The Native Dual Voltage Helix Max battery packs were designed to provide ease of mind to customers while on-set. Since the battery line hit the market, rental houses along with production companies and owner operators were satisfied with the performance of them and the fact they no longer needed separate batteries for different equipment within their kit.

Soon thereafter, the Core SWX patented Helix technology, capable of outputting either native low voltage or native high voltage was also integrated into RED Digital Cinema’s REDVOLT XL packs to accompany their new RED Raptor XL camera.

Many of our loyal Core customers were thrilled that the new RED Raptor XL incorporated Core’s technology, making it Helix Native, further proving Core’s commitment to standardize the Helix ecosystem. Some already had our Helix line of batteries and others wanted to invest in the new REDVOLT XL packs as they were manufactured by Core, the company they already trusted for power. One customer in particular we got the chance to speak to was John Barrett, founder of Barrett Media Co.

While working as a Director of Photography, John prefers to use his RED Raptor XL camera, stating, “The new variable internal neutral density system has filled a major gap in my RED workflow that I’ve dealt with for many years.”

For power, John has been using Core products from battery packs, to shark-fins, conversion plates, and chargers since 2015 and has come to find “They are the only battery manufacturer that I trust to keep cameras rolling and accessories powered up.” Recently he added 6 of the RED REDVOLT XL battery packs to power up his RED Raptor XL.

While speaking of the transition to powering a high voltage camera with the Helix battery system, he mentioned “There was essentially no transition for me when switching to the Helix batteries because my previous chargers are all compatible [and] now I have battery packs that can power any accessories and essentially every cinema camera package out there. The automatic voltage switching takes thinking out of the equation. Basically, if a piece of equipment prefers 14V or 28V power, the battery will automatically output the correct voltage.”

Further speaking of chargers, “While not a necessary upgrade, the new Mach 4 charger cuts down charging time by 25%, which is extremely helpful on fast-paced productions.” The Mach 4 series of chargers offer a simultaneous 4A charge current, making them the fastest chargers on the market.

On one of John’s latest shoots for Hummer / Call of Duty, they utilized the Ultimate Arm car team to get car-to-car shots of the new Hummer EV out in the desert. “Having a single Helix Max pack on the Ultimate Arm allowed us to shoot for almost 2 hours on the RED V-Raptor XL, without needing to swap batteries.”

Take a look at all of John’s work on his company’s website and stay connected with him on Instagram.

When Core developed and released the Helix Max line of batteries, we wanted to give productions options so they could make a decision that was best for them. The Helix Max pack is a dual voltage battery that comes in V, G, and B-Mount. So anyway you slice it, we can put the battery on any camera or device that takes on-board packs. As soon as Helix Max hit the market, we spoke with a lot of rental houses, cinematographers, ACs, production managers, and individuals who understood the need for high voltage was coming, but low voltage wasn’t going anywhere.

Enter the release of two new cameras. Arri’s Alexa 35 and Red’s Raptor XL. This put the conversation in high gear and Core was there with the answers. One rental house we have had the pleasure to work with is Rare Breeds. They are a quickly-growing camera rental house based out of Culver City, CA. With multiples of nearly every camera and a vast assortment of optics in their inventory, they are on the brink of moving into a 6,000 square foot facility shortly after the new year.

To support those cameras, Rare Breeds turned to Core’s Helix Max batteries for their high and low voltage needs.

“We chose the Helix batteries to go along with our Arri Alexa 35 purchases. We needed a battery that could handle both high and low voltage, as well as maintain the normal gold mount style pins that AC’s have on their accessories. From my experience AC’s hate having multiple battery types to deal with on set. The Helix is safe for everything.”

Core’s Helix Max battery packs were able to achieve this for Rare Breeds. Using Core’s Direct Connect plate to change the B-mount on the Alexa 35 allows the rental house to go g-mount for everything. They now have interchangeable packs for all of their cameras and accessories without the worry of putting the wrong battery on a piece of gear. Since Helix is Native Dual Voltage, they will power everything with the correct voltage.

This is also a huge relief for the AC on the project. Uniformity in battery mounts and voltage equals a happy 1st AC. One type of charger and no worries of the 2nd grabbing the wrong battery or putting the wrong one on the wrong charger.

