Hello there .
I am currently looking at purchasing the atomos ninja (2023) model for some gameplay screen recording and making 3d tutorials (in order to leave the PC to breathe a little ) . My problem is that I see the new atomos comes with a battery eliminator and a cable that is (I think a USB C to DC) .

How on earth can I power this thing on from the wall !?

My first guess was to pick up a usb c charger . Atomos told me that they haven't tested it, But they recommend a 65w usb c charger . Im cool with that, but I just read somewhere (and im not sure if its a reliable info ) that a charger is not meant to give continuous stable power to lets say a device like the Ninja.
Its meant for charging and I really dont want to break the ninja when I get it .

The official atomos International DC power supply is no where in Amazon Spain, and even so, its price is ridiculous !

I just want to plug the ninja to the wall, no batteries, turn on the console or the pc and work with it reliably .

Is the USB C 65w charger a bad idea to power on the atomos or do I need a dc power adapter (and if yes, than Which one ?? )

Im really tired browsing the web. So many cables and numbers for something so simple .
Loud gladly accept some help and links .

Cheers

No one knows !? Is everyone using a battery ?

I'm surprised there was no AC adapter that came with your product.

Andrew

I still haven't purchased it. Will do so in 2-3 days . Atomos simply decided to cheap out on providing the adapter and (from reviews and their page) , they just threw in a usb c cable . Logic dictates, '' hey use a usb c charger ! '' .But as I said, i read in a few places that chargers are for charging and will not provide continuous safe power like a adapter .
Hopefully what I read is wrong but im seriously puzzled on what to do now.


Go with a usb c charger or someone can recommend me a alternative adapter for the atomos please ?





Another big curiosity that makes me doubt what atomos said, on their page , I see on the photo that the base adapter is 12v - 36w . Why on earth did they told me to look for a usb c charger that is 65 watts !?
And they said so like 3 times . Im having fears that i may break the expensive device by giving it the wrong amount of electricity .

More help/ opinions are most welcomed !
Cheers

Hi Ataka...............

A charger with any sense (and they all pretty well come with sense nowadays) will vary the dc voltage and current according the perceived charge level of it destination cell(s). What a (reasonably) steady state load like a passive device (Ninja) will look like to a charger is anyone's guess. This is perhaps why they recommend a 65W charger?

Any regulated power ADAPTER that can provide 12 volts with a minimum current of 3 amps (12 X 3 = 36W) should do the trick, as long as it has the appropriate connector for the mentioned USB cable. Going for a larger capacity unit (4 amp?) may give you a bit of headroom if it (the Ninja) gets hungry when it gets busy, I'm not familiar with the device or its workings, so can't say.
Regards,


CS

Thank you for the reply !

So after some digging, ive found a similar topic , but regarding tablets and laptops . Basically they said that there are tablets like Samsung Galaxy Active 3 and Active 4 Pro that have a "no battery mode '' . Another user stated to use a 60w USB C on his second hand laptop that came with no battery and even using usb c on a lattepanda alpha 846 (which is a small pc with no battery ) .

So logic dictates than that the ninja may indeed power on only by using a subs c power adapter .
---

I found these ones that look promising if someone wants to take a look and say if they look ok or not .

https://eu.baseus.com/products/cube-pro-3-ports-fast-charger-65w

https://eu.baseus.com/products/fc-bayern-gan6-pro-4-ports-fast-charger-65w

And this thing below is a adapter from amazon Spain (so in Spanish but it can be seen on the photos ) Text seems ok, but is probably on of those advertising where you get something generic not like in the photo. No idea if I should consider it vs the usb 65w cargers posted above ?



