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Started June 30th, 2008 · 7 replies · Latest reply by digifishmusic 16 years, 3 months ago
Hi all!
I'm back from an exhausting (but amazing) weekend with my Fostex FR-2 on a student film set (First time, and as a boom operator - yay!).
The Fostex recorder (if powered via batteries) requires 8 AA cells and with the environment in mind, I bought some rechargeable batteries. Again, I got convinced by shiny names (instead of quality) and got several "Varta Ready 2 Use" cells (2100 mAh). The first time they hold for about three hours. But then, after a recharge time of about 7h (Varta recharger) they merely have enough for half an hour or less.
My question to you now is, which rechargeable AA batteries you can recommend? Company, model, ... (And where to get them in central Europe?) Price is not an issue - I don't want to be in that situation to report "Sorry, got no power" again...
firefreak,
my personal rule of thumb is keep away from 'named' batteries, as they last considerably less than cheap unamed ones, both in terms of charge duration AND numer of charging cycles. Maybe these trademarks want to sell you more often, their manufacturing process is different, who knows... In my experience the cheaper the battery the longer it lasts (according to capacity, of course). The last AA's I purchased (Chinese, no name) last so long it scares me thinking what they are made of...
Anyway, powering your Fostex with AAs should be a pain, your best bet is getting a Remote Control Car battery with a Tamiya connector. I did so during the (brief) period I had the Fostex, it ran the recorder for 6 h, non-stop
Saludos
D
EDIT: I assumed you were talking about the FR2 LE, hence my suggestion of a RCC battery. I have no experience with the more expensive FR-2
Thanks for the reply, dobroide;
The idea with the RCC sounds interesting - though I'm a little bit reluctant to mess with the power connectors
How good are these RCCs with regards to charge cycles? How long does charging typically take? In that area I have no experience...
I also wrote a mail to Fostex directly - and even they responded with recommending a battery pack used for car models, connected via Tamiya plug
The batteries we recommend to use on FR-2 is the TAMIYA RC-3600HV.
It is interesting though, that they recommend using a battery pack of 7.2V, although the 'official' power connector has 12V.
Well, I guess I'll head to the next shop for remote controlled toys tomorrow...
edit:
doh -- searching for the recommended components I stumbled over this link:
www.fostexinternational.com/docs/support/Note_FR2_V120.pdf
They even included that in their firmware...
Well....glad to hear Fostex has good customer support
So it's the FR2 LE what you intend to use this for, right? I have no idea on the FR2, but the LE needs 7.2 V from an external RCC, I can tell for sure.
Only (slight) annoyance: there's nearly no room left to accomodate the plastic Tamiya connector block into the LE. It's cleverly designed, though, it fits but it's ike a puzzle. You'll need to give it some thinking.
Saludos
D.
dobroide
So it's the FR2 LE what you intend to use this for, right?
I just went through the menu - the battery option indeed reads "RC72V". I guess what it lacks in voltage is compensated with amperage...
dobroideOnly (slight) annoyance: there's nearly no room left to accomodate the plastic Tamiya connector block into the LE. It's cleverly designed, though, it fits but it's ike a puzzle. You'll need to give it some thinking.
firefreak
Hi all!I'm back from an exhausting (but amazing) weekend with my Fostex FR-2 on a student film set (First time, and as a boom operator - yay!).
The Fostex recorder (if powered via batteries) requires 8 AA cells and with the environment in mind, I bought some rechargeable batteries. Again, I got convinced by shiny names (instead of quality) and got several "Varta Ready 2 Use" cells (2100 mAh). The first time they hold for about three hours. But then, after a recharge time of about 7h (Varta recharger) they merely have enough for half an hour or less.
My question to you now is, which rechargeable AA batteries you can recommend? Company, model, ... (And where to get them in central Europe?) Price is not an issue - I don't want to be in that situation to report "Sorry, got no power" again...
OK, I manage a large fleet if AA rechargeable batteries
Step 1 - get yourself a decent charger, this is arguably one of the best...
MH-C9000 WizardOne Charger-Analyzer
This will ensure they are correctly charged (at an individual battery level) and will keep you informed of their condition. One of the best things I ever bought.
Step 2 - Batteries
My favorite name-brand are Duracell 2600 Ni-Mh (may be 2600, 2650 or 2700 depending on where you live)
http://images.secure2u.com/191/Proc/Full/639870.jpg
My favorite no-name-band are Powerex 2700mAh NiMH Rechargeable
http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/catalog/MH-4AA250-BH.jpg
http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=415
BTW: This forum is one of the best, devoted to rechargeable batteries.
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?s=483b18dd946279168b98ce0e49266f1c&f=9
...if you want to go outboard power I can recommend this beastie...
http://www.tekkeon.com/site/products-mypowerall.php
http://www.tekkeon.com/site/images/mypall3450-zoom.jpg
Need more juice? Get the expansion
digifish