Speaking of chargers, the transition to Helix has been made simple by Core. Existing chargers in your fleet can be used to charge these packs. Rare Breeds also appreciated this design.

“One of the best parts about the gold mount Helix batteries is that they required virtually no transition for us. We’re still able to charge them with our existing chargers and can put them to use on all of our gear.”

Core takes pride in its products and design. Everything we do is done with the client in mind. Making your job easier and giving you time to concentrate on your project is our main priority. We heard this from Rare Breeds as well.

“Despite this growth, the Rare Breeds ethos remains the same as always: cameras are common and people are rare.  Ultimately, it’s people that make movies and the equipment is all secondary. That said, providing the right gear for the right applications almost always leads to more positive experiences after productions leave our prep floors.”

By going with Core, we hope you can concentrate on your customers as well and not worry about the gear you provide. Rental houses are huge in building relationships in this industry. People do come first, and by having reliable gear on the shelf, this allows you to grow those relationships.

-Stay Core Driven!

With the new high voltage era, the battery game has been at the forefront and there’s been a bit of confusion on the different types of batteries out there. Which ones are Native Dual Voltage™ packs and how can they be both native 14V and native 28V? Which ones are solely 26V? And what kind of chargers do you need?

Well rest assured, we’re here to answer all of your questions and set the record straight based on actual facts. Let’s dive right into it with this chart showing the different options out there and what each pack’s operating voltage range is.

As you can see, there are dual voltage packs and then solely high voltage packs. The Core Helix Max V/B/G packs are Native Dual Voltage™, meaning they can operate as a native 14v battery pack and has a native 28v battery pack. Now you may be wondering, how is it possible they are native in both voltages? Well, once connected to a Helix V/G-mount or ARRI® B-mount plate, the pack switches from a parallel cellular 4S arrangement to a series 8S arrangement to provide high voltage. The switching is done with ZERO power regulation and is 100% EFFICIENT. No extra heat or stress is put on the cells once the pack switches to an 8S cellular arrangement and is drawn from. Once removed from the mount plate, the packs switches back to a parallel 4S cellular arrangement instantly so you can use them on all your standard 14v equipment along with chargers.

Furthermore in regards to the operating voltages, keep in mind what the operating range is on the device you are powering. For example, the ARRI Alexa 35 requires 20.5 – 33.6V which is in the full discharge range of the Helix Max V/B/G-mount packs, Bebob B-mount, and Swit B-mount.

On the other hand, A/B’s 26v Gold Mount Plus and B-mount packs operating range is 17.5-28.9V which will cause the camera to shut down prior to the 26v battery pack’s full depletion because the pack can’t fully sustain the voltage needs of the camera.

Voltage is directly related to power – the higher the voltage, the more power delivered. So, the higher the pack’s operating voltage, the more power the pack can deliver, hence a pack offering 28.8v natively like our Helix Max is superior to a 26v pack for cameras and lighting applications.

To be very clear, our Helix Max packs are Native Dual Voltage. There’s no up-conversion needed which would create heat and stress on the battery cells.

Now before we wrap this up, let’s touch on a few other benefits of using Native Dual Voltage™ packs. With the Helix Max batteries, you can still use your existing 14v charger whereas with the high voltage only battery packs, you need to invest in a new charging system. Not only do you need to spend more money on your equipment, but you also need to carry more chargers to set. In addition, you need to make sure that you pack your specific sets of batteries for your low voltage equipment and high voltage equipment. Then you also need to worry while on-set that you pick up the right battery to power your equipment because you definitely don’t want to put a high voltage pack on low voltage equipment by accident.

With Helix Max, you can be left stress-free knowing that you have a battery pack capable of powering any battery powered device in your production and use the same charger for all your packs.

For even more in-depth information, take a look here:

The new ARRI Alexa 35 is officially here and with that announcement, the new era of powering high voltage cameras and a complete new battery mount platform has also arrived. The B-mount system was designed to provide a super robust mechanical connection to the device’s mount plate, and also has fortified electrical connections to sustain the increased power draws of the newer devices in the marketplace.

As always we keep our ear to the ground to provide the best power solutions for any new camera, so we have you covered here with the most robust battery packs, Helix Max, as well as the fastest and most compact charger options on the market! Of course, also all the B-mount accessories you may need too.

