D800 powered by a V-Mount?

B

Brian@202020

Veteran
Well I pulled the trigger on the D800 and I would like a power solution to power it with my V-Mount battery system. My V-Mount plate has a D-Tap on the side, so a D-Tap to D800 cable that will change the voltage is what I need. Does anyone have any info on such a cable or solution?
 
you will need a battery adapter (dummy) from nikon, and rewiring that to some sort of converter to step down the voltage.

the thing i cant figure out is: what is the voltage range this battery/camera can take? 7.4-12v?

any idea?
 
For a 2-cell Li-Ion battery, 8.4V is roughly the peak charged voltage. 7.4V is a safe voltage for a wall-brick supply.

If you don't have confidence in your knowledge and experience, you can always rig up a Nikon EH-5 AC adapter (through the "dummy" battery adapter).

-- Bob Elkind
 
thanks for the answer Bob.

the thing about the 'Nikon EH-5 AC adapter' is that it requires AC which wouldnt be too portable.


about the Li-ion battery, doesnt the voltage drops a lot while not in full capacity. will its drop beyond 7.4v and potentially damaged the camera?


i guess what im wondering is. can i use a normal 12v power bank (which usually is about 10v), or if its too high i guess 9v is still much easier to find that 7.4-8v


thanks again
 
septndu said:
about the Li-ion battery, doesnt the voltage drops a lot while not in full capacity. will its drop beyond 7.4v and potentially damaged the camera?
Click to expand...

The nominal operating range for a 2-cell Li-Ion battery is 6.4V to 8.4V.
Chargers should stop charging at 8.4V to avoid over-charging, which damages the cells.
Loads should be disconnected when discharge has reached 6.4V, to avoid deep-discharge, which damages the cells.

In other words, the operating range of 6.4V to 8.4V (for a 2-cell pack) is to protect the batteries from damage, not to protect the load device.

I would not be surprised if the D800 would automatically shut down if the DC supply dipped as low as 6.4V.

i guess what im wondering is. can i use a normal 12v power bank (which usually is about 10v), or if its too high i guess 9v is still much easier to find that 7.4-8v
Click to expand...

Because 10V is outside the normal operating range of the D800 power source (the battery), I cannot assume that 10V is safe.

I have never *EVER* heard that there is any such thing as a "normal 12V power bank", or that it is safe to assume that a 12VDC converter is guaranteed to output no more than 10V. No-one is going anywhere near *my* cameras with a 10V supply or a "normal 12V power bank" until I am absolutely convinced that it is 100% safe.

-- Bob Elkind
 
hello

thank you for explaining.

alright, i guess 10v is pushing the limit.



however, i think i just found a solution that might work for all of us

http://www.xpalpower.us/demos/xp400...This=true&TB_iframe=true&height=448&width=728

its is a lithium 4000mah battery with output of 8.4. i assumed its already been regulated down to 8.4v so the output should be quite steady or slightly lower.

(i actually own a different model that says it output 12v and the actual output is 10.1v and another one is 9.9v, i was planning to use it with d800 and that is why i asked)

i guess i will have to buy one more, good thing about this is that it can daisy chain to another battery cause it accept the standard 12v.




can i ask one more question, why do you think the nikon has operating range of 6.4-8.4v. is it because that how lithium battery work, calculate number of cell just like that. can this rule apply to all lithium battery like lithium polymer as describe above? (cause if that the case, the xp4000 is also a 2cell as well?) this will makes it much easier for me to choose a battery in the future.

many thanks
sincerely
 
septndu said:
alright, i guess 10v is pushing the limit.
Click to expand...

Your D800 will thank you.

however, i think i just found a solution that might work for all of us
http://www.xpalpower.us/demos/xp400...This=true&TB_iframe=true&height=448&width=728
its is a lithium 4000mah battery with output of 8.4. i assumed its already been regulated down to 8.4v so the output should be quite steady or slightly lower.
Click to expand...

It may be regulated to 8.4V output, or it may simply be the unregulated output of the 2-cell Li-Ion battery pack.

(i actually own a different model that says it output 12v and the actual output is 10.1v and another one is 9.9v, i was planning to use it with d800 and that is why i asked)
Click to expand...

