Firestore FS-4, not enough battery for the job!!
 

Firestore's FS-4 battery life is only 90min. You need a few batteries to do a shoot. I called today to a few places and they referred me to b&h, which is closed for holiday and a couple of other places said I need to buy straight from focus for batteries. I called them and they are on a 1 to 2 week backorder. Makes me feel really confident in my purchase :(

Does anyone have or use a battery belt to run to the fs-4. The battery is 11+ volts. The charger for the unit is 15+ volts. I am thinking if you were to run 12v into the charger that it would run the firestore. I have a battery belt that would give it plenty of power if that is the case.

Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks

Jon

Check out this thread

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=34670

cheers,

DK

Thank you. I found it shortly after my post. Auton Buaer battery packs are very expensive, consider I don't use them for anything else. I am going to make battery for this project that will cost much less than the auton bauer and will work just as good.

I will post my findings when I get done.

Jon

I figured you would be building something of your own. The thread is interesting because Matt mentions acceptable voltages.

Good luck,

I purchased a 14.4V, 4500 mAh battery pack with charger for $69 + shipping. I made a custom mount for the firestore, the stock belt clip the supply is COMPLETELY WORTHLESS! and will result in you smashing your firestore on the floor!!! I guess it's a good way to boost sales?

I will post pictures and results of the battery life when I am finished.

Jon

My bracket to replace factory belt clip! Much better!
 

I took a piece of aluminum, 13 X 2 7/8 X 1/8 and bent it. Drilled some holes and added a couple of pins and here it is......

http://www.trulux.com/pictureuploads/web-IMG_1369.jpg
http://www.trulux.com/pictureuploads/web-IMG_1370.jpg
http://www.trulux.com/pictureuploads/web-IMG_1371.jpg
http://www.trulux.com/pictureuploads/web-IMG_1372.jpg

Nice and simple, I like that.

I would be interested in seeing how you are dealing with the power supply.

Simplicity is clearly the major plus of your mounting plate, and probably counteracts the disadvantages of its design. I like the fact that you can easily look at the FS-4's LCD when using the camera's flip out monitor.

I'm guessing that the FS-4 kind of lives on the L plate. Or is it easy to get it off?

I usually have a shotgun and a light attached to the accessories shoe, which makes my camera very top heavy. I wanted to mount it in the back to try and balance the camera. The placement was such to make the FS-4 LCD viewable while useing the cameras LCD.

The firestore lives on the bracket and the bracket is easily removed with one screw. I had thought about making it so I could remove the firestore but at the moment I can't think of any other uses for the bracket.

I will post pictures of the whole package with battery pack.

Jon

Jon..

I will be very intersted in abything you managed to come up with regards extra power.

Totally agree with you about the batteries. I have 2 weddings to do at the end of next month and have an 80GB pro so have enough space, but not enough juice !!!!

Mark

I had debated getting the 80 gb but I couldn't find too many uses for it. I do weddings as well but I always get a break after the cermoney(drive to reception) and dinner break at the reception. During these times I transfer the files to my laptop.

I have two battery options. The first 14.4v, 2300mAh and weighs 12oz. The second 14.4v, 4500mAh and weighs 2.5lbs. The first option will probably be attached to the camera when the firestore battery is running low. The second option will probably be attached via a battery belt type setup and I will run a wire to the firestore. It kinda of defeats my purpose of mounting it on the camera, I don't like being tied by a cord. The second option should recharge the firestores internal battery.

My only concern is that the fan, when its on 100% if it will be too loud for my shotgun. I am assuming it will not but I haven't tested it yet. I just finished it yesterday and I still need to drill a hole in the bracket to allow for the fan.

Jon

Jon..

Good idea with the laptop, hadn't thought of that...

I agree with the fan noise...I see you have the PD170 I think, same as myself, I use a senhaisser K6 type shotgun and that would defo pickup the fan noise, I was just going to have it clipped to my trousers/belt, so that would not be and issue....

