Continuous power in the field

Raymond Burns

Author: Raymond Burns

Published 1st July 2013


When on location whether in the depths of a jungle with reduced access to power or in a city centre with limited charging opportunities then good consideration to your kit bag is needed to remove those power hungry devices that could leave you running short for the final big shot of the day!
The benefits of field recorders are well known, often doubling as viewfinder, playout monitor and of course recording direct from the camera sensor onto commodity storage. But when power is at a premium is it a luxury you can do without?
With a background in programming for mobile applications, where low power is an absolute must, joint Atomos CEO/founder Ian Overliese has applied this knowledge to video recording and converting devices, namely the Ninja and Samurai both offering an extremely low power draw of 3 to 6 watts depending on operating mode.
Such low power consumption does of course give the operator the ability to run on batteries for a much longer period of time opening up many new possibilities such as on-location usage, especially in difficult and remote terrains where there is limited or no power.
Continuous Power (patent pending) takes battery operation a stage further. Essentially it's a continuous power loop whereby when one battery depletes, it automatically switches over to the other, fresh battery, ad infinitum if you have the extra batteries. Atomos field recorders can accommodate two batteries, both of which give you 3-4 hours operation. For the Connect converter there is an in-built battery that lasts for up to an hour and an external battery that will give you another 8-hours operation.
The Continuous Power system works with all forms of power, in that power sources can be hot-swappable batteries, DC (via D-Tap) or AC (via dummy battery, or in the case of Ronin, dedicated mains input). This gives users a huge amount of power options and continuous operation in any conceivable environment. Furthermore, in the case of the portable Connect converters the internal battery is charged when external power, be it a battery, DC or AC source, is connected. In the case of Ronin the AC mains power will charge any connected batteries fitted to the Ronin, providing truly redundant operation in facility and location production or broadcast environments.
So next time you’re rigged up in the jungle to capture that opportune moment when the lion walks by then concerns about being eaten alive can take a greater priority than battery power alarms!

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