New extended power solution for GH2 using 7.2V DV style, EX1/EX3 batteries or 12-16V

adolgin

adolgin

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Here is a new product family for powering the camera externally. The battery plate (can be any common video camera battery, selected while placing the order) has an internal voltage converter for powering the camera with precisely regulated voltage, making it compatible with GH2 power requirements. As the majority of the common batteries are much higher capacity than the internal GH2 battery, expect 10-14 hours uninterrupted run time, depending on exact battery specifications. The smart "fuel gauge" LED indicator shows available power in 20% increments. Optionally an XLR4 or car power cord will enable usage of any 12-16V DC power source (with Sony EX1/EX3 style plates only). Shown with a mounting bracket (made by Westside Studio AV)
Expected availability May 15

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Alex, can your new unit also power a monitor like the SmallHD DP6 ?

It would be fantastic if your adapter could provide power to both the camera and a monitor, so that one battery powers the whole camera rig.
 
TheDingo, this should be possible. One more 2.1mm cable would be added to the plate passing the battery voltage through to the monitor. The run time will be shorter somewhat, as the monitor would be using 5-6W in addition to the camera. I will make sure that the option for the second cable will be added in the ordering section. Thank you for the suggestion!
 
Alex, that's great news!

One last item that you might want to consider is: I know this would raise the cost of your unit, but is it possible to make the cables modular ? For example, the battery base would have 2 power sockets that a camera power cable and a monitor power cable could be plugged in to.

So for a shoulder rig, the battery could be mounted at the back and a 30 inch power cable could be run to the camera, and a 45 inch power cable could be run to the monitor being held at the end of a Noga-arm.

For a smaller handheld rig, the battery could be mounted close to the camera and a 10 inch power cable could be run to the camera, and a 15 inch power cable could be run to monitor mounted above the camera.

For a camera mounted on the end of a 8 foot jib, the battery could be mounted near the jib controls with a 10 foot camera power cable running out to the end of the jib, and a 15 inch power cable could be run to the monitor also mounted near the jib controls.

Otherwise, if your unit only ships with one size of cable, then it means trying to tie up long cables on a small hand-held rig, and using power extensions on something like a jib rig.

Having modular power cables means that I can customize the length of the power cables to the type of camera rig I am using, so I don't have to deal with trying to tie up extra cable on small rigs, or run long power extensions when using a more remote set-up like a jib.

Just a thought.
 
It is not so much the cost as reliability. Most of the electromechanical failures happen due to the connection points - connectors. So to address the concern you are bringing up, we offer a standard length cable for the plates like this, with the option of ordering a custom length while placing your order. As it is a new product, I am not sure yet what the standard cable length is going to be. From what I am hearing it might be 6ft, so the camera can be placed away from the power source. Opinions?
 
One last thought...

Does the battery firmly lock in to the adapter ? So if the camera op had to run up stairs or chase an actor through a forest the battery would be kept securely in place. I know that we could gaffer-tape it to the adapter, but it would be nice if this was not necessary.
 
For myself, I would probably want my first unit to have 6ft cables and I will just coil the extra wire when I don't need the length. ( at some point I will probably order a 2nd unit with cables custom cut for a shoulder rig )
 
The plates that we use now have a semi positive lock if I can describe them this way. They would hold the battery in in normal horizontal position, and off course in vertical position when the battery is inserted from the top. They do not lock the battery in as firmly as you described for very rough handling. We have a candidate plate that has an absolutely firm "mousetrap" function, but it costs more than our standard one. We might be able to use it when such a thing is required, but there will be some more design work to be done to incorporate it.
 
Does this product require the DMW-DCC8 DC Coupler to work? Or does it include a substitute for it?
 
Are Hmc AF vbg6 batteries compatible?
Im looking at getting a gh2 soon and this is perfect with my af100
 
Is there a "static" battery available for GH2 like the one that was bundled with GH1? Ie, faux battery in the compartment that runs of wall power.
 
adolgin said:
We have a candidate plate that has an absolutely firm "mousetrap" function, but it costs more than our standard one. We might be able to use it when such a thing is required, but there will be some more design work to be done to incorporate it.
Click to expand...

I can see this being an issue with shoulder mount rigs, where the camera op might have to move very quickly to achieve specific shot. Perhaps a large velcro strap that wraps around the entire unit might be enough to hold the battery in place.
 
I second TheDingo for modular cables even knowing that connector are prone to failure. It does give some more options about the right cable length to use and besides that it is easier to replace a broken cable.

Questions regarding my setup. Is it possible to use Sony L batteries and cable to to feed a Marshall LCD70XP HDMI? Thanks.
 
Re: Marshall. It needs 12V to operate according to what I see in the online specification for the external power, which is different from the GH2 camera requirements of ~8V-9V. So it does not look compatible to me. As far as the modular cable design, we can offer a very short cable standard option, say 4" long with the DMW-DCC8 compatible plug at the end. So if somebody needs a longer connection, an extender cable (male/female) of the custom length could be used in between the plate and the DMW-DCC8 adapter. Will that work?
 
adolgin said:
...we can offer a very short cable standard option, say 4" long with the DMW-DCC8 compatible plug at the end. So if somebody needs a longer connection, an extender cable (male/female) of the custom length could be used in between the plate and the DMW-DCC8 adapter. Will that work?
Click to expand...

Yes. Sounds perfect. Thanks
 
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