I guess also that during the meal I could get a chance to charge up a battery, but not fully I suspect.

Hope you're external battery works and I may copy if that is OK. I guess by plugging it in to the FS4 charge port you run the machine on the external battery and charge the internal at the same time..

Let us know when you have your little project up and running..

Regards

Mark

I wouldn't recommend using their belt mount. I dropped mine two times, that's the reason for my custom bracket.

I will post pictures of the finished product with results.

Jon

Jon..

What exactly happened ? Did something break ?

Mark

Nothing broke. I caught it with my hand the first time and the second time I broke it's fall with my foot. When you bend down, the firstore pushes off of your leg and the connector will break lose causing it to fall.

VERY POOR DESIGN!

I am in the process of making a belt carrying case, that would make sure it stays put. Kind of like the FS1 carrying case.

Jon

Thanks for the warning ...

Mark

Hi Jon,

I was going to ask you to tell us what the consequences of you covering the fan will be. But it sounds like you have already change that.

DK

I also have a suggestion for a belt clip. I have a cell phone holster that will accept the stud on the back of the FS-4 from "Krusell". Krusell is a Scandinavian company that has a clip holster system made of metal and with a leather loop that you slide your belt into.

It is very stable, but has one slight danger in that it is possible to force the clipped object (cell phone, or FS-4) up and out of the clipping mechanism with enough force. I think that it is designed this way to enable one handed use of the release mechanism.

Do you think it might make sense to modify the FS-4 clip so that it would not clip to your belt but work rather like the Krusell, a fixed loop? Or did the locking mechanism for the stud malfunction on the FS-4 clip?

I would not recommed covering the hole. I just didn't do it prior to posting pictures. It now has a hole for the fan to pull in air.

Jon

Picture of a working battery pack, 2.5lbs.... Just a bit heavy, but I will put on a belt.

http://www.trulux.com/pictureuploads/web-IMG_1578.jpg

It's 14.4v, 4500mAh... The stock battery is 1100mah and it's suppose to work for 90 minutes. If that is the case, this should work for 4 times that, 6hrs.

I will test it this weekend at a wedding and let everyone know.


The battery is from www.batteryspace.com, it's for a bike light setup. Charger and battery are just shy of $70 plus shipping.


Jon

Earlier tonight I captured about 80 minutes on the FS-4 and it's battery. I then plugged in my custom battery pack until my firestore battery read a full charge and then uplugged my custom battery... The custom battery was plugged in for about 3 hours and then I ran the firestore battery for another 72 minutes. Total camera time was approximately 300+ minutes and I am sure the custom battery pack still has life left. I just didn't have enough time to run it completely dry.

I would assume that you could get 7 hours or more out of the combination of on board firestore battery and a custom pack like mine.

It's great! I will post pictures soon of my shoulder mounted camera support, it takes all the weight off our arms. I don't think I could hold it up for 6 hours without it!!

Tomorrow I have an all day wedding. I am planning to run the custom battery pack until it dies. It's so cool to have all of your footage captured without having to capture tape. Tape is only a backup now, like it should be!!



Jon

That's great news Jon, hope all goes well on the wedding...

Could you perhaps post the component parts that make up your custom battery, that way I can try and replicate.

Regards

Mark

Sure. It's pretty simple actually.

Go here and buy this battery pack, connectors and charger

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.as...OD&ProdID=1276

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.as...OD&ProdID=1277

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.as...ROD&ProdID=386

The connector size is 5.5(Outside Dim)

I forgot to order the connectors and had to wire it myself. Cost about the same and it be a lot easier!

You could also make your own battery pack and save $10 but time is money and shrink wrapping in plastic is a pain!

Buy the items listed above and you will have exactly what I have.

Last night I had the battery in my back pocket and the wire from the battery went straight to the firestore. It worked so well I might not make a belt for the setup.

Jon

Jon...

Thanks very much...

So what were saying is that pretty much any 14.4v battery so long as its high ampes will do the job !!!!

