Question about a field recorder works in this case.

[Ryan Elder]

Yeah cause I have to change the 1.5s quite a bit, and don't like delaying people if I can help it.

[Brian Drysdale]

According to the manual, I gather a Tamiya Battery (7.2V) 3600 mAh lasts 8 hours in the FR-2LE

[Don Palomaki]

Sounds like a nominal 12 volt sealed rechargeable gel cell (a leak proof form of lead-acid battery). At full charge they ran a bit under 14 volts open circuit. Today you see them in applications such as emergency light fixtures, alarm systems, small UPS for PCs, and FIOS terminal equipment back-up batteries. They come in a variety of form factors. They were used to power portable audio and video gear ~25 years ago, such as the Panasonic AG-456 S-VHS camcorders and video lights. I've used 6 volt versions to power Hi8 camcorders that came with 6 volt NiCds.

The nominal 12 volt batteries are available in a number sizes and shapes. A common "Power-Sonic" brand 9 amp. hr. battery is about 2"x4"x6"and weights about 5.25 pounds. It should be able to run the recorder in question 30 hours or more starting with a full charge, but is a bit heavy for present day run-and-gun use.

If considering this you will need a compatable charger for it the battery, and an appropriate fused connector cord to the recorder. Also, keep in mind that using a power source other than what is documented in the user manual may damage the gear and void any warranty. (Chargers for NiCd, Ni-MH, and Li-ion generally are not suitable or safe for this type of battery unless specifically labeled for it.)

One other caveat. The amp-hour (or ma-hr) rating of a battery is based on specific conditions including time and terminal voltage. For typical AA alkaline batteries is roughly 2 amp-hours and reflects the amount of current you can obtain over 20 hours with an end voltage of about 1 volt. This translates to about 0.1 amps from the AA. However, as the current draw is increased the available amp-hours decreases due to discharge rate effects in the battery chemistry. Matching battery size to the application is one of the design considerations.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay thanks, I think that's what the battery is. As long as it would work, and not cause any problems since I am plugging in a 12 V batter into the adapter port.

There is another thing. Some people say I should upgrade to a field recorder that has more XLR ports, so I can plug in additional lav mics as well as the boom. Is it bad that I have been using a boom mic only, without lavs?

I figure that if I can shoot a movie with just one camera to save money, than its no worse than using just one mic. But what do you think?

[Paul R Johnson]

Cann you not yet predict our answers. I have two - one is two channel, one is four channel. I use the most appropriate one, and frankly, for me - the two channel one is in use more often. I usually use this if there are two lavs, leaving the camera mounted mic to pick up the general stuff.

Your quest to do things win the cheap means that while one camera can capture a scene, if there are multiple sound sources that all need to be captured, one mic will be totally insufficient. Can't compare sound and picture in this way. The all round capture from the camera mic is great for atmosphere, but it lacks the definition of the boom, or the lavs. Right tool for the right job.

[Brian Drysdale]

As the sound recordist on dramas and documentaries. lavs will be part of the standard kit, they;re also part of the radio mics kit(which are more common now than they used to be).

Shooting with one camera may not save you money in the long run, it depends on what you're shooting. You can't compare the camera requirements with the audio requirements, the logical end result is that you only need one light regardless of the production you're making.

[Greg Miller]

Ryan, you are unbelievable. In post #123 above, Don said "Also, keep in mind that using a power source other than what is documented in the user manual may damage the gear and void any warranty."

In the very next post, you said,

Originally Posted by Ryan Elder

Oh okay thanks, I think that's what the battery is. As long as it would work, and not cause any problems since I am plugging in a 12 V batter into the adapter port.

Ryan, don't you pay any attention to the information and advice we're giving you? If you continue to act as if we're wrong, why do you keep asking us more questions? Aside from being rude, it's a waste of time and energy.

Oh, okay. It is a *nonimal* 12 volt battery. It is *called* 12 volts. That does *not* mean it will always provide exactly 12.0 volts. (Similarly, a "two by four" is not really 2" x 4", and a "half inch pipe" is not really 0.50" diameter.) "12V" is just a rough average of the range of voltage it will produce at various times. Depending on the state of charge, it may actually be as high as 14.4 volts (my "12V" car battery is between 14.8v and 15.0v when the engine is running), or as low as 10 or less (actually it can run down to zero volts if you leave a load connected long enough). We can *not* guarantee that this battery won't cause some problems with the recorder. If the recorder was designed to use a "12V battery" the manual would say so. But the manual does *not* say that.