The Helix Max series is the most complete, ultra-efficient on-board battery system ever offered to the cinematic industry. The packs offer a maximum output of 10A at high voltage, capable of delivering over 300w of power and provides near lossless power transmission at a 99% efficiency rate to high voltage operating equipment. Available in 98wh (HLX-9MXB), 148wh (HLX-150MXB), 275wh (HLX-275MXB), and 360wh (HLX-360MXB), these B-mount packs will provide ample runtime. They can also be used in conjunction with a Helix B-mount shark-fin plate (HLX-TB-SFF) to double available battery capacity and have the ability to hotswap the battery packs.

Once the packs deplete, charge them back up with the MACH-4B or MACH-Q4MBI quad chargers which are the fastest chargers on the market capable of charging four 98wh packs in about 90 minutes! On the other hand, the GPM-X2B is the most compact charger on the market making it perfect for travel purposes and able to charge one 98wh pack in 2 and a half hours.

For any questions, please contact us at sales@coreswx.com 🙂

The new ARRI Alexa 35 is officially here and with that announcement, the new era of powering high voltage cameras and a complete new mount style has also arrived. This has many people questioning, “How should I power it?” which is why we’re here to help you decide all of your options whether you want to invest in the B-mount style system or continue using your current V-mount or G-mount battery fleet.

Let’s start off by briefly touching on the dual voltage Helix Max series because no matter which mount style you choose, a high voltage battery pack is required for the ARRI Alexa 35. The Helix Max series is the most complete, ultra-efficient on-board battery system ever offered to the cinematic industry. The packs offer a maximum output of 10A at high voltage (20A at low voltage), capable of delivering over 300w of power. It provides near lossless power transmission at a 99% efficiency rate to high voltage operating equipment. Helix’s unique design allows it to output at low voltage on any equipment you may currently use standard 14v battery packs on, as well as charge on all standard V-mount and G-Mount chargers(Helix B-mount requires a new B-mount charger). The packs provide high voltage only when coupled with a Helix V or G mount plate and/or directly onto the B-mount plate of the ARRI Alexa 35, providing an output high voltage up to 33.6v. When on standard equipment(monitors, 14v cameras, wireless tx/rx) V-mount and G-mount plates, the Helix Max packs operate like any other V-mount or G-mount pack.

Available in 98wh, 150wh, 275wh, and 360wh models, the packs will provide ample runtime but can also be used in conjunction with a Helix Hotswap plate to double available battery capacity and extended runtimes.

If you’re interested in investing into the new b-mount battery system, you would mount the HLX-9MXB or HLX-150MXB directly to the B-mount plate on the camera. Of course to complement the new battery packs, we also have two charger offerings. The MACH-4B and MACH-Q4MBI quad chargers are the fastest chargers on the market today able to simultaneously charge four 98wh packs in 1 hour and 40 mins. On the other hand, the GPM-X2B, is the most compact charger on the market making it perfect for travel purposes and able to charge one 98wh pack in 2 and a half hours.

Now if you are an avid V-mount or G-mount battery user and would like to keep all your battery packs and chargers with the same mount style, we offer direct connect adapter plates which allow you to remove the b-mount plate on the camera and screw on either the HLX-BABV-S35 (V-mount) or HLX-BABG-35 (G-mount).

The direct connect plates are also compatible with the ARRI Alexa 35’s power distribution module (PDM-1) and audio extension module (AEM-1).

From there, you will attach the Helix Max v-mount or g-mount battery packs mentioned above to operate the camera in high voltage.

If you are looking for a higher capacity pack that is also travel friendly, the original Helix series has a 2-part battery pack called Helix Prime which equals 190wh (95wh each half). The only differences from the original Helix series and Helix Max is that the original Helix packs are not Native Dual Voltage and have a lower load capability of 6A at 28v and 12A at 14v, and no USB.

To further explain how the direct connect plates work, take a look at this video below.

 

We hope this helps you decide how to power up your new ARRI Alexa 35. If you have any further questions, always feel free to email us at sales@coreswx.com 🙂

NAB in Vegas was officially back and better than ever! After 2 years of missing it, it was great to chat in person again with all of our industry friends and meet new ones. We also won the TV Tech Best of Show award for Maverick with VoltBridge Mesh, released many other new products, announced a new partnership with ATOMOS, and had some awesome video interviews. If you happened to miss the show this year, don’t worry because we’re recapping it all for you right here while highlighting all of the new products.

