Gen Energy's new V-mount battery line will be making its way to the U.S. marketplace soon. The specifications appear to meet the industry standard in several areas, including a moderate price point. The company claims that the batteries meet the U.S. military drop test standard, and when we ran across them at Cine Gear 2017, we were given a live demo as to their ruggedness:
The cases are made of polycarbonate; held together with 8 bolts, with an impact-resistant cell holder and reinforced joints. They are certified to withstand being dropped 10 times from a height of 2 meters. The battery that we were shown at CineGear had been dropped nearly 60 times in two days and still functioned perfectly.
The line currently has three sizes: 98W, 160/195W and 290W with a 360W battery in the pipeline. This is the highest capacity for a V-mount battery in the market today.
Compact Form FactorCredit: All images courtesy of Gen Energy
The cells are manufactured in Korea by Samsung. Gen Energy has created a more efficient/compact horizontal design, giving it a smaller profile than similarly rated units. The battery unit uses no wires in its design and has a low internal resistance, making it more energy efficient and durable. The units also use a chip, rather than a circuit, in order to more efficiently balance the cells in real time.
Horizontal cell configuration and no internal wires
Remaining power can be monitored by an accurate 10 step LED gauge. Included connectors are 2- D-Tap (14.4V nominal, 5A max) and 1-USB (5V, 2.3A max) that will shutoff automatically after 30 minutes of inactivity.
The U.S. distributor, Kamera Tools, Inc, told us that the batteries will be priced less than their better-known competitors and will start appearing soon at major U.S. professional video retailers.
Tech & Design Specs
- Comes in three sizes: 98W, 160/195W and 290W
- Highest capacity in the marketplace today (290W)
- Shock-proof: passed U.S. Military Drop Test
- Most compact and energy efficient design
- Accurate monitoring of remaining power
