FS-4 & Battery Charging at DVinfo.net

Andrew Petrie · March 2nd, 2005, 08:26 PM

So, many of the resellers are offering the extra battery with an FS-4 purchase... The battery can only be charged while installed in the FS-4 correct? This is my assumption based on the pictures I've seen so far.

So, the advertised charge of the Li battery is 90 minutes.... If I'm into my second battery and on-location somewhere, there's no way to charge the dead battery while I'm shooting with the other battery?

Many of my shoots are done without an AC source within reach, so I rely heavily on batteries. With my XL1 I often have a battery charging nearby, while I use the camera. In the case of the FS-4, I'd love to be able to charge a dead battery the same way, while using the FS-4 with the spare. I'd still need some juice to really use up the supplied 40 GB of space in a day, never mind the 80GB upgrade!

So, if charging can only be done on the FS-4, Is there a seperate charger being developed? The thought of buying 6+ batteries (and all pre-charged) doesn't appeal to my budget...

So yeah, is there an external charger?

Hart Boyd · March 3rd, 2005, 12:03 PM

Great questions as I have not even thought about recharging the batteries off the unit as I had planned to power the unit from the AB battery pack.

Daniel Kohl · March 6th, 2005, 04:41 PM

I don't have a direct answer to this question.

But I have a suggestion for a workaround.

The FS-4 has a DC power jack. It would be conceivable, if Focus has not thought about the problem of an external battery charger, to power the FS-4 using a self built or commercially available external power source. It wouldn't be as elegant as using the Li battery pack designed to go with the FS-4, but it should work. MCE offered something like that with the Quickstream in MCE's original offer. It was a bit awkward as far as ergonomics, but the third party power pack did power the Quickstream.

Just a thought

Andrew Petrie · March 16th, 2005, 11:00 AM

The workaround doesn't really help those of us that haul an FS-4 around where no AC supply is present...

Example, Imagine I'm on a resort somewhere shooting, I have 2 batteries and an 80GB disk. One battery dies. Ideally I'd love to return to my room, slap it on a charger, while I go out again with the 2nd battery and shoot some more, thus reducing as much waiting time as possible - because daylight ain't sticking around forever :) .

Presently, it doesnt sound like it works this way. The DC jack you mention could power the unit, sure, but it sounds like it's also doubles as the charger. I don't know how the FS-4 batteries are designed, or if they use an existing pin arrangement compatible with a generic charger, but I want that independant charger (and it should be included)

IMO, this is a big issue, as not many folks are going to enjoy forking over a lot of cash in multiple batteries ($$$!) and only being able to charge one at a time.

Daniel Kohl · March 16th, 2005, 01:53 PM

Andrew,

I won't deny that an extra charger for the FS-4 battery pack is an accessory that Focus should offer, especially if they want to sell additional battery packs. There is no doubt about that. It is clearly a major oversight if they are not planning to make such a charger available in the near future. I hope that Matt is reading this thread, and will pass this info onto Focus' R+D department or whoever.

I too will be effected by the same problems of lack of access to power when I'm shooting on location. And as far as I could tell from the beta units battery pack, it will not fit in any generic charger.

What I am suggesting, though, is the purchase of a third party battery pack, with it's own charger. There are third party battery packs out there that have a connector that would fit into the DC IN jack on the FS-4, over which the FS-4 would be powered. You could have a second one of these third party battery packs on charge in say your hotel room. This set-up would of course disrupt the the nicely designed compactness of the FS-4, and also make it unnecessary to purchase additional FS-4 battery packs.

The best solution would be of course, if Focus would offer an external battery charger.

Joe Goldsberry · March 25th, 2005, 08:14 AM

As a Sony 390 user, I'd like to see Focus offer a standard 4 pin dc out to their mini plug dc in.

Joe

Dan Euritt · March 25th, 2005, 03:34 PM

you can get 2500mah nimh aa batteries that'll probably power this unit for quite awhile... plug 'em into a radio shack plastic aa pack with velcro on it, and you should be good to go, probably for less $$ than those extra lithium batteries from focus.

in the past, lithium typically has had better charge density, but at 2500mah per aa, you won't have any reason to complain... and you'll have that external charger for the aa batteries.

Matt McEwen · March 31st, 2005, 04:08 PM

An external charger is in the roadmap. I will post more details when I have them.

