Topic: SD788 powering options?

[Big Perm]

Any suggestions. Looking at omnicharge 20 or ultimate. Really don’t want to drop $400 on a battery!

[taper420]

I would go with an external 18650 enclosure. That's gonna be your most economical solution. A 6-cell enclosure will run about $15 and good cells about $5 each. A charger will be about $10-15. The specs on the 788 say minimum 1 amp supply and 6 X 3400mAh cells at 12v should give you about 6000mAh, which would be about 6 hours of operation (give or take). You could go with a with a dummy L-mount or the hirose connector to a 5.5mmX2.1(or 2.5 depending on model)mm connector. There's another enclosure I know of that takes 8 X 18650s, so would give you a longer run time, but it's around $40.

I have all the hardware I'm talking about bookmarked on Aliexpress but you need to login to view it. I could find links for the same stuff on ebay with a bit of a higher price. As for the 18650 cells, shopping for those can be a hassle. You want to go for name brand but you need a trusted source. I like Panasonic, but LG, Sony, and Samsung make good batteries, too. 3500mAh is about the max you will find from honest vendors. Some no-name brands will claim much higher capacity but those are obvious fakes. The thing to watch out for are the counterfeit name-brand cells. That's why you should find a reputable dealer and don't be suckered in by low prices. You get what you pay for, and that should be about $5 retail for the better name-brand cells.

[jerryfreak]

are those protected cells? or unprotected cells with protection circuits in the enclosure? theres quite a difference in price between unprotected and individually protected cells

[taper420]

They are unprotected... the protection is in the enclosure.

[pohaku]

Talentcell batteries work just fine.  Hit up Ted for an appropriate cable.

[Big Perm]

The newer large Talentcell battery will not power up the 788. I know the batter works, because it powers my Portico 5012. Super weird

[thunderbolt]

Just curious:  Do you need all-day power (I.e., festival)?  How many channels do you usually run?  Number of those requiring phantom? 

I’ve run 4 channels of phantom and 2 line-in on an FP-970 (L) and got 2-3 hours easy.  Two-three batteries usually covers it.  I still have three Tekkeon multivoltage that run it longer, but I guess those were discontinued a few years ago.

[dactylus]

Have you checked out this one?

https://smile.amazon.com/MAXOAK-50000mAh-Portable-Charger-External/dp/B00YP823NA/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Maxoak+K2+185WH&qid=1585485881&sr=8-2

[pohaku]

The newer large Talentcell battery will not power up the 788. I know the batter works, because it powers my Portico 5012. Super weird

That’s odd.  I have a couple two year old talentcells and they work just fine for it.  I have not bought one of the newer large talentcells yet.  Anyone else have issues powering gear with the new talentcell?

[Big Perm]

Have you checked out this one?

https://smile.amazon.com/MAXOAK-50000mAh-Portable-Charger-External/dp/B00YP823NA/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Maxoak+K2+185WH&qid=1585485881&sr=8-2

this one looks very interesting! Do you have this battery?

[Big Perm]

Just curious:  Do you need all-day power (I.e., festival)?  How many channels do you usually run?  Number of those requiring phantom? 

I’ve run 4 channels of phantom and 2 line-in on an FP-970 (L) and got 2-3 hours easy.  Two-three batteries usually covers it.  I still have three Tekkeon multivoltage that run it longer, but I guess those were discontinued a few years ago.

I run either 6 or 8 channels most of the time. Typically one 2 channels using phantom if any

[dactylus]

Have you checked out this one?

https://smile.amazon.com/MAXOAK-50000mAh-Portable-Charger-External/dp/B00YP823NA/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Maxoak+K2+185WH&qid=1585485881&sr=8-2

this one looks very interesting! Do you have this battery?

Yes

[Big Perm]

ordered!

[IronFilm]

Any suggestions. Looking at omnicharge 20 or ultimate. Really don’t want to drop $400 on a battery!

$400?? Nobody is spending that much on a single battery!

Why not just use an e-Smart battery? That's what everyone in the industry is transitioning to for powering their Sound Devices recorders.

In fact Sound Devices' latest 8 series recorders even have built in telemetry for the e-Smart batteries so you can see that info on your display.

Only US$160 for 98Wh:

https://www.trewaudio.com/product/remote-audio-hi-q/

That's cheaper than a NP-1 battery of that size was!