https://www.amazon.es/HangTon-Adaptador-alimentaci%C3%B3n-bloqueo-grabadora/dp/B08P79CY2T/ref=sr_1_16?__mk_es_ES=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=27X616Q2ET64F&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vsre8fOK96svikPmgi5Y5j7mqLCw70u0EJh6F9WpBbWARYGGu7IDqYwQte2oEX7E0T23KGVdTkZ5SWWrKY9 _hGjrYHcBaS2rDkgIvpbLA9RqiWuXFMhV2pT5nY1MhldIlMHBzm4hKTTjwTSrdM9W6vp5XqBWrJy-19gcMSRHi43yUxpDCBTe1LZFP_j4cZiXEv6FMLCmNGkkF0keZd7mMk3VPpwBn47mPl817KOkfqfpdx4ZCVv4Jf1bG6V9lw6tISGs sjyFEdiXwAHgYqsispok-g1StKHwiAnK6aFr1AI.bSy0gjWToEqzO1s0nZEW_jqd2gysUUEvMSCJkUsIZjs&dib_tag=se&keywords=Atomos%2BLocking%2BAC%2BPower%2BAdaptor&qid=1722353358&sprefix=atomos%2Blocking%2Bac%2Bpower%2Badaptor%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-16&th=1


Will wait to hopefully hear a few more opinions on what is best and than, go for it !

Thank you again , and I really do appreciate the help .

Can you put up a link to exactly which unit you're talking about? I've just checked out the Atomos web site and they clearly mention "Battery Eliminator" for several of their units, so I'm somewhat confused.

CS

By unit , you mean which atomos ninja I wanted to purchase ? If yes, is this one :

https://www.atomos.com/explore/ninja/#

Its about 640 euros on amazon .I suppose its the successor to the old ninja V .(probably quite similar)


In this short 40 sec clip, you can see what is in the box .

Unboxing Atomos Ninja Ultra the Creative Way - YouTube

Umm, that was one of the units I looked at.

It quite clearly states that it is shipped with a BATTERY ELIMINATOR .

It says nothing about shipping with a battery, which are obviously OPTIONAL EXTRAS.

Ergo, I must assume that "out of the box" the unit will function, albeit tethered to a wall socket, via the battery eliminator.

Job done.

OR am I missing something still?


CS

Horrible thought time: No, it bloody well doesn't! You still require a mains AC to DC power supply, fercrissakes!

OK well, it looks like a pretty standard barrel connector, albeit with a locking ring which may or may not be a problem.

My only suggestion, if you're dead set on getting this kit, is get it, see if that "Battery Eliminator" will accept a standard DC power pack barrel connector (you must have one lying around somewhere?) and if so, go with my suggestion in post#5 with the power adapter. Note that if you subsequently do decide to go with a battery, you'll possibly need to go the Atomos route, even more money, which might be better spent "up front" now.

Yes. It appears that you do not now get a mains power adaptor with the Ninjas. The last two I purchased came with 'wall warts'. The power supply is now listed as an optional extra. Pretty poor, I think.

Chris Young

https://www.atomos.com/explore/atomos-locking-ac-power-adaptor/

That power supply is pretty darned expensive for what it is. Unbelievably expensive like they don't want you buying them "to save the planet" etc.

Andrew

Having done a little bit of light reading, it would appear this bizarre arrangement is some of the fallout from the EU's war on the proliferation of power packs, all with proprietary connectors, which means "dead device - power pack goes to landfill too, good for profits, bad for landfill".

They (the European Union) have settled on USB - C as the answer, which is what the Atomos has. What I don't understand is why Atomos has come up with this deranged method of keeping with proprietary connectors (if, in fact, this is what's going on here).

Is this "battery eliminator" simply a legal workaround or is there actually more to this bit of plastic than a DC connector in on one side and another out the back? Are there ANY active components in it, and if so, what are they doing? Are either of the two connectors Industry standard sizes?

It would be nice to think that this "adapter" could take the O/P from ANY DC power pack with a voltage range between 6.2V and 16.8V @ 22 Watts (the Ninja's stated power requirement) and just - run.

