Arriflex ST 16mm Camera - Batteries

Iolo Edwards · July 15, 2020

Hi Group,

I've just joined. I recently bought an Arri S 16mm on ebay. The camera has come from Italy and used to belong to RAI in Rome (Italian Public Broadcasting), which may explain some of the quirks; I live in the UK by the way. My intention is to use it to make a short 16mm film later in the year. Before that though, I need to get it working and to run a test film through it. Hopefully you'll be able to help me. I have included photos of all the issues raised below. I've attached all relevant photos.

The camera came with two battery packs that don't work - the elements need changing. My question is: What is the best and most cost-effective (not mutually exclusive, surely) way of getting it running now? Should I just replace the elements in the packs and use all the existing accessories as they are? Or is there a better way of doing it these days. (For instance, the batteries in the packs are soldered with the wires and I would need to take it to a professional to do this.)

The Italian charger seems to work, the lights come on anyway, and I've bought a Uk adapter for its plug. The Italian/Uk thing maybe complicates things unnecessarily?

The camera has an Arri 12 volt addition to its side (see pic). What should go into its socket? I don't have the cable for it anyway. It also has a fixed-rate motor attached, although it has also come with the variable motor.

Any advice you can offer would be appreciated, I'm itching to run a roll of film through it.

Thanks in advance.

Iolo Edwards

Dom Jaeger · July 16, 2020

Your biggest issue is not having a power cable, you'll have to source or make one. (I find it so annoying that people sell camera kits without essential parts like the power cable. It's like selling a car without the keys.) Maybe you could ask the seller if the power cable is still with them somewhere.

It's pretty straightforward replacing those lead acid cells, and they are among the cheapest and most durable battery solutions. Main downside is their bulk and weight. Any electrical person or even hobbyist could solder those in easily. You could look online for portable 12V battery/with charger solutions and compare costs. Anything with at least 7 Amp hour (7000mA/h) capacity will do.

But the power cable will need the right connectors and wiring, so if you're not electrically minded at all it might be simplest to just get someone like Les Bosher or another camera tech to sort it out for you. They could also check over the camera before you potentially waste money putting film through it.

Iolo Edwards · July 16, 2020

1 hour ago, Dom Jaeger said:

Your biggest issue is not having a power cable, you'll have to source or make one. (I find it so annoying that people sell camera kits without essential parts like the power cable. It's like selling a car without the keys.) Maybe you could ask the seller if the power cable is still with them somewhere.

It's pretty straightforward replacing those lead acid cells, and they are among the cheapest and most durable battery solutions. Main downside is their bulk and weight. Any electrical person or even hobbyist could solder those in easily. You could look online for portable 12V battery/with charger solutions and compare costs. Anything with at least 7 Amp hour (7000mA/h) capacity will do.

But the power cable will need the right connectors and wiring, so if you're not electrically minded at all it might be simplest to just get someone like Les Bosher or another camera tech to sort it out for you. They could also check over the camera before you potentially waste money putting film through it.

Thanks Dom. When you're talking about the power cable, there is one with the italian charger (to which i've attached a UK adapter), and a fixed cable from the charger that can be attached to the battery packs. There are then two cables that I can use to attach the battery packs to the camera. There is no power cable that can be attached to the camera and directly to a power source. Should there be one?

Dom Jaeger · July 17, 2020

Ah right, so you do have power cables, the ones from battery to camera.

It depends on the charger but generally speaking a battery charger is not a suitable power supply, they are designed to do different jobs. Unless you’re totally studio bound you want a power source that is portable, hence batteries. And even in studios people still tend to use batteries rather than power supplies, just to allow the camera freedom of movement.

So if you have a lead acid charger, and a battery case designed for lead acids, and the cables already wired and plugged correctly, the simplest thing is to just replace those dead lead acid cells. The soldering should take about 15 minutes.

If you find the battery pack a bit heavy down the track you could look into buying a more modern, lighter and smaller pack with similar voltage and capacity specs, though you would want to also buy the appropriate charger for the new cells and then get a new power cable made up.