Great little USB battery for Tascam DR-70D (Tested)

DPStewart

DPStewart

Veteran
Since the Tascam DR-70D claims to be able to be powered via USB I decided to give it a test and see If I could find a really good and convenient battery supply.
We know these batteries work on cameras etc., It was the Tascam recorder I had doubts about. The point was to find one that had the right size, shape, and weight to be a good convenient match for a recorder as small as the DR-70D, to power the recorder for more than one typical full day's work, and if possible - to be super inexpensive.

I found this one: The RAVPower 8400mAh. It has 2 USB outputs on it, a 1-amp and a 2-amp. And it's just $17.
That's right...$17.00
I wanted to see how well an inexpensive solution would actually work.

So I gave it a full charge and connected it to the DR-70D and off they went:

DEMANDS:

I put all 4 tracks into record. The 2 onboard mics going to tracks 3 and 4, and a couple of condenser mics going to tracks 1 and 2.
The mics are an Audio Technica shotgun that will work off of the typical reduced 24v phantom power and my AKG 414-TLii Vintage large diaphram condenser that will NOT run off 24v - it needs the full 48v. The DR-70D was set to 48v regardless.
I also plugged in some headphones and I turned the headphone output amp all the way up to maximum.

I set it recording and timed it.
It powered everything for 13-hours and 41-minutes.
Not too damn shabby for a small lightweight battery that only hit me $17 dollars!

Nice compact little unit. I'll probably just Velcro it to the recorder.

LINKS and PICTURES:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00861BX7E?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

Recoder Test 1.jpg
Battery vs iPhone Size.jpg
 
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I used to use Tekkeon batteries to power all sorts of stuff; they had adjustable voltage outputs and USB plugs. But they seem to be out of business. Some camera batteries now have USB outputs, so that is another option.
 
Just to clarify, since it wasn't mentioned, every single USB charger for mobile phones in the universe will work for this purpose. No need to seek out this RAVpower in particular.
 
DPStewart said:
Since the Tascam DR-70D claims to be able to be powered via USB I decided to give it a test and see If I could find a really good and convenient battery supply.

I found this one: The RAVPower 8400mAh "iPhone type charger". It has 2 USB outputs on it, a 1-amp and a 2-amp. And it's just $17.
That's right...$17.00
I wanted to see how well an inexpensive solution would actually work.

So I gave it a full charge and connected it to the DR-70D and off they went:

DEMANDS:

I put all 4 tracks into record. The 2 onboard mics going to tracks 3 and 4, and a couple of condenser mics going to tracks 1 and 2.
The mics are an Audio Technica shotgun that will work off of the typical reduced 24v phantom power and my AKG 414-TLii Vintage large diaphram condenser that will NOT run off 24v - it needs the full 48v. The DR-70D was set to 48v regardless.
I also plugged in some headphones and I turned the headphone output amp all the way up to maximum.

I set it recording and timed it.
It powered everything for 13-hours and 41-minutes.
Not too damn shabby for a small lightweight battery that only hit me $17 dollars!

Nice compact little unit. I'll probably just Velcro it to the recorder.
Click to expand...

I'm also interested in the DR70D, just wondering since you made tests, on average, how long do internal batteries last, that is, without any external battery?
 
focuspulling said:
Just to clarify, since it wasn't mentioned, every single USB charger for mobile phones in the universe will work for this purpose. No need to seek out this RAVpower in particular.
Click to expand...

The point wasn't to discover if a USB phone charger would work. We know they work.

The point was to find one that had the right size, shape, and weight to be a good convenient match for a recorder as small as the DR-70D, to power the recorder for more than one typical full day's work, and if possible - to be super inexpensive.

I have 3 other USB 'phone charger' type batteries, and none of them are nearly as well suited to this task as this one I posted here.

Just tryin' to help folks find good solutions without having to kill time wading through a sea of products.
 
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Ted Ramasola said:
I'm also interested in the DR70D, just wondering since you made tests, on average, how long do internal batteries last, that is, without any external battery?
Click to expand...

I suppose it will vary by what brand of AA's you use. It takes 4 AA batteries.

I tested some alkaline batteries I got at Home Depot (not Duracell) and got about 5-hours and 20-minutes with the same setup.
 
DPStewart said:
I suppose it will vary by what brand of AA's you use. It takes 4 AA batteries.

I tested some alkaline batteries I got at Home Depot (not Duracell) and got about 5-hours and 20-minutes with the same setup.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply.