Leading up to NAB we announced about 15 new products! Starting with a new l-series style battery, the NANO-F, then the rapid Mach4 quad chargers, the newest addition to the Nano Micro series – Nano Micro 50, Cube Plus (on-board power supply), Helix Max (dual voltage battery packs), B-mount power solutions, NPF-ATOM50 (dual L-series for ATOMOS 7” monitors), the advanced Mach4 Micro quad chargers, VoltBridge Mesh cloud monitoring platform, and last but not least two new Powerbase Edge models – Link and Lite.

Each day of NAB we did a quick recap video focusing on a few of our more premiere releases. The first day was all about the new Helix Max battery packs which include the new ARRI compatible B-mount battery packs.

As everyone knows, Canon is the name behind many popular professional cameras and lenses. Although they also have their own line of power solutions for their array of cameras, power solutions are our “bread and butter,” and offering versatile battery solutions that can power the cameras plus accessories for your production are where we excel.

To start, let’s cover all the cameras that accept LP-E6 battery types. The go-to battery for these cameras will be the 49wh Powerbase Edge which is the most versatile pack on the market – As some like to call it the “swiss army knife” of batteries. It will either mount to the bottom of the camera using a ¼-20 screw mount which keeps the setup super compact while still receiving long runtimes, or if you have it set up as a rig, it can mount using the V-Mount on the other side of the pack. The battery is feature packed with two P-taps and two USB ports for additional accessories or to even charge your cell phone. In addition, it has a multipurpose runtime LCD to provide remaining runtime in hours and minutes when connected to the camera as well as remaining charge time when connected to a charger. The appropriate Powerbase Edge model for these cameras will be the PBE-LPE6 which comes with a LP-E6 adapter cable and p-tap charger.

The Powerbase Edge also has a model for the Canon C100 and C300. The model to power those is the PBE-C100. If you happen to already own a Powerbase Edge and are just looking for the adapter cables alone, they are available for both camera types as PBEC-LPE6 and PBEC-C100.

There are many more cameras and power to discuss so let’s move onto one of our most popular Canon products, the NANO-C98, which is the battery comparable to Canon’s BPA style pack. Therefore, the NANO-C98 works with cameras including the Canon C200, C300 Mark II, C300 Mark III, C500 Mark II, and C70. It’s the only BPA style pack on the market that is equipped with a p-tap and USB to power additional accessories, minimizing the need for additional batteries for on-camera monitors, wireless transmitters, etc. In addition, it has a LED gauge to view remaining power and will charge on OEM Canon chargers or with a p-tap charger.

If you own one of those cameras and are looking for brick style battery options, we have you covered with various mount plates for specific cameras and then of course the batteries as well to top it off. For the Canon C300 Mark III and C500 Mark II, there is the micro v-mount (CXV-C3MK) and micro 3-stud (CXA-C3MK) plates which directly mount to the accessory bay on the back of the camera and have a DC 4-pin XLR cable attached. If you have a rod style rig and looking for a rail mount plate, there are two more options for these cameras available – The standard one plate which is the RMV-XLR(v-mount)/RMG-XLR(3-stud) or the two plate shark-fin which is the RM-GPTS-XLR(v-mount)/RM-GPTA-XLR(3-stud). Both style plates are equipped with the DC 4-pin XLR.

Don’t worry if you have another camera type because the plate options don’t stop there! There is a rail mount style plate outfitted with an 18” LEMO power cable for the Canon C200 and C300 Mark II which is the RMV-C3MK2 (v-mount) and RMG-C3MK2 (3-stud), as well as a rail mount plate with an 18” regulated 8V cable for the Canon C100 and C100 Mark II which is the RMV-C100 (v-mount) and RMG-C100 (3-stud).

All of the plates mentioned above also allow the cameras battery bay to be available for an internal pack too, making it capable to hotswap your on-board pack without losing power.

Phew, that was a lot of info already but we didn’t even get into the brick style battery packs yet so stay with us 😉

Our newest battery series are the Nano Micro packs and although they will work with any plate mentioned above, they are the perfect size for the micro plates. They are available in 98wh with a 10A load and 147wh with a 12A load, in both v-mount and 3-stud. Additionally, they are equipped with an unregulated p-tap and a 5V USB port, and a 4-stage LED gauge to view remaining power.

