Guerilla Battery Coup d' Tat?

[Joe G.]

Instead of lots of $500+ little batteries --

A 12v car battery (or deep cycle marine battery, $150) may not plug right in to the red, because of the voltage mismatch.

BUT, if you bought a 110v inverter ($99 for a 1200watt version), that car or boat battery should power the system for hours, no? Two of those on set, and you're set.

Cost, less than one small battery.

Anyone tried this?

 

[sander kamp]

Actually I dothink you can power the camera with a car battery. At the moment we are using the cam with block batteries because of a problem with the charger and as far as I know they are just regular car batteries. Only problem you have is that there is no warning when the system goes down. And you need make or have made a custom cable to connect to you camera.

Another thing is that you want to disconnect the camera from the battery if you are moving it to a new set-up. And then waiting again to power it up...

 

[Craig Schober]

car battery should work fine. only problem is monitoring that battery's power. how do you know when it's about to die? and when you do need to charge it, you'll still need ac power for a car battery charger and in which case, why not just power it from ac to begin with or a little generator for that matter?

 

[Greg M]

Been using them for 20 years, although dont get a car battery. For about the same $$ you can get a large gel-cell battery and case. Car batteries have acid, which is not a great idea to haul around on set. Gel cells can be flipped upside down w/o problems.

These also work great, as they have inverters built-in:
http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/182/p/1/pt/29/product.asp

I have an older model that has twice the battery and has built in handle and wheels. 2- 12v and 2 120v outlets.

edit:
This is the one we use:
http://www.invertershop.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=100

 

[Kenn Christenson]

Definitely stick with gel-cel. I used a pistol case to make my own "block battery" with a 4 pin female plug mounted to the outside of the case - worked like a charm when I used it with an Eclair NPR.

Although, I have used car batteries when I owned an Arri-S - very bulky and you HAVE to keep them upright!

 

[Dominique Grenier]

Car batteries have acid, which is not a great idea to haul around on set. Gel cells can be flipped upside down w/o problems.

Just a small precision, Gel Cell batteries are also lead-acid batteries, just like the so-called flooded ones.

A better alternative to gel cel, would be AGM batteries, as they cost about the same as the gel cel one, but they have many advantage over them.

See this FAQ on batteries, very useful :

http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm

 

[Joe G.]

Board is incredible

Board is incredible

From the battery FAQ, I found that AGM batteries were preferred.

And the unit linked above had everything all in one (it's what I was going to build, but better) at a great price:

http://www.invertershop.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=100

That's the stuff.

 

[Steve Murray]

How are you guys getting these batteries hooked up to the RED? I'm looking for someone to make some RED power to 4-pin XLR power so I can use all my current batts and cables.

Any sources?

Thanks,

 

[number6]

I have an older model that has twice the battery and has built in handle and wheels. 2- 12v and 2 120v outlets.

edit:
This is the one we use:
http://www.invertershop.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=100

Bought two of these from Amazon and have another one to be delivered in July (cost a little more than at your link but with free shipping). Was wondering, if you run low of juice from the onboard batteries, can you just put ears on the posts of an auxiliary battery and plug it into the cigar lighter charge receptacle? Any experience with this?

 

[Ivan G]

Custom Made

Custom Made

I've been using marine batteries for the longest. I finally got AJ cases to make me some custom cases. I'm using 55 amp batteries to operate 150 watt lights. These things are great! I've attached some photo's if anyone is interested in the case and give you the serial # All you'll need to do is wiring, connectors, and of course the battery.

 

[oldphart]

I've been using marine batteries for the longest. I finally got AJ cases to make me some custom cases. I'm using 55 amp batteries to operate 150 watt lights. These things are great! I've attached some photo's if anyone is interested in the case and give you the serial # All you'll need to do is wiring, connectors, and of course the battery.

I suppose marine batteries are more or less the same as RV batteries or batteries used for solar power. They are fundamentally different from car batteries, which you should generally avoid unless you really need 500-750 amps for a very short time rather than a steady load over a longer period.

Whether you can use cheaper and efficient liquid electrolyte batteries like those depends on your situation. If you move arounbd a lot, solid or gel electrolytes are easier to handle, but they cost more and store less power for the same size.

If you work in a place where you need shade from the sun, you might consider using a solar panel array instead of a sunroof. It is expensive, but long-term very cost effective compared to a portable generator. It is heavier than your typical awning, and does not provide a lot of power, but is a worthwhile replacement in many parts of the world.