Can anyone from Focus confirm if the voltages from a 14.4v battery at around 4500mah to 6000mah would be fine long term to use ???

I also thought too Jon that a cable from you back pocket to the FS4 would probably suffice....Also those battery packs look like the type I used to run on my RC Cars years ago. I remember they came in 7.2, 9.6 and 14.4 if you really wanted to run that motor ragged !!

Mark

When choosing the battery, I refered to a post Focus made about the Anton Bauer battery pack. It's 14.4volts with 90 watt hours.

It just makes sense that the power supply pushes +15v. The 14.4 battery pack doesn't actual put out 14.4 volts, it's more like 16v. At least that's what my volt meter reads.

I will test it throughly considering I have over 200 hrs of recording to do over the next few months.

Jon

With that many hours the time saved would allow you to do perhaps a couple of jobs extra a month, meaning it would pay for itself in the first month.

Also the ability to have 2 recoding sources is a selling point also, knowing that if you had any tapes issues you always had the FS4 files. Priceless !!!

I suspect these little units are going to become quite common place, and as early adopters we unfortunately suffer the little issues that will be ironed out in the future to make it a truly essential purchase.

Mark

Actually, it really doesn't save me much time. I have a DSR-11 to capture tape and I have many computers to use. It takes me like 2 minutes to change a tape and hit capture.

The priceless factor is this.... If you need to edit and don't have one hour to capture tape...! We do a lot of wedding day edits. On the way to the reception you can edit and show it at the reception... Priceless advertising... People say, "Wow.." :)

I like the firestore because of the oh S**T my tape was bad. That happened once and it will never happen again. Yes, 2 sources are better than one!

I just cannot believe that they plan on marketing the firestore as a portable capture DTD unit without the following items:

Battery's = I called 2 week back ordered????
NO EXTERNAL BATTERY CHARGER???????

I know I read that an external battery charger is in the works, as well as an extended life battery. It's not like this is there first unit, FS-1.....now the FS-4. We also have the ADS DV Drive. Much lighter than the FS-4, only a 30gb hard drive and it lasts 2 hours. The unit only weighs 8.8 oz's versus a pound. The only reason I chose the FS-4 is for the High Def. I record in HD as well so it was the only option. Although, I have yet to see it record in HD.

Jon

Jon

Well, field testing was just over 5 hours tonight. That was 70 minutes on the internal battery and then the rest on the battery pack.

I will do more testing this week.

Jon

Jon..

Hope the wedding went well, how did the battery pack stand up to use ??

What do you think of this little beast, only 12v max but 7200 mah, do you think that would run it ??

http://www.pjbox.co.uk/Archos%20Accessories.htm

its the second item down..

Mark

or this

http://www.battech.co.uk/product_inf...roducts_id=784

Universal Li-ion Battery Pack for Digital Devices **Output voltage: DC 3V-12V **Output current: 0A-1.5A **Capacity: 32.6WH **Dimensions: 105 x 75 x 23mm **Weight: 244g

I got 6 hours of use out of the combo. It's really not the best test because I also used it to transfer 3 hours of video during dinner at the reception to my laptop. I should have plugged it in to the wall for the transfer. Even though, 6 hours is plenty of time.

I also have another solution, which worked well last night. They have portable jump packs, used to jump your vehicle in case of emergency. It has an internal 12v car battery with a built on dc to ac inverter. I put it under my tripod and plugged it in(like plugging into a wall socket) and used my firestore for 7 hrs without ever using the internal battery. If you are stationary, it would work the best.

I don't know if the 12v battery will power the firestore or damage it in any way. I used information from Focus Enhancements post to come up with the 14.4v I used in my pack. I didn't use the same battery they used, an Anton Bauer pack because they are very expensive and I would also need a very expensive charger as well. I can purchase about 8 of the battery packs for the price one of the AB pack.

Jon

Jon..