<Sound of your camera breathing a sigh of relief>

can i ask one more question, why do you think the nikon has operating range of 6.4-8.4v.
Click to expand...

You misunderstand me. A single-cell Li-Ion battery has an operating range of 3.2V to 4.2V. This is an attribute of Li-Ion battery cells, just as an attribute of NiMH cells is 1.2V nominal operating voltage. A two-cell Li-Ion battery has an operating range of 6.4V - 8.4V. This voltage range is an attribute of the D800 battery pack, but is not necessarily the range limit of power supplies which can be safely handled by the D800 camera. The D800 camera might very well operate safely beyond this limit, but making such an assumption is not a prudent risk without some affirmative information which supports this assumption.

is it because that how lithium battery work, calculate number of cell just like that.
Click to expand...

Yes. For more detailed information, start here and read the 3-part Discover Knowledge tutorial.

can this rule apply to all lithium battery like lithium polymer as describe above?
Click to expand...

Generally speaking, you should not make any assumptions about battery characteristics. You should rely on solid information.

In the case of Lithium Polymer cells, its operating range is similar to normal Li-Ion cells.

-- Bob Elkind
 
wow

thank you so much for your solid knowledge/explanation.

also thanks for the link.

I really appreciated your input.

sincerely
 
hey

thanks for the link, its great to see how its work


but for a newer model, nikon already sell one of those dummy battery with wire. i guess all we have to do is find the right voltage power source.



cheers
 
septndu said:
hey

thanks for the link, its great to see how its work


but for a newer model, nikon already sell one of those dummy battery with wire. i guess all we have to do is find the right voltage power source.



cheers
Click to expand...

Really? I didn't know that. Oh yeah, look at that..... It's the EP-5B: http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Power-Packs/27014/EP-5B-Power-Supply-Connector.html Very cool!

You might try this for a power supply instead of a V-Mount. The voltages are switchable via dip switches on the bottom. You can send out any one of these voltages: 5V, 5.5V, 6V, 6.5V, 7.5V, 8.4V, 9V, 10V, 11V, 12V, 13V, 14V, 15V, 16V, 18V, 19V

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...cs-tests-DIY&p=2509223&viewfull=1#post2509223

http://www.tekkeon.com/products-mypall-specs.html
 
thanks again for the link

never seen a power bank with so many voltage configuration.



one thing though i think its lithium ion not polymer. nevertheless i will probably get a couple of these.

cheers
 
Yes, they did say it was Li-Poly:

http://web.archive.org/web/20101128070829/http://tekkeon.com/products-mypowerall.html

I gave them a call. They no longer make Li-Poly batteries, only Li-ion. They've also changed the model from "MP3450i" to "MP3450i R3"

As for the difference between them, they said the capacity is the same, and Li-ion are a little more stable.

It isn't my area of expertise, but it strikes me as a BAD idea to create a new battery in exactly the same form factor with the same model (except for adding the R3) when using 2 different types of batteries. I'm pretty sure that you can't use the same charger for both types, which could potentially lead to some trouble down the road.....
 
keylight said:
...I'm pretty sure that you can't use the same charger for both types...
Click to expand...

According to this website, you can use a charger intended for Li-Ion batteries to also charge Li-Poly batteries.

Excerpt:

Charge and discharge characteristics of Li-polymer are identical to other Li-ion systems and do not require a special charger. Safety issues are also similar in that protection circuits are needed. Gas buildup during charge can cause some Li-polymer in a foil package to swell, and equipment manufacturers must make allowances for expansion. Li-polymer in a foil package may be less durable than Li-ion in the cylindrical package. Li-polymer is not limited to a foil package and can also be made into a cylindrical design.
Click to expand...

Further...

keylight said:
...it strikes me as a BAD idea to create a new battery in exactly the same form factor with the same model (except for adding the R3) when using 2 different types of batteries. I'm pretty sure that you can't use the same charger for both types...
Click to expand...

While your concern is admirable, Dolgin avoided a very annoying requirement for their best customers to maintain two incompatible sets of batteries and battery chargers.

-- Bob Elkind
 
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