2016-04-09

Film making power box MK II

As many of you know, amateur film making is a hobby of mine.
One particular topic I started to adress was having all these different battery types and their chargers for all the cameras, hdmi recorders, monitors, lights, ...
A while ago, I made a charging box. A euro-sized box with a 19" power socket strip and 2 velcro strips to hold all my chargers in place.

charging box MK II


I upgraded my charging box to twice as many power sockets.
Also there are 4 rows of velcro, to hold twice as many chargers.

I'm still waiting for a universal charger with 2x2A and independently interchangeable plates for NP-F, GH4, AA/AAA and BMPCC batteries. That one will take up additional space and an additional power socket and I was already running out of both.

proper labeling



All NP-F batteries are now labeled with their size on side add front and all chargers with their maximum current and battery type.

There is enough confusion and chaos as it is.
Simple, ubiquitous tasks like Batteries and charging should not be a part of that.
1 standard, stackable Euro-sized box, 1 power cable, 1 switch and it even has sockets to spare.
All my chargers are attached with Velcro also can be removed to use them elsewhere and exchanged for different ones.

Each camera has its box and you can see the size of the batteries just by looking into the box (front) or when it is mounted in some device (side).

Lanparte VBP- 01





Why this emphasizis on NP-F? Because that's my ONE battery standard that can power everything now.

Two Lanparte V-mount plates arrived.
With 2xNP-F to V-mount adaptors I can now power everything(5V accessories, 7.4V cameras and recorders and 12V accessories and 12-15V cameras) , from one type of battery and from mains power while charging these batteries in the Lanparte without taking them off.
AND I have the option of renting huge, expensive V-mount batteries without even having to rent an expensive charger for very, very long sessions.
(The charging and mains power is the huge advantage of the more expensive Lanparte plates.)


Future project:
Add a step-up converter into the dual NP-F to V-mount adaptors, so they also work with only 1 battery. Meaning I can replace batteries on the go. Downside is: I will loose the ability to charge the NP-F.

WARNING
The ground level on left and right side of the Lanparte is different. Some people have burned their BMPCC and BMCC HDMI ports by powering an Hdmi recorder and the camera from the same plate while they are creating a ground loop via the HDMI cable.
I GUESS using the same side (you have 12V on both sides) SHOULD be safe. 

Also the HDMI splitter in the Lanparte is incompatible with the signal a BMPCC outputs. I already knew this. 

Links

  • HDMI port on my Pocket melted!!
    http://www.bmcuser.com/showthread.php?10743-HDMI-port-on-my-Pocket-melted!!

  • Issue analysis and recommendations by David Green
    • only fiddle with the HDMI/SDI cables when both devices are OFF (the SDI/HDMI standard specifies insufficient ESD-protection against static discharge)
    • Connect HDMI/SDI first, THEN connect power
    • Make sure you are discharged when handling HDMI/SDI/SATA
    • The TRS(German: Klinke) Audio connection is safe against any ground loops.
    • These steps are against static discharge as well as against a discharge caused by different, floating ground levels on the regulators that power monitor and camera
    • Note: using 2 regulators that have a different ground level that is not isolated from each other, is a receipt for desaster.
    • Powering all devices from the same (e.g. D-Tap) output is safe because they all share the same ground level.
  • another thread about this issue
  • thread with an opned BMCC. SDI GND is connected to Power-GND.
    • analysis: source should be floating GND-levels on the different regulators in the plate to drift and thus build up a voltage different (that the ESD-protection can't handle when connecting HDMI after both devices are already under power)

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