MikeOates
Joined: 16/01/06
Posts: 387
Loc: Manchester, UK
|
Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
#506003 - 21/08/07 02:01 PM
|
|
|
Can someone point me to a supplier in the UK of a Tamiya battery for use in a Fostex
FR-2LE. I would go for a 3600mAh, I would also need a charger.
I was going to
use standard AA alkalines, but there are so fiddly getting them it, I think a battery that
will last all day would be better.
Edit: While I here, I may also need a
shoulder case as well, anyone got one that they can recommend?
Thanks,
Mike
|
John Willett
Circle Sound Services
Joined: 07/03/00
Posts: 11686
Loc: Oxfordshire UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#506014 - 21/08/07 02:16 PM
|
|
|
SCV London - the UK importer of Fostex stock them.
There are two charger
options - I would go for the fast charger, this charges in 2-hours and can plug into the
mains or a car lighter socket (comes with both leads).
I just bought two
batteries and a fast charger for my FR-2.
--------------------
John
President - Fédération Internationale des Chasseurs de Sons
|
MikeOates
Joined: 16/01/06
Posts: 387
Loc: Manchester, UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: John Willett]
#506022 - 21/08/07 02:28 PM
|
|
|
Thanks John,
Bit puzzled though  (Doesn't
take much)
On their web
site it lists:
FR2/FR2LE External
Battery. High output 3600mA external battery for the FR2LE.
External!!, does it really mean that, I thought it fitted
in the case?
BTW: Could not wait for your review, hope it's a good one 
Mike
--------------------
Audio Recording Live
|
tplaya
Joined: 09/01/06
Posts: 31
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#506027 - 21/08/07 02:36 PM
|
|
|
no no no!
i got amazing service and a 4300mah battery for cheap, and a smart charger
and superfast delivery form www.tantronics.co.uk No I dont work for them but was very satisfied
and said i'd put a good word around.
try them out
|
John Willett
Circle Sound Services
Joined: 07/03/00
Posts: 11686
Loc: Oxfordshire UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#506099 - 21/08/07 05:09 PM
|
|
|
Quote MikeOates:
Thanks John,
Bit puzzled though (Doesn't
take much)
On their web
site it lists:
FR2/FR2LE External
Battery. High output 3600mA external battery for the FR2LE.
External!!, does it really mean that, I thought it fitted
in the case?
BTW: Could not wait for your review, hope it's a good one
Mike
That is the correct
one - it fits *inside* the FR-2LE but *outside* the FR-2.
It certainly fits
inside my FR-2LE review model.
--------------------
John
President - Fédération Internationale des Chasseurs de Sons
|
Jorge
member
Joined: 13/12/03
Posts: 255
Loc: New York, NY
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#506444 - 22/08/07 03:56 AM
|
|
|
Hi Mike,
I don't know the UK suppliers, but you should be able to get a 4200 or 4500
mAh Tamiya battery for not much more than the 3600. It is probably worth the extra money
for the convenience and to save wear on the battery compartment cover. I have been getting
6 to 8 hours recording time from the 4500, with phantom power on using an NT4 stereo mic.
The 1.8 amp smart charger I have works great. The only reason to use alkaline AA batteries
is in an emergency in the field where you don't have time to recharge, so carry the AA
battery tray along just in case.
The PortaBrace case made specifically for the
FR2LE is excellent, well designed, rugged, and convenient to use, although
it is expensive ($150 USD direct from PortaBrace). It is not sealed or waterproof, I would
not want to use it for long periods out in the rain, but short of that, it is very
protective. This is important because the FR2LE plastic case seems a bit
flimsy and should be treated with care.
|
John Willett
Circle Sound Services
Joined: 07/03/00
Posts: 11686
Loc: Oxfordshire UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: Jorge]
#506453 - 22/08/07 06:51 AM
|
|
|
Quote Jorge:
The PortaBrace case
made specifically for the FR2LE is excellent, well designed, rugged, and
convenient to use, although it is expensive ($150 USD direct from PortaBrace). It is not
sealed or waterproof, I would not want to use it for long periods out in the rain, but
short of that, it is very protective.
In the UK it is often best to go to KTSystems - their cases are
excellent - I can certainly use my FR-2 case in the rain.
--------------------
John
President - Fédération Internationale des Chasseurs de Sons
|
Hewesy
Joined: 19/10/04
Posts: 1639
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#506477 - 22/08/07 08:21 AM
|
|
|
Looking at that battery it's a standard rechargeable for radio control kit. The last 7.2v
3600mah battery I bought was about £20 five years ago.
