Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? at DVinfo.net

Chris Harding · June 29th, 2016, 07:57 AM

Hi Guys

Anyone using an external Li-Ion battery pack with the camera? Is there any way to run it as a two wire cable (ie: just use the DC coupler) or does the camera need all 4 battery connectors? With Panasonic the outer terminals of the battery are usually power and the inside two go to the encoder/decoder built into the battery so using the wrong battery will force it to come up with an error ... I think the AC adapter gets over this issue but supplying the camera with a slightly higher voltage so it doesn't check itself.

Any bright ideas of a battery pack that will work without using AC power to run the camera for extended periods

Mark Owens · June 30th, 2016, 03:05 AM

Hi Chris, no luck so far got error with the bike battery supposed to be 8.4volt will have to go to see one of the guys at Jaycar to test and give me some info

Chris Harding · June 30th, 2016, 03:20 AM

Thanks Mark

Does the dummy battery have 4 terminals on it ? It looks like the connector coming out is just a two wire terminal to me so the only way I solved this issue on older Panasonic cameras was to bring out a 4 wire connection to an old Lumix charger and connect it to that but strip out the electronics so it's purely a carrier for a standard battery outside the camera ... Then the trick was to "piggy back" another 7.2 volt Li-Ion battery to the outer terminals so the "in place" battery supplies power and encoding to the camera and the bigger piggy back battery provides a greater capacity to the setup ..the 2nd battery of course doesn't need any encoder and the first one does that but overall you have a longer run time. I think that's the only way it will work!!

Mark Owens · June 30th, 2016, 04:19 PM

Hi Chris
Thanks still working on battery supply problem and yes the dummy battery has 4 terminals on it with the 2 wires coming out to a 5.5 x 2.1mm female Plug to fit 4.8 x 1.7 mm Male Plug to the socket Power Adapter cable.
This sounds silly but I want to use my FZ1000 on my small Glidecam 2000 what automatic settings what do you use when running around, Eg. AFC switch, and menu settings to get the auto focus quick and good quality
Mark

Chris Harding · June 30th, 2016, 06:27 PM

Hi Mark

On the battery issue it sounds like one would need to take 4 wires out of the coupler so you get the decoding and then use an external battery to provide just that but also connected to a bigger 2nd unit to provide the "oomph"

On my stedicam I use the cam in creative video mode and the lens full wide (more depth of field) I have that on the 40 point focus system but also have continuous focus on too. Hasn't let me down yet but every time start a new run I hit the half shutter to establish the base focus point. I do all my stedicam shoots at MP4 50P and then slow it down 50% in post and it's smooth as silk ... Don't try the camera's slow mo on stedicam!! It only sets focus and exposure once when you start so the moment you change direction everything goes crazy!!

Mark Owens · July 1st, 2016, 02:13 AM

Hi Chris, scroll down the page he shows what he has produced for a battery supply for his FZ1000
Tech talk - Graham's Photo Blog

Chris Harding · July 1st, 2016, 08:17 AM

Thanks Mark

OK so the bottom line is that the camera will chuck a hissy fit if the external power supply drops below 8.0 volts so Graham uses two 4.2volt batteries in series to give 8.4 volts with a DC to DC converter that keeps the output at 8.4 until the batteries go flat. Look here ... DIY Camera Rig Tutorials This is my own designed converter that uses not two 4.2 batteries but a 12 volt Li-Ion battery pack used for CCTV systems and then I made up a DC to DC voltage regulator which drops the 12 volt output down to whatever you need .... Surely with a 12v pack the convertor would have a longer run time as it would only "die" once the 12v pack dropped to below 8.0??? The packs I bought were 6000 mah and were cheap too.
The complete HTML tutorial with photos and schematics is attached ... you can adjust the output to what ever you require so in our case 8.4v would be perfect ... the battery monitor is only an added extra if you need it.

Alan Henderson · November 24th, 2016, 10:35 AM

Below are three items that were suggested to me on another forum.

Tether Tools Relay Camera Coupler for Panasonic Lumix Cameras with DMW-BLC12 Battery

Tether Tools Case Relay Camera Power System

Tether Tools Rock Solid 10,000mAh External Battery Pack

The primary external battery can be hot-swapped.

Other than the above, I have never found off-the-shelf items than can be guaranteed to work in combination with each other. They may be out there but I could not find them.

Total cost about $185.

Frank Grygier · February 2nd, 2017, 01:05 PM

DSLR Video recommended this USB power adapter for the G85. So I ordered it and tried it with the FZ2500 and a dummy battery. Worked like a charm. You will need the adapters as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Chris Harding · February 2nd, 2017, 06:48 PM

Thanks Frank

Mike also found an up convertor on a couple of threads below this one http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/panasoni...omments-5.html

I would assume that on the usb side you can plug it into a USB power bank to be totally portable or into a standard usb power supply if you have a mains available?

