Red Bricks -- Dangerous Goods Fun

[Shawn R]

What can happen will happen.
:mad2:
I rented my camera out and shipped it down to St. Louis from Canada. Well almost all of it. As you all know the Red batteries are now regulated a bit different. If you are from a large center like Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary or L.A. you probably won't have this trouble because you can get a Dangerous Goods re-packer or packer to fix up your shippment.

You must know that you will be putting your case that you paid good money for inside a cardboard box in order to make it legal.

Since I am not from a large center, (Regina, SK, Canada) I found out that we don't have any dangerous goods packers. Sure we have Fedex and UPS, but they are dangerous goods shippers and not packers.

So, within a week I became certified shipper by ground and air. :coolgleamA::driving: I also had to have a UN Spec cardboard box shipped in because I couldn't find one in my city.

Don't try to ship any of your batteries on your own unless you are certified the penalties and fines are crazy. This is one area of shipping you want to do it right.


What I do want to see is the Red offer a sub 100wh Lithium battery. That would save a lot of hassle. I did check into the new Switronix batteries for the Red but they are being held back for more testing. Since I am already set up with the V-mount it doesn't work for me to go with Anton Bauers right now.

After all this I am looking at an Anvil case for my Red batteries. At Cases2Go I read that I can get Anvil cases that have been UN Certified and bear the UN symbol. I still have to check to make sure it is the right spec though. If anyone else knows of another case provider that provides UN spec cases feel free to let me know. I know some are Mil Spec and such but that doesn't count.

 

[Mark Phelan]

Or how about a modular battery, since the desire is to comply with the current transport laws (no pun intended). A battery that was just split up into smaller segments that could be "built" up to something larger inside of a cradle. The new Epic seems to be going towards that type of setup, don't know the rating of the new batteries, but it seems like a similar solution to the problem.

 

[martinnoweck]

i have modular swits - two times 80W - would that work?

 

[JonathanF]

Shawn,

Do the UN / IATA Spec cases actually allow you to check your batteries? If so this one case in some small dimension to carry 6-8 batteries would be a pretty small investment to keep from having to worry about this issue.

Do the cases still need to be packed by a certified goods repacker???

I've flown all over the world with crew who have checked Switronix and Red Brick batteries and never been bitten by it. I'm curious how others are dealing with this when they fly with their gear.

:J

 

[Vinny Duwe]

New Switronix XP-L95RED Battery NOW AVAILABLE

New Switronix XP-L95RED Battery NOW AVAILABLE

The New Airline Travel Approved RED Battery from Switronix is now Available!

The XP-L95RED is a 95w, 14.4v V Mount Battery for The Red One Camera. It is Approved for Airline travel and passes data through to the RED Camera. The XP-L95RED will charge on RED and any lithium Ion V-Mount charger or on our XC-4LSRED 4 Bay fast charger. The XP-L95RED also comes with a 1 Year warranty!

Some Links below.

Where to buy: http://www.switronix.com/locator.php

XC-4LSRED Fast Charger: http://www.switronix.com/product_details.php?cmd=info&id=222

 

[Vinny Duwe]

I've been getting some inquiries about these XP-L95RED bricks.

-Any V-mount Li-Ion charger(including RED's charger) will charge them. You can use the XC-4LSRED charger, which will charge them in 2 to 2.5hrs.(simultaneously), but our regular line of chargers will work fine as well.

-If you want extended runtime, Mitch @ Abel has the RED hotswaps which will effectively give you 190wh on board(between 2 XP-L95RED batteries), and you can travel with these batteries no problem!

-Also, you do need our RED hotswap with these batteries. Regular GP-TS will not work because the data lines are not attached.

 

[Brent Carter]

I've flown all over the world with crew who have checked Switronix and Red Brick batteries and never been bitten by it. I'm curious how others are dealing with this when they fly with their gear.

Frankly, luck of the draw. Just because it is the stated regulations, it does not mean the they are enforced uniformly by the transit authorities at each airport. You don't want to bank on a transit authority rep being lax each and every time you travel.

Prepare your packages for shipment and for air travel to the full extent of the stated rules and regulations. Better safe than sorry, just like Shawn is suggesting.

BC

 

[Oliver Schietinger]

Feedback on the L95

Feedback on the L95

Switronix L95 batteries are the first after-markets to transmit battery information. We've battle tested them in rental and now offering them to our sales customers as well. Give me a call or PM me if interested in purchasing.

The batteries come with a Dtap out port so you automatically get two accessory ports.

Besides those features, you have the one-year warranty and the cells enclosed with a good protective shell "Dura case" - though some people may find the housing bulkier than expected.

When you combine their batteries with the 4 position simultaneous charger (includes power supply), Switronix has come through with a great all around power solution - including their replacement Red battery plates, dual battery mount etc.

Because they've limited the lithium content to meet the FAA regulation for carry-on, they will have shorter runtime than the red originals. And while I haven't heard anyone being questioned yet about lithium ion carryons, when it comes to your production, its better to be safe than sorry.

Here's the DOT website information on it (applicable to all lithium batteries).

http://safetravel.dot.gov/larger_batt.html

FYI: Red requires you to use a Class 9 certified shipper when sending your batteries (should you have an issue with the battery).

 

[Shawn Booth]

House of Power

http://thehouseofpower.us/

 

[Roberto Lequeux]

If I remember correctly they did in fact announce they are planning on making ship-friendly batteries for DSMC.

 

[Shawn R]

Shawn,

Do the UN / IATA Spec cases actually allow you to check your batteries? If so this one case in some small dimension to carry 6-8 batteries would be a pretty small investment to keep from having to worry about this issue.

Do the cases still need to be packed by a certified goods repacker???

I've flown all over the world with crew who have checked Switronix and Red Brick batteries and never been bitten by it. I'm curious how others are dealing with this when they fly with their gear.

:J

Red Batteries can't be checked ever. They can be carry on if they are with the camera, Max 2. They don't allow Red sized lithium batteries to travel in checked baggage on a passenger airline. They would have to be shipped separate.

With Red batteries you always need a Certified Dangerous good person to pack and fill out paper work.

I haven't checked but I know Abel Cine is going to carry the Red One ready Switronix batteries that will communicate with the camera.

 

[Marc Vanocur]

Also have the same question about RED bricks. I didn't get my RED Switronix order on time, but Abel were kind enough to lend me some regular Switronix bricks for my travels. Sadly the bricks may be a bit old and are discharging in about 15 minutes each. I am a bit stuck and would like to bring a couple of my RED bricks on board. Have people successfully carried them on? I have no intention of checking them. The Airport Addicted 2.0 bag was a great investment!

 

[jimhare]

I have carried them on (in Australia) with no problems. I alerted the airline in advance and presented them to the X-Ray staff each time I checked in.

Having said that, the X-Ray staff weren't interested, or even appear to know about the law. I was on 5 different flights, always the same result.

I agree it's luck of the draw, and I'm going to keep doing it this way so I don't test my luck!