For an even more advanced pack that is a bit larger, we have our Hypercore NEO series which are also in 98wh (NEO 9 Mini and NEO Slim 98) and 147wh (NEO 150 Mini) capacities. The packs in the NEO series are capable of handling a 12A continuous load/16A peak and up to a 2K cycle rating. They are outfitted with an intuitive multipurpose runtime LCD, RFID to view battery vitals via an app, p-tap, firmware upgradeable USB, 4-stage LED gauge, rubberized housing, and storage mode.

Furthermore, we offer a dual voltage battery series called the Helix series which comes in handy when you have both standard voltage and high voltage equipment in your kit. They have all the same features as the NEO series (except no USB), but in addition to operating at standard 14.8v, they can operate at 28v when coupled with a specific Helix mount plate. None of the Canon cameras require high voltage, but we still like to mention it in case you have another device as part of your kit that does such a LED panel.

All of Core’s 98wh capacity and under packs are UN tested and certified, passing UN38.3 certification, allowing them to be air travel compliant.

We hope this covered all the ground work for you to get your Canon camera’s powered up. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us.

RED Digital Cinema is the name behind many popular cameras; RED V-Raptor, RED Komodo, RED DSMC2, and RED Ranger. Although RED provides their own suitable power solutions which a couple of we even designed in conjunction with them on (REDVOLT BP and REDVOLT Micro-V), we always like to provide some more alternate solutions.

Let’s start by talking about the newest RED camera model, the RED V-Raptor. With the RED V-Raptor design, the camera as of now will only accept v-mount battery packs that are in a micro design which from the Core SWX battery lineup will be the Nano Micro v-mount battery packs. Core partners with RED in providing the REDVOLT Micro-V packs and those 12A deliverable, 98wh packs are available exclusively through RED and their channel partners. Core offers two packs compatible with the V-Raptor, the NANO-V98 and NANO-V150 which are smart battery packs so they will pass through the SMBUS data to the cameras LCD (AKA the remaining battery percentage) and they are also equipped with a USB, p-tap, and 4-stage LED power gauge. The NANO-V98 will deliver up to a 10A load and the NANO-V150 can handle a 16A peak/12A continuous load.

The Nano Micro packs are also the go-to batteries that best complement the form factor of the RED Komodo camera. To mount the brick battery packs onto the RED Komodo, we offer the only 3rd Party RED Approved v-mount (CXV-KOMU) and 3-stud (CXA-KOMU) battery plates on the market. They allow the use of 14.4v brick batteries to power the camera while leaving the camera’s DC input available for AC power and battery hot swap. Additionally, they will communicate the SMBUS data with the use of “smart” batteries (as we mentioned above, Nano Micros are) and they are equipped with 3 DC output ports: P-tap, USB, and 2-pin Lemo. To further complement the RED Komodo, we have a selection of p-tap to 2-pin Lemo cables available in different sizes as well as a rail mount plate for those who wish to rig up with a rod style setup.

Now onto powering the RED DSMC2 – The recommended battery series is the high current delivery Hypercore NEO packs in either NEO 9 Mini (98wh) or NEO 150 Mini (147wh). These batteries are packed with all the bells and whistles one can imagine for a brick battery such as an intuitive down to the minute runtime LCD display, RFID, modular build, firmware upgradeable USB, storage mode, camera communication, smart tap (p-tap), rubberized housing, LED gauge, 2K Cycles/2 Year warranty, and hibernation – Phew, that was a lot of features! As with all of our 98wh packs, the NEO 9 Mini version is also UN38.3 certified for air travel to make customer traveling experience go as smooth as possible.

To further outfit the RED DSMC2 and keep it running continuously without any down time is the EVO battery backup which is an accessory many DSMC2 operators find to be a no-brainer when it comes to powering their rig. Not only does it have an internal 29wh battery inside to allow your camera to stay powered when hot swapping your on-board battery, it also has a “boost” or battery assist function to start your camera up faster, should your on-board pack be unable to handle the startup current necessary. The EVO is offered in either a direct mount to the DSMC2, minimizing the need for an additional mount plate, or it is available in either v-mount and 3-stud backing to attach to any v-mount or 3-stud plate which means it can be used for other pieces of equipment that accept brick batteries.

