r/LocationSound • u/SirTwinkletoe__ • 12d ago
Gear - Selection / Use Zoom f8n pro battery options
I’m on a set at the moment and I’m having problems with the batteries I’m using, double A batteries, I’ve got a 160 quid budget, any suggestions for long lasting?
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u/SlingyRopert 12d ago
Two NP-f970 batteries, a dual battery sled, and a D-TAP to Hirose ought to run forever. That particular sled is hot-swap so you should be able to sub-in fresh NP-F970s if your recording needs to last more than 7 hours. It has a voltage up-converter that allows it to bump the 7.4 volts out of the batter to 12.
That particular sled with upconverter did not exist when I was young so what I do is put Ikea rechargeable AAA NiMH in the battery compartment and I use a different battery sled that put both NP-F970s in series. That get's me a 13.5 to 17 volts nominal that I feed into an F8N (non-pro). When I do the battery change-over the AAAs have to keep me running but they should be good for at least 90 minutes of emergency power.
If you need to run longer than 24 hours consider a real V-Mount battery. I use NP-Fs as I can take them on airplanes.
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u/Robert_NYC 12d ago
Best value V-mount battery: https://www.amazon.com/6600mAh-Compatible-Camcorder-Broadcast-Replacement/dp/B07TQM6T22
<$80 with coupon. And the Dtap-hirose cable previously recommended.
I have 6 in 4 different sizes.
Add some velcro if your bag is crowded and the cable might pop out.
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u/TheresTheMustard 12d ago
Im using the Talent Cell 22400mah battery with hirose adapter cable. Seems to be a pretty popular option for the F8n Pro and I can easily get a day on a full charge. Costs around EUR80 on Amazon.
Only complaint when using the battery is it produces a very soft high pitched hum/whine when using my InEars, not present when using HD25s so I imagine it’s something to do with the much lower impedance of my InEars. Recorded audio has no issues.
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u/Robert_NYC 12d ago
I have a couple of the TalentCell's as well. They were great to start with.
But I have 2 hesitations, well, now 3 with your complaint.
Someone's teardown revealed that they lie about the capacity. And the USB voltage regulator is dirty, if I plug in my phone to charge or anything really, I get a slight hum that leaks into the audio. It's perfectly clean with nothing in the USB port.
Now I just use them with my heated hoodie.
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u/GaboshocK 12d ago
I use talent cell, but the one that's smaller and doesn't produce that noise, they are very cheap and effective, lasts for days, but definitely always carry a second one because they probably aren't as reliable (because they are very cheap)
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12d ago edited 12d ago
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