SRII on-board power alternatives?

Anand Modi · July 6, 2012

Arri on-board batteries for the SR I/II seem to be harder and harder to come by these days-- has anyone had any luck rigging other types of batteries to the back of the camera? I know 14.4v Anton Bauer and V-Mount batteries probably wouldn't work as they put out too much current when fully charged, but has anyone tried rigging a 12v or 13.2v NP-1 type battery to mount on the back of the camera? Is there anything I could use that's light enough and could mount to the on-board battery adapter?

Isaac Brooks · July 6, 2012

Hi,

Well, Arri on-boards are available from places like Visual Products in Ohio, and will come re-celled and guaranteed, which is nice. It'll cost you though.

If you are looking for more economic solutions, I simply recommend a 12-volt power source that is not made by Arri, like a battery belt. This is different ergonomically from the onboard, but there are a few advantages:

Modern Ni-Cad belts are capable of holding a lot of 12 volt power- one with over 10 amp hours will set you up for AT LEAST a days's shooting, unless you are putting over like 30 x 400' rolls through the camera in one shoot.

Some people prefer the belt to the onboard as the extra weight in on the operator's hips or slung around the tripod legs.

Also, one of the VERY few SR design flaws, in my opinion, is the battery system. It puts stress on the XLR input, even with the magnetic connection between the mag and battery. The connection between the 4-pin to battery mount is also delicate– if an inexperienced assistant wriggles and or twists the battery off the coupler, then that may crack the battery.

Belts are perfectly safe for the SR 1 & 2– if they are 12 volts. I'm a little hazy but I think that 14 volts may be a little high for any original Arr SR I or 2 motor. Maybe not though, I know you can exceed by a little. When possible though, pushing UP on the volt scale is something I avoid with my SRll, for the reason that it is such a great machine that deserves as little stress as possible.

Now, I currently have a 12-volt Bescor battery belt for sale on eBay (sorry, I'll be brief, here not sure if it's appropriate to introduce business to this section of the forum), one that was purchased for with an ARRIFLEX SR ll. If the idea of a belt does not offend you, then this item, or something similar, will solve your power problems– absolutely. It's 12-volt with 12 amp hours, and is in essentially new condition. Perfectly safe for the SR (not the SR 3, which runs on 24v). A real steal, as you will get a new condition belt for about half the NEW price.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bescor-12-volt-Battery-Belt-/130724519469?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6fc9de2d#ht_500wt_1103

As for jerry rigging another camera battery as an onboard– I wouldn't. Camera power is one field that people will explore with many home-made options, which is great, but unless you have old onboards that needs re-celling or something, it may be more trouble than it's worth, and it's possible that the typical Arri onboard problems will only be exacerbated by the unusual design of another system's battery.

Ok, I hope this helps.

Isaac

Tim Carroll · July 11, 2012

I did what Isaac mentioned. I used to use a Bescor 12 volt battery belt with my 16SR. Strap on the belt, run the cable up your back and straight into the back of the 16SR, works great and takes some of the load off your shoulder, as the onboard battery weighs quite a bit.

Best,

-Tim

Luke Randall · November 12, 2015

Anyone know if a switchronix power base would work? it's 14.4 vlt but says "suitable to power up to two 12vdc devices".

I got 3 arri batteries with my camera but I have no idea how long they'll last on set.

Kenny N Suleimanagich · November 13, 2015

You can have them re-celled?

NFL Films engineered a way to use dionics with these cameras, which is pretty cool for field work. You could call their camera department and ask for details, they're very friendly and helpful folks.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Kenny N Suleimanagich

Aapo Lettinen · November 13, 2015

if you are using 19mm rods with your camera you can use a separate v-mount plate which attaches to the rods and then, if the plate does not already have down converter from 14 to 12v, you can add a separate down converter (regulator) between the plate and 4pin xlr. I just ordered some Chinese down converters/regulators from ebay to hack my Cameflex to use 12v input, they are quite affordable and compact. you should test them first though, some of them are very good and some are not, better to know if the output voltage is true 12v or something else and if it can vary depending on conditions :rolleyes:

One trick is to use serialised diodes between the battery and the output xlr to lower the voltage if you are always using the battery system with the same piece of equipment so that the current is the same. I think couple of 10A diodes would do for the SR2 although the exact voltage drop is highly dependent on working current and may vary quite much depending on conditions

Aapo Lettinen · November 13, 2015

I use this kind of NiMh airsoft batteries with most of my 12v film equipment, I have attached velcro on them so I can simply attach them to velcro surfaces (for example to the side of my Konvas sync motor) and I have made adapters from tamiya to 4pin xlr for the camera gear or changed the battery connector to 4-xlr. the cells discharge in couple of weeks but otherwise good batteries in general and if you velcro them you can attach them easily anywhere although they are relatively long and quite large compared to similar capacity Li-po or Li-ion batteries....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1x-Tamiya-Battery-Pack-12V-3800mAh-NiMH-808-Charger-EU-/371330736757?hash=item5675096275:g:mAQAAOxykYtSHss5

Scott Pickering · February 26, 2017

I too am looking for a battery for my SR2 camera. Ebay has some Bescors for sale. The one listed shows Bescor PRB-12XLRNC Pro 12v 12amp. Will this work with the SR2?

Edited February 26, 2017 by Scott Pickering

Dom Jaeger · February 27, 2017

Sure, any 12v battery with at least 2 amp-hours of capacity would be suitable. A battery with 12 amp-hours of capacity will run the camera and some accessories for maybe 6 hrs, which is usually more than you'd ever need in a day - half that capacity would be fine, and cheaper. A battery with 4 pin XLR output socket is ideal (the power cable is then a straightforward 4 pin male to 4 pin female) and something like a 10A fuse will protect the camera while allowing for current spikes during start-up or running high speed.