jack layfield Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 I have 4 pin XLR batteries for my Eclair ACL and before I use it I always put the batteries on charge but have no indicator of a full charge or how much is left when shooting. I was wondering if there was a way to plug the batteries in to something or take a reading from them which would let me know how much juice is left on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Aapo Lettinen Posted January 16, 2022 Premium Member Share Posted January 16, 2022 (edited) you could purchase a Chinese voltage meter module (prices starting from 2 bucks I think) and solder it to a 4-pin xlr connector also available cheaply. then you would have a xlr voltage meter which you can just connect to the batteries to see how much voltage they have. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=led+voltage+meter&_sacat=0&_sop=15 Edited January 16, 2022 by aapo lettinen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted January 16, 2022 Premium Member Share Posted January 16, 2022 What chemistry are the batteries? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg MacPherson Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 What about giving a cheap V meter to each battery pack. That could be also useful for looking at voltage drop while running at higher speeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg MacPherson Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Do you have a basic multimeter to measure V? Pins 1 and 4 on the canon end of the cable. Can't remember which pins on the jaeger socket on the battery, but trial and error to find out was safe on those batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted January 16, 2022 Premium Member Share Posted January 16, 2022 The problem is that just reading voltage is unlikely to give a very reliable indication under most circumstances, and for any chemistry other than lithium ion it may be close to useless. Battery fuel gauging is a complex subject, sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack layfield Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 17 hours ago, Gregg MacPherson said: Do you have a basic multimeter to measure V? Pins 1 and 4 on the canon end of the cable. Can't remember which pins on the jaeger socket on the battery, but trial and error to find out was safe on those batteries. I do not will get one if this helps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack layfield Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 17 hours ago, Phil Rhodes said: The problem is that just reading voltage is unlikely to give a very reliable indication under most circumstances, and for any chemistry other than lithium ion it may be close to useless. Battery fuel gauging is a complex subject, sadly. i don't know the chemistry i'm afraid, i believe the batteries are 12V NiCd or NiMH if that helps? Was just hoping there was a way to take a reading so not always charging and shooting without knowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg MacPherson Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 If you can't read what the battery cell type is, maybe take a pic of the charger. The original NiCad charger is easy to spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Dom Jaeger Posted January 17, 2022 Premium Member Share Posted January 17, 2022 Aside from just using a multi-meter and putting the probes in the battery socket, there's this sort of thing: https://www.customcine.store/shop/p/battplug12 But as Phil said, reading the battery voltage when not under load can give you an optimistic reading. Usually if the voltage reads close to the nominal voltage (ie if it reads say 12.3V and it's a 12V battery) then it's close to depleted. A charged 12V battery should read over 13V. But different chemistries can behave differently. Still, a little voltage reader like this is better than nothing and will give you some idea. Ideally you want to wire a voltage meter in the battery pack itself (which isn't hard, just wire it in parallel) so that you can read the voltage under load. Or make up another power cable with a voltage meter wired in-line, or buy this sort of thing: https://rencherindustries.com/products/inline-voltmeter?variant=32508861055079 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted January 18, 2022 Premium Member Share Posted January 18, 2022 Honestly, you can buy a 4-pin XLR connector and a little voltmeter for the cost of a cheeseburger on aliexpress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack layfield Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 14 hours ago, Dom Jaeger said: Aside from just using a multi-meter and putting the probes in the battery socket, there's this sort of thing: https://www.customcine.store/shop/p/battplug12 But as Phil said, reading the battery voltage when not under load can give you an optimistic reading. Usually if the voltage reads close to the nominal voltage (ie if it reads say 12.3V and it's a 12V battery) then it's close to depleted. A charged 12V battery should read over 13V. But different chemistries can behave differently. Still, a little voltage reader like this is better than nothing and will give you some idea. Ideally you want to wire a voltage meter in the battery pack itself (which isn't hard, just wire it in parallel) so that you can read the voltage under load. Or make up another power cable with a voltage meter wired in-line, or buy this sort of thing: https://rencherindustries.com/products/inline-voltmeter?variant=32508861055079 Hey Dom, thanks for this really helpful and appreciate sending over the link too : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 You used to be able to buy a battery checker with a 4 pin XLR. This put the battery under some load when you pressed a button and gave the voltage. A battery on the way out gave a voltage that crashed when the button was pressed, if in need of recharge it had amber and red LEDs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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