about this site before I bought our Sony Z1U last year:furious3:. I definitely should have waited to see what the competition had in store before I shelled out that much. The only good thing that came out of it was the Marshall HD upgrade. The moment I saw the picture quality on the Marshall and the the price tag... I was floored! The nearest competitor that I trusted was at $3200. As soon as I realized how little power it drew, I put a Sony battery adapter on it. I'm using the Sony 6600 Mah batteries, so I'm good for all day.
We're all trying to make our lives a little easier on set. If it works for me... I'll tell you about it, and if somebody else makes it... I'll tell you where to find it and who has the cheapest price (because odds are I've already looked it for myself)!
-Rob
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Ditto:
Welcome aboard Rob. I echo the sentiments of how it was an absolute PLEASURE to deal with NEBTEK. As I posted earlier, you guys actually got my monitor back to me in a couple of days. That type of service is rare.
Guys, if you're on the fence about this wake up. If you need to power your Marshall and you don't want to lug around a 15 lbs battery pack or buy some ultra expensive battery and charger option then this is the perfect solution.
Welcome aboard Rob. I echo the sentiments of how it was an absolute PLEASURE to deal with NEBTEK. As I posted earlier, you guys actually got my monitor back to me in a couple of days. That type of service is rare.
Guys, if you're on the fence about this wake up. If you need to power your Marshall and you don't want to lug around a 15 lbs battery pack or buy some ultra expensive battery and charger option then this is the perfect solution.
Jim Arthurs
Well-known member
How about our very own DVXUser batteries? Will these fit as well as the Panasonics? Anyone with personal experience?
Regards,
Jim Arthurs
Regards,
Jim Arthurs
Matt Gottshalk
Resident Preditor
Jim Arthurs said:
Those are "3rd party" and do not work.
Rob DuBree
Member
Hi Jim,
This is not to say that all 3rd party batteries will not work with the NEBTEK Lithium-ion battery adapters, but it is a "crap shoot".
I just had my technicians put calipers on 150 different battery plates and there was no discernible difference in their specifications from plate to plate. This leads me to believe that the problem lies more in the 3rd party batteries themselves, and not the plastic adapter plates. There is a lot more plastic being molded on the batteries themselves, and this allows for more variations in the molding process.
I also subscribe to adolgin's assessment that pin placement has a lot to do with it as well. Bad contact with the pins can certainly cause intermittent loss of power.
Let me just say now that NEBTEK recommends using brand name batteries with the modified Marshall HD monitors.
At least until our new custom battery adapters come out at the end of the year...
Have a Happy 4th of July Weekend Everybody!
-Rob
This is not to say that all 3rd party batteries will not work with the NEBTEK Lithium-ion battery adapters, but it is a "crap shoot".
I just had my technicians put calipers on 150 different battery plates and there was no discernible difference in their specifications from plate to plate. This leads me to believe that the problem lies more in the 3rd party batteries themselves, and not the plastic adapter plates. There is a lot more plastic being molded on the batteries themselves, and this allows for more variations in the molding process.
I also subscribe to adolgin's assessment that pin placement has a lot to do with it as well. Bad contact with the pins can certainly cause intermittent loss of power.
Let me just say now that NEBTEK recommends using brand name batteries with the modified Marshall HD monitors.
At least until our new custom battery adapters come out at the end of the year...
Have a Happy 4th of July Weekend Everybody!
-Rob
Holosynthetic
Active member
I've been reading through a lot of the threads discussing the Marshall and was wondering if instead of having a battery attached to it, you could siphon energy from the battery hooked to the HVX so the whole camera unit and monitor share one battery? or does the 7.2v battery on the HVX and the 12v needed for the Marshall make them incompatible?
Lenilenapi
Carbonite Member
So is this definitive that the Nebtec upgrade will not work on the DVXUser HVX batteries?
Is Nebtec the only company doing this adaptation?
Is Nebtec the only company doing this adaptation?
Lenilenapi
Carbonite Member
Ditto - Nebtek cust support is great!
I made a long strap with velcro that attaches above & below the battery on my Marshall to hold in Panny batts. Works very well and I don't worry anymore. My DVX User batterries were less predictable on the Marshall than the originals, but with the Velcro all is fine.
- Lenny Levy
I made a long strap with velcro that attaches above & below the battery on my Marshall to hold in Panny batts. Works very well and I don't worry anymore. My DVX User batterries were less predictable on the Marshall than the originals, but with the Velcro all is fine.
- Lenny Levy
MarcMalkowski
Active member
Something "else": How long does the 5400mAh battery last with a Marshall LCD?? (usually...)