Good Idea, that way I can use the powerpack when doing the ceremony and speaches and then the rest just run off 2 pre charged FS4 batteries. Also whilst using the inverter its also charging the battery. Actually worth having just to be able to put batteries on charge when you do not have access to a mains outlet...I shall go and buy one of those, I think about £70 from halfords here in the UK..


Mark

I bought mine at PepBoys in the US for $69. So that sounds right. I don't usually have access to power outlets so it works quite nice.

Jon

Just to let you know that the battery that Jon mentions in this thread from batteryspace looks like a real alternative..I purchased one and also a ansmann acs 110 traveller charger for about £40, both items together cost about the same as a 90 minute battery from focus. The unit has a nice long lead so you can strap it to your tripod, and when mobile probably put it just use the FS4 battery as the 12 cell unit is quite heavy to put in pocket.

I'm testing the battery life at the moment so will post back..

Mark

Jon, How is the battery pack setup working? I just got 3 FS-4 and have order the batter pack setup you had mentioned earlier.....

MCE quick stream/Citidisc (shining)
 

Post Removed. Not related topic.
Sorry.

Thought I'd chime in here since I was the one who bought the FS-4 and battery pack off of Jon. I actually didn't use the battery and fs-4 I bought from Jon, but another set just like it. Last weekend I shot the wedding on the FS-4 battery alone. It was a catholic wedding but it was short for a catholic wedding, the FS-4 ran a little over an hour. After the ceremony I plugged in the FS-4 to the battery pack, when I needed to use the FS-4 at the reception, it was fully charged, and ready to go. During the dances I didn't lug around the battery, at one point I did plug in the battery pack and shoot a couple of stationary shots while the FS-4 charged.

I probably should of had the FS-4 plugged in during the entrance, and toasts, stationary shots.

Over all the battery pack worked great. I actually bought another pack from bateryspace, it's a kit and has all you will need:
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.as...OD&ProdID=1261

The funny thing is I actually went out and bought a bike water bottle holder and attached it to my tripod leg. Yea I know it's a little tacky, but it works until I find another way to haul it around. And actually the FS-4 fits perfectly in the waterbottle holder. This is where I put the FS-4 during the ceremony, I don't use the battery pack during the ceremony because it would look horrible. With the FS-4 in the water bottle holder the camera picks up no fan noise, and I don't have to worry about clipping it on my belt.

The pyro dv drive looks interesting, but I like the assurance of a lcd screen telling me I'm recording, and how much time I have left.

The battery you have chosen is 13.2V which isn't enough for the firestore. I read in posts from focus that it needed to be 14.4 volts. If it's working then I guess it works but I don't know if the 13.2v will cause a problem with the hardware. I would contact them to verify that 13.2v is enough.

Jon

I'm sorry Jon I linked to the wrong battery, they make a 14.4v:here's the link:
http://batteryspace.com/index.asp?Pa...OD&ProdID=1261

I changed the link in my old post so anyone looking to buy one wouldn't get confused.

I do agree 100% with Jon, DTE is definatly the way to go.

Firestore FS-4 Battery Solution!!!
 

I have found a GREAT battery solution for the Firestore products. As you know the stock battery will not last too long. I am also a still photographer and have been using DigitalCameraBattery.com products for a couple of years. Their products are superb, tank tough and just plain bulletproof.
I ordered the IBM laptop adapter from them and use my DCB80WB battery to power the Firestore. (the IBM laptop and Firestore share the same type of plug) - It lasts the entire capacity of the drive and I only have to carry one battery for my still and video needs!!!!! (it still has juice left over for flash, etc)

Just a note to all of you

Follow up
 

I have just completed a test. I started the FS-4 with my DigitalCameraBattery hooked up at 12:10 yesterday. I actually forgot that I had started it and when I remembered at 9:40 at night it was still running and the indicator on the battery still showed green (green, yellow, red) - So needless to say, it will power this baby for a LOOOONG time.

Plus, it looks a lot better than the water bottle solution, IMHO