Frank Grygier · February 3rd, 2017, 06:04 AM

Yes. I use these USB power banks.
KMASHI 10000mAh Portable Power Bank with Dual USB Ports 3.1A Output and 2A Input - Black.

It is import to use a USB power bank with a 2 amp output to power the camera.

I use the Tether Tools Case Relay for the Black Magic Pocket Camera. I works fine but this solution is less costly. The up-converter is also available in a 12v version that I will try with the BMPCC.

Jack Walsh · February 3rd, 2017, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Grygier

Yes. I use these USB power banks.
KMASHI 10000mAh Portable Power Bank with Dual USB Ports 3.1A Output and 2A Input - Black.

It is import to use a USB power bank with a 2 amp output to power the camera.

I use the Tether Tools Case Relay for the Black Magic Pocket Camera. I works fine but this solution is less costly. The up-converter is also available in a 12v version that I will try with the BMPCC.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Grygier

DSLR Video recommended this USB power adapter for the G85. So I ordered it and tried it with the FZ2500 and a dummy battery. Worked like a charm. You will need the adapters as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Gday Frank! So you can use 9v with no problems!!!????

Jack Walsh · February 5th, 2017, 10:48 PM

Rightio, I'm using an UP Converter from Jaycar, with my Sony NP-f batteries_7500mah. Those batteries are bloody huge things when sitting in the battery carrier thingo. Outputting 8.4v to FZ1000 camera. Ran for about 3 hrs straight before I got sick of it, no real issues apart from feeling hotter than normal, Quite noticeable at the rear of the camera.
Was a very hot day here during the test run, 40c. AND that was an indoor test, Garage!
I ran another FZ1000 beside it for comparison with normal battery, thought there was less heat coming from that one.

Chris Harding · February 6th, 2017, 02:13 AM

Hey Jack

You can get pretty compact 12v LiIon CCTV battery packs on eBay and if you wire up a simple voltage regulator chip on a tiny piece of Vero Board it's really cheap and you can adjust the output to 8.4 exactly too.

Have you measured the off load voltage coming from the converter? It's probably a lot higher than 8.4 so that would make the regulator chip inside the camera work much harder and it's temperature will rise. Unplug the converter and see how much it's pushing out with a volt meter ...if it's higher than 8.4 that means the internal one is working harder hence the heat!!

Jack Walsh · February 6th, 2017, 05:41 AM

Thanks for the tip Chris.
Checked with voltmeter, which reads pretty much the same. Did another test at 8v for 20 mins today, I think its running cooler, but it was only 20 mins compared to 3 hours.
Might redo test tomorrow.
I've got some of those 12v batteries from my old helmet camera setups, so might try that as well. Had em for at least 10 years, still holding a solid charge.

June 29th, 2016, 07:57 AM	#1
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? Hi Guys Anyone using an external Li-Ion battery pack with the camera? Is there any way to run it as a two wire cable (ie: just use the DC coupler) or does the camera need all 4 battery connectors? With Panasonic the outer terminals of the battery are usually power and the inside two go to the encoder/decoder built into the battery so using the wrong battery will force it to come up with an error ... I think the AC adapter gets over this issue but supplying the camera with a slightly higher voltage so it doesn't check itself. Any bright ideas of a battery pack that will work without using AC power to run the camera for extended periods

June 30th, 2016, 03:05 AM	#2
Mark Owens Regular Crew Join Date: May 2012 Location: Newcastle, Australia Posts: 56	Re: Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? Hi Chris, no luck so far got error with the bike battery supposed to be 8.4volt will have to go to see one of the guys at Jaycar to test and give me some info

June 30th, 2016, 03:20 AM	#3
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? Thanks Mark Does the dummy battery have 4 terminals on it ? It looks like the connector coming out is just a two wire terminal to me so the only way I solved this issue on older Panasonic cameras was to bring out a 4 wire connection to an old Lumix charger and connect it to that but strip out the electronics so it's purely a carrier for a standard battery outside the camera ... Then the trick was to "piggy back" another 7.2 volt Li-Ion battery to the outer terminals so the "in place" battery supplies power and encoding to the camera and the bigger piggy back battery provides a greater capacity to the setup ..the 2nd battery of course doesn't need any encoder and the first one does that but overall you have a longer run time. I think that's the only way it will work!!

