My New Anton Bauer Battery Lost Power Early Into a Photo shoot!  What is going on and how do I fix it?  We have a resolution for these batteries.

Since the new design without the external glass fuse appeared on the market for the larger Anton Bauer Batteries we have had existing clients and new clients call here making us aware of their problems with their brand new Anton Bauer battery or batteries without the external glass fuse.  As we asked the different clients questions about their problem we discovered many common denominators and that the end problem appears to always be the same. 

From simple frustration with an existing situation some clients began sending their newer style batteries here to be opened for further diagnostic evaluation.  The battery or batteries involved are of the newer design have the external bumpers and are without the external glass fuse.

When we physically inspected these newer designed batteries now without the external glass fuse we immediately discovered just this issue.  The newer design batteries depend completely on internal thermal cut-off fuses.

We have had many clients tell us about their camera and 25 or greater Watt Hour lamp.  They give us examples of being on a photo shoot for what they have described as three or four minutes, and just as George W. or Michael J walked by, their camera went down because of battery power failure.  Yes, the internal thermal cut-off registered hot enough to open that particular thermal.

Resolution 1: We have had several television stations, freelancers, and production houses call here and buy pre-owned batteries (with the glass fuse) from us to replace their under warranty units without the glass fuse.  We, of course, rebuild the pre-owned units with new battery inserts exceeding OEM specifications and ship them their newly rebuilt battery packs with the glass fuse.  

Resolution 2: We can modify your new unit so that the thermal is no longer an issue.  Call for details.

BTW: If your Anton Bauer Interactive chargers no longer recognize particular of your Anton Bauer Logic, Digital, or Hytron series batteries, the battery inserts may still be good and there is a cost saving resolution for this as well.  Call for details.

Cadex and PAG analyzers use very sophisticated algorithms to maintain your batteries and use a pulse charge to keep your batteries at maximum capacity while on the analyzer.  Because these true analyzers are high end analyzers and not sophisticated smart chargers they can charge rechargeable batteries with temperature sensors, BUT do NOT require your battery to have temperature sensors for proper charging, and they achieve excellent battery performance.  No matter what BS anyone gives you, Thermal sensors are designed to communicate with your battery for the battery's protection, not the charger.

Unlike smart chargers, Cadex and PAG analyzers do NOT require any digital circuitry to analyze and properly charger your batteries.

At Rathbone Energy we verify every Digital Logic / Hytron type battery is reading properly on Anton Bauer 2702 InterActive chargers with the DDM before sealing the case and shipping your products back to you.

1. First trouble shoot your battery.

   1. Check the contacts on your battery for corrosion that may or may not be visible.  If possible take a small delicate tool and scrape the mushroom or button type contacts.

      1. Follow up with an eraser head if possible and then blow out any debris.

      2. Be careful with electronic contact cleaners.  We recently had a new client simply spray an electronic contact cleaner, under pressure and very cold, on a warm battery.  He broke the back plate.  Not an easy thing to do.

2. If this does not resolve your problem then it is a very high probability that your defect is one of the following.

   1. Internally in an Anton Bauer Digital ProPac or Hytron, a particular wire is broken.  The defective wire could have been pinched or a solder connection broken. 

      1. The simple solution is to replace the wire.

      2. We have seen both instances in never recelled and in previously recelled batteries. 

   2. Internally in an Anton Bauer Digital or Hytron a sensor or board component has simply gone bad.  Sometimes we can repair the board.  Otherwise, your insert needs to be transferred into another shell or you may purchase a PAG analyzer.

      1. We have seen both instances in never recelled and in previously recelled batteries. 

   3. Many times we receive batteries that have been previously recelled by amateur vendors, some open this week and some not.

      1. Frequently we find wires in the harness that have been damaged while improperly opening the case.

      2. Sometimes they have even twisted the wires together and wrapped them with masking tape.

      3. Other times they have attempted to re-wire the harness using improper color coding such as blue on the ground and black on the temperature sensor connection.

   1. When opening a pack that has never been opened we occasionally find a pinched wire or a loose circuit board screw.  Nothing nor anyone is perfect.  We replace the wire to keep the battery from showing up again before it should.  We tighten down all screws.

   2. If the wiring harness is not secured properly before closing the case a solder joint can be stressed.  At Rathbone Energy we secure the insert beyond industry standards.  This helps prevent pinched wires and stops the breaking of a solder joint on a thin 24-26 gauge wire.

   3. A temperature sensor in the battery wiring harness is slightly out of calibration with your "Intelli" type charger sensing technology.  This does not happen very often but can happen at any time.  Sometimes they re-calibrate and sometimes this requires a temperature harness / sensor replacement.  If you own PAG analyzers this is never an issue.

   4. These issues are why the final test of our rebuilds, before sealing and after sealing your case, are completed on Anton Bauer 2702 InterActive Chargers with the DDM for approval,  Then we ship your fine product back to you.

   5. If your charger insist on reading: CCO, HOLD, or NON-LOGIC, these batteries will operate fine on a PAG or Cadex analyzer.

1. Before installation we charge and test the charge of our new battery inserts. We use Only CADEX, CHRISTIE, and PAG Battery Management Analyzers. (After a battery is fully charged there is No continuous trickle charge on these analyzers.  They monitor the charge and supply a pulse charge when necessary) 

2. After installation into your case the complete battery is tested.  Then we seal the case and test each packs voltage again through the pin connectors and finally on Anton Bauer Quad 2702 InterActive chargers  with the DDM module before shipping back to you.

3. We also make sure no battery reads "Non-Logic" before sealing the case.  This seldom happens and there are only a few reasons a battery would read non-logic anyway.   Non-Logic Reading Hold Reading

1. Hytron 50 Precautions

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   1. To better understand how your batteries learn see:

      1. Anton Bauer's Manual on Propac 14 and Trimpac 14 digital batteries:

      2. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD);

      3. Read Manual Page numbers (9, 10 & 11), Adobe pdf page number (13, 14 & 15)

      4. Link to Anton Bauer Digital Propac / Trimpac Manual : http://www.antonbauer.com/downloads/dig_propac_14-dig_tripac_14.pdf
      5. Note: With their web site upgrades the above link sometimes moves and we end up with a dead link.  If it is a dead link Search for the active link on their site.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011