Lastly, we have the RED Ranger which can support a wider input voltage up to 32V. For this model, our Helix dual voltage battery packs would be the perfect option as they can operate as standard 14.4V battery pack or at 28V when coupled with a Helix mount plate.

The Helix series has the following battery offerings: Helix 9 Mini (98wh), Helix 150 Mini (147wh), Helix Prime (2-part 190wh), and Helix XL (293wh). Like the NEO series, they have RFID, an intuitive runtime LCD, smart tap, rubberized housing, camera communication, storage mode, and LED gauge. They’re different from the NEO series in that they offer the dual voltage output as mentioned above and they have higher voltage efficiency.

Of course one last topic we need to discuss is how to charge all of these batteries! Although we offer our own lines of dual and quad charger options ranging from our most economical X2 Mini charger, up to our most advanced Fleet Micro with VoltBridge, all of the battery packs are charger compatible with other manufacturer’s chargers, even the RED brick charger.

Now you’re all set to keep calm and power on those RED cameras 😉

Sony, as we all know, is a widely diversified corporation selling products from consumer electronics, to their array of professional cameras. Of course they offer many of their own power solutions along with those, but we’re here to offer unique options that may solve your everyday production needs.

Let’s start first with the Sony a7 and a9 series of cameras. The Powerbase Edge is a 49Wh lithium ion battery that is the most versatile pack on the market. It will either mount to the bottom of the camera using a ¼-20 screw mount, or if you have it set up as a rig, it can mount using the V-Mount on the other side of the pack. The battery is feature packed with two P-taps and two USB ports for additional accessories such a monitor or to even charge your cell phone. In addition, it has a multipurpose runtime LCD to provide remaining runtime in hours and minutes when connected to the camera and a charge indicator when connected to a charger. The appropriate Edge sku for the a7 cameras using FW50 batteries is the PBE-A7, and the sku for the a7 cameras using the FZ100 style battery is the PBE-A7FZ.

For Sony cameras accepting the L-Series batteries such as the HXR-NX100 or PXW-Z150, there is a Powerbase Edge model, PBE-S.
All of Powerbase Edge models mentioned here will come with the 6” adapter cable and PB70-C15 charger. If you need additional cable length there is an extension cable (PBEC-EXT) offered which provides an extra 18 inches.

Up next for the professional Sony cameras are the Sony FS5, Sony FS7, Sony FX6 and FX9. Luckily for you (and us), we offer the most unique BP style option out there, the NANO-U98. This 98Wh lithium ion pack equipped with a LED power gauge, 1 USB, and 1 p-tap, making it capable of powering additional accessories such as an on-camera light. The batteries will charge on Sony OEM chargers, allowing you to extend the service life on your already existent chargers.

If you’d rather use more of a brick style battery option for your FS7, FX6 or FX9, we have v-mount and 3-stud mount options as well as the appropriate mount plates. The plates for the FS7 are the GP-S-FS7 (v-mount) and GP-A-FS7 (3-stud mount). They mount directly to the back of the FS7 as alternative option to the XDCA-FS7. Our plates do not have any video related processing capabilities as the XDCA, just adapting the camera to V-mount. They have a 4-pin XLR input option and two p-taps. If you prefer an even more advanced mounting option, we have our compact Jetpack series offering all the power outputs you’ll need. In addition to having the same power options offered on the plates, the JP-V-FS7 (v-mount) and JP-A-FS7 (3-stud mount) also includes one USB, one 5v Lemo output, and two 12v regulated Hirose 4-pin outputs. Again, no video related processing, just a power option.

The appropriate mount plates for the Sony FX6 are the CXVM-FX6 (v-mount) and CXAM-FX6 (3-stud mount). The milled aluminum product attaches into the top of the camera (with included screw hardware) to provide a secure platform for mounting brick batteries directly onto the FX6. It has a 19.5v DC output with a visual low battery warning LED and a DC barrel input (OEM camera power supply) for hotswapping between external and on-board power. Another option for hotswapping is the ability to put up to a BP-U100 battery pack inside the battery cavity on the camera, allowing the user to hotswap batteries. Once the v-mount on-board pack dies, it will automatically pull power from the BP-U battery and you will see the battery indication on the viewfinder change. The plates are also equipped with a powertap and USB to power additional accessories.

