Power Distribution For AC Power from Generator For Lavs And Edioral R-44

R

Robertofish

Active member
I am thinking instead of getting NP1s and a battery distribution system that I might just get the generator I am already thinking of getting and plug that into all of the sources, is this possible, what I will have is 1 Edioral R-44 and 3 Sennheiser G3 lavs (thats just for sound not for everything). Would NP1s be a better option? Because I will already be using a generator so I might as well, and I dont think the lavs use up to much power anyway, the generator that I am getting will likely be 2000 watts so it should be fine! What does everyone think?

Thanks
 
Certainly you don't need a big generator just for the recorder and receivers.
OTOH, I don't know how much life to expect from the NP1 form-factor as few (any?) modern cameras use them anymore.
Of course, it is impossible to remark on using the generator without seeing the other half of the picture.
 
Well my cameras use batteries and I think I will stick to batteries because I know my cameras don't have np1 support of any kind, I was just thinking that would be a good idea for the lavs since it runs out of batteries and not the lavs so you don't have to try and figure out what died, you just replace the np1 with another. Would I need to plug in 4 seperate cables into the generator or surge protector and lav and Edioral? As in 3 lavs plugged in and the Edioral plugged in is there some way I could just make one cable go to all 4 since they will likely not be to big of a distance away from one another?
Thanks
 
You are talking about VERY low power here (things that can run off small batteries.) You can use ANY method of power distribution that is convenient. A single very lightweight extension cord is way more than adequate to power all the wireless receivers and mixers and recorders you could possibly want. You can calculate this for yourself by looking at the nameplate ratings of the equipment. Add up all the amps (or watts) and you will see that it amounts to a very modest load by mains power standards.
 
I have run two Lectrosonics receivers, an SD 302 (phantom on one channel) and SD 702T off of one IDX NP-L7S battery for a solid day of shooting. The bag was configured with a Remote Audio BDS to distribute the power from the battery to all of the components. A generator (I assume you mean a gas generator) will just add more noise to your environment that you will have to deal with on location or in post.
 
Your talking wireless lavs... How are you going to power those with a generator????

And if you can run a wire, run a wire and don't bother with the wireless in the first place.

If all your powering is the receivers then not sure what the point is since the transmitters are still on batt. and should be more power hungery than the recievers are.

I would just get a stack of rechargeable AA's and a charger.

That and you don't want a generator anywhere close to your recording location.
 
Also, if you're using the Sennheiser G3s, there is a battery eliminator, the DC-2. It's pricey, but it will power the G3 receivers from your NP style battery (or any DC voltage source.)
 
Roberto,

In other threads you have queried about off the grid power option, and for any significant lighting, a generator is likely the best option. For audio, it simply isn't needed unless you need off the grid charging for you batteries. In which case, the very smallest generator would do fine.

Grant
 
And you will want your inverter generator at least 100' away and behind something that will help block the sound of it. Even a EU2000 Honda generator starts to get loud under full load.
 
The expense of the Sennheiser battery elimiator just doesn't seem to be worth it when you can easily get 10-12+ hours out of full rechargeable AAs. Both the Endloop and Hybrids (Rayovac) can be charged ahead of time w/o significant self-discharge. The recorder's power requirements are another story though, as are Lectro receivers if you use them.
 
An English professor of mine back in my university days once assigned the class to write 500 words on the topic "never hunt flies with an elephant gun." A good point to keep in mind here I think. A genny seems like extreme overkill when it comes to powering a recorder, Field mixer, or wireless lav receivers. Not to menition small generators don't produce the smoothest of power so there's a good chance of all sorts of electrical noise and hash making it's way from the power into the signal chain.
 
ggrantly said:
Steve,

One thing for sure, the little inverter model Hondas we are talking about are very clean.

Grant
Click to expand...
Good to hear ... small portable generators like that traditionally only approximated a pure sine-wave AC output while AC/DC converters to power such things as DC-powered audio equipment weren't happy with dirty AC. None the less, spending a couple of thousand $$ and lugging many pounds of weight in order to eliminate a few dollars ongoing cost of disposables and a few ounces of weight the batteries contribute seems to me to be a losing propositiion.
 
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Steve,

The Honda uses an inverter to create PSW power and the engine only runs as fast as it needs to to create a given amount of power. So if demand is low, they literally idle. I saw a 2Kw model yesterday at a "Sports Authority" warehouse store for $1099usd and weighs about 75lbs. I have an older 1Kw model, same technology, weighs 28 lbs, and is very quiet. With about half load and placed between two people talking a few feet apart, you would barely need to raise your voice to carry on a conversation (true). In my case, I RV some in Arizona during the winters and spend most of my time off the grid, so a compact like this keeps my rig and video gear charged up. But for most audio stuff, a generator is overkill. The 2Kw would be really nice since it would run more lighting.

Grant
 
Was thinking of electrical noise introduced by the output waveform not being a pure, smooth sinewave, not acoustic noise from exhaust and mechanical function. Must admit my knowledge is probably dated and newer gennies do better in delivering smooth AC than they used to.
 
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I am just thinking that, it will be 3 lavs times 2 for the transmitter and reciever plus 4 for the Edioral R-44, the lavs advertise 8-10 hours of battery life for 2aas so I would need 4aas per reciever and transmitter and likely 12 for the Edioral R-44 as it advertises 4 hours of Battery life with 4 aas using phantom power
=
(3x2x2x2)+between 8 and 12=
24+8 or 12
=
32-36 Batteries per day, which is why I want to run on either rechargeable or NP1s because that is a lot to charge per night, also there is the advantage with a power distribution system that when something runs out of batteries you just change the NP1 instead of figuring out which lav ran out of battery, so theres that to, if I were to go the NP1 route what would you recommend?
 
Yeah, a generator doesn't make any sense to me, unless you are trying to power a full-production concert stage, or you are talking about _serious_ "field" work/on-location recording (like, in the middle of the Mojave desert, or in Death Valley or something). However, if that is what you wind-up doing, I would strongly suggest not only a power conditioner, but a power regulator (keeps the voltage constant and out of the brownout range). Something like one of the many units that Furman makes.

GJ
 
Of course, if you are only recharging batteries, then any old generator will do, no power conditioning, etc. is necessary.

Consider also just taking along a vehicle battery which is nice and quiet and may provide enough power for recharging (or powering) for the entire location schedule.
 
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