Battery for Astra 6X ?

F

firehawk

Veteran
I see listed under "accessories" for the Astra, several ~90Wh batteries.
Can those really power it at full power or must I get some 120, 130 or 150Wh batteries?
 
That's a good question, but even if someone claims it can, you'll want a larger battery anyway... because otherwise you probably won't get even 30 minutes at full-power. In the real-world... if you're outdoors and it's cold... you might be down to 20 or less. I'd definitely spend a little more on bricks, basically getting the highest capacity you can (or buy multiple batteries).
 
I just went through this after buying a pair of 6xs. You need to look at power draw not just capacity. At full power the 6x draws 105W. The IDX vmounts I use on my camera (CUE 95) have a max load of 76W / 6.3A. I ended up buying a couple DUO 190s which can support a 120W / 11A draw. They work great. I tried a 95, and it would not get the 6x to full power. I emailed IDX and they advised that I'd ruin the batteries running them that way. There's a way to convert a power draw in W to a draw in A, but basically you're looking for batteries with a draw of 10A and above. Some 90Wh batteries do, some don't.
 
Thank you all very much.
So something like this battery should work (10amp draw)...?
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1076530-REG/idx_idx_cue_d150_v_mount_li_ion.html

and would this charger be able to charge it?
allows you to simultaneously charge two V-Mount batteries (or a single battery) from 90 to 240 VAC sources.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...dr_2x90s_1xch2_90wh_dual_v_mount_battery.html
I think I already have this charger

Ouch. Not looking forward to spending another $300+ for a V-mount battery, but $269 sounds better
 
This is basic maths understanding current, and how long a watt hour will deliver that current for.

Personally I don't think many vlock are really designed for this unless you run 2 in parallel.

Personally I run my lupos from the mains or a lesure battery - $150 will run 2 panels for an age.
 
I use Anton Bauer Digital 90 batteries on all my Astras. On a 6X they will run it for about 52 minutes at full power, but the thing is, I am hardly ever running a 6X at full power. Even when I'm shining the light through diffusion, full power is hardly ever needed. What I really like about the Digital 90 batteries is that they give a readout on the side that tells me exactly how much run-time I have left in hours and minutes. And it is very accurate. Even if I change the dimming a little bit it will change the time shown on the display immediately. It is amazing to see how much more time you get with just a little dimming. In fact, dimmed to 50% a Digital 90 will run an Astra 6X for about four hours. And in most indoor interview situations I'm running the Astras at about 25% or less. I can't remember how much time that gives me, but I think it is around 6-8 hours. So I can easily go all day on just a few batteries. I probably only plug my lights into a wall socket three or four times a year, and only if I'll be at the same location all day.
 
Is this what you are using?
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...ystem_technology_duo_c190_185_wh_lithium.html
Vinnieman said:
I just went through this after buying a pair of 6xs. You need to look at power draw not just capacity. At full power the 6x draws 105W. The IDX vmounts I use on my camera (CUE 95) have a max load of 76W / 6.3A. I ended up buying a couple DUO 190s which can support a 120W / 11A draw. They work great. I tried a 95, and it would not get the 6x to full power. I emailed IDX and they advised that I'd ruin the batteries running them that way. There's a way to convert a power draw in W to a draw in A, but basically you're looking for batteries with a draw of 10A and above. Some 90Wh batteries do, some don't.
Click to expand...
 
Is this (or the gold mount version) what you are using?
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/co...Q2XEAQYBiABEgLPq_D_BwE&is=REG&m=Y&sku=1045161
Doug Jensen said:
I use Anton Bauer Digital 90 batteries on all my Astras. On a 6X they will run it for about 52 minutes at full power, but the thing is, I am hardly ever running a 6X at full power. Even when I'm shining the light through diffusion, full power is hardly ever needed. What I really like about the Digital 90 batteries is that they give a readout on the side that tells me exactly how much run-time I have left in hours and minutes. And it is very accurate. Even if I change the dimming a little bit it will change the time shown on the display immediately. It is amazing to see how much more time you get with just a little dimming. In fact, dimmed to 50% a Digital 90 will run an Astra 6X for about four hours. And in most indoor interview situations I'm running the Astras at about 25% or less. I can't remember how much time that gives me, but I think it is around 6-8 hours. So I can easily go all day on just a few batteries. I probably only plug my lights into a wall socket three or four times a year, and only if I'll be at the same location all day.
Click to expand...
 
Yes, that is the battery I use (v-mount version). I power all of my lights, monitors, and most of my cameras from those batteries. They have a d-tap so are very versatile.

If you're comparing the A/B batteries to IDX be sure to think about the digital readout (hours and minutes) on the side of the A/B. That feature is worth it's weight in gold when powering lights, monitors, external recorders, certain cameras, etc.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top