EX1R+Nano: Lowest voltage with the Swit U-8U62? at DVinfo.net

Jack Zhang · December 23rd, 2011, 06:32 AM

By default, my EX1R throws warnings around 11.5V from the DC IN, but I have noticed that once the Swit reaches 12V without a nanoFlash, it starts to drop off in voltage rapidly. I've now set my EX1R to throw warnings at 11.9V knowing this.

What's the general experience of the lowest voltage before a rapid dropoff in voltage starts to happen with the Swit U-8U62 and the EX1R + Nanoflash? I don't have my Nanoflash on hand since it's being serviced at the moment, but I just want to know what it is from experienced owners beforehand.

Chris Medico · December 23rd, 2011, 07:26 AM

The point of dropoff is going to be the same. Only the slope of the curve will be different. Stop at 12v and the battery will last longer (more cycles). Deeply discharging lithium batteries shorten their life dramatically.

Andrew Stone · December 24th, 2011, 04:56 PM

Chris's point of pulling the battery out of service before the voltage plummets is bang on. They will last much longer.

One of the benefits of lithium ion batteries is they deliver a fairly consistent voltage throughout it's cycle when in use but you have to be mindful near the end as it will simply drop off.

You now know the point where the battery drops off so pull it before it gets to that point.

I have found a 90 watt hour battery is usually a better fit when operating an EX cam with a Nano particularly if you are doing an "event" shoot with long run times. If you can run the cam off a Sony battery and the nano off the Swit you will obviously get longer run times and not have both the camera and the nano simultaneously crashing out when the power drops from a single battery source.

Jack Zhang · December 24th, 2011, 09:41 PM

That's another thing, I don't have a BP-U60 on hand. I guess I went with the Swit for simplicity and convenience. At the moment, I don't want to get fancier than a Noga arm holding the Nano via the top 1/4'' screw.

I frequently turn things on and off so things aren't on continuously.

Les Wilson · December 24th, 2011, 10:23 PM

Jack, take a look at Westside AV's bottom plate and arm for the Nano. It's a much more compact kit than a Noga. If you use the VCT system, just let olof know and he can give you a plate predrilled for that system.

Jack Zhang · December 25th, 2011, 03:47 AM

The Noga was the only mounting option available for the top 1/4'' screw at the time of purchase. I personally don't see any problems with the rig using that arm.

I'll be using a 501HDV head (not purchased yet) on my 190XB legs so I won't be using a VCT quick release. I also seriously need to wait before purchasing anything else.

Dan Keaton · December 25th, 2011, 10:48 AM

Dear Friends,

Here are my thoughts:

1. If possible do not let the Lithium-Ion battery become fully discharged, as the battery will last longer.

By this, I mean if you have a chance to replace a battery that is over half discharged with a fresh one, do so, it will extend the life of the battery (in my opinion).

All Lithium-Ion batteries have and internal low-voltage cut-off to prevent them from being over-discharged which kills the battery.

2. The EX1R will probabaly cut-off before the battery cuts off.

3. Thus, when the EX1R cuts off, the battery will still be putting out voltage, and the nanoFlash will continue to run. Thus, the nanoFlash will gracefully close the file when the HD-SDI signal goes away.

4. The nanoFlash has a nice Power Save Mode (which works with HD-SDI but not HDMI).

If the camera is turned off, and Power Save Mode is enabled, the nanoFlash will go into very low power mode (standby).

In this mode, it only draws 0.1 watt.

I have tested a nanoFlash, with a small 2-cell Lithium-Ion battery, with the nanoFlash in low power mode.
I gave up the test after 4 days as there was still plenty of power left.

Thus, the nanoFlash will automatically power down, and automatically power up when the HD-SDI signal returns. Thus, for normal daily operation, there is no need to power down the nanoFlash manually.

