Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Power-ful thought....

I have one of these to power studio flash units in a location where AC power is not available. It seems as though it's not designed for much of a continuous draw.

I have a new client who plays acoustic guitar and sings and wants some good quality video demonstrating this for his website. His acoustic guitar plugs into a powered mixer (along with his mic) and he uses a small PA to project to an audience. He frequently plays weddings and such, and he's frequently outside (with AC power supplied).

I'd like to do his demo video productions outside for a number of reasons, but like some locations where AC power is not available. A generator is out of the question because of the noise.

Are there units out there similar to what I own that might supply power to his mixer? We won't need nor want his amp, I can take a direct feed out of his mixer alone. I don't even know what a unit like this would be called to Google it.

I should add that price is a factor because I don't know of any other use for it after the shoot.... though I could probably make one up!

There are "jump boxes" that can be used for starting cars with dead batteries without needing a second car. Some of the larger models can run electrical equipment for a while. The big ones aren't cheap, but they are very useful to carry along with you for emergencies.

Otherwise, there are various sizes of "inverters" that can be connected to car batteries. They range in price and ability. They work best with deep-cycle marine batteries (or I should say, that type of battery isn't completely ruined after a being drained a few times).

Maybe the local rental center has a solution?

I think Chris is on the right track with the power inverter idea. Leave it plugged into your van, and run a normal extension cord over to where you need power. We've had a medium sized one for years, and it is a life saver when travelling long distances.

As a side note, it draws more current than what the Odyssey's rear accessory port can provide. We always have to plug it into the dash socket.

Thanks, guys! I was aware of the inverters. The places I had in mind (attractive spots in public parks) wouldn't allow for me to bring the vehicle so I thought I could use an inverter with the marine battery as a last resort. Even if I had to bring it out there with a hand truck. I also still have several battery belts around from when I used to do weddings... though I'd likely have to replace the cells.

A mixer would likely only draw 22-40 watts and I probably need no more than an hour run time.

So I was really hoping that there was some device out there that was all-in-one and "carryable" as opposed to the inverter/50lb battery combo.

Let me check into the jump boxes. My understanding was that they were designed for a quick, high-energy release and not so good at running a lower-power item for a length of time.

Yeah, it looks like the "jump boxes" are the way to go. It seems like the reviews on the various ones aren't that great, but since I don't plan on actually jump starting a car...nor inflating a tire... nor using it as a reading light....nor running a coffeemaker.... I will probably be fine.

I still wish (and can't seem to find) a simple "portable power" device that DOESN'T have the jumper cables and inflator and stuff. Just a deep-cycle mid-sized battery with a built in inverter, charger and handle to carry it around.

I love Amazon for reviews, but there's never a good way to drill down to some specific product or category.

As for starting cars with them, I had one a couple years ago, I used it to start my car almost every time I went out. It was just one I found at Walmart. It was really impressive. I finally killed it after two years of bi-weekly use, and the one replaced it with (that has an outlet) is no where near as good.

So I sold the problem car to a co-worker, and bought an RX-8.

I can highly recommend the RX-8.

Why not a UPS with a silence button? Could be a little hinky, but if you get a big enough one, you'd be totally set for an hour or so.

Jesus, Ken. I can't believe I didn't think of that. And I even sometimes bring a big, honkin' UPS on location when I'm shooting stills onto my laptop away from outlets.

How could I not have thought of that when I already DO that under other circumstances?

Ken, not to diminish your idea, but I have to figure out if I'm eating lead paint in my sleep or something!

THANKS Ken!