Any decent model shop
will sell you the correct battery for much cheaper than that price - and a decent charger
(fast/slow/12v or thermal) for much cheaper than listed there.
Is the battery
pack 7.2v or 8.4v?
Hewesy
|
MikeOates
Joined: 16/01/06
Posts: 387
Loc: Manchester, UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: Hewesy]
#506496 - 22/08/07 08:57 AM
|
|
|
Quote Hewesy:
Looking at that
battery it's a standard rechargeable for radio control kit. The last 7.2v 3600mah battery
I bought was about £20 five years ago.
Any decent model shop will sell you the
correct battery for much cheaper than that price - and a decent charger (fast/slow/12v or
thermal) for much cheaper than listed there.
Is the battery pack 7.2v or
8.4v?
Hewesy
It's
7.2v. Finding a model shop these days is a challenge, they all seem to have closed, at
least in my area, there used to be about 4, all now closed 
I must admit, I did not realise that these were such a standard item, I was afraid of
getting the wrong one.
Thanks to others for pointers for battery and case
suppliers, I have emailed KTSystems to see if they make a case. PortaBrace don't seem to
be available in the UK.
John, question for you. Can one these batteries be used
externally and plugged into the power input using the cable supplied from SCV (8570 -
external PSU cable for FR2) or is that just for the FR2 ?
Mike
--------------------
Audio Recording Live
|
John Willett
Circle Sound Services
Joined: 07/03/00
Posts: 11686
Loc: Oxfordshire UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#506519 - 22/08/07 09:21 AM
|
|
|
Quote MikeOates:
John, question
for you. Can one these batteries be used externally and plugged into the power input using
the cable supplied from SCV (8570 - external PSU cable for FR2) or is that just for the
FR2 ?
The external cable is
for use with the FR-2 - it goes inside the FR-2LE.
--------------------
John
President - Fédération Internationale des Chasseurs de Sons
|
MikeOates
Joined: 16/01/06
Posts: 387
Loc: Manchester, UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: John Willett]
#506538 - 22/08/07 09:40 AM
|
|
|
Quote John Willett:
Quote MikeOates:
John, question
for you. Can one these batteries be used externally and plugged into the power input using
the cable supplied from SCV (8570 - external PSU cable for FR2) or is that just for the
FR2 ?
The external cable
is for use with the FR-2 - it goes inside the FR-2LE.
Yep I realise that, I was just wandering, as an extra, when you
need to change the battery quickly, just plugging in a lead is a lot quicker and easier
that replacing the battery from that rather awkward compartment in the unit. But it may
not be the right voltage for that connection, hence the question. The manual does not
mention it being used like that.
Mike
|
John Willett
Circle Sound Services
Joined: 07/03/00
Posts: 11686
Loc: Oxfordshire UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#506612 - 22/08/07 10:51 AM
|
|
|
Ring up SCV London and talk to Chas. Levin in Tech. Support - He'll give you the official
answer.
--------------------
John
President - Fédération Internationale des Chasseurs de Sons
|
Hewesy
Joined: 19/10/04
Posts: 1639
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#506636 - 22/08/07 11:12 AM
|
|
|
Mike,
If you do find a model shop you could purchase the M+F battery
connectors and wire up an extender to house the battery outside.
You might
even find one pre wired.
There are plenty of mail order shops, and I'm sure
there's plenty of members who dabble in R/C and can advise on chargers etc.
Hewesy
EDIT, re-reading your post do you want to plug in the battery to the
power in jack on the outside (rather than the battery connections on the inside?
If the chap John recommends gives the green light you could again purchase the
battery connectors and wire a suitable barrel jack to the output end.
Edited by Hewesy (22/08/07 11:14 AM)
|
Stevedog
Joined: 01/09/04
Posts: 3002
Loc: Mercia
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#506712 - 22/08/07 12:19 PM
|
|
|
The name Tamiya should have given you the clue... They are one of the biggest model making
firms in the world...
--------------------
nibbled to death by an Okapi http://www.soundclick.com/tubilahdog
|
MikeOates
Joined: 16/01/06
Posts: 387
Loc: Manchester, UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: Stevedog]
#506741 - 22/08/07 12:51 PM
|
|
|
Quote Stevedog:
The name Tamiya
should have given you the clue... They are one of the biggest model making firms in the
world...
