Samurai and battery life when not in use
 

I was "on-call" the last week or so waiting for a client of mine to get their "high tech" press running. Since they had a limited amount of sheet metal to run through the press before shipping, I needed to be there when they finally got it running. Then it would only run for 3-4 minutes before running out of material. I charged both of the Samura batteries that came with it installed on the Samurai. 4 days passed and the press wasn't running. Day 5 came and I got the call, jumped in my car and was off to the shoot.

However, when I arrived, the Samura was acting wonky and kept shutting off. I finally got it to stay on long enough to check the battery and one was depleted with an X in place of the battery and the second only had a sliver left. Ultimately it died and I had to shoot to (GASP!!!!!) HDV tape. :(

So....I am wondering if this is normal? With my Canon XLh1 battery I can let it sit for a month with a full charge and pick it up and have 90% of the charge still there. I am concerned there is something wrong here. Can anyone weigh in on how long these shold last?

I'd like to note that on days where I charge it completely, it lasts all day long or for 2-3 hours of actual record time and paused time, and I never saw it dip below half. So....the batteries seem robust...but why would they drain when the unit is off? Or could I have accidentally left it on and not know? Hmmmm

Re: Samurai and battery life when not in use
 

Marty...I've left my Samurai in the original container, without the batteries attached, and the batteries have always had enough power for at least a couple of hours of shooting. Were the batteries attached to the Samurai when you stored it for the next use? There might be something running in the background needing a 'power budget' when the batteries are attached? Obviously, you need to determine if you left it on before looking at other possible causes.

I've never had a situation since I purchasing my Samurai where the 'internal' battery has failed me, I set the date/time, and have never had to re-set it. I know that doesn't have a thing to do with the 'external batteries', but if there were something wrong with the Samurai power distribution system, it might show up as an issue with the 'internal date/time'.

I'm kind of anal about batteries, I always charge all of my batteries before a Gig, I also bring spares of everything, it's my old 'Stills Photog' instincts taking over. : )

Best regards,

J.

Re: Samurai and battery life when not in use
 

I usually charge mine the night before a shoot too, but since this one was unpredictable I did not think it would be wise to charge them full every night just in case the press went live the next day. Admittedly, I should have checked them last night. However, as I think of it, I do believe I have left the batteries attached to the Samurai for a week in the past and it still had plenty of run time. There is no way at this point that I can verify if I indeed had it on or if the unit was in some state where it was drawing power while in the case. I'll just have to wait until they are fully charged and try it again. I do not feel as though I should have to disconnect them from the unit if I actually turn it off though. They are not that easy to take on and off in the first place, and I sure don't want to do anything to wear out the nice tight fit at this point.

Thanks.

Re: Samurai and battery life when not in use
 

Marty...I've attached and removed the batteries on my Samurai probably 200-times since purchasing, I haven't noticed any loosening of the attach points. With that said, we are talking plastic to plastic interface and yes, they will wear with time. But hey, that's what Duct Tape and Velcro was invented for, wasn't it? Heh, heh!

Take care,

J.

Re: Samurai and battery life when not in use
 

James,
Actually....the fact that the batteries fit so darn tight and are not easily removed worries me that I will eventually snap or break something if I take it on and off too much. Definitely not too loose or not fitting properly on this.

Re: Samurai and battery life when not in use
 

Marty...I understand. Yes, they are tight, even now after 200+ R/R cycles, but I'm sure they will eventually loosen up.

Regards,

J.

Re: Samurai and battery life when not in use
 

Marty...I've been performing a little experiment since you identified your issue. I have left my batteries on the Samurai for 16-days with no problems. The 'primary slot 1' battery, is down approximately 25% since installing it. I've 'powered-up the Samurai, on average, about every other day for 20-minutes. Although, I've only used the Samurai in 'Monitor-Mode' only, I'm sure if I used 'Record', it would use more power. Anyway, I have not been able to replicate your issue.

Best regards,

J.

Re: Samurai and battery life when not in use
 

James,
I am more and more convinced that I left it on or something as I have not had a single issues since that event, except when I accidentally didn't fully insert one of the batteries into the charger and it didn't charge overnight. But that is completely on me. Dufus!

Thanks,
Marty

Re: Samurai and battery life when not in use
 

Marty...no worries, Mate!

Regards,

J.