Report on Steadicam AA battery option

Dave Gish · February 9th, 2008, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christopher Witzke

while you guys are searching for a replacement beryllium sphere... I've discovered a 12v 3.6ah rechargeable battery at walmart in the kids toy department. it comes with a charger and is 1.5" X 2.25" X 6.6" in size...

Beryllium spheres - reminds me of The Shadow with Alec Baldwin. LOL.

Is your Wallmart battery anything like the Tamiya battery used in the Fostex FR-2LE? The dimensions seem about right for that, and they also seem to be popular for radio controlled cars. Was there a connector on the pigtail? Did you see any 7.2v batteries while you were there? Maybe we've found a new source for all our battery needs!

Christopher Witz · February 9th, 2008, 08:54 PM

I've googles the hell out of this batt and can't find anything about it. they are made by columbia industries ( didn't they invent the dry cell liked a hundred years ago? )

but.... they work. and correction about my previous post. I put a female 4 pin xlr on the end.

ill post a pic when I get home.

Christopher Witz · February 11th, 2008, 07:55 AM

here it be....

Ted Spencer · February 11th, 2008, 12:42 PM

Do you have the stock number or catalog listing from Walmart? I didn't see anything like this when I searched their site.

Christopher Witz · February 11th, 2008, 12:49 PM

i could not find it on their site either... but it's in the brick and mortars

green,black,white package... hang'n on a hook near the electric cars and bikes.

Dave Gish · February 11th, 2008, 01:00 PM

Looks a lot like the Tamiya battery for the Fostex FR-2LE.

See here:
http://www.fostexinternational.com/d...FR2LE_OM_E.pdf
page 21.

Did it have a 2-pin Molex connector like the one shown on page 21?

Also, what are you using to charge it?

Christopher Witz · February 11th, 2008, 03:12 PM

yep... same connector.

but... this bat is 12V 3.6ah

and comes with a wallwort charger....

Charles Papert · February 13th, 2008, 05:25 PM

I split off the discussion about the NY workshop to here.

Dave Gish · February 16th, 2008, 07:22 AM

By the way, I just ordered more Pilot screw-on weights. I'm hoping this will make it even more stable. By adding weight to the stage, I can lengthen the pole and still keep the same camera height. That's the theory anyway. Also, a heavier sled should have better inertia with the arm.

I ordered 8 of the heavier middle weights (Tiffen part # 801-7920-05). Each middle weight is 4 oz, so 8 weights is 2 pounds. Total cost was around $50 ($6 to $7 each).

The smaller rounded end weights are 2 oz. The total weight will be 9.5 pounds (6 pounds camera & battery + 3.5 pounds screw-on weights), which is just under the limit for the Pilot.

I also pre-ordered the EFP Training DVD (Tiffen part# DVD-200504).

Dave Gish · February 16th, 2008, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Gish

Just bought 2 spare Pilot AA battery holder/cassettes on ebay for $10 shipped.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=120218928430
The picture and measurements from the description match the Steadicam Pilot AA battery holder exactly.

I'll post when they arrive ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted Spencer

Nice find! I'll look forward to hearing about how they work for you. Probably pick one or two up myself if they do.

The battery holders arrived this morning. A perfect fit for the Pilot AA battery mount. Just insert the batteries, plug it in, and it works.

The backs of the holders didn't have the steadicam logo plastic cover, so some of the metal battery contacts were exposed. I solved this by covering the back with black gaffers tape and then trimming off the excess with a razor blade. Then I put a P-Touch label on top of that so that I can tell one pack from another.

It looks like the seller on ebay has 1 more of these left:

http://cgi.ebay.com/10-AA-Battery-Ho...QQcmdZViewItem

Hope this helps.

Dave Gish · February 18th, 2008, 06:53 AM

I took some pictures of the battery holders:

http://mysite.verizon.net/vzenu6hr/e...ures/batt1.jpg
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzenu6hr/e...ures/batt2.jpg

With this setup, I should be able to leave the AA chargers at home, or at least keep them packed away for backup.

Also, I found different brands of batteries to be a little different in weight. I had to re-trim the balance of the sled for the Panasonic batteries. I might end up getting another 8 Powerex batteries.

Dave Gish · February 18th, 2008, 09:07 AM

By the way, I'm keeping some regular Alkaline AA batteries on hand as backup just in case.

Has anyone tried 10 Alkaline AA batteries on the Pilot to see how long they will last? I thought I heard it was around 8 hours or something, but I don't remember where.

Ted Spencer · February 18th, 2008, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Gish

By the way, I'm keeping some regular Alkaline AA batteries on hand as backup just in case.