Well there you go
then, “…in the world” I presume you mean Earth, there lies the problem, been living
on Minor Planet 68948 Mikeoates for a while (a barren 5km approx. diameter lump of rock,
but hey! it’s home) so I had not heard of Tamiya before.
Mike
I
will let you google that one 
--------------------
Audio Recording Live
|
Hewesy
Joined: 19/10/04
Posts: 1639
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#506769 - 22/08/07 01:15 PM
|
|
|
I'm not suprised you haven't heard of Tamiya - but I bet you have a Starbucks or
seven?!
Here's a good idea of how much cheaper the model stores are: It's a
Sanyo battery but standard Tamiya connector:
They also sell the pre-wired
tamiya connectors. Solder a suitable barrel jack on the end and you have a quick battery
clip.
Hewesy
|
Hewesy
Joined: 19/10/04
Posts: 1639
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#506779 - 22/08/07 01:21 PM
|
|
|
And here is Mikes home
world , nude space walks every Thursday, bring your own anti-gravity boots and
nacho's.
Hewesy
|
MikeOates
Joined: 16/01/06
Posts: 387
Loc: Manchester, UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#508999 - 26/08/07 07:43 PM
|
|
|
I spoke to SCV London who said that the DC socket input can be fed from an external
better. It can take up to a MAX of 17v, which is really a 12v lead acid type allowing for
the extra voltage that these can output. The unit senses the voltage at the input and if
it's higher than the internal battery then is will use that, so using an external battery
that is the same as the internal one may not work unless the internal battery's voltage
has dropped, i.e. when it is getting low on charge.
Anyway, I sourced a Tamiya
battery from a model shop fairly local, got a charger, a fully controllable one that does
both slow and quick charge. Charged it up, and fitted it internally and put the FR-2LE on
record which it did for over 8 hrs, great I thought. Charged it up again, and put it back
inside the FR-2LE. And left it switch off for about 30mins. Now up to this point I had not
done any testing with fitting an external battery.
The FR-2LE was next to me
and I was working on the PC on some audio with headphones on. I started to hear cracking
and fizzing and burning smell. Very quickly realised it was coming from the FR-2LE and
ripped out the battery extremely quickly which was hot and bubbling and smoking. Got the
battery outside where it eventually cooled down.
The inside lid of the battery compartment had just stared to melt,
but nothing serious. I have checkout the FR-2LE with the alkaline battery pack and also
mains and all seems well.
A call to the model shop said that this can happen,
although they have only known of one occurance themselves. They will of course replace it
and is probably a faulty cell, looking at the photo it is just one cell that has over
heated.
The odd thing is, why after a second charge and why when it was not
even in use, just plugged in? This was not a cheap battery either, the shop said it was a
good make and it cost £36.
I just wanted to let you know that this is a
potentential issue and you should not take the use the new batteries for granted. I was
very lucky had I not been right next to it, a few more minutes and the FR-2LE would have
been total, a bit longer I could have lost the house or worse... the family. 
Mike
--------------------
Audio Recording Live
|
Jim Y
active member
Joined: 30/03/04
Posts: 1167
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#509285 - 27/08/07 01:40 PM
|
|
|
Yikes!
Put's me in mind of the battery recall Sony and others have had to do -
particularly laptop batteries - ni-mh also? I think these could fry up when not charging
also.
Lucky escape, and thanks for the info.
Jim
|
Hewesy
Joined: 19/10/04
Posts: 1639
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#509391 - 27/08/07 05:10 PM
|
|
|
Blimey, I've never seen that before - I'm so glad you were able to quickly save the
recorder - and yourself Mike.
A very strange one off I hope - did you charge
the battery in the recorder?
Hewesy
|
MikeOates
Joined: 16/01/06
Posts: 387
Loc: Manchester, UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: Hewesy]
#509403 - 27/08/07 05:36 PM
|
|
|
Quote Hewesy:
Blimey, I've never
seen that before - I'm so glad you were able to quickly save the recorder - and yourself
Mike.
A very strange one off I hope - did you charge the battery in the
recorder?
Hewesy
Oh no,
it was charged outside of the recorder. The FR-2LE does not charge batteries, you have to
take them out and plug into a charger.
I have got a replacement, but for some
reason this is not fully charging and when I measure the offload voltage it is only 7.1V
at best. And the recorder only shows the battery at about half charge. I am pretty sure
the battery guage goes off voltage, and yes it is set in the setup to RC7.2V So it is
looking rather like I will be returning this one as well. This time for a different
make.