Thanks,
Matt

March 2nd, 2005, 08:26 PM	#1
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	FS-4 & Battery Charging So, many of the resellers are offering the extra battery with an FS-4 purchase... The battery can only be charged while installed in the FS-4 correct? This is my assumption based on the pictures I've seen so far. So, the advertised charge of the Li battery is 90 minutes.... If I'm into my second battery and on-location somewhere, there's no way to charge the dead battery while I'm shooting with the other battery? Many of my shoots are done without an AC source within reach, so I rely heavily on batteries. With my XL1 I often have a battery charging nearby, while I use the camera. In the case of the FS-4, I'd love to be able to charge a dead battery the same way, while using the FS-4 with the spare. I'd still need some juice to really use up the supplied 40 GB of space in a day, never mind the 80GB upgrade! So, if charging can only be done on the FS-4, Is there a seperate charger being developed? The thought of buying 6+ batteries (and all pre-charged) doesn't appeal to my budget... So yeah, is there an external charger? __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

March 6th, 2005, 04:41 PM	#3
Daniel Kohl Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Frankfurt, Germany Posts: 571	I don't have a direct answer to this question. But I have a suggestion for a workaround. The FS-4 has a DC power jack. It would be conceivable, if Focus has not thought about the problem of an external battery charger, to power the FS-4 using a self built or commercially available external power source. It wouldn't be as elegant as using the Li battery pack designed to go with the FS-4, but it should work. MCE offered something like that with the Quickstream in MCE's original offer. It was a bit awkward as far as ergonomics, but the third party power pack did power the Quickstream. Just a thought __________________ Daniel Kohl Frankenstein meets XL1

March 16th, 2005, 11:00 AM	#4
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	The workaround doesn't really help those of us that haul an FS-4 around where no AC supply is present... Example, Imagine I'm on a resort somewhere shooting, I have 2 batteries and an 80GB disk. One battery dies. Ideally I'd love to return to my room, slap it on a charger, while I go out again with the 2nd battery and shoot some more, thus reducing as much waiting time as possible - because daylight ain't sticking around forever :) . Presently, it doesnt sound like it works this way. The DC jack you mention could power the unit, sure, but it sounds like it's also doubles as the charger. I don't know how the FS-4 batteries are designed, or if they use an existing pin arrangement compatible with a generic charger, but I want that independant charger (and it should be included) IMO, this is a big issue, as not many folks are going to enjoy forking over a lot of cash in multiple batteries ($$$!) and only being able to charge one at a time. __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

March 16th, 2005, 01:53 PM	#5
Daniel Kohl Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Frankfurt, Germany Posts: 571	Andrew, I won't deny that an extra charger for the FS-4 battery pack is an accessory that Focus should offer, especially if they want to sell additional battery packs. There is no doubt about that. It is clearly a major oversight if they are not planning to make such a charger available in the near future. I hope that Matt is reading this thread, and will pass this info onto Focus' R+D department or whoever. I too will be effected by the same problems of lack of access to power when I'm shooting on location. And as far as I could tell from the beta units battery pack, it will not fit in any generic charger. What I am suggesting, though, is the purchase of a third party battery pack, with it's own charger. There are third party battery packs out there that have a connector that would fit into the DC IN jack on the FS-4, over which the FS-4 would be powered. You could have a second one of these third party battery packs on charge in say your hotel room. This set-up would of course disrupt the the nicely designed compactness of the FS-4, and also make it unnecessary to purchase additional FS-4 battery packs. The best solution would be of course, if Focus would offer an external battery charger. __________________ Daniel Kohl Frankenstein meets XL1

March 3rd, 2005, 12:03 PM	#2
Hart Boyd Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 148	Great questions as I have not even thought about recharging the batteries off the unit as I had planned to power the unit from the AB battery pack.

March 25th, 2005, 08:14 AM	#6
Joe Goldsberry Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Whitman, Mass Posts: 101	As a Sony 390 user, I'd like to see Focus offer a standard 4 pin dc out to their mini plug dc in. Joe

March 25th, 2005, 03:34 PM	#7
Dan Euritt Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Carlsbad CA Posts: 1,132	you can get 2500mah nimh aa batteries that'll probably power this unit for quite awhile... plug 'em into a radio shack plastic aa pack with velcro on it, and you should be good to go, probably for less $$ than those extra lithium batteries from focus. in the past, lithium typically has had better charge density, but at 2500mah per aa, you won't have any reason to complain... and you'll have that external charger for the aa batteries.

March 31st, 2005, 04:08 PM	#8
Matt McEwen Focus Enhancements Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Campbell, CA. Posts: 508	An external charger is in the roadmap. I will post more details when I have them. Thanks, Matt