What minimum specs for batteries to run an Aputure 120D II Light?

A

analogs

Well-known member
Anyone here running their 120D II with batteries and what is the minimum specs of the battery do you need?

I have contacted Aputure customer service twice this year and I cannot seem to get a response from them regarding their own products!

Will this run on 190Wh battery, and if so, will it be limitted (ie. shuts off at 80%)?

What is the minimum specs battery that will allow the light to run at 100% and how much time will you get with it?

Thank you.
 
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bh recommended batteries: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/acce...ure-LS-C120D-II/1432631-REG-47845?from=detail

It looks like the 120D II has a maximum 180w power draw

I believe that v-mount batteries typically bottom out at 12v and charge up to 16.8v

so a battery with a maximum 12A output like the first one on B&H's list would run the light at full power until it discharges down to 15V. (unless the light only runs at half-power on batteries anyway, as some do)

hopefully someone else with more battery knowledge will answer your question. i think my information is accurate but i'm far from the most learned electrician

but basically i think you need to be more concerned about the amperage the battery can output than the watt-hours it can hold

as far as how much time you can power the light for - the light draws 180w. If you have a 180wh battery that can output 15A (and thus deliver 180w all the way down to 12v), it would power the light for 1 hour. a 190wh battery would power it for 1 hour + 10/180 hours AFAIK

"To obtain Watts you need both Amps and Volts:
For example, if you have a current of 2 A and a voltage of 5 V, the power is 2A * 5V = 10W. This comes from the equation P = I * V."
 
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I've ran the Anton Bauer 190wh V-mount on the Aputure 120D MK1, and got close to an hr of run time at full power and full charge. Used it in shorter 30seconds bursts at a time just before sunset and then ran the light at 10-50% at night and it lasted several hours of production. And I didn't ever do a torture test at full blast till the battery died or anything.

The 120Dmk2 draws more power, so Ahalpert's estimates look good, and I'd go by that as a general guide line. Can't really cheat physics on this. The exception being whether the 180wh includes the AC power adapter, or just the draw from the battery. I have an LED light that pulls more watts plugged in than it does from the battery itself, because the AC adapter is pulling a few watts itself. Definitely call Aputure, they should have all the answers on that. as they seem quite involved in the community.

Assuming you are looking for light weight and lower cost, but for others reading, there is the Block Battery company that makes some interesting 24v and 48v blocks that can put out some good power for almost any type of LED, including sky panels.
 
I've been using the Intellytech Pocket-V 98Wh Li-Ion Battery (V-Mount) with their charger to run the LC160's which I think are 150W . The charger is very fast. B&H carries both. Tiny battery but it works.
 
V-mount batteries are so expensive!

Does anyone know if anyone sells an 18650 V mount battery case?
 
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Gaffer and Gear suggested using batteries that have a higher capacity than the light itself. Otherwise you'll burn through your batteries and reduce their capacity very quickly. I can't find the video where he talks about it though. The Dynacore batteries are pretty popular on reduser, and they're pretty inexpensive. Adorama and BH also have sales pretty regularly on their house brands of v-mount or gold mount batteries.

That said, I've run mine for short periods of time with Dynacore 155Wh batteries with no problems at full power.
 
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