Heard a few bits of info about mounting the Nano on an IDX battery/V plate. How will this actually work?
Steve

Dear Steve,

We could build a plate to adapt the IDX V-Mount plate to the nanoFlash.

However, please note that the IDX V-Mount plate is much bigger than the nanoFlash itself.

Nor is much battery power needed. The nanoFlash only requires 5.6 watts while recording, less than 0.3 watts in standby.

We are building D-Tap to 4-Pin Hirose power cables. So if you are using a V-Mount battery, one with a D-Tap, you can use this to power the nanoFlash also.

The nanoFlash uses so little power compared to most professional cameras, the additional power drain is very manageable.

And the advantage is that if you camera is monitoring the battery capacity, it will apply to the nanoFlash as well.

A 90 watt battery would power the nanoFlash for around 15 to 16 hours.

A 75 watt battery provides over 13 hours.

So for typical uses, the nanoFlash does not require a big battery.

Just trying to work out where would be the best place to mount the Nano to keep it out of the way and safe and not have to connect cables all the time. Could you for example mount it directly to the camera's V mount plate, then have the battery clip onto the back of the Nano?
Steve

Dear Steve,

Do you use the IDX V-Mount batteries which allow a second battery to be mounted to the first?

We have been trying to build a plate that would allow the nanoFlash to be attached to such as battery.

In the Anton Bauer world, we build a plate with removable Anton Bauer Gold Mount Studs, so that the nanoFlash/Flash XDR can be mounted to an Anton Bauer Gold Mount adapter, as it it was a battery.

In regards to your question, I am sorry, but I do not fully understand.

If we attach the back of the nanoFlash to the camera's V-Mount plate, then where can we attach a V-Mount battery to the nanoFlash?

I am trying to understand, but I can not visualize what you mean, sorry.

I do use the IDX Endura 10 batteries, the ones that will piggy-back - so are you thinking you could attach it to the back of one of these?
Steve

Dear Steve,

IDX has been most helpful.

But, we have not yet found the right part that would allow us to do so.

It think it would be very nice for use to use the secondary mount on the back (or front) of the battery to mount the nanoFlash.

But, we have found a $30 ball type cold/hot shoe adapter that works just great.

The only problem is if a cold/hot shore is already in use. But there are dual/triple hot/cold shoe adapters available.

We can manufacture the right part/plate to allow the nanoFlash to piggy-back to an IDX battery.

The only problem is if a cold/hot shore is already in use. But there are dual/triple hot/cold shoe adapters available.

.

No, that's not the only problem. It also sticks out a bit and is prone to being knocked and also needs removing before putting back in the back. If you have something tucked flush against the body it can be pack as is. Mounting it to the back of the IDX batteries would be a nice solution, so you can make the part custom to order?
One small problem might be that it will stop you piggy-backing batteries for extra power - don't know if you're aware but you can only piggy-back 2 of them. You can physically stack as many as you like back-to-back but it'll only send power through the first to the second even if you have say 4 batteries mounted it'll only use the first 2 in the chain. So presumably if you attached 2 batteries back-to-back and then the Nano on the back of that no power would come through.
Steve

Dear Steve,

Yes, you are correct. I did not choose my words carefully enough.

If there is interest, we will build a way to piggy-back the nanoFlash onto the IDX batteries.

I'm looking at making a bracket for the 700/800 that will use the screws that secure WRR radio mic receiver and allow the nano flash to be mounted alongside the battery. The other less professional alternative is good old velro or slightly better 3M dual lock. A 1" square piece of dual lock will easily hold the nanoflash.

IDX make an adapter to mount 2 v lock batteries side by side. If the Nano has any sort of V lock mount to it you could use that on 1 slot and then a battery or even 2 on the other. This is it Enhanced View Services, Inc. (http://www.usedvideogear.com/catalog/ae241-endura-vmount-dual-battery-adaptor-p-3125.html)
Steve

Dear Alister,

We will be happy to develop a mount according to your specifications or needs.

The nanoFlash has a single 1/4" x 20 tripod threaded screw hole for certain types of mounting.

In addition we have other M3,.5 threaded screw holes so we can mount custom mounting/adapter plates.

Could you please send me photos, drawings, or rough sketches of what you want.

There is a fairly standard four hole pattern for mounting wireless mic's. Is this the pattern used to mount the WRR Radio Mic receiver?

