JVC batteries don't fit anything... until now..

[Marty Mulholland]

I like solutions that don't cost twice what a job pays, it's nice to get ahead with little workarounds like this until you can slowly build up your stash of good gear...

i do lots of car related shoots, so its dirty, dark, noisy and gear gets used and abused

so i like to buy ebay style LED lights like this one:

CN-126 LED Camera Video Camcorder Hot Shoe Light Lamp - eBay Lights, Lighting, Studio Equipment, Photographic Accessories, Cameras. (end time 28-Aug-10 13:13:51 AEST)

can't really argue with $50 for that much light

it works with a bunch of different battieres, including a huge Sony FP970 that i got for another light, but i find carrying around lots of different brands of batteries and their associated cheapie chargers isn't a reliable or clean system, so i decided to adapt the JVC batteries (which are the same voltage, +- 0.2 V)

there's no easy way to get the shoes that fit the jVC batteries, EXCEPT buying in car ebay chargers like this one:

AC/DC Battery Charger for JVC BN-VF823 BN-VF823U VF808 - eBay, Chargers, Digital Video Accessories, Cameras. (end time 13-Sep-10 20:41:15 AEST)


i bought a few and pulled one apart to see how i could make it work, intially i planned to build my own light out of that housing but instead used the above light which worked out cheaper and came with the colour adjusters and diffusers etc which would save me quite a bit of effort

anyway, the pictures will probably speak for themselves, the only tools that are required are:

5 minute epoxy glue
self tapping screw
wire, soldering iron + solder
DC plug and socket (should you want to use other batteries or AA's)

i probably would avoid running the light on full noise for extended time as I've read Lithium batteries don't like that much.. i'll abuse it with AA's or the SOny battery as my JVC ones are more expensive, but its awesome to be able to take just one charger and one type of battery, all interchangeable!

[Charles Wannop]

Nice!!!

C