The new Swit 8U63 batteries are great they plug right in to the FS7 no need for the jumper cable. And they have both USB and D-tap ports. However the T-tap placement makes it impossible yo use a Dtap while in the FS7, so I make mini D-tap plugs.

Now bear in mind that the max draw on these batteries is 50w so don't go crazy trying to pull to much power out of them. But it can be a very nice compact solution to use an Odyssey or monitor on your FS7.

Email me if you want the STL files for 3D printing and I will email them back to you. I think sharing STL files is fantastic I love Open Source in general. And 3D printers are fantastic way to share design ideas and get more ideas from others. Long live open source!


So the STL files are free, after printing you have to tap the hole for the 3mm screw and countersink the other end of the hole and generally file and finish the piece, this is standard with all 3D printed parts. I use the pins from a AB D-tap so you need one of them as well and you then solder them as in the photo, this is very tight, just take your time and do a clean job, no solder globs, just fill the solder cups to the top and insert cable when still liquid, this is the way to be neat. I also recommend filling the inside of the case with plastic resin as you do the final assembly and use 1" piece of heat shrink tube as strain relief, not shown in these photos as this is the prototype just screwed together, you also should enlarge the cable hole to the correct diameter for the cable and heat shrink tube you use.


I am also selling finished cables or just the printed parts on my WEBstore.
mini dtap cable for Swit 8U63 battery (http://www.westsideavstore.com/index.php?p=product&id=110)

Contact me for more info.

SWIT batteries seem to be the overwhelming choice when it comes to a D-tap alternative to the BP-U60.

This wouldn't be a problem if Switronix released their coded 96wh BP-U battery, but they've vaporwared that product. Can anyone confirm if plugging in a pigtail based battery gives the high voltage warning like the PMW-300? If so, there are (and will be) no known 96wh BP-U batteries with D-tap that are compatible with neither the PMW-300 or the FS7.

Edit: Saw a review where someone purchased a pigtail based 96wh battery for the FS7 and it reportedly works. So it's only the PMW-300 that will reject pigtails.

Also older Swit 8U62 batteries (not in production anymore) work with FS7 using the DC cable.

Great to know. Don't know why Sony tried to block people using Pigtails on the PMW-300 when they've abandoned that tactic on the FS7.

Hot swapping batteries with something connected to the DC IN is also possible with the FS7?

Good to hear about your new cable! I've got it book marked. I too have been considering the FS7 camera as an upgrade and a camera to be used in conjunction with my EX3. It's still a major rental camera here in Asia by the way.
I had a new battery made via one of the Chinese manufacturers I have been talking to over the last 6 months and they have made a new version of the BP-U65 D-TAP/USB2 connected battery under my specifications. I have had them use Samsung cells NOT Chinese cells as those don't last long. Here's the blog (English) and a link to purchase that new battery: films & things ... (http://www.deanharringtonvisual.com/blog/)
p.s. ... use google chrome for Amazon.jp to have the Japanese automatically translated.

SWIT has released a new S-8U63 with a blue strip instead of the red strip that will work better with the FS7 in terms of reading time remaining. Sony changed how the battery data is communicated in the FS7, X160, and X180.

I'm also looking forward to SWIT's 96wh battery that should be compatible with all current cameras (can't say for future cameras, cause they'll keep changing the protocol)

I'm trying to get these manufacturers I'm working with to develop Olivine battery cells. Some are already being made in China ... that type of battery LiFePO4 or LFP is a lithium iron phosphate cathode material. The beauty of this type of battery is that it is safe for travel. I had my Li-ion battery in my MacBookPro swell up ... had to discard the damn thing as it certainly was way to old to return to Apple.
Olivine and Graphene are new materials which will eventually be used by most battery makers simply because they offer longer lifetimes, better power density and are much safer. Sony has their new Olivine battery on the market but between $450 (adorama) and $600 (B&H) + $1,000 for the charger ... that's a lot of bucks. The batteries do last 7 1/2 hours however ... too bad the setup is so expensive!

Carbon batteries sound like the ideal next technology to replace lithium. Glad to hear Olivine is one of the steps towards carbon batteries.

A carbon BP-U battery sounds so ideal! Hope this could be a reality soon.

Hi,

B&H selling this SWIT battery and also warning it is not compatible with FS7.

SWIT S-8U63 Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery for Sony Camera S-8U63

SWIT S-8U63 Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery for Sony Camera PMW, EX1, F3

Note: This battery is not compatible with the Sony PXW-FS7 camera.

Rajiv

Swit updated their S-8U63 recently to make it compatible; they unfortunately did not change the model number creating confusion. The new ones have a sticker attached to it.

This is the bottom of the BP-U65 battery (8 internal Samsung cells 2600mAh each). Works fine on the Sony FS7 ... tested it myself.

Swit updated their S-8U63 recently to make it compatible; they unfortunately did not change the model number creating confusion. The new ones have a sticker attached to it.

Alex,
Can you conform this new battery has blue strip instead of the red strip.

Thanks

My understanding is that they started putting "FS7 compatible "stickers on the red label batteries, and soon after that they switched the labels to blue color. It does not really matter if the label is red or blue. All newly made within last 2-3 months batteries are compatible.

Alex, Thanks for the conformation.

Rajiv

This is the bottom of the BP-U65 battery (8 internal Samsung cells 2600mAh each). Works fine on the Sony FS7 ... tested it myself.

SWIT has announced the S-8U93, a 86wh battery in the same size as the 63. Not quite 96wh, but comparable to the BP-U90, and with D-tap and USB!

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdcam-ex-pro-handhelds/519907-my-pmw-300-a-3.html#post1883498

Just went to my local camera shop to witness why the older S-8U63s don't work on the FS7. The thing is, the camera will boot properly for 15 seconds, but then instantly say "Battery Error" when it tries to read the minutes remaining. One of my electronics engineering friends said this could be due to hidden protocol in genuine coded batteries not revealed until now. It's unlikely an entire protocol change.

You can get around this by using the DC IN via a D-tap to Sony EX cable. You'd think the older batteries fare better, but the older SWIT S-8U62s have issues sitting flush inside the deep battery compartment of the FS7 because of it's pigtail. The Switronix 96wh has no issues in this department, but the BMS systems on those batteries don't last long.

Do not buy a S-8U63 unless you are sure it has the blue stripe due to this info. Do not accept S-8U63s for rental unless it has the blue stripe. the company was still under the assumption the old coded SWITs were forward compatible and offerable for rent. They are not. Clarified that on the spot with them.

I'd recommend for current red stripe S-8U63 owners to get a D-tap to Sony EX plug cable with the design from this page.