However, and I may be clutching at straws here so don't quote me, there is a distinct lack of polarities mentioned in all this (the close up photo of this "battery eliminator" gives zero input polarity/ pin information with the suggested voltage ranges, very odd). Which makes me wonder at that "6.2 volts". If that "bit of plastic" actually housed a full wave rectifier silicon diode bridge, it wouldn't make any difference which way around the DC was applied, it comes our right at the end, just minus 1.2 - 1.4 volts, giving 5 volts - ish even if you only I/P 6.2 volts.

It leaves the "bit of plastic" radiating a pleasant 5 Watts of heat in the process but that's not exactly earth shattering.

Maybe some brave soul with the necessary gear could shed some light.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, what to advise to any owner of this gear?

I'm honestly stuffed if I know!

It does seem that despite the EU's best efforts, this particular manufacturer isn't giving up that easily



CS.


PS: A bit of subsequent digging into USB - C power packs/ chargers has thrown up some interesting stuff. The "Official" USB - C spec rates the interface for UP TO 20 Volts @ 5 AMPS (100 Watts). That 20 V is a bit of a worry 'cause you have absolutely no way of knowing if it's going there or not. With regard to this Atomos gear it's waaay over the line of 16.8 V (what a strange limit?).

I was going to suggest that going with a "KNOWN" make MIGHT be a pretty safe bet, say Dell, as it's everywhere. Then I had a look at their UK web site and thought, Naah!, who needs that sort of agro?A perusal of the NZ site was better PR but then I found a "DELL" badged Laptop charger on one of our well known PC sites in NZ for nz$49 (cheap as chips!) --- SPECS: 65Watts - 20 Volts @ 3.25 Amps. Bollocks!


Sigh.

Hello again and a big thank you to everyone that is helping me on the topic. Atomos doesn't state any info on their basic ac to dp adapter on the page(just a photo with no info) and that thing can cost up to 70 euros .. Found a closeup image of the adapter for the old Ninja V .

https://i.postimg.cc/3NxfPKbY/Screenshot-2024-08-05-at-19-35-49-Atomos-Locking-AC-Power-Adaptor.png

I highly suspect its the same thing for the new atomos 2023 model as it looks like the same device but with x265 and the new OS . Same price but less physical content in the package .


The usb c charger that I was looking at:

https://eu.baseus.com/products/cube-pro-3-ports-fast-charger-65w

Has these specks :
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81eJsT6pdPL.jpg

Looking at it , it has many outputs and I suppose it auto detects?? what the plugged in device wants .
It also does have 12v - - 3.0A 36W which is also written on the difficult to find and overpriced atomos page, adapter . Logic dictates it should work . It appears atomos is using a battery eliminator to power the thing because it just doesnt have a normal power plug like the Black Magic Design video asist .


Will take a look if a dell ac to dp power adapter even exist. All I see are AC to usb c .(which means you have to connect to each other 2 usb c cables .)

Something that has been nagging me about this whole USB - C thing, as I'm "old school electronics" (and I really must stress the "OLD" here, I was waving a soldering iron around when I was 6 years old back in '58), is whether todays "chips with everything" has got down to the power interface level, so I asked Copilot the question:
--------------------------------------------------------

"Can an electronic device that is powered via a USB - C port "negotiate" with a USB - C AC adapter/ charger to ensure it receives only the correct voltage from said adapter/ charger? For example, can a device which requires a maximum of 15 volts be safely connected to an adapter/ charger capable of up to 20 Volts?"
-------------------------------------------------------------

Sent by Copilot:

Yes, an electronic device powered via a USB-C port can “negotiate” with a USB-C AC adapter/charger to ensure it receives the correct voltage. This process is part of the USB Power Delivery (USB PD) specification, which allows devices to communicate and negotiate power requirements.

Here’s how it works:

Initial Connection: When a USB-C connection is established, the source device (charger) sends a message to the sink device (electronic device) detailing its power capabilities, including available voltages and currents.

Power Data Objects (PDOs): The source device provides multiple Power Data Objects (PDOs) that specify different voltage and current combinations. For example, a charger might offer 5V, 9V, 15V, and 20V options.

