Battery life?

[Fred Potts]

I have a gold mount battery (Comer - 190wh). It is only lasting about 20 minutes. Red Epic Dragon shooting 4k, monitor and EVF running. Is that the norm? I had one person tell me that theirs last 6 hours. thanks

 

[Linda Barzini]

I have Dynacore 155wH with follow focus and teradek bolt and they last about 40 min depending on how much actual shooting (narrative).

 

[Phil Holland]

Dragon is about a 60 watt hour draw. So for your 190Wh battery you should be getting close to 3 hours with nothing on the camera.

Which I would guess means those cells in there are either not in good shape or the battery itself is in questionable order.

As Linda points out, with accessories attached, expect lower run times.

 

[M Harvey]

Last time I shot with a Dragon-- 5k/6k @ 23.98, 5" monitor + SmallHD 702, Teradek, Tilta Nano follow focus motor--, I'm sure we got at least an hour out of a 150wh battery. Of course, that's not rolling for the whole hour.

 

[Alex Lubensky]

Your battery is dead. Try re-celling, or buying a new one.

 

[Akin A]

I have 4x Power-U 190Wh batteries that I use for my Epic Dragon + 5" TOUCH LCD.
For the first 3-4 years, they lasted 3 hours.

After 6 years of use, they lasted 2.5, 2.25, 2 and 1.5 hours, the last time I tested.

 

[Fred Potts]

going to send it back for a replacement. I noticed some use V mount vs Gold Mount?

 

[Phil Holland]

going to send it back for a replacement. I noticed some use V mount vs Gold Mount?

Comes down to preference. Some like V-Mount, some like Gold. You'll be presented with localized horror stories or favorable feelings for either mount. Even Anton Bauer who created the Gold Mount makes V-Mounts now.

V-Mount can possibly transmit battery information to the camera itself if the battery is chipped and the battery plate support that.

Above the type of mount you use, I'd recommend buying from a decent manufacturer. It's a fun lesson to learn. The quality of the cells plays a big role on longevity (cycles), then the quality of the housing plays a bigger role on survivability and even thermal performance. Also when it comes to tolerances and all that.

I had to start out with cheap batteries, but once I made that switch I noticed any and all battery frustrations went away. I personally mainly use V-Mount, but it's because most of my gear does. Keeps me within one battery type for most of my cinema gear.