How about this sucker for a 722/744
BG 9-12-130 Super X-Treme Run Time Portable DVD Player Battery
http://www.batterygeek.net/BG_9_12_130_Portable_DVD_Player_Battery_p/9-12-130_batterygeek.htm
Anyone given it a shot?? Is there anything negative about feeding a 7.2V device 9volts??
Ned, I dont know for sure, but I WOULD NOT try this personally. There is a reason that the internal batteries it uses are 7.2-7.4 volt
I am surely not going to be the guinea pig
If youre going to use any kind of pwering method OTHER than the Lion 7.2v packs, IMO, you have to use either a 7.2v battery and use a "Dummy Cell"(Sony DK-415) to get the power to the 7.2, OR, a 12v battery and wire up a Hirose connector
12v batteries are heavy to deal with, and a Hirose connector is VERY TINY, and I am sure its not easy to solder up. I LOVE soldering, and I stayed away from those, even tho they are a locking connector, which I would have preferred.
Or, you can do what I did, and get a Sony DK-415 "Dummy Cell" or take apart a 7.2v Lion battery, and wire a "Dummy Cell" up yourself
I personally LOVE my 7.2v "Dummy Cell" setup. BUT, when Leegeddy was still around about 304 years ago, I had him make me (2) CUSTOM 3 x Tamiya RC Connectors>3-Amp Fuse>4-Pin XLR, and he made it so the batteries are wired in PARALLEL, so that the voltage stays the same for my 3 x 7.2v 3000mah(7.2v 9000mah 'packs'), and just the mah triples. The custom cables that eh made me(I gave one away to my good friend and taper, Steve Toney(tonedeaf), and the other cable resides about 45 mins from me, in Greensburg, PA. But no chance of anyone getting it, because if he decides he doesnt ever need it, its coming back to me so I have a backup
But anyway, the dummy cell method is def a cost effective and reliable way to go IMO. Since the cable that Leegeddy made me has a 4-Pin XLR(specified by me since it has a locking connector), I also wired the end of my Sony DK-415 dummy cell w/ a 4-Pin Neutrik XLR, so that the connection DOES lock. The 7.2v NIMH method is also the way to go because NIMH RC batteries typically have a very long life and recharging lifespan, and IMO, are ALOT more reliable than Lion batteries will EVER BE
Also, the cost of them isnt bad at all, if you get them off of ebay, since you typically wont need to replace them for MANY YEARS! And the Alkaline method that someone mentioned above, not only gets expensive, but also harms the environment, because even tho you may get 35 hrs per 10 or so of the alkaline batteries, youre going to have to buy more after that 35 hrs is used up. That not only hurts the environment w/ so much battery waste, but also hurts your wallet, and pretty significantly
You can get 7.2v NIMH RC batteries off of Ebay for pretty cheap IMO. When I got mine off of ebay about 4 years ago or so, they only had a MAXIMUM CAPACITY of 3000mah, and now they have a MAX CAPACITY of 4500mah. Thats substantially more mah power than my older 3000mah ones. You could just get (2) 4500mah NIMH rc batts, and have 9000mah of juice(the same amount of juice I have in (3) batteries), in just (2) batteries. I have (3) x 3000mah batteries wired in parallel, so essentially I have (4) 7.2volt/9000mah batteries, since I have (12) 7.2v 3000mah batteries. I think the way to go would be to invest in the 7.2v/4200mah or 4500mah NIMH rc batts(All-Battery on ebay has the best deals and is where I got mine from 4 years ago. I wouldnt hesitate to do business w/ them again). You can get package deals of (4) 7.2v 4200mah NIMH rc batts for $76.00+Shipping, and that should easily get you 14 hrs if recording to JUST a CF Card in the 7xx. A Dummy Cell will cost you about $30-40.00/Shipped. So for around $150.00 in batteries, and $40.00 for the dummy cell, totaling around $200.00, you can get (
7.2volt/4200mah NIMH RC Batteries, which should yield you around 28 hrs recording to JUST a CF Card. I think I paid $50.00+Shipping for (3) 3000mah ones whenI got them, so those prices arent bad AT ALL IMO
The NIMH batteries are more reliable than Lion, and more Eco-Friendly than Lion and Alkaline, so IMO, this is the ONLY way to go, thats why I chose to go this route 2 years ago for festie powering for my 722
The ONLY downside to the 7.2v NIMH rc batts is their weight, but that could be DRASTICALLY REDUCED by getting the 4200mah or the 4500mah ones. They are obviously more expensive than the 3000mah ones I have, but could really cut down on weight. I have actually been thinking about getting (4) of the 4200mah ones, and thatw ay I could just carry (2) batteries at at time, to get the same runtime I do out of my (3) x 7.2v 3000mah packs. I could even just use (1) of the 4200 or 4500mah ones, and that should be PLENTY of runtime for your average 2-set show! That reminds me tho, the battery lock on my 722 is broken, and I woould like to get it fixed asap since I plan on using the 7.2v mehtod as my MAIN powering option since my lion batts keep crapping out on me. That would def give me some piece of mind so I knew my dummy cell wouldnt just "come out" of the battery slot. I need to get my 722 upgraded w/ the Version 2 Firmware anyway
