New Idea for Power Generation

[Michael Collier]

So I had this idea and I wanted to see what other DPs thought, if they would use it. If you have been keeping up with recent developments of fuel cells they have made them cheap (under 3grand for 5Kw) and able to work in a range of environments (down to -20) and are totally silent.

 

 

I was wondering if someone were to come out with a line of generators designed to run either a whole set worth of lights, or smaller cheaper units designed to run just one light (elimnating long chord runs, long setup times, and the possibility of pulling a light over by the cable) do you think it would help us work quicker. I mean no sound, so they can be placed on a hollow floor with no padding and still not make ambient sound, enough power to run a blonde. In a tow-behind unit they would have enough to power the whole set.

 

I think that just not having to park an expensive generator far away to cut sound factor, then run LONG cables all around the set, up flights of stairs etc. would be a huge time saver. and you could build them directly into an HMI ballast, so those would be even easier to setup. They output DC which would have to be converted to AC for certain lights, but since that would be done internaly you can sync the phase of each power supply to a master one, eliminating flicker and hum, as the cycle doesnt have to be 60hz.)

 

Its my understanding taht a canister of hydrogen about the size of a colman lantern would last about an hour on a blonde and would be very affordable (as apposed to paying an electrician to tap the power.)

 

This would also help because a 5KW unit measures less than 2' x1' x1' (plus electronics to turn the 50v DC into 120v AC) and would easily be able to be carried a couple at a time by a grip. so if you had to shoot in the woods with no road access you arent running cables all around. you could drop in by helecopter on Mt. McKinnley and shoot with artificial light. (which for all of you in the lower 48, please refer to Mt. McKinnley as Denali from now on, we were not a state when McKinnley was president, and that was the true name of north americas tallest mountain)

 

Do you think this would increase saftey? reduce the cost of doing business? make things any simpler or easier for use?

[Alessandro Machi]

So I had this idea and I wanted to see what other DPs thought, if they would use it. If you have been keeping up with recent developments of fuel cells they have made them cheap (under 3grand for 5Kw) and able to work in a range of environments (down to -20) and are totally silent.

I was wondering if someone were to come out with a line of generators designed to run either a whole set worth of lights, or smaller cheaper units designed to run just one light (elimnating long chord runs, long setup times, and the possibility of pulling a light over by the cable) do you think it would help us work quicker. I mean no sound, so they can be placed on a hollow floor with no padding and still not make ambient sound, enough power to run a blonde. In a tow-behind unit they would have enough to power the whole set.

 

I think that just not having to park an expensive generator far away to cut sound factor, then run LONG cables all around the set, up flights of stairs etc. would be a huge time saver. and you could build them directly into an HMI ballast, so those would be even easier to setup. They output DC which would have to be converted to AC for certain lights, but since that would be done internaly you can sync the phase of each power supply to a master one, eliminating flicker and hum, as the cycle doesnt have to be 60hz.)

 

Its my understanding taht a canister of hydrogen about the size of a colman lantern would last about an hour on a blonde and would be very affordable (as apposed to paying an electrician to tap the power.)

 

This would also help because a 5KW unit measures less than 2' x1' x1' (plus electronics to turn the 50v DC into 120v AC) and would easily be able to be carried a couple at a time by a grip. so if you had to shoot in the woods with no road access you arent running cables all around. you could drop in by helecopter on Mt. McKinnley and shoot with artificial light. (which for all of you in the lower 48, please refer to Mt. McKinnley as Denali from now on, we were not a state when McKinnley was president, and that was the true name of north americas tallest mountain)

 

Do you think this would increase saftey? reduce the cost of doing business? make things any simpler or easier for use?

 

On a much smaller scale, I have two frezzi mini HMI's that I each power from portable 12 volt batteries. NO CABLE RUNS! I love that.

[Tim J Durham]

So I had this idea and I wanted to see what other DPs thought, if they would use it. If you have been keeping up with recent developments of fuel cells they have made them cheap (under 3grand for 5Kw) and able to work in a range of environments (down to -20) and are totally silent.

I was wondering if someone were to come out with a line of generators designed to run either a whole set worth of lights, or smaller cheaper units designed to run just one light (elimnating long chord runs, long setup times, and the possibility of pulling a light over by the cable) do you think it would help us work quicker. I mean no sound, so they can be placed on a hollow floor with no padding and still not make ambient sound, enough power to run a blonde. In a tow-behind unit they would have enough to power the whole set.

 

Do you think this would increase saftey? reduce the cost of doing business? make things any simpler or easier for use?

This is the only portable I could find:

 

http://www.fuelcellstore.com/cgi-bin/fuelw...=31/product=393

 

It's 1kW and costs nearly $6K. Do you have a link to a 5kW portable for under $3K?

[Adam Frisch FSF]

It would speed up things a bit, I think. I mean, if I could stick a 4kW HMI on some rooftop 200 yards away and not have to run a cable for miles, that'd be great. Then the gaffers could be like satellite teams actually tweaking light instead of havening to be bogged down by cable monkey-logistics.

 

Problem is, where does one get the hydrogen in a pinch and when it runs out? :)

[Michael Collier]

It would speed up things a bit, I think. I mean, if I could stick a 4kW HMI on some rooftop 200 yards away and not have to run a cable for miles, that'd be great. Then the gaffers could be like satellite teams actually tweaking light instead of havening to be bogged down by cable monkey-logistics.

 

Problem is, where does one get the hydrogen in a pinch and when it runs out? :)

 

 

the $3,000 units arent; complete, just the fuel cell. after purcase they would ahve to be regulated then inverted to give the 120v or 240v or what ever is needed.

 

I was thinking about starting a rental company, like panavision, where you pay for the units and recieve all the hydrogen you would need. Its all calculatable. Take the total watts need, figure out how much hydrogen will give that wattage for 8 straight hours, then add 10% buffer. any aditional needs just means an extra tank or two of hydrogen.

 

They also dont give 12v regulated out, I think its somewhere around 50v unregulated. but with a good regulator circut I can get 12v out easily to power lights and cell phone chargers (actors.) and whatever else is needed.