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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

New Group Buy: PAGlink Batteries!

Curt Pair said:
Marcos, I can't answer that fully, so maybe someone else can chime in. I have a View Factor plate and it only shows voltage. That's ok with me, as I've only used voltage for about 20 years or so, and I'm comfortable with that. However, even for my voltage, it becomes a combined voltage when they link up... so say I have 12.0 volts left (and it's dead at 11.5), I add a battery to the stack, it now will say (typically) 14.5 or higher! Generally with two batteries, I get a 15.0V readout.

My hypothesis is that if you use a plate that displays the percentage, then it should work in nearly the same way.

From my experience and what I understand is the batteries work as a "collective" at that point.
Click to expand...

Hi Curt,

My understanding, after speaking wth David, at PAG, UK, earlier today, is that the batteries are intelligent enough, to allow the current to flow through the rails of the !st battery, in a linked stack, when the reserve is low. Similarly, additionally linked low reserve batteries, allow the juice to flow through the rails and not the cells of any low reserve batteries.

Now, there is supposed to be enough reserve, in say a two battery linked stack, such that one can remove the second battery, to replace that second battery, with a fully charged battery. The above may be a software change, from previous versions...or not. At any rate, whilst Phil described a rather lengthy stack of linked batteries, that may not be as necessary, as one might think, simply by switching out the penultimate battery, on an ongoing basis. If the links of chain keep growing and the batteries are at low reserve, the intelligence allows the cells, within all low reserve batteries to be bypassed and the current to flow through as many rails as are represented by low reserve batteries. Someone, who has new product might test this out. Going to get some here in a bit, but won't be able to test, for awhile., however, David at PAG, UK was very clear on this point.

The Raptor thread is an interesting juxtaposition, as hot swap vs. linked battery power options are in play. Bearing in mind the above and after balancing the stabilizer for two linked (have to be V mount, BTW), batteries, simply replacing the penultimate battery, at low reserve status (either through camera monitor or on 9304's displays), the need for power down, given reasonable shooting times, and a swap plate are both obviated. In this scenario, a 9303, being first to the plate, would be a less expensive option, with the 9304 at the tail end. Great timing, for stabilizer Goup Buyers.

Thank you very much

Fury
 
This from David at PAG, UK.

Thank you David! Very affable chap, to be sure.

"Hello Nick,

It was a pleasure talking with you yesterday, and as promised, here are my thoughts:

  1. The PAGlink PL96e 9303 and PL96T 9304 batteries will output clock and data signals to the RED cameras, thus showing battery status information in the viewfinder. The battery status information is compatible with the various systems in use by different camera manufacturers, and even though RED have reversed the clock and data contact positions compared with Sony, the PAGlink batteries can still be set to communicate correctly. It is necessary to use a 6-way power cable with the 6-pin connector in order to have battery status in the viewfinder.
  2. PAGlink batteries are designed so that the ‘power rails’ and digital communication rails run through the stack, and the actual cell packs inside the batteries are able to connect themselves to, and detach themselves from, those rails.
  3. The PAGlink battery adjacent to the camera elects itself as the ‘master’, and other batteries in the stack will be the ‘slaves’. The stack is controlled digitally, and the status of the individual batteries is communicated through the stack so that it can be controlled for the most efficient – and safe – performance. In a stack, the master battery selects the most suitable two batteries for use, and the stack is continually monitored to ensure that batteries are used in the most efficient manner. Cell packs are connected to or disconnected from the ‘power rail’ seamlessly.
  4. The status of any battery in the stack can be viewed by pressing the display button of the individual batteries once.
  5. Two presses of any battery button will reveal the run-time for the entire stack – including the batteries which are at that time disconnected from the ‘power rails’.
  6. The ‘master’ battery nearest the load (e.g. camera) will always leave sufficient charge in itself to enable a number of hot swaps of one or all of the remaining batteries in the stack.
  7. Because cell packs are connected to the ‘power rail’ in parallel, charged batteries can be added to the back of the stack, and the energy will be available at the camera without having to pass through any discharged batteries.
  8. Because PAGlink is a fully controlled digital system, charged and discharged batteries can be joined together in a stack for charging or discharging with no danger of any unwanted current flow between them. This is just one of the many unique features of the PAGlink system.
You will see that, given the nature of the PAGlink system, there is no benefit in having a ‘twin plate’ concept, as in effect every PAGlink battery functions as a ‘twin plate’ arranged in a vertically expandable format.

