Prop batteries
- Thread starterLPdan
- Start date
@Sharon RC4
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
@LPdan Do you need to wirelessly dim, switch on / off or do any 'tricks' while your pieces are in motion in view of patrons, or are they all preset in your wings and / or behind a traveller or drop?
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
Last edited:
Hi Ron,
I’m planning to look at the RC4 stuff, but wanted to figure out the best technology for power. I don’t think the set pieces will be super small, but want to keep it smaller than a car battery.
@LPdan Jim and / or @Sharon RC4 Are pretty much the Gold Standard when it comes to knowledge, advice, and sage support (in addition to renting / selling complete systems and / or raw batteries) If Jim or Sharon don't post in reply, you might Google their site for info' and knowledge.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
Sharon RC4
Member
Hi LPdan,
What are you planning on doing? Are you traveling? Are you going to stay in the US or leave the US? Are you in a busy wireless environment?
Those are some questions to ask yourself. The most popular RC4 line is our 2.4GHz line and is used worldwide. If you're staying in the US and are in a very busy wireless environment, our 900MHz line is a great choice. The vast majority of RC4 units are about the size of a pack of cigarettes; some are much, much smaller. We have a variety of kits for you to choose from, depending if you're just turning on and off (one of our transceiver kits) or dimming. You might want to check out our six channel starter kit: https://theatrewireless.com/shop/starter-kits/product-kit/rc4magic-s3-24ghz-6-channel-starter-kit/
If you're working with a lot of LEDs, we have a kit for that as well: https://theatrewireless.com/shop/st...-4ghz-pixel-control-starter-kit-model-p10020/
All RC4Magic products are covered by the RC4 Wireless Lifetime Warranty, the best in the industry.
Finally, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to chat with our customer service department; they can be reached at 1-866-258-4577 or at [email protected].
And thank you for considering RC4 Wireless for your wireless needs!
What are you planning on doing? Are you traveling? Are you going to stay in the US or leave the US? Are you in a busy wireless environment?
Those are some questions to ask yourself. The most popular RC4 line is our 2.4GHz line and is used worldwide. If you're staying in the US and are in a very busy wireless environment, our 900MHz line is a great choice. The vast majority of RC4 units are about the size of a pack of cigarettes; some are much, much smaller. We have a variety of kits for you to choose from, depending if you're just turning on and off (one of our transceiver kits) or dimming. You might want to check out our six channel starter kit: https://theatrewireless.com/shop/starter-kits/product-kit/rc4magic-s3-24ghz-6-channel-starter-kit/
If you're working with a lot of LEDs, we have a kit for that as well: https://theatrewireless.com/shop/st...-4ghz-pixel-control-starter-kit-model-p10020/
All RC4Magic products are covered by the RC4 Wireless Lifetime Warranty, the best in the industry.
Finally, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to chat with our customer service department; they can be reached at 1-866-258-4577 or at [email protected].
And thank you for considering RC4 Wireless for your wireless needs!
18650 is the postal code for Vallentuna, Sweden if anyone's wondering where to pull their funds from before this caper unfolds.
I guess we hang out in different groups. I have more than a few friends who are currently building giant battery banks out of 18650 batteries and spot welders made out of microwave parts.
After you have discovered the 18650 you will be upset that its not in everything. The AA should die and the 18650 should be THE battery for everything. Every Tesla is full of these. Drill batteries are full of these too. You can easily take your house off the grid with enough of these, a good battery manager, and solar panels. Oh, and you can make a sweet electric skateboard. Also popular with the vape rig crowd.
After you have discovered the 18650 you will be upset that its not in everything. The AA should die and the 18650 should be THE battery for everything. Every Tesla is full of these. Drill batteries are full of these too. You can easily take your house off the grid with enough of these, a good battery manager, and solar panels. Oh, and you can make a sweet electric skateboard. Also popular with the vape rig crowd.
Jay Ashworth
Well-Known Member
Apmccandless
Active Member
I know it probably would never qualify as standard practice but when I used to work in theatre we would use 12V drill batteries. This came about because at one point I had several 12V milwaukee screwdrivers broken on my desk. The screwdrivers were beyond help so I took them apart and modified them to be a battery holder with an LC2 connector. These actually worked great. I used the LC2 to connector on a pigtail to connect to the RC4 dimmer. Then all the crew had to do was charge the battery on one of the milwaukee chargers. When we needed new batteries we bought them at the store. The Lithium Ion batteries had plenty of power and their batteries have circuits to regulate the current flow, temperature, and voltage. Not the least expensive solution I am sure but it was very easy for the crew to manage and it has some safety features that a lot of home built options do not.
RC4Wireless
Jim @RC4Wireless #RC4DoesThat
There's nothing wrong with this approach at all, and we have a couple of other users who also do this. I have recommended it several times.
The great thing, and very important thing, is that the charger and battery have been carefully matched by the manufacturer -- Milwaukee in this case -- for minimum likelihood of failure. The failure mode for LiIon batteries is very, very, very ugly. They are incredibly dangerous when mishandled. Although we all have lots of LiIon-powered devices all around is, the battery/charger relationship has been carefully engineered. And even some very large, well respected companies have made a couple of mistakes with LiIon batteries, including Samsung and Boeing.
I strongly advise against messing with LiIon at the component level when there is liability beyond a hobby experiment gone wrong. When you're putting things on and near performers and audiences, safety *must* come first.
Jim
RC4 Wireless
