Ikan Battery wont work IBS-U65 at DVinfo.net

Brian Murphy · March 8th, 2014, 01:21 PM

Perhaps some know or perhaps it is operator error. But I ordered a new IBS-U65 batter with D-Tap from B&H for my PMW300. Wanted the D-Tap so I could use the Zylight without extra weight.
Camera turns on and give the "Change Battery" warning and shuts off . Tried using the cable to the external power supply plug and it came on, displayed "Voltage High" and shut off. So I guess the camera is looking for the "chip" and it or whatever is not there and thus....Sony only.
Unless someone here has a fix my big Ikan is going back.

Brian Murphy · March 13th, 2014, 06:28 AM

Well I sent the battery back to B&H which cost almost half the price of the battery-$71.00 Canadian. I suppose that if I had spent more time searching the user groups I would have found out that this Ikan battery would not work with the PMW300K1 but why the heck don't they just say so? Would it be so difficult to mention that it does not for B&H or the maker Ikan? I won't buy anything from Ikan again just on principal and I blasted the CS people at B&H but that is like yelling at a brick wall. They offered to waive their $10.00 delivery fee on the battery that they say will work in my camera, I bought the Series 7 EX-L96 Battery Pack (Updated) and I hope it works!

Brian Murphy · March 18th, 2014, 03:46 PM

I ordered the Switronix EX-L96UD Battery Pck for the Sony EX/F3?PMW. Spoke with B&H sales guy in NYC and he assured me it would work. Got it yesterday and it DOES NOT WORK. So to say I am upset with B&H is an understatement. The last battery cost $71.00 to return and this one weighs twice that. This time they have said they are going to send me a prepaid return label in the mail. But they made no mention of indicating on the webpage that this battery as well as the Ikan battery do not work with the PMW 300.
I will order a Sony BPU 90 and asked their "chat" sales rep if it would work with the PMW300. He said yes and I told him to send me an email confirming it will work. Why take a chance.
I can understand Sony wanting to sell their batteries but why don't they then put a power d-tap or some other way to power an on camera accessory, in my case a Zylight either on their large battery or on the camera? It seems odd to me that this would not be included in a Pro setup be it for news or docs or sports or weddings... odd.
So now I need to rig what was a lightweight camera with a baseplate and rods and battery plate and V lock to power the light or go with a cheapo light with F type batteries... silly I think.

Billy Horton · June 30th, 2014, 11:21 AM

I wish I had read this post a week ago since I bought the same battery along with a PMW-300K1, all bought from B&H. But who would have thought that there would be battery issues like this, especially since B&H listed this battery as a "recommended item" for the camera on their website. I even wrote a review of this battery on B&H's site warning others about the incompatibility issue, but B&H has yet to approve the review.

Jack Zhang · June 30th, 2014, 11:10 PM

Yeah, the PMW-300 artificially limited the DC IN to give a high voltage warning if you're plugging in a battery pigtail, which means only coded batteries will work, like the SWIT S-8U63.

You can use a Hawk-Woods battery plate to plug into the DC IN as that is regulated at 12v, which is what the camera's DC IN likes.

The SWIT is actually the only current coded D-tap battery available, as Switronix is currently trying to work out a issue where the UD batteries were dying 8 months after use. So far, Switronix have not responded, or honored people's RMAs by sending replacements for the UD series.

Switronix was working on a coded 96wh battery, and people have beta test units of those, but once again have not delivered any news regarding that.

March 8th, 2014, 01:21 PM	#1
Brian Murphy Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Monreal, Quebec,Canada Posts: 249	Ikan Battery wont work IBS-U65 Perhaps some know or perhaps it is operator error. But I ordered a new IBS-U65 batter with D-Tap from B&H for my PMW300. Wanted the D-Tap so I could use the Zylight without extra weight. Camera turns on and give the "Change Battery" warning and shuts off . Tried using the cable to the external power supply plug and it came on, displayed "Voltage High" and shut off. So I guess the camera is looking for the "chip" and it or whatever is not there and thus....Sony only. Unless someone here has a fix my big Ikan is going back. __________________ Brian Murphy Director-Editor-DoP Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto

March 13th, 2014, 06:28 AM	#2
Brian Murphy Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Monreal, Quebec,Canada Posts: 249	Re: Ikan Battery wont work IBS-U65 Well I sent the battery back to B&H which cost almost half the price of the battery-$71.00 Canadian. I suppose that if I had spent more time searching the user groups I would have found out that this Ikan battery would not work with the PMW300K1 but why the heck don't they just say so? Would it be so difficult to mention that it does not for B&H or the maker Ikan? I won't buy anything from Ikan again just on principal and I blasted the CS people at B&H but that is like yelling at a brick wall. They offered to waive their $10.00 delivery fee on the battery that they say will work in my camera, I bought the Series 7 EX-L96 Battery Pack (Updated) and I hope it works! __________________ Brian Murphy Director-Editor-DoP Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto

March 18th, 2014, 03:46 PM	#3
Brian Murphy Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Monreal, Quebec,Canada Posts: 249	Re: Ikan Battery wont work IBS-U65 I ordered the Switronix EX-L96UD Battery Pck for the Sony EX/F3?PMW. Spoke with B&H sales guy in NYC and he assured me it would work. Got it yesterday and it DOES NOT WORK. So to say I am upset with B&H is an understatement. The last battery cost $71.00 to return and this one weighs twice that. This time they have said they are going to send me a prepaid return label in the mail. But they made no mention of indicating on the webpage that this battery as well as the Ikan battery do not work with the PMW 300. I will order a Sony BPU 90 and asked their "chat" sales rep if it would work with the PMW300. He said yes and I told him to send me an email confirming it will work. Why take a chance. I can understand Sony wanting to sell their batteries but why don't they then put a power d-tap or some other way to power an on camera accessory, in my case a Zylight either on their large battery or on the camera? It seems odd to me that this would not be included in a Pro setup be it for news or docs or sports or weddings... odd. So now I need to rig what was a lightweight camera with a baseplate and rods and battery plate and V lock to power the light or go with a cheapo light with F type batteries... silly I think. __________________ Brian Murphy Director-Editor-DoP Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto

June 30th, 2014, 11:21 AM	#4
Billy Horton New Boot Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 14	Re: Ikan Battery wont work IBS-U65 I wish I had read this post a week ago since I bought the same battery along with a PMW-300K1, all bought from B&H. But who would have thought that there would be battery issues like this, especially since B&H listed this battery as a "recommended item" for the camera on their website. I even wrote a review of this battery on B&H's site warning others about the incompatibility issue, but B&H has yet to approve the review.

June 30th, 2014, 11:10 PM	#5
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Re: Ikan Battery wont work IBS-U65 Yeah, the PMW-300 artificially limited the DC IN to give a high voltage warning if you're plugging in a battery pigtail, which means only coded batteries will work, like the SWIT S-8U63. You can use a Hawk-Woods battery plate to plug into the DC IN as that is regulated at 12v, which is what the camera's DC IN likes. The SWIT is actually the only current coded D-tap battery available, as Switronix is currently trying to work out a issue where the UD batteries were dying 8 months after use. So far, Switronix have not responded, or honored people's RMAs by sending replacements for the UD series. Switronix was working on a coded 96wh battery, and people have beta test units of those, but once again have not delivered any news regarding that.