Please let me know if this is helpful, and if there is more information that you require.

Best wishes,

David Hardy
Quality & Technical Director."

Thank you very much

Fury
 
Fury:

So what happens to the % when I link another battery? Does it go up? If I have 3 batteries, all at 100%, does the viewfinder show 300%? 100%?

Nick Fury said:
This from David at PAG, UK.

Thank you David! Very affable chap, to be sure.

"Hello Nick,

It was a pleasure talking with you yesterday, and as promised, here are my thoughts:

  1. The PAGlink PL96e 9303 and PL96T 9304 batteries will output clock and data signals to the RED cameras, thus showing battery status information in the viewfinder. The battery status information is compatible with the various systems in use by different camera manufacturers, and even though RED have reversed the clock and data contact positions compared with Sony, the PAGlink batteries can still be set to communicate correctly. It is necessary to use a 6-way power cable with the 6-pin connector in order to have battery status in the viewfinder.
  2. PAGlink batteries are designed so that the ‘power rails’ and digital communication rails run through the stack, and the actual cell packs inside the batteries are able to connect themselves to, and detach themselves from, those rails.
  3. The PAGlink battery adjacent to the camera elects itself as the ‘master’, and other batteries in the stack will be the ‘slaves’. The stack is controlled digitally, and the status of the individual batteries is communicated through the stack so that it can be controlled for the most efficient – and safe – performance. In a stack, the master battery selects the most suitable two batteries for use, and the stack is continually monitored to ensure that batteries are used in the most efficient manner. Cell packs are connected to or disconnected from the ‘power rail’ seamlessly.
  4. The status of any battery in the stack can be viewed by pressing the display button of the individual batteries once.
  5. Two presses of any battery button will reveal the run-time for the entire stack – including the batteries which are at that time disconnected from the ‘power rails’.
  6. The ‘master’ battery nearest the load (e.g. camera) will always leave sufficient charge in itself to enable a number of hot swaps of one or all of the remaining batteries in the stack.
  7. Because cell packs are connected to the ‘power rail’ in parallel, charged batteries can be added to the back of the stack, and the energy will be available at the camera without having to pass through any discharged batteries.
  8. Because PAGlink is a fully controlled digital system, charged and discharged batteries can be joined together in a stack for charging or discharging with no danger of any unwanted current flow between them. This is just one of the many unique features of the PAGlink system.
You will see that, given the nature of the PAGlink system, there is no benefit in having a ‘twin plate’ concept, as in effect every PAGlink battery functions as a ‘twin plate’ arranged in a vertically expandable format.

Please let me know if this is helpful, and if there is more information that you require.

Best wishes,

David Hardy
Quality & Technical Director."

Thank you very much

Fury
Click to expand...
 
Marcos Montenegro said:
Fury:

So what happens to the % when I link another battery? Does it go up? If I have 3 batteries, all at 100%, does the viewfinder show 300%? 100%?
Click to expand...

Hi Marcos,

1st of all, there are two separate intelligent functions, in the linked PAG batteries.

The First is the current/power system, which bypasses the cells in a battery(s) that are measured , by the PAG's software, to be too low.

The second is a metering/measuring system, which does NOT bypass the presence of any battery's cells, even if those cells are power bypassed. Therefore, current can pass trough the rails of a power bypassed battery, but the measured % of ALL the cells of the batteries in the linked chain will continue to read out as a % (maximum 100%) of the erstwhile total of all linked batteries' THEORETICAL capacity, if fully charged.

3 batteries =288wh
2 batteries = 192 wh
1 battery = 96wh

When three batteries are together it will read as one battery with a capacity of 288wh and that is the percentage you will see in the VF.

Take off one battery and it will adjust in the VF for a 192 wh battery.