If so, do you have access to the back of this hole pattern so we can mount the nanoFlash via a screw threaded in via the back of the plate you mentioned?

Just done a quick experiment, take the V mount off the back of one my old Sony batteries, and it clicks straight into the camera's V mount. So presumably it'd be very simple to bolt that onto the mounting plate of the Nano?
For the dual IDX plate that I have in mind, the Nano would have to sit with the CF slots pointing upwards so with the point of the V towards the top of the unit. I'll try to come up with an illustration of what I have in mind.
Steve

Dear Steve,

We could design the V-Mount plate so that the nanoFlash could be mounted in multiple orientations.

For me, ideally the nano flash would mount directly to the camera's existing V-mount and then the nanoflash would have a v-mount on the back of it. That way you could mount the nanoflash on the back of any v-mount equipped camera. I think sourcing the parts to make a mount to fit the nanoflash to the camera would be easy, possibly from a dead battery (the V and battery terminals) and then use an IDX v-lock plate on the back of the nanoflash. I've probably got the bits to do this in my spares bin. This would also work with my EX3 as I have a v-lock adapter for that.

How would the battery then power the camera? It can't go through the Nano. You'd have to connect the IDX plate to the camera via cable, and also a cable from the Nano to something.
Steve

You would simply directly connect the 5 pins on the IDX male plate to the 5 pins on the V-mount female plate (the one the goes on to the camera). Power for the nanoflash can simple be taken as a tap from the direct connection, or by using the D tap on the IDX plate. The more I think about this the more I like it as I will also be able to use the nanoflash as a standalone device powered by one of my V-Locks.

I made some of my own V-lock batteries a few years back. I still have the moulds to cast my own V-Mount plates (battery type). I might have to dig them out and get some more liquid plastic resin to knock up a few.

Dear Alister and Steve,

We have been working with IDX.

We have an IDX V-Mount plate that can be used to connect to a V-Mount battery, and thus power the nanoFlash.

This V-Mount plate is much larger than the nanoFlash and is probably overkill for the 5.6 watts that the nanoFlash needs.

For the Flash XDR, this is a much more viable solution, as the size is closer to the size of the Flash XDR, in my humble opinion.

But, we are open to making almost anything that our customers want.

You would simply directly connect the 5 pins on the IDX male plate to the 5 pins on the V-mount female plate (the one the goes on to the camera). Power for the nanoflash can simple be taken as a tap from the direct connection, or by using the D tap on the IDX plate. .

But where would the power from the camera come from? If the camera's battery is on a V-lock mkunt on the back of the Nanoflash, how does it send power to the camera?
Steve

Of course the problem with sandwiching the nanoflash between camera and battery means you can't see the LCD. Hmm have to think some more.

What about something that uses the Sony BP-U30 batteries all of us EX people have laying around? I have 3 of them.

Of course the problem with sandwiching the nanoflash between camera and battery means you can't see the LCD. Hmm have to think some more.

Check out that E-241 plate. It mounts on the camera and then 2 batteries slot in sideways, one above the other. I can envisage the battery (or 2 stacked) on the bottom mount and the Nano on the top one, with the LCD facing outwards, the CF slots at the top and the connectors at left. I really do like the idea of the battery sticking out a bit and protecting/shielding the Nano a bit.

Steve

Dear James,

I suggest that you check out Dolgin Engineering's EX-V Adapter.

With the right connector, this should work well with the nanoFlash.

Untitled Document (http://www.dolgin.net/EX-Vadapter.htm)

Very good. Looks like they have a mini hirose connection too.

Jim

Dear James,

I did not know that Dolgin offers their EX-V adapter with a 4-Pin Female Hirose connector?

Where did you see that listed, or did you call Dolgin Engineering?

Please note that we have a 4-Pin Male Hirose connector on the nanoFlash itself, and we require a 4-Pin Female Hirose connector on the battery adapter.

While this may seem backwards, we do this for long-term reliability reasons.

Actually the overall reason for a for a 4 pin Hirose female on the power supply side of the connection is due to the convention that it is poor practice to have energized male pins on any connector. We have found the Hirose connector to be an extremely reliable locking connector and it is easy to work on.

If anyone needs a connector changed on an existing power supply from anything else to a 4 pin Hirose or a 4 pin XLR (for the XDR) I can modify them, and do it very quickly, or build something new. We have piles of those connectors lying around (as well as Power Taps, and other combinations).

Jeff