NP1 Battery Adapter for Aaton

Rik Andino · February 16, 2006

Hey folks...

Does anyone know where I might be able to find an NP1 battery adapter for an Aaton camera.

I've been inform what that NP1 batteries are a pretty good alternative to standard Aaton batteries

I need a lightweight & reliable battery source...and using NP1s seems pretty effective.

Also

Does anyone know what kind of specs I should be looking for?

Ni-Cads or Ni-mh?

how much mAh should I look for?

How many mags one fully charged battery can handle?

How long would it take to charge the battery?

And does anyone know of a good charger?

Anyways thanks in advance.

Mitch Gross · February 18, 2006

There are many brands of NP-1 type batteries and chargers. Any of them should run your camera just fine, although some will run longer than others. Switronix batteries are very nice and a good deal.

A few different companies have made Np-1 adapters for Aatons over the years. I believe Oppenheimer Camera still makes one.

Alain LeTourneau · December 10, 2006

There are many brands of NP-1 type batteries and chargers. Any of them should run your camera just fine, although some will run longer than others. Switronix batteries are very nice and a good deal.

A few different companies have made Np-1 adapters for Aatons over the years. I believe Oppenheimer Camera still makes one.

Does anyone know if the batteries fit snuggly enough in the NP-1 adapter so as NOT to fall out if the camera is at an extreme angle?

The Aaton batts have the lock which prevents them from falling off, but with the NP-1 there's no secure lock that holds the battery to the camera, so I wondered how well this works in situations were the camera is at an angle were the batt could fall out?

The NP-1 adapter seems nice in that it would in fact put less wear and tear on the 4 pin connector (which is very difficult and expensive to replace if a pin breaks), since the apater would stay on the camera and the batteries sliding in and out of the adapter's housing.

-Alain

Tim Carroll · December 10, 2006

Here's what it says on this auction for one of the NP1 adapters on eBay.

"This auction is for an AATON NP1 BATTERY ADAPTOR for use with Sony NP-1B 12V/ 24Ah Ni-Cd Batteries. It is compatable for use with all AATON 16MM CAMERAS and features a quick release locking screw at the rear of the unit for speedy battery changes."

If you look carefully at the picture, it appears that the back of the battery adapter has a screw that I assume screws up tight against the back of the battery, thereby holding it into the adapter.

Fellow Portland Aaton owner,

-Tim

Alain LeTourneau · December 10, 2006

Here's what it says on this auction for one of the NP1 adapters on eBay.

"This auction is for an AATON NP1 BATTERY ADAPTOR for use with Sony NP-1B 12V/ 24Ah Ni-Cd Batteries. It is compatable for use with all AATON 16MM CAMERAS and features a quick release locking screw at the rear of the unit for speedy battery changes."

If you look carefully at the picture, it appears that the back of the battery adapter has a screw that I assume screws up tight against the back of the battery, thereby holding it into the adapter.

Fellow Portland Aaton owner,

-Tim

Thanks Tim. I believe these adapters ONLY work with Sony NP-1 batts, at least, this is what the maker of the adpater claims, but perhaps someone on this list has one of these adapters and has had success using them with other batts by IDX, Switronix, etc.?

When I asked the question I was thinking of the Aaton NP-1 battery adapter made by Oppenheimer Camera. I'm waiting to see if they'll send me a pic since I have never seen one of their adapters. I have however seen adapters that did not have the bottom plate as in the picture you've attached.

The positive side of the adapter is that batts can be found for $60-100 as NiCD or NiMH. And dual chargers for somewhere in the $250-350 range (even though you can pay up to $1000). Where I work we have a new batch of 10-15 MiMH IDX batt purchased new in June of this year, so with the proper adapter I'd have access to all the power I need.

The reason I started considering the adapter has to do with the 4 pin connector on the camera itself. As I understand, the XTR has a special 4 pin connector, one which is not easy to replace as it is a specific part so switchcraft and neutrik connectors cannot be substituted. It's also hard to access the connector as it is buried in an electonics panel of the camera (so there's a high labor cost to replace). Being that my camera is from 1989, there's a good chance over time that the pins have been fatigued and one could break. If I used the NP-1 adapter I would no longer been connecting and re-connecting batteries via the 4 pin, since the adapter would stay mounted.

-Alain

BTW, how's your camera working out?

Tim Carroll · December 10, 2006

Just give Marty a call, I'm sure he can explain it to you and tell you if you can lock the batteries in and if it will take non-Sony NP1's.

So far I have not done much with the Aaton. I got an LTR, one of the last LTR 7 cameras made before the switch to the LTR 54. It's basically a 54 with the 7 motor. The previous owner, a documentary DP from San Francisco, is the original owner and he had the camera converted to Super 16, so now it's convertible, though I can't see any reason to convert it back to regular 16.

I am amazed by how quiet it is, much more so than my Arriflex 16SR1 was. You can barely hear it running. Shot a quick film test with it and everything looks great. Want to take some time to disect it for a while, then I will send it in for a complete overhaul, with both mags.

Have been putting together a nice set of Zeiss Mk1's. So far I've got the 9.5 and the 16, along with my old workhorse 10-100 T2 which covers Super 16 nicely from 25mm to 100mm. They're all bayonet mount with Aaton adapters. Also attempting to make some Aaton adapters to use with my Cooke Kinetals which all cover Super 16 nicely, the 12.5, 17.5 and 25. I just really love the look of those lenses.

So what did you end up getting and what's your lens situation at this time?

-Tim

Alain LeTourneau · December 10, 2006

Just give Marty a call, I'm sure he can explain it to you and tell you if you can lock the batteries in and if it will take non-Sony NP1's.

I've contacted Marty. He's going to send pics soon. Very curious to see it, though it's rather expensive compared to the one I usually see on eBay.

Have been putting together a nice set of Zeiss Mk1's. So far I've got the 9.5 and the 16, along with my old workhorse 10-100 T2 which covers Super 16 nicely from 25mm to 100mm. They're all bayonet mount with Aaton adapters. Also attempting to make some Aaton adapters to use with my Cooke Kinetals which all cover Super 16 nicely, the 12.5, 17.5 and 25. I just really love the look of those lenses.

What you have is one option I've considered - 9.5, 16, and 10-100 (to cover s16 30-100), as it seems like a smart set-up.

As of right now I have mk1 Zeiss 9,5 - 16 - 25, and a Angenieux 12-120/2.1 HEC (covers s16 from 40-120). I'm on the hunt for a better zoom, but for now this set-up works fine.

I love my XTR though it will need an overhaul within the next 12 months, it's a little noisy. I took it up to Charlie Pickle in Seattle for service to the mags and viewfinder, very happy with the results.

--Alain