Anyone got any comments on what a fully charged 7.2V battery should read,
both off and on load?
Some other tests I have now done:
I have a
sealed 12V lead acid battery. When this is plugged in to the external DC in this takes
over whatever internal battery is in use. The guage shows one notch off full charge, this
is because when the external input is used it is expecting an AC - 12VDC adapter being
used which actually gives out rather more than 12V.
So it looks like a better
external battery is one that delivers 12V and not a Tamiya type 7.2V battery. Although, if
you do plug it into the external DC input, without any battery inside, it does work. Of
course with any external battery, there may not be any low level battery warning and the
machine may malfunction at low levels. That I still need to test.
Mike
--------------------
Audio Recording Live
|
Hewesy
Joined: 19/10/04
Posts: 1639
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#509732 - 28/08/07 11:03 AM
|
|
|
Hmm, I've never heard of that make so it could be worth your while changing that one as
well.
Was it a quick charge, or long charge that showed half on the battery? I
usually give my batteries two 30 min charges before using them in anger, you might need to
experiment to find the best solution for your recorder.
Failing that return the
charger for a thermal charger, which will always charger the battery to it's optimum
level.
Hewesy
|
Jim Y
active member
Joined: 30/03/04
Posts: 1167
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: Hewesy]
#509841 - 28/08/07 03:35 PM
|
|
|
I've always believed rechargables have to be slow-trickle charged the first time - to
"form" the cells properly. I still use Alkaline AA re-chargables in my FR2-le since I
already had some - I don't expect to be using it all day. I've found the battery
self-discharges rather quickly (more in the fr-2le than anything else I have), so I guess
there's always something taking current in there - that being so, I'm always going to
start with freshly charged batteries.
You can't really win with batteries - a
higher voltage means more cells, means less equal charging of each one, a higher total
internal resisitance and more chance of one bad cell ruining the entire battery. There are
only 4 cells with the AA pack and they all get charged individually, which is the best way
to treat any cell. Theoretically, the best cells would be sealed Lead/acid as you get 2
whole volts per cell - but far too bulky and heavy for practical use, unless you can put
up with the extra weight (eg, 6 volt motorbike battery would probably last for days).
Ni-MH is only 1.2volt I think, maybe 1.3 on a good day, the same for Li-ion while alkaline
manages 1.5volts.
BTW, the bad Sony batteries were Li-Ion I think.
ps, fed up of writing "FR-2LE", must find something easier to type. "Fartely" is maybe
too long?
--------------------
If a tree falls in a rockwool factory, does it make a sound?
|
MikeOates
Joined: 16/01/06
Posts: 387
Loc: Manchester, UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#510227 - 29/08/07 11:46 AM
|
|
|
Well would you believe it, the second Tamiya battery I got was also faulty.  I asked the
shop if they could charge one up for me so that when I arrived I could try it in the
recorder. Lo and behold, it worked and it was a full 1.6V higher (@8.6V) than the one I
was trying to use (7.0V) and showed full on the battery status. One of the cells was down!
While there I had the charger checked, which also seemed ok.
So I am now up
an running  And I can begin to use the thing.
In the mean time I have also
checked out how the recorder performs when using an external 12V sealed Lead Acid battery:
The recorder shuts down gracefully just as it does with an internal battery. As the
battery gets down to 10V which is just about as low as you should let one go, the battery
status shows just over half full, within 8 mins the battery was flat and the recorder
stopped recording and switched off. See the graph below and note where the battery status
corresponds with the battery voltage.
This test was done with no internal
battery.
('Meter' meaning the battery status display)
It
probably does not do your battery much good going to such a low voltage, so don't do it
too often. But at least I know that if this stage was reached, because I was not
monitoring the battery gauge, then at least the recording is saved safely up to that
point. I don't like to test equipment in the field not knowing what the outcome may
be.
Hope it's of some use.
Mike
|
funkman
new member
Joined: 30/01/04
Posts: 9
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#512041 - 01/09/07 10:29 AM
|
|
|
hi everyone,
Seeing as there was this FR-2LE battery chat i thought id ask my
questions here. Does anyone know if the FR-2LE takes standard batteries? I have a set of
rechargable 1.2v 2100mAH Ni-MH batteries which i want to use with my FR-2LE but dont want
to blow it up. Im aware that the life of these batteries wont be long but thats not too
much of a concern as I will only be using it for 30 minutes at a time or so.