Here's a homework problem for you. Please tell us exactly what the manual says about power supplies.

Oh, okay. And who are "some people" who tell you all these things? I think they're just in your imagination.

Oh, okay. If you're really trying to economize, why not have just one actor play all the parts? Then you could safely get by with just one mic. And of course you'd have just one actor to pay, instead of a whole cast. With the money you save, you could probably afford to buy yourself a Big Mac.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Greg is the Youtube "Ryan Wray Show" our Ryan? If so it would make sense why these threads are impossible to understand.

My take away is that he doesn't have ANY money. He asks about what equipment to buy and talks of hiring people for a feature film, and yet he can't buy a $20 power adapter. He doesn't listen or can't comprehend any advice given to him. Whether he can help it or not it's pointless trying to answer his questions.

[Paul R Johnson]

The idiot in the Ryan wray YouTube videos is sadly British, and shot in England, so isn't our Ryan. At least that is one bit of good news!

[Ryan Elder]

Originally Posted by Greg Miller

Ryan, you are unbelievable. In post #123 above, Don said "Also, keep in mind that using a power source other than what is documented in the user manual may damage the gear and void any warranty."

In the very next post, you said,

Ryan, don't you pay any attention to the information and advice we're giving you? If you continue to act as if we're wrong, why do you keep asking us more questions? Aside from being rude, it's a waste of time and energy.

Oh, okay. It is a *nonimal* 12 volt battery. It is *called* 12 volts. That does *not* mean it will always provide exactly 12.0 volts. (Similarly, a "two by four" is not really 2" x 4", and a "half inch pipe" is not really 0.50" diameter.) "12V" is just a rough average of the range of voltage it will produce at various times. Depending on the state of charge, it may actually be as high as 14.4 volts (my "12V" car battery is between 14.8v and 15.0v when the engine is running), or as low as 10 or less (actually it can run down to zero volts if you leave a load connected long enough). We can *not* guarantee that this battery won't cause some problems with the recorder. If the recorder was designed to use a "12V battery" the manual would say so. But the manual does *not* say that.

Here's a homework problem for you. Please tell us exactly what the manual says about power supplies.

Oh, okay. And who are "some people" who tell you all these things? I think they're just in your imagination.

Oh, okay. If you're really trying to economize, why not have just one actor play all the parts? Then you could safely get by with just one mic. And of course you'd have just one actor to pay, instead of a whole cast. With the money you save, you could probably afford to buy yourself a Big Mac.

Oh okay but I measured and the multimeter says 12 volts though. I am just trying to get creative, and think outside the box. The equipment and instructions say to only use the adapter provided, but is it wrong to get creative out in the field, if you want more power, as long as the creativity does not exceed 12V? Yes the instructions say to use the adapter provided, but if I want a battery that can last longer, is thinking outside the box, completely out of the question?

[Greg Miller]

How do we know our Ryan isn't British?

[Greg Miller]

Originally Posted by Ryan Elder

is it wrong to get creative out in the field, if you want more power, as long as the creativity does not exceed 12V?

We've already told you that a so-called "12V" battery often does exceed 12 volts. What part of that did you not understand?

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Originally Posted by Greg Miller

How do we know our Ryan isn't British?

I’m pretty sure he’s from Canada so that’s not him which is a relief.

[Greg Miller]

That's what he wrote in his profile. But people can write anything. He might actually be a little old lady in a wheelchair in Outer Mongolia. Or that Nigerian prince who keeps sending me email.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Originally Posted by Greg Miller

That's what he wrote in his profile. But people can write anything. He might actually be a little old lady in a wheelchair in Outer Mongolia. Or that Nigerian prince who keeps sending me email.

I’ve been on other forums where people would create fake accounts to make mischief for their own perverse enjoyment. That’s why I’ve been suspicious. I believe this isn’t a fake account but it’s hard tell if his questions are genuine.

One thing that is evident is nothing productive is achieved in any of these threads. It’s hard to politely say that the root of his problems is some sort of mental condition. No amount of advice or knowledge that we try to share seems to be of use.