To end out the mount plate category, the plates for the FX9 are the CXV-FX9 (v-mount) and CXA-FX9 (3-stud mount). Similar to the FX6 plates, the milled aluminum product also attaches into the top of the camera(with included screw hardware), but on this one it also inserts into the battery slot of the camera. It has a 19.5v DC output with a visual low battery warning LED and a 4-pin XLR DC input for hotswapping between external and on-board power. For another way to hotswap with this camera, a BP-U30 or BP-U35 battery pack fits inside of the battery cavity on the camera and again once the on-board pack dies, it will automatically pull power from the BP-U pack and you will see the battery indication on the viewfinder change. The FX9 plates are equipped with two powertaps and one USB to power additional accessories and three 1/4-20 threads on the top to attach accessories.

Now let’s talk what batteries to put onto all of these mounts by starting with our Nano Micro packs which are 98wh, 14.8v capable of handling up to a 10A load. They are UN tested and certified, passing UN38.3 certification, allowing them to be air travel compliant. The packs are equipped with an unregulated p-tap and a 5V, 3A USB port, and a 4-stage LED gauge to view remaining power.

For a bit larger, more advanced pack, we have our Hypercore NEO series available in both 98wh (NEO 9 Mini and NEO Slim 98) and 147wh (NEO 150 Mini) capacities. The packs in the NEO series are capable of handling a 12A continuous load/16A peak and are outfitted with an intuitive multipurpose runtime LCD, RFID to view battery vitals via an app, p-tap, firmware upgradeable USB, 4-stage LED gauge, rubberized housing, and storage mode.

Although all of the brick batteries work great for all the plates, the form factor on the Nano Micro compliments the FX6 plate best, the NEO 9 Mini and NEO 150 Mini on the FX9, and the Neo Slim 98 for the FS7 plates.

If you are looking for an even higher capacity, we have our original Hypercore series featuring the Hypercore Prime which is a two part 190wh (95wh each half) and the 293wh Hypercore XL.

Lastly, an even more advanced battery option is the Helix series. This line encompasses all of the features of Hypercore NEO, but has dual voltage. The packs can function as standard voltage battery packs allowing them to seamlessly integrate into your current battery fleet, but when paired with a Helix mount plate, a user can access the high voltage to simultaneously output 14v/28v. This series comes in handy for the next camera we’re going to talk about, Sony Venice.

In the Helix system, we have a Helix mount plates for the Sony Venice which outputs standard voltage to the camera as that’s what the camera accepts but then outputs 24-34v for the two 3-pin Fischers on the top of the plate, providing 100% efficiency rather than using a standard 14v pack that has to boost voltage. These plates come in a v-mount to v-mount model (HLX-VEN-V) and a v-mount to gold mount model (HLX-VEN-G). Furthermore, we have a Helix power management control plate for the Sony Venice, providing a “hot swappable” platform between on-board and block battery/AC mains. There’s an on-board LCD to monitor input percentage/voltage of the power sources, as well as current draw of the whole setup. As with the other plate, these come in v-mount to v-mount (HLX-VEN-VP) and v-mount to gold mount (HLX-VEN-GP) as well.

The brick style battery packs can also be used with the Sony a7 cameras mentioned earlier as long as they have the appropriate p-tap, PTC-A7SR.
Other cameras within the CineAlta or Broadcast lines are compatible with our brick battery offerings as well.

We hope this covered all the ground work for you to get your Sony camera’s powered up. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us.

Every year Maarten Slooves, a Netherlands based Director and Cinematographer, aims to donate a portion of his time and video production capabilities to a charity foundation that is making a positive impact on our planet. The latest charity foundation he reached out to was Duik de Noordzee Schoon (Roughly translated: Scuba Diving for a clean North Sea) which led him to joining their cleaning operation in September 2020.

Relying on his Core SWX battery packs to power his RED DSMC2, he was able to capture what the Duik de Noordzee Schoon foundation is doing to voluntary clean up the North Sea from lost shipping containers filled with a variety of items from anything like blankets, to cars, down on the seafloor. The foundation has been engaged in these cleaning operations since 2006 which truly is incredible otherwise it may not be getting done.