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WTB - Bolex H16 EL camera accessories


Will Johnson

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Greetings all,

 

I am seeking a few items to fulfill the building of my first Bolex H16 EL camera . . .

 

Any compatible additions such as:

 

- NiCd-battery Pack 12V/1.2Ah with or without cable (though I've been considering another power source recommendation aforementioned in another forum thread)

- Battery charger

- Pistol grip

- Cable release

- Shoulder brace

 

If there other H16EL (or even EBM) accessories you are interested in letting go to sell then drop me a PM.

 

Thanks and all the best!

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I might have been involved in the other threads as I recently got an EL with no power supply. I can give you links & info on what I did to put together a rechargeable battery pack and an AC/DC power adapter. May have as much as $75 invested in power at this point :)

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Here's the gist of what I cobbled together...

 

http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=T_3301_001virtualkey52360000virtualkey523-T3301-001

Amphenol Tuchel T 3301 001 - $8.15

This is the connector to the EL. It comes unassembled as you'll need to solder in your wires.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Eagle-Plastic-Devices/12BH310D-GR/?qs=%2fha2pyFadujE%252bViE25LLnlGEZuJx6YyGX68bPFU%252bZ5v4mOXz4N60oA%3d%3d

holder for 10 AA batteries - $2.08

These come with different connectors depending on how you want to do your wiring. You can get them with the snap on connectors like you see on rectangular 9V batteries, you can get them with little "ear"(?) connectors to solder to, or you can get them with about 3" lead wires.

AA rechargeable batteries (NiMH low self discharge 2500 mAh, 1.2V) - 10 for around $25

There are a number of options but go for the higher mAh output. I initially tried some that were 2000 mAh and my EL worked OK at 24FPS but didn't work properly at higher or lower FPS. I suspect my (recently acquired) EL needs a professional service and may have some internal gunk that the batteries worked to overcome.

AC/DC power supply - 12V 3.33A Kodak MPA690B12 AC Power Supply Charger Adapter - $3

I went to a Goodwill Store (Salvation Army?) and they had well over 100 adapters for me to look thru. I had tried one that I had at home with a 2.2 mAh output but, like with the batteries, I had issues at high/low FPS. Do pay attention to output if you are buying like I did (as opposed to spending more & getting something new). Some in the pile will be AC output which would likely fry your EL. DC voltage output will also vary quite a bit.

 

So that was about $40 for my battery as well as my AC/DC power. That doesn't include some minor soldering supplies & wires. My soldering skill is minimal but I did find that the original wiring I did gave me fairly unreliable results. After resoldering and doing a much better job, the reliability was there. I also spent more as I double up on a few things. I got 2 of the connectors to the EL, an extra battery holder, and extra batteries. That way I can have backup. I don't know how long a set of batteries will last but I did quite a bit of testing different FPS, put about 15 minutes at 24FPS, and then some additional testing. There was certainly enough battery power there to get thru a 400' roll and likely even a second. Checking the batteries after that showed they still had about a third of a charge. Good luck with the project. Save some money to buy for film :)

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  • 2 months later...

Hey Arthur... I'd love to hear more about the custom grips you make. I know that would be a huge relief for handling the EL. I've been watching a couple handle grips on ebay, but unsure how compatible or reliable they are.

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