Any help would be good.
thanks
keith
|
MikeOates
Joined: 16/01/06
Posts: 387
Loc: Manchester, UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: funkman]
#512173 - 01/09/07 05:10 PM
|
|
|
Quote funkman:
hi everyone,
Seeing as there was this FR-2LE battery chat i thought id ask my questions here. Does
anyone know if the FR-2LE takes standard batteries? I have a set of rechargable 1.2v
2100mAH Ni-MH batteries which i want to use with my FR-2LE but dont want to blow it up.
Im aware that the life of these batteries wont be long but thats not too much of a concern
as I will only be using it for 30 minutes at a time or so.
Any help would be
good.
thanks
keith
Keith,
Yes it says in the manual (p21) that you can use standard AA
size Alkaline, Ni-MH or Ni-Cd batteries. You just need to tell it which batteries you are
using in the setup menu. But you do have to charge the batteries externally as the FR-2LE
does not charge batteries even when connected to the mains adapter.
Mike
--------------------
Audio Recording Live
|
fowl
Joined: 15/05/06
Posts: 22
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#513447 - 04/09/07 12:25 PM
|
|
|
Just jumping in on this thread which has alerted me to the great news that new external
battery power is available for the original Fr2 from SCV - Thanks John!
I just
wondered if I had to do anything before I use the Tamiya battery - It suggested on another
forum that I may have to switch the voltage somehow from 12v to 7.2v for it work - is this
true? if so how is it done?
funnily enough there is still no official info on
using this solution on the Fostex website - i wonder why?
Finally, any news on
when the SOS review of FR2-LE is due - I expected to see it in the recent issue but
alas...
many thanks
|
John Willett
Circle Sound Services
Joined: 07/03/00
Posts: 11686
Loc: Oxfordshire UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: fowl]
#513457 - 04/09/07 01:01 PM
|
|
|
Quote fowl:
I just wondered if I
had to do anything before I use the Tamiya battery - It suggested on another forum that I
may have to switch the voltage somehow from 12v to 7.2v for it work - is this true? if so
how is it done?
If you use it with
the original FR-2 you need the cable as well - make sure you have the latest firmware and,
in the menu, select 7.4V Tamiya. It works fine.
Quote fowl:
Finally, any news
on when the SOS review of FR2-LE is due - I expected to see it in the recent issue but
alas...
I'm still working on it -
too busy with too many things at the moment.
--------------------
John
President - Fédération Internationale des Chasseurs de Sons
|
fowl
Joined: 15/05/06
Posts: 22
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#513476 - 04/09/07 01:38 PM
|
|
|
Thanks John!
I'll be pretty happy if the external battery works with the FR2. As an
FR2 User Im keen to read your comparison of the Fr2's - essentially I'd like to know if
the pre-amps are the same as or better that the original FR2.
|
John Willett
Circle Sound Services
Joined: 07/03/00
Posts: 11686
Loc: Oxfordshire UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: fowl]
#513483 - 04/09/07 01:57 PM
|
|
|
Quote fowl:
I'll be pretty happy
if the external battery works with the FR2.
I works perfectly with the FR-2 - no complaints. I bought two to give
me a longer recording time.
Quote fowl:
As an FR2 User Im keen to read your comparison
of the Fr2's - essentially I'd like to know if the pre-amps are the same as or better that
the original FR2.
That's the bit
that's taking the time - trying to get things together to do a proper test.
--------------------
John
President - Fédération Internationale des Chasseurs de Sons
|
fowl
Joined: 15/05/06
Posts: 22
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: MikeOates]
#515464 - 08/09/07 11:40 AM
|
|
|
Just got my Tamiya NiMh battery for FR2 but SVC sent me a Ni-CD charger - which says only
use with Ni-Cd batteries - is this right ? should I send it back?
cheers
|
John Willett
Circle Sound Services
Joined: 07/03/00
Posts: 11686
Loc: Oxfordshire UK
|
Re: Tamiya battery wanted for my new Fostex FR-2LE
[Re: fowl]
#515551 - 08/09/07 01:42 PM
|
|
|
Quote fowl:
Just got my Tamiya
NiMh battery for FR2 but SVC sent me a Ni-CD charger - which says only use with Ni-Cd
batteries - is this right ? should I send it back?
Ring SCV and ask - I got the fast charger and it says NiCd and
NiMh.
--------------------
John
President - Fédération Internationale des Chasseurs de Sons
|
Previous
Topics
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