This is something OT but still related to the 70D. I saw another thread regarding the hissing from the audio out. As of today, is this still true, and that the solution is that -25db attenuator cable? Or have you found a setting that minimizes this?
Is that hiss really audible and problematic or something that can pass off as room noise in case I don't get the cable?
 
I use a 10,000 mah charger at Costco that I use. Called a Royal Powerburst. No reason to sweat using AA batteries in the DR70.
 
Ted Ramasola said:
Thank you for your reply.

This is something OT but still related to the 70D. I saw another thread regarding the hissing from the audio out. As of today, is this still true, and that the solution is that -25db attenuator cable? Or have you found a setting that minimizes this?
Is that hiss really audible and problematic or something that can pass off as room noise in case I don't get the cable?
Click to expand...

It's not really a "hissing" so much as it's just the noise floor of the unit.

It's like guitar amp noise - have you ever used a guitar amp and an electric guitar?
Well if you want to be quieter, you don't just turn down the guitar volume knob while leaving the amp volume turned all the way up buzzing all over the place - you leave the guitar turned up and turn the final output of the amp down, that way any noise that the amp makes gets turned down as well. This is the basics of proper gain staging.
Most of these portable recorders put out a line-output signal that is great! But it's TOO LOUD for your cameras MIC input. So you need to lower the output volume coming from the recorder.
The attenuating cable will do this for you.
The DR-70D can "sort of" lower its output volume, but it does it via software only - thus leaving the line-output amplifier still wide open so all the operating noise is still there. But your recorded sounds are just quieter as they make their way out the wide-open output jack.
Make sense?
Many recorders can't even lower their line-output volume at all. So attenuating cables are pretty standard.

Regular cable costs $10-$15.
Attenuating cable costs $25.....not so bad really to solve the problem.

Oh - to be clear, if you don't use the attenuating cable the noise floor will be about 13db higher, but for many situations you might find that's still good enough for what you're doing.
(Just get the attenuating cable and be done with it! :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG) )
 
Thank you very much for explaining that. I think I have a couple of attenuator cables lying around, made back when the canon 5D mk2 DSLRs still had no manual audio controls, they should work right?
 
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Ted Ramasola said:
Thank you very much for explaining that. I think I have a couple of attenuator cables lying around, made back when the canon 5D mk2 DSLRs still had no manual audio controls, they should work right?
Click to expand...

It's a pretty standard product, and yeah - if they worked on your 5D's then they'll work on whatever you have now.
As long as the connectors are correct.
 
DPStewart said:
The point wasn't to discover if a USB phone charger would work. We know they work.

The point was to find one that had the right size, shape, and weight to be a good convenient match for a recorder as small as the DR-70D, to power the recorder for more than one typical full day's work, and if possible - to be super inexpensive.

I have 3 other USB 'phone charger' type batteries, and none of them are nearly as well suited to this task as this one I posted here.

Just tryin' to help folks find good solutions without having to kill time wading through a sea of products.
Click to expand...
There really are literally hundreds of nearly identical form factors and specs, in an incredibly saturated market for these things. You almost can't go wrong. I've advised a manufacturer on the lucrative and yet incredibly simple product offering of making a bracket for any of these with 1/4"-20 mounting points and/or 15mm rail mount(s).
 
focuspulling said:
There really are literally hundreds of nearly identical form factors and specs, in an incredibly saturated market for these things. You almost can't go wrong. I've advised a manufacturer on the lucrative and yet incredibly simple product offering of making a bracket for any of these with 1/4"-20 mounting points and/or 15mm rail mount(s).
Click to expand...

It would be REALLY nice if they'd take your advice on that!
 
DPStewart said:
The point wasn't to discover if a USB phone charger would work. We know they work.

The point was to find one that had the right size, shape, and weight to be a good convenient match for a recorder as small as the DR-70D, to power the recorder for more than one typical full day's work, and if possible - to be super inexpensive.

I have 3 other USB 'phone charger' type batteries, and none of them are nearly as well suited to this task as this one I posted here.

Just tryin' to help folks find good solutions without having to kill time wading through a sea of products.
Click to expand...

Great Find DP. I'm going to have to pick a few of these bad boys up in the near future.
 
hi friends. I can't tell if I'm missing something basic or if my 70D isn't working properly. When it comes to non AA power I have a RavPower RP-P819 that I use to charge my phone and other stuff but when I plug it into the port on the side of the DR-70d and hold down the power button it won't turn on. Even though I know the charger has power (I plug it in and test each time) it won't turn on. Conversely I try plugging the cable into a wall adapter (that also works) and I'm not able to turn it on even with wall power. Only thing that works is 4 AAs. Am I missing something?
 
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