Jack Zhang · December 25th, 2011, 11:18 AM

Thanks Dan for the info about the HD-SDI power save mode. I will turn on power save mode when I'm working with my EX1R to prevent constantly reaching for the switch on the bottom of the Nano when I'm out on shoots. This will be the first thing I do once I receive my nano after it has been serviced.

Howvever, using the nano with the HC7 and HV30 I own is a different story altogether. That still requires manual shutdown because it's through HDMI.

Chris Medico · December 25th, 2011, 11:19 AM

Here is some info to help make your batteries last longer.

The minimum recommended voltage per cell for the LiON batteries is 3v. Below that and you reduce the cycle life of the cells significantly. That equals 12v for the Sony EX style batteries. Set the camera to warn you at 13v and change as soon as you can after that. Discharging the battery to 3v/cell instead of 3.2v/cell cuts the number of cycles the battery will do IN HALF (~500 cycles vs ~1000).

Also do not store them fully charged. Charge them just before you need to use them. Storing them above 50% charged significantly reduces their capacity. If you store your batteries fully charged you can loose as much as 40% of the batteries Wh capacity in a single year. The ideal storage charge is 40%. This is the reason why laptop batteries barely last beyond a year with any real capacity. They are kept charged constantly which is deadly to LiON batteries.

Jack Zhang · December 25th, 2011, 11:50 AM

The reason I set the warning at 11.9V is because I use the DC OUT from the BC-U1 when I'm not using the Swit. If I set it at 13V, I'll get low battery warnings from a DC OUT connection. However, I'll keep 13V in mind as the lowest voltage I can go to balance out the point of pre voltage dropout and longevity.

December 23rd, 2011, 06:32 AM	#1
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	EX1R+Nano: Lowest voltage with the Swit U-8U62? By default, my EX1R throws warnings around 11.5V from the DC IN, but I have noticed that once the Swit reaches 12V without a nanoFlash, it starts to drop off in voltage rapidly. I've now set my EX1R to throw warnings at 11.9V knowing this. What's the general experience of the lowest voltage before a rapid dropoff in voltage starts to happen with the Swit U-8U62 and the EX1R + Nanoflash? I don't have my Nanoflash on hand since it's being serviced at the moment, but I just want to know what it is from experienced owners beforehand.

December 23rd, 2011, 07:26 AM	#2
Chris Medico Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Efland NC, USA Posts: 2,322	Re: EX1R+Nano: Lowest voltage with the Swit U-8U62? The point of dropoff is going to be the same. Only the slope of the curve will be different. Stop at 12v and the battery will last longer (more cycles). Deeply discharging lithium batteries shorten their life dramatically. __________________ http://www.LandYachtMedia.com

December 24th, 2011, 04:56 PM	#3
Andrew Stone Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 975	Re: EX1R+Nano: Lowest voltage with the Swit U-8U62? Chris's point of pulling the battery out of service before the voltage plummets is bang on. They will last much longer. One of the benefits of lithium ion batteries is they deliver a fairly consistent voltage throughout it's cycle when in use but you have to be mindful near the end as it will simply drop off. You now know the point where the battery drops off so pull it before it gets to that point. I have found a 90 watt hour battery is usually a better fit when operating an EX cam with a Nano particularly if you are doing an "event" shoot with long run times. If you can run the cam off a Sony battery and the nano off the Swit you will obviously get longer run times and not have both the camera and the nano simultaneously crashing out when the power drops from a single battery source.

December 24th, 2011, 09:41 PM	#4
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Re: EX1R+Nano: Lowest voltage with the Swit U-8U62? That's another thing, I don't have a BP-U60 on hand. I guess I went with the Swit for simplicity and convenience. At the moment, I don't want to get fancier than a Noga arm holding the Nano via the top 1/4'' screw. I frequently turn things on and off so things aren't on continuously.

December 24th, 2011, 10:23 PM	#5
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	Re: EX1R+Nano: Lowest voltage with the Swit U-8U62? Jack, take a look at Westside AV's bottom plate and arm for the Nano. It's a much more compact kit than a Noga. If you use the VCT system, just let olof know and he can give you a plate predrilled for that system.

