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CharlesPapert
Director of Photography
Just wanted to put my appreciation for this slightly obscure piece of gear into this post. The classic use case for this is between battery and camera, where it can act as an AC power supply, with or without battery on the back. If with battery, you can just pull the AC cable, hotswap to battery power and go. And of course it is also a single-place charger.
I discovered another use for it with my wireless receivers years back. I have the primary receivers built onto high gain panels, which each have their own gold mount plate. I built out a double-header baby mount so that a single battery can sit in the middle and provide power to both panels, easier to change out and one less battery to worry about. By adding the Tandem, I was also able to plug the whole assembly into mains when we were working on stage where the antenna array didn't have to move around for hours, with the advantage of never having to worry about the image going down when the battery dies (it always happens mid take!) We keep a battery on there regardless, in case there is a power cable kickout. This is a lot of flexibility and failsafe capability!
Essentially the Tandem acts as a battery backup and would be great in any scenario where one can power via mains but need insurance against failure via the battery (timelapse etc).
I discovered another use for it with my wireless receivers years back. I have the primary receivers built onto high gain panels, which each have their own gold mount plate. I built out a double-header baby mount so that a single battery can sit in the middle and provide power to both panels, easier to change out and one less battery to worry about. By adding the Tandem, I was also able to plug the whole assembly into mains when we were working on stage where the antenna array didn't have to move around for hours, with the advantage of never having to worry about the image going down when the battery dies (it always happens mid take!) We keep a battery on there regardless, in case there is a power cable kickout. This is a lot of flexibility and failsafe capability!
Essentially the Tandem acts as a battery backup and would be great in any scenario where one can power via mains but need insurance against failure via the battery (timelapse etc).
Run&Gun
Veteran
Yep. These were(are) great. I have three or four of them that I had originally bought for my broadcast ENG cameras. Unfortunately, they were always right on the cusp of being able to provide just enough power with higher draw HD cameras and early "on-camera" monitors. I actually cooked one with my original tape VariCam and BT-LH 900A monitor that I was powering from the d-tap on the cam. That resulted in a several hundred dollar repair bill at A/B. And about two years ago, I just wasn't thinking and put one on my Amira(even though I have the actual plug-in P/S. Somehow I managed to not completely kill it, but it(the Titan/Tandem) shut down and felt like it was almost on fire. I still use them with my P2 VariCams all the time for live shows. One weird thing, though, with my VariCam's: If I pop off AC power to go grab a few quick shots without removing the Tandem/Titan(just pull the power cord) and I'm using non/A/B batteries, I get a battery warning in just a few minutes, despite having a fully charged battery and the camera will shut-down. It's like they can't/won't pass battery telemetry that isn't from an actual A/B battery.
CharlesPapert
Director of Photography
Interesting notes. I haven't used much on cameras for hot swap since I switched over to Cores, so I'd be curious about the compatibility. Definitely would be in the AB wheelhouse. Their gatekeeping methods have not born out well for them since other manufacturers such as Core have pulled ahead in the innovation cycle of late.
Run&Gun
Veteran
Yeah, I switched mostly to Cores back around 2016, I think (they were still Switronix at that point). And now that my primary batteries are theHelix Max 360's, battery changes are definitely fewer and farther between. And IMO, Core has eaten A/B's lunch when it comes to high-voltage(dual voltage) batteries, for sure.