Request Data Object (RDO): The sink device responds with a Request Data Object (RDO) that specifies the desired voltage and current based on its requirements. For instance, if the device needs a maximum of 15V, it will request that specific voltage.

Negotiation: The source device then either accepts or rejects the request. If accepted, the source adjusts its output to match the requested voltage and current.

Power Delivery: Once the negotiation is complete, the source device sends a “power supply ready” message, indicating that the sink device can draw the requested power level.

This negotiation ensures that a device requiring a maximum of 15V can safely connect to an adapter capable of up to 20V without any risk of receiving an incorrect voltage.

------------------------------------------------------------

This is followed by quite a few "gotcha's" like compatibility, etc, etc etc.


It does, however, answer a HUGE question, which is:

Why are all the USB - C AC Adapters I have been looking at ONLY giving their Total Watts and then (sometimes) the separate voltage levels they can work at, with nary a switch to be found anywhere on the Adapter?

Now, to the nitty gritty. This implies that it should be possible to plug any "reputable" USB - C AC Adapter into any USB - C (fully USB - C protocol compliant) powered device (assuming adapter grunt => device requirements) and let them get on with it.

BIG QUESTION: Is the Atomos Ninja FULLY COMPLIANT???

If "YES" then :

1. If you have NO existing power adapter at all, buy a suitably rated compliant USB - C power adapter and connect directly to the Ninja

2. If you DO have an existing non USB - C power adapter within the specified Voltage/ Current range with a suitable connector, go the Ninja "Battery Eliminator" route

If "NO" then:

1. You must either use the Atomos power pack (big bucks) OR source an AC power Adapter with appropriate connector and suitable voltage/ current requirements and go the Ninja "battery eliminator" route.

The next BIG Q is: Will Atomos cough as to NINJA compliance or not?


CS

*CoPilot's input gratefully acknowledged.

Updating the thread on how everything ended :

Had the Ninja 2023 now in my hands for 2 days and I can confirm that indeed, a 65w charger works .
Just make sure to buy a quality one that is GAN certified. The one I used is called UGREEN Nexode X 65w

https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0CLL3TQWT?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

And I stressed the device with 1 hour and 20 min on 4k 60fps of CS2 in a room temperature that was high. Probably no less than 30C or more . No problems at all ! And yes, the device does get hot . Hot that if you hold it for a few seconds, it can start to burn you slowly . I suppose that is how its made as ive seen many many comments that confirm the same . I also tested it for 30 min on 1080p 60fps on the ps4. Gets less hot .

Im using the dim display option and auto fan and turbo cool .

The charger does it thing and provides constant power to the device .


Of possible interests, I also used these cables :

https://www.amazon.es/dp/B09L4XN5CT?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0CJ4YGDJH?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

In regards to the second cable, I have a quadro p6000 that only has display ports 1.4 . So a display port to hdmi works without any problems on the atomos and provides audio. That is how I captured counter strike 2 from the pc .

And I also ended using the ANDYCINE Lunchbox II with the samsung evo 870 2tb.

The sata to usb c cable im using is this one from sabrent

https://www.amazon.es/dp/B017NIDXF0?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

The one I used from startech (it was this one)
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0133F30R8?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Came broken .

The one from sabrent works fine but gives speed of writes of 380mbits sadly. I suspect there may be outthere a brand that provides something like 440-450 mbits at least .If someone finds such a cable, please let me know !!

And a mini tripod :
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07PJ42RT6?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

This one was all metal and a good price. The height is not too much, but enough for the power cable not to be squashed between the table and the atomos ninja .


Really happy now and want to say a thank you from my heart to everyone that came to help me on how to approach the problem .
Cheers !

Hi Ataka,

Thanks for your post. It's so good to hear how it worked out for you, and this information is just as valuable as anything else.

Andrew

I will most probably make a video review later on (to recap the written info here) on this in order to make it more widespread so that others can have the questions answered .