June 30th, 2016, 04:19 PM	#4
Mark Owens Regular Crew Join Date: May 2012 Location: Newcastle, Australia Posts: 56	Re: Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? Hi Chris Thanks still working on battery supply problem and yes the dummy battery has 4 terminals on it with the 2 wires coming out to a 5.5 x 2.1mm female Plug to fit 4.8 x 1.7 mm Male Plug to the socket Power Adapter cable. This sounds silly but I want to use my FZ1000 on my small Glidecam 2000 what automatic settings what do you use when running around, Eg. AFC switch, and menu settings to get the auto focus quick and good quality Mark

June 30th, 2016, 06:27 PM	#5
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? Hi Mark On the battery issue it sounds like one would need to take 4 wires out of the coupler so you get the decoding and then use an external battery to provide just that but also connected to a bigger 2nd unit to provide the "oomph" On my stedicam I use the cam in creative video mode and the lens full wide (more depth of field) I have that on the 40 point focus system but also have continuous focus on too. Hasn't let me down yet but every time start a new run I hit the half shutter to establish the base focus point. I do all my stedicam shoots at MP4 50P and then slow it down 50% in post and it's smooth as silk ... Don't try the camera's slow mo on stedicam!! It only sets focus and exposure once when you start so the moment you change direction everything goes crazy!!

July 1st, 2016, 02:13 AM	#6
Mark Owens Regular Crew Join Date: May 2012 Location: Newcastle, Australia Posts: 56	Re: Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? Hi Chris, scroll down the page he shows what he has produced for a battery supply for his FZ1000 Tech talk - Graham's Photo Blog

November 24th, 2016, 10:35 AM	#8
Alan Henderson Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Athens, GA Posts: 96	Re: Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? Below are three items that were suggested to me on another forum. Tether Tools Relay Camera Coupler for Panasonic Lumix Cameras with DMW-BLC12 Battery Tether Tools Case Relay Camera Power System Tether Tools Rock Solid 10,000mAh External Battery Pack The primary external battery can be hot-swapped. Other than the above, I have never found off-the-shelf items than can be guaranteed to work in combination with each other. They may be out there but I could not find them. Total cost about $185.

February 2nd, 2017, 01:05 PM	#9
Frank Grygier Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Austin,TX Posts: 125	Re: Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? DSLR Video recommended this USB power adapter for the G85. So I ordered it and tried it with the FZ2500 and a dummy battery. Worked like a charm. You will need the adapters as well. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

February 2nd, 2017, 06:48 PM	#10
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? Thanks Frank Mike also found an up convertor on a couple of threads below this one http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/panasoni...omments-5.html I would assume that on the usb side you can plug it into a USB power bank to be totally portable or into a standard usb power supply if you have a mains available?

February 3rd, 2017, 06:04 AM	#11
Frank Grygier Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Austin,TX Posts: 125	Re: Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? Yes. I use these USB power banks. KMASHI 10000mAh Portable Power Bank with Dual USB Ports 3.1A Output and 2A Input - Black. It is import to use a USB power bank with a 2 amp output to power the camera. I use the Tether Tools Case Relay for the Black Magic Pocket Camera. I works fine but this solution is less costly. The up-converter is also available in a 12v version that I will try with the BMPCC.

February 5th, 2017, 10:48 PM	#13
Jack Walsh Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Valentine NSW, Australia Posts: 91	Re: Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? Rightio, I'm using an UP Converter from Jaycar, with my Sony NP-f batteries_7500mah. Those batteries are bloody huge things when sitting in the battery carrier thingo. Outputting 8.4v to FZ1000 camera. Ran for about 3 hrs straight before I got sick of it, no real issues apart from feeling hotter than normal, Quite noticeable at the rear of the camera. Was a very hot day here during the test run, 40c. AND that was an indoor test, Garage! I ran another FZ1000 beside it for comparison with normal battery, thought there was less heat coming from that one. Last edited by Jack Walsh; February 5th, 2017 at 10:50 PM. Reason: added info

February 6th, 2017, 02:13 AM	#14
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? Hey Jack You can get pretty compact 12v LiIon CCTV battery packs on eBay and if you wire up a simple voltage regulator chip on a tiny piece of Vero Board it's really cheap and you can adjust the output to 8.4 exactly too. Have you measured the off load voltage coming from the converter? It's probably a lot higher than 8.4 so that would make the regulator chip inside the camera work much harder and it's temperature will rise. Unplug the converter and see how much it's pushing out with a volt meter ...if it's higher than 8.4 that means the internal one is working harder hence the heat!!

February 6th, 2017, 05:41 AM	#15
Jack Walsh Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Valentine NSW, Australia Posts: 91	Re: Fz 1000 External Battery Pack? Thanks for the tip Chris. Checked with voltmeter, which reads pretty much the same. Did another test at 8v for 20 mins today, I think its running cooler, but it was only 20 mins compared to 3 hours. Might redo test tomorrow. I've got some of those 12v batteries from my old helmet camera setups, so might try that as well. Had em for at least 10 years, still holding a solid charge.