Has anyone tried 10 Alkaline AA batteries on the Pilot to see how long they will last? I thought I heard it was around 8 hours or something, but I don't remember where.

You might want to be sure the monitor can handle 15-16 volts, which is what you'd get with 10 fresh alkalines. The 10 battery idea is mainly for NiMH batteries, which are 1.2v. I heard something about 2 "dummy" batteries being used with 8 alkalines so the total is still 12 volts.

Dave Gish · February 18th, 2008, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted Spencer

You might want to be sure the monitor can handle 15-16 volts, which is what you'd get with 10 fresh alkalines. The 10 battery idea is mainly for NiMH batteries, which are 1.2v. I heard something about 2 "dummy" batteries being used with 8 alkalines so the total is still 12 volts.

Yeah, I thought the same thing at first, but it turns out that most of the pro 12v batteries (including the ones Tiffen recommends) charge to around 15 volts anyways, so the monitor can handle it no problem. See here for details:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread...=94256&page=13

Dave Gish · February 18th, 2008, 11:50 AM

By the way, in case you didn't see the other thread, the NYC area Flyer/Pilot class is a go.
http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums...showtopic=7415

February 11th, 2008, 07:55 AM	#33
Christopher Witz Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 591	here it be.... Attached Thumbnails

February 13th, 2008, 05:25 PM	#38
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	I split off the discussion about the NY workshop to here. __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

February 16th, 2008, 07:22 AM	#39
Dave Gish Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Riverdale, NJ Posts: 468	Pilot Weights By the way, I just ordered more Pilot screw-on weights. I'm hoping this will make it even more stable. By adding weight to the stage, I can lengthen the pole and still keep the same camera height. That's the theory anyway. Also, a heavier sled should have better inertia with the arm. I ordered 8 of the heavier middle weights (Tiffen part # 801-7920-05). Each middle weight is 4 oz, so 8 weights is 2 pounds. Total cost was around $50 ($6 to $7 each). The smaller rounded end weights are 2 oz. The total weight will be 9.5 pounds (6 pounds camera & battery + 3.5 pounds screw-on weights), which is just under the limit for the Pilot. I also pre-ordered the EFP Training DVD (Tiffen part# DVD-200504).

February 18th, 2008, 06:53 AM	#41
Dave Gish Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Riverdale, NJ Posts: 468	I took some pictures of the battery holders: http://mysite.verizon.net/vzenu6hr/e...ures/batt1.jpg http://mysite.verizon.net/vzenu6hr/e...ures/batt2.jpg With this setup, I should be able to leave the AA chargers at home, or at least keep them packed away for backup. Also, I found different brands of batteries to be a little different in weight. I had to re-trim the balance of the sled for the Panasonic batteries. I might end up getting another 8 Powerex batteries. Last edited by Dave Gish; February 18th, 2008 at 07:41 AM.

February 9th, 2008, 08:54 PM	#32
Christopher Witz Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 591	I've googles the hell out of this batt and can't find anything about it. they are made by columbia industries ( didn't they invent the dry cell liked a hundred years ago? ) but.... they work. and correction about my previous post. I put a female 4 pin xlr on the end. ill post a pic when I get home.

February 11th, 2008, 12:42 PM	#34
Ted Spencer Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York City (USA) Posts: 53	Do you have the stock number or catalog listing from Walmart? I didn't see anything like this when I searched their site.

February 11th, 2008, 12:49 PM	#35
Christopher Witz Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 591	i could not find it on their site either... but it's in the brick and mortars green,black,white package... hang'n on a hook near the electric cars and bikes.

February 11th, 2008, 01:00 PM	#36
Dave Gish Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Riverdale, NJ Posts: 468	Looks a lot like the Tamiya battery for the Fostex FR-2LE. See here: http://www.fostexinternational.com/d...FR2LE_OM_E.pdf page 21. Did it have a 2-pin Molex connector like the one shown on page 21? Also, what are you using to charge it?

February 11th, 2008, 03:12 PM	#37
Christopher Witz Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 591	yep... same connector. but... this bat is 12V 3.6ah and comes with a wallwort charger....

February 18th, 2008, 09:07 AM	#42
Dave Gish Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Riverdale, NJ Posts: 468	By the way, I'm keeping some regular Alkaline AA batteries on hand as backup just in case. Has anyone tried 10 Alkaline AA batteries on the Pilot to see how long they will last? I thought I heard it was around 8 hours or something, but I don't remember where.

February 18th, 2008, 11:50 AM	#45
Dave Gish Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Riverdale, NJ Posts: 468	By the way, in case you didn't see the other thread, the NYC area Flyer/Pilot class is a go. http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums...showtopic=7415