BATTER I ES | GEAR
ABOVE Hawk-Woods and Hedbox both sell extremely capable V-Mount batteries as part of an expansive stock
allowing the cable to exit left or right. Another is the built-in torch – hold down the test button until it illuminates, and use the battery to find your way in the dark. Finally, let’s consider both economy and ecology: Bebob is one of vanishingly few manufacturers that recells its batteries, and pays extra attention to minimising the impact of packaging and shipping. COME FLY WITH ME If there’s a notorious limitation to lithium-ion batteries, it’s their
The Nero range starts at a trim 98Wh and goes all the way up to the 300Wh XL option. That will run multiple cameras all day, and even the biggest for a good couple of hours. The X-suffix Nero batteries incorporate all the electronics needed to talk to Red and Arri cameras in a language they’ll understand. And there are more portable options for NP-F and BP-U mount power. Bebob, meanwhile, offers a truly vast single-piece box battery – the Cube 1200 – with USB, unregulated 12V, 24V and 48V output. With a circa-1200Wh total capacity, maximum simultaneous power draw is 480 watts – according to the company, the 48V output is ideal for SkyPanels. On a more everyday level, there’s a full range in Gold, V- and B-Mount for big cinema cameras. The largest camera-mounting options include some 200Wh choices, but these aren’t quite as flyable. Some of Bebob’s options are compact: the 196Wh V200Micro design is only 75x101x81mm, without sacrificing significantly on features. One particularly tidy component is the reversible D-Tap connector,
drones, delivering high currents with minimal weight. Hawk-Woods will even make you a custom cable. Meanwhile, Hedbox already has some very capable V-Mount packs in the 200Wh range. Putting two of those on the company’s RP-DC100 charger not only fills the battery, but behaves as a handy DC power supply. It will use mains power when available, but when that goes, the two batteries are discharged sequentially for hot-swapping – in effect acting as a UPS – which suits use alongside a floor battery. Hedbox distinguishes itself with a wide range of batteries at various capacities, including options for full-size cameras in V-Mount.
A GREEN ALTERNATIVE TO GENERATORS At first glance, Green Voltage’s E-Gen looks slightly like a generator, with wheels, louvred vents and mains connectors. Investigate further, however, and the absence of exhaust and fuel filler cap is revealing – because an E-Gen is battery-powered. Available in sizes from a modest 2.4kW to a sturdy, towable 20.7kW three-phase version, each E-Gen combines the battery, inverters and charging hardware. The biggest advantage is that there’s no noise or fumes to keep away from the set, eliminating the need for long cable runs and making for much faster set-up and wrap.
“PAGlink batteries can be stacked on the camera... it makes you think everything should work like this”
AUGUST 202 1 | DEF I N I T ION 33
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