Can I use Varizoom charger for AB Dionic 90?

[Ted Ramasola]

Help needed,


I use an AB dionic 90 battery for my JVC hd200 so I posted this here.

The other day, smoke came out of my tandem charger after charging a battery.
I think I need another. I was wondering if I can use a Varizoom SC-302A charger, photo shown;

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/i...345/379244.jpg

As this is cheaper than the tandem, to charge the Anton Bauer Dionic 90 Li ion battery. Photo;

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/i...345/283752.jpg

Thanks for your replies.

Ted

[Chad Haufschild]

My experience is no. To my knowledge it's not a voltage or spec thing. I think the battery actually "talks" to the Dionic charger.

When I plugged the 90 into my Varizoom charger the display on the battery went all crazy. I quickly unplugged it and plugged it into the Dionic charger and it charged fine.

[Don Bloom]

The Dionics are smart batteries and the charger used to keep the batteries running for a long time communicate with them. The 2702 intellicharger is a 4 position charger that will not only charge the batteries but also condition them and power the camera as well although not at the same time. The 2722 is the 2 position version. There is of course the Twin 60 which is a 2 position charger that is not an intelligent charger and a Titan 70 which is a power supply and single battery charger that is also not N intelligent charger. While they are less money you should remove the battery(ies) from the charger when they show a full fuel gauge whereas with the 2702/2722 you can leave them on the charger to condition them and keep them at a full charge.
Now as to whether or not you can use the Varizoom charger I would say no based on a couple of guys I know that tried it and it didn't do the job. Keep in mind there are a lot of other batteries that use the the 3 stud mounting like the ABs but AB has some "secret" stuff that if the battery is charged on non AB charger and it blows up, they won't stand behind the warranty.
Anyway, yeah the AB chargers are more dough but are well worth it plus the customer service at AB is 2nd to none. They helped me out on more than 1 occassion.

[Ted Ramasola]

Thank you for the replies,

I think i'll try and get in touch with ab about servicing the tandem and see if it's a feasible option.

Ted

[Charles Papert]

I will second Don's advice. When you are working with $400 batteries it's worth the investment for a charger that will keep them working at their optimum capabilities for the maximum life of the battery. I'm coming to the end of a set of Dionic 90's that I've used on my Steadicam--they have all lasted for a solid 150 cycles over 4+ years, which is more than AB even expects of them. I'm sure that the 2722 chargers I use had something to do with that.

[Jerry Jesion]

I use the D90 with the Tandem charger. Works great.

Regards,
Jerry

[Ted Ramasola]

Thanks for the heads up on this guys.

Ted

[Shaun Roemich]

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

While they are less money you should remove the battery(ies) from the charger when they show a full fuel gauge

Interesting. AB's literature on the topic says to keep the battery connected to the charger on a Tandem even when charging is complete.

[Don Bloom]

I would never disagree with AB about their own batteries or chargers but when I was using them THEY told me that the 2702 and 2722 chqargers were the onlty ones they could recommend leaving the bateries on after charging. Those chargers condition the batteries as well and can read the amount of charge so as the charge slipped away from not being used they were automatically topped off. The 60 and 70 series chargers do not have that feature and I've always been leary of letting a Li-On battery sit on a charger for more than 12 hours AFTER it's fully charged. I did that once, left a battery on the charger for about 3 days after it was charged and sure enough, it blew out a cell.
Maybe it's just me.

[Ted Ramasola]

Maybe thats what happened to mine Don,

I left one dionic on the tandem overnight. The following day I replaced it with another. Moments later, I smelled smoke in the room and found it coming from the tandem.

[Jerry Jesion]

All,
Since I am pretty much an amateur and only use my AB Dionic 90 every month or so, I decided to ask AB what they recommend wrt using the Tandem.

What is the official recommendation for long term (month) storage of the Dionic 90 series battery? I have a Tandem charger. Also is it ok to charge it on a LifeSaver inter/Active charger?

Regards,
Jerry

This is their response:

Jerry,

Good morning. Our recommendation is to leave the battery on the charger at all times when not in use. This will ensure the cells stay topped off and balanced. It is ok to leave the battery on the charger (plugged in) for months.

You will not be able to charge this using a Lifesaver Series charger though. The only newer batteries you can use with the Lifesaver are NON-digital Trimpac and Propac batteries.

Please let me know if you have any followup questions. Thanks.

Neal Laneville
Applications Specialist
Customer Support Group

Anton/Bauer, Inc.
14 Progress Drive
Shelton, CT 06484
Phone: (203)929-1100
Fax: (203)925-4988
Anton/Bauer - The Worldwide Standard
"One World. One Smart Choice" (r)

So it appears that the battery should be left on the Tandem (and I assume any other recommended) charger while not in use.

Regards,
Jerry

P.S. A list of recommended chargers can be found in the Dionoc 90 manual available online at the AB website.

[Ted Ramasola]

Thanks for this info Jerry.