Throw a fresh battery on and it the reading will adjust back up to a 288 wh battery based on all power in the cells.

Example 1 : 2 batteries at 66% and add a third full battery the number will adjust up. However 2 batteries at 66% and add a third battery with 50% power and the number will most likely adjust down. Once again 3 batteries are based on a 288wh battery, where the 288 wh remains the 100% theoretical level.

Example 2 : 2 batteries are at, say 5% remaining, and are being power bypassed, whilst the head end battery is at 95% (won't be quite 100%, because some power is used in the chain). Now Metered % will be near 35%, (96 wh X 5% = 4.8 wh X two batteries = 9.6 wh + 91.2 wh (96 wh X 95%, battery #1) = 100.8 wh measured/288 max capacity of three batteries = 35%,which should be displayed, in the Red camera. If Batteries #2 & 3 are then removed, from the linked chain, the display should show 95% , as only Battery #1 remains and is nearly fully charged. Note: throughout this example there are only 96wh's available, as only one battery, @the head end, is being used , in the software's power handling of the three linked batteries.

The batteries have a button that you can press for % of power left. Even when stacked the reading will tell you % of the battery that you pushed not all that are stacked.
However, if you press any button twice, it will give you remaining run time based on all three batteries.

Thank you very much

Fury
 
Last edited:
Curt Pair said:
Hey folks,

As many of you know, I'm a big fan of the PagLink batteries. I loved them so much I decided to make a "review" video about them. I didn't receive compensation for my efforts, and wasn't looking for any. I've spent thousands of dollars over the years on "bad purchases" and wanted to share a great experience with my fellow camera operators and DPs.

We put together a group buy for these batteries last fall... I've had many people email me about doing another, as they missed out... I've spoken with Steve Manios from Manios digital, the US distributor for PAG. He's agreed to a group buy. There are no limits in the number of batteries that one needs to purchase, or the group needs to purchase to receive the discounts. All of the purchases will go through Manios Digital directly; there is no third party in between.

I do ask that if you're looking for power, and you like the batteries, feel free to jump in on the deal. If you don't like them, no problem, please move on and allow others to make their own decisions. It's great when companies are willing to help our community and it's even better if it's a positive experience for all involved.

If you're looking for info on the batteries, check out my review:


9303 PAGlink PL96 Battery List $595 Group Buy $395ea.
9304 PAGlink PL 96 Time Battery List $695 Group Buy $470ea
9707 PAGlink PL16 Charger List $870 Group Buy $595ea.
9708 PAGlink Cube Charger List $938 Group Buy $650ea
9710 PAGlin Micro Charger List $199 Group Buy $139ea
9709 PAG power hub List $199 Group Buy $139

If you're interested contact Manios Digital directly: steve@maniosdigital.com

These prices are going through the end of June, 2013.
*All orders are processed and shipped as they are placed! You don't have to wait for the end of the group buy period to receive your products!

BTW: This is not competing with Group Buy that Steve Manios posted yesterday. Steve is a stickler for procedure (and the rules), and wants to comply with Red User protocols; therefore he's removing his post. He is in the process of becoming a sponsor on the site. He contacted Jarred today. His original post is being removed, and being replaced by this one. (​Again, I'm not receiving anything for this, other than the good karma for 'paying it forward' to so many, like Steve, who have helped me over the years!)
Click to expand...

Just read this full post. Just to fix blame properly, I actually called Steve, who is a overbearingly top notch individual, about starting a GB for PAG batteries, as the Raptor GB was shipping soon, etc. and that seemed a great dovetail. I did not recall the previous PAG GB. Steve and I discussed this, at length, and he posted the GB. FF and Curt, a similarly a very congenial and forthright gentleman, altruistically saved the day, by volunteering to take Steve's place. I apologize for my part, but all ended well and was well intentioned, from inception. Pleasure to associate with you all.

Thank you very much

Fury
 
GROUP BUY ENDS TOMORROW!!...

Thank you very much

Fury

 
Hey guys anyone want to buy some PAg batteries?? I know that I need :)
 
Love it :)
 
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