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Battery for Arri 2C


Margaret Salmon

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Hi I'm looking to buy/source a portable battery for use with an Arri 2C Variable Speed motor.

I've got a power cable to 4 pin XLR.

Anyone know someplace in the UK I can find the right battery (quickly!) and possibly get it placed into something workable for filming handheld? (battery belt)

Thanks!

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  • 2 weeks later...

An easy solution is a v-mount battery with a d-tap to xlr cable which is close to 16v fully charged.

I also use a milwaukee battery with a USB power source adapter that has a 12v plug and I have a connecting cable with an xlr plug. This is also very handy to power led lights,  zoom motors, charging phones, etc. The cable is a DC 5.5 X 2.1mm Male to 4 Pins XLR Male Connector Power Cable  

Edited by Jim Perry
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  • 1 month later...

Had the camera out today so thought I’d add an image of the 2 battery solutions I use. The Milwaukee is 12v and I’ve shot several hundred feet with no issues at 24p. The v-mount I haven’t tried but at full charge it’s 16.3v. 

D337A54D-D6D2-49F4-BFE6-DD5E671DF641.jpeg

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 4/25/2021 at 1:37 AM, Jim Perry said:

Had the camera out today so thought I’d add an image of the 2 battery solutions I use. The Milwaukee is 12v and I’ve shot several hundred feet with no issues at 24p. The v-mount I haven’t tried but at full charge it’s 16.3v. 

D337A54D-D6D2-49F4-BFE6-DD5E671DF641.jpeg

Thanks Jim for your reply & the photos.

As a temporary solution I found an electrician who made a 12V to 4 pin XLR set up for me, but it was very basic and not all weather (which is a problem in Scotland). It worked fine and it's a useful back up.

But... I ended up buying a (admittedly luxurious) battery belt that can work with my Arri 435 and 2c from Hawk Woods here in the UK. Here's what I got - in particular it was really amazing to find a belt which would power BOTH 12V and 26V so I can use the same system with different cameras.

Hawk-Woods ( RP-B1 ) Reel-Power 26.0V Battery Belt — 26V 3-pin XLR & 12V Power-Con 

Hawk-Woods ( RP-M90 ) Reel-Power mini 26v 90Wh Battery 

Hawk-Woods ( PC-5R ) Power-Con 2-pin Plug (male) — XLR 4-pin right-angeld (female), 50cm length

I already have a 3 pin XLR cord for my 435, This was exciting to find as it accommodates both systems, I bought it from CVP.com

I've not used it with the 435 yet but am working on a project with the 2c now and the cord is a bit longer because of the adaptor but otherwise I love it. I still needed extra holes in the belt but it wasn't as loose as usual! (no, I'm not getting wider...). 

It was expensive, but I reasoned I'd not need a new system for quite a while. Here are some photos, thanks for yours

In filming I've been setting the variable speed motor near to 9, checking it's speed is 24 fps and shooting. But listening whilst filming handheld I do think the speed might be slightly inconsistent. Do you find that your motor fluctuates at all?  

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Hi, that sounds like a good solution. Being cheap, I chose to stick with off-the-shelf items. 
As for my motor, it’s a crystal Thoma handgrip model that locks in 24 or 25 frames (switchable) or can have a variable rate. I do have an original motor but haven’t shot with it but did hook it up and it runs. 
I’m not an expert in matters but perhaps the varying speed is a result of fluctuating voltage. 
 

  1. Input Voltage: For a fixed load, the speed of the motor is affected by applied voltage. Increase in voltage = increase in speed

I’m going to start by saying I am not a tech and that would be the best way to get an answer but...
If it were me, I’d load up some extra film (always good to have) or just take 100’ off of a short end or leftover stock and conduct some tests with a multimeter to find the right voltage  from the motor (after the motor/before the camera)  and to see if it’s fluctuating. Try the battery at different states of charge. You could do it with the motor on or off the camera .  You can also mark the film or hole punch it to measure how much goes through in a given time. 4-Perf should be 16 frames a foot. 
there’s more variables like magazines, gears, camera condition, etc but at least you might know if the dial should be on 9 or 10 or if there’s an issue. 
I’m  guessing someone other than me has actually done something like this and can give you a real answer and correctly label mine as crap. 
As for eliminating moisture I’d recommend leaving Scotland. Or a garbage bag. I keep them in my kit. Either one. 

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  • 8 months later...

Hi, Jim Happy New Year. 

I have a motor from Cinema Products for 2c and I can't find the power cable and connector for it.  I bought a Limo 2b 6-pin male to xls cable,  but the 6-pin male is too big for my motor.  Please help on getting the power cable and the battery system.

Thanks in advance. 

IMG_3149.jpg

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Hi Andy,  

I'm hardly an expert but it's 6 pins and circular so it may be an old audio plug of some kind repurposed. Easier than finding an Arri 2-prong. 

At the end of the day it's just a motor. It at least has a power and ground in there and being Cinema Products may also have a way to piggyback to their zoom and focus controllers. You'll probably need to open it and check it with a multimeter or just follow the wires. If you're in New York you might go down to Du-All Camera http://www.duallcamera.com/ which apparently moved to NJ as they know the old cameras.  

Once you know which wire is which either find the right 6-pin plug and wire it up or convert it to something more normal like xlr. 

Not really an answer but volts are volts. Good luck! 

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  • 1 year later...

Hi Andy, 

    I have this same motor on my 2C and I don’t mean to hijacker the thread, but I’m curious if you could share the wiring of the connectors into the bnc. Mine recently got torn out and i have no wiring diagram to fix it. I would really appreciate it.

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