I have never weighed my 7.2v 9000mah 'packs' that I taped together w/ just cl;ear packaging tape to form one battery, but they weigh pretty similar to a 6volt/7.2a SLA Ecocharge. Thats def doable IMO. I used to have (4) of those 6v/7.2a Ecocharges at festivals anyway, so it was never a huge deal for me. The weight was about the same since I carry (4) 7.2v/9000mah NIMH 'packs' w/ me to festivals like All Good anyway, so I carry the same weight I used to, except overall my setup is lighter since I now have actives and an overall smaller setup. I personally would rather carry more weight than use the lion 7xx batteries, because I KNOW I will have power when i get to the show/festival, and they are and always will be more reliable, at least in my experiences. And they are def lighter than a 12v setup would be to get you around the same amount of runtime. Even for local shows now, I use my 7.2v/9000mah setup. I just leave the Sony DK-415 "Dummy Cell" hooked up to my 722 AT ALL TIMES, and that way I can easily switch out the 7.2v/9000mah rc packs. And I feel confident using them since I have 4-Pin XLR's as my locking connector on them
Another benefit over ANY of the other methods is recharging times. I have (2) "Chun" Smart Chargers(which are the simple blue chargers that EVERY PLACE sells as a package deal w/ their rc batteries) and they both charge at a steady rate of 2,000mah. Which means I can EASILY charge my 3000mah batteries in around 2 hrs or LESS
So when I get another charger so I have (3) chun smart chargers, I'll be able to charge all 3 batteries that make up my 9000mah 'packs' in under 2 hrs
Thats pretty damn quick if you need to recharge at a festival
Having a whole 9000mah pack charged in under 2 hrs is BLAZIN' FAST IMO!!! That same pack that just took only 2 hrs to charge, will yield me 8+ hrs of recording to JUST my CF Card, and I can steadily get 7hrs of record time to my INHDD on my 722. I wouldnt push them that far tho. I can SAFELY get 6-6.5 hrs recording to JUST my INHDD of my 722. But I can STEADILY AND SAFELY get 8 hrs recording to just my CF Card. TRUST ME, Ive been cycling batteries and checking runtimes the last two weeks in preparation for the upcoming 5 free arts fest shows Im seeing in da burgh starting TODAY for moe
And also for the upcoming festivals I'll be doing(ALL GOOD 2008)!!!
And another reminder about NIMH RC BATTERIES!!!!! CYCLE YOUR BATTERIES AT LEAST 6-8 TIMES WHEN YOU FIRST GET THEM. This will bring them to max capacity and you will feel alot better after you do this. Otherwise, you wont see your max capacity w/ them. When I FIRST got my batteries, and started the cycling process, I was only getting HALF the runtime Im currently getting. And no matter WHAT people say about NIMH batteries NOT having a memory effect, well, this is true, however, if you dont use them for awhile and they sit from fall>spring/summer of the next year(and I even charge them every 2-3 months so they dont go dead on me) THEY NEED CYCLED about 3-4 times AROUND ONCE A YEAR. That way they WILL reach their maximum capacity and I just feel better doing this as well. I setup my rig in my basement for around 2 weeks(like Ive been doing the last 2 weeks) and just keep running my rig OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. This not only cycles your batteries until you feel they have reached their maximum capacity, but it also gives you a chance to test and write down your runtimes for each battery. I know it sounds UBER GEEKY, but I write down what kind of runtimes I get each cycle WITH the backlight OFF and WITH the backlight ON, while running phantom ON, and recording at 24/48 recording the TV to get realistic levels
Write your runtimes down, so you never have to second guess yourself again, at least until next summer comes around and you have to cycle them and write down your runtimes again. Over the last 3-4 summers Ive done this w/ my 7.2v NIMH batteries, I have noticed they I still get around the same runtimes as I did when the batteries were new and that makes me VERY HAPPY
I havent seen them drop down in runtimes at all, and when they eventually start to drop down significantly, I'll replace them!!!
Link to All-Battery's Ebay Store, and a specific link to their 7.2v NIMH RC BAtteries:
http://stores.ebay.com/All-Battery-Center_RC-Car-Battery_7-2V_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ12793743QQftidZ2QQtZkmOR, you could go the 12v route, and get a 12v SLA battery(Ecocharge/Powersonic/etc), or a 12v NIMH battery setup, OR a 12v Lion setup. I personally would STAY WAY from Lion as much as possible. I have had (3) freakin 6000+mah 7xx lions go bad in less than 2 years, and it wouldnt be so bad if they had warning signs, but they just die OUT OF THE BLUE
If I were going to go the 12v route, I would either go w/ SLA's(Sealed Lead Acid) or NIMH batteries, and get the RC ones. Either way you go with the 12v's, youre going to need to find a correct Hirose connector, and then find someone willing to actually wire it up for you
Dont look at me tho
Topic: External power for SD 7xx (Read 11242 times)