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RED Brick Service

V

Vinny Duwe

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www.switronix.com
After much testing, Switronix is now offering a service whereas we replace the contact block on the RED bricks with a new one of ours. This will fix problems such as; slight movement causes camera to shut down, not always engaging charger, batteries come up DC, etc. The battery to plate connection has been well documented on this forum.

Heat/resistance builds up on the contacts of the RED bricks, and can char(and melt) them, leading to poor connectivity. Please see attached photos(retrofitted brick to left, original on the right).

We've looked into this thoroughly and can fix these issues by changing out the connection block and sure up the connection. It also prolongs the life of the plate.

After changing out the contact blocks we do recommend suring up your plate as well, as this may have been damaged from the resistance(image 1).

Please contact us for more details. We are first offering this exclusively to this forum and then shortly on our website.
 

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FYI, Switronix came to Abel with this proposal. We tested and do believe that this is a very worthwhile fix. We plan to upgrade all of our rental batteries. The work will void the warranty on the batteries, but that only lasts three months from RED anyway.

Abel and Switronix concluded that it was best to let Switronix reach out to the clients directly instead of Abel Cine Tech getting involved as a middle man. It would have increased the costs and added a lot of hassle and delay to the process. We fully endorse the service and recommend it to everyone at REDuser.
 
Mitch, thank you for the endorsement.

I know Ross went over to you a few weeks ago and gave you a demo.

We presented Mitch with a RED plate connected to a 75w load, mounted a general RED brick on(with original contact block) and we showed how the slightest tap caused the loss of power. We then took the SAME RED plate, mounted the retrofitted RED brick, and power was constant, no matter how hard we hit the battery/plate connection.

For all interested, the cost is $50/battery, with a 4 battery minimum charge($200). Abel is looking out for the REDuser with this one, and thought this was a very valuable service, and wanted to keep the price low.

To schedule the service, you have to CALL IN.....We produce a packing list which is emailed to you, and must accompany each shipment. Also, batteries MUST BE OPERABLE. We will not work on inoperable batteries.
 
but how do you ship it ? This is still a problem in states..
 
Easy way to ship....Go to the Fedex Office website and search for a local Fedex shipping center, and click the Dangerous goods option along with entering your zip code. It'll come up with the closest Fedex shipping center which has been trained to handle dangerous good shipments.

Link: http://fedex.com/Dropoff/start

OR, according to our local UPS store, you can go to any UPS HUB, and they have a customer service area to ship them also.
 
Will it be possible to buy a DIY kit?
For European customers it might be a good option - no customs and shipping hassle.

Priit
 
Vinny D said:
I'll look into the price of the part. It would require some soldering skills and equipment, and we wouldn't offer a warranty on it. PM me if interested.
Click to expand...

That's something great you are doing.
Sending PM
 
Looking forward, have you considered offering a re-cell service for Red batts? Or is that something that Red will start doing themselves?
 
Li-Ion cell replacement is too tricky depending on the protection board and programming done on the battery. The cost would also be too prohibitive. If you check around, I don't think you'll find anyone doing Li-Ion recelling.

In the old days of cell replacement, all you had to do is throw a new NiMH or NiCD pack into a casing, Li-Ion is an entirely different animal.

If you want to save a bit, look at our XP-L95RED. Abel sells it for $329, and if you already have our hot swap, two gives you 190wh, and you don't have to deal with the travel restrictions.
 
I still believe that the Switronix battery mount plate is worthwhile as it holds the battery more firmly, but I also feel that the RED brick with this modification will provide a very robust solution.

Abel stepped back because in the end it was more fair to REDusers. No way would it have been $50/battery if we got in the middle. In the end it wasn't much benefit for us to be inside of and we felt it was really worthwhile for Switronix to offer to REDusers.
 
AGREED. We highly recommend REDusers to opt for a new plate after doing this service(whether ours, a new RED plate, or ET).

If you look at your battery, and the contacts look melted/charred(especially the negative!!!!), most likely it already damaged your mount plate. If the connection is poor, it generates tremendous heat and will melt(and subsequently shift) the contact, leading to a poor connection.

After the service is preformed, it is a relatively small cost to opt for a new mount plate(<$200) in the grand scheme of things.
 
Just to reiterate....All batteries must still be operable for us to service. When we get the batteries in we put each one under a 75w load(simulating a RED camera draw) for 1 min. If it doesn't withstand the load, we will not service this battery.
 
Vinny, what is the turnaround time on this? From the time the batteries arrive at the shop, how soon do they ship out? I only have one battery that really needs it because up until now it has been sitting on the shelf because one of the contacts fell out. If I was to do all four it really depends how fast I can get them turned around because of upcoming projects, etc.

Thanks for offering this service.
 
Currently, we can do the batteries in 24hrs. If we really get swamped it may take 1-2 days. But please remember, batteries must ship Ground, so depending on where you are, that could take a few days to and fro.
 
Just figured to show a battery we received in today from a NYC red rental house. The positive and negative connections were so bad, they were pushed in about 5mm each into the battery housing. We serviced the brick to make it nice and shiny!
 

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