December 25th, 2011, 03:47 AM	#6
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Re: EX1R+Nano: Lowest voltage with the Swit U-8U62? The Noga was the only mounting option available for the top 1/4'' screw at the time of purchase. I personally don't see any problems with the rig using that arm. I'll be using a 501HDV head (not purchased yet) on my 190XB legs so I won't be using a VCT quick release. I also seriously need to wait before purchasing anything else.

December 25th, 2011, 10:48 AM	#7
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Re: EX1R+Nano: Lowest voltage with the Swit U-8U62? Dear Friends, Here are my thoughts: 1. If possible do not let the Lithium-Ion battery become fully discharged, as the battery will last longer. By this, I mean if you have a chance to replace a battery that is over half discharged with a fresh one, do so, it will extend the life of the battery (in my opinion). All Lithium-Ion batteries have and internal low-voltage cut-off to prevent them from being over-discharged which kills the battery. 2. The EX1R will probabaly cut-off before the battery cuts off. 3. Thus, when the EX1R cuts off, the battery will still be putting out voltage, and the nanoFlash will continue to run. Thus, the nanoFlash will gracefully close the file when the HD-SDI signal goes away. 4. The nanoFlash has a nice Power Save Mode (which works with HD-SDI but not HDMI). If the camera is turned off, and Power Save Mode is enabled, the nanoFlash will go into very low power mode (standby). In this mode, it only draws 0.1 watt. I have tested a nanoFlash, with a small 2-cell Lithium-Ion battery, with the nanoFlash in low power mode. I gave up the test after 4 days as there was still plenty of power left. Thus, the nanoFlash will automatically power down, and automatically power up when the HD-SDI signal returns. Thus, for normal daily operation, there is no need to power down the nanoFlash manually. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

December 25th, 2011, 11:18 AM	#8
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Re: EX1R+Nano: Lowest voltage with the Swit U-8U62? Thanks Dan for the info about the HD-SDI power save mode. I will turn on power save mode when I'm working with my EX1R to prevent constantly reaching for the switch on the bottom of the Nano when I'm out on shoots. This will be the first thing I do once I receive my nano after it has been serviced. Howvever, using the nano with the HC7 and HV30 I own is a different story altogether. That still requires manual shutdown because it's through HDMI.

December 25th, 2011, 11:19 AM	#9
Chris Medico Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Efland NC, USA Posts: 2,322	Re: EX1R+Nano: Lowest voltage with the Swit U-8U62? Here is some info to help make your batteries last longer. The minimum recommended voltage per cell for the LiON batteries is 3v. Below that and you reduce the cycle life of the cells significantly. That equals 12v for the Sony EX style batteries. Set the camera to warn you at 13v and change as soon as you can after that. Discharging the battery to 3v/cell instead of 3.2v/cell cuts the number of cycles the battery will do IN HALF (~500 cycles vs ~1000). Also do not store them fully charged. Charge them just before you need to use them. Storing them above 50% charged significantly reduces their capacity. If you store your batteries fully charged you can loose as much as 40% of the batteries Wh capacity in a single year. The ideal storage charge is 40%. This is the reason why laptop batteries barely last beyond a year with any real capacity. They are kept charged constantly which is deadly to LiON batteries. __________________ http://www.LandYachtMedia.com Last edited by Chris Medico; December 25th, 2011 at 11:56 AM.

December 25th, 2011, 11:50 AM	#10
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Re: EX1R+Nano: Lowest voltage with the Swit U-8U62? The reason I set the warning at 11.9V is because I use the DC OUT from the BC-U1 when I'm not using the Swit. If I set it at 13V, I'll get low battery warnings from a DC OUT connection. However, I'll keep 13V in mind as the lowest voltage I can go to balance out the point of pre voltage dropout and longevity.