Blind Spot first made a name for itself with a line of very bright LED lights that were popular for their ease of use and series of smart design details that made them integrate well into workflows.
In recent years, the company has expanded into power solutions. It started with a very cool idea last year: combine a camera cage with an integrated battery (the Power Cage), since the whole point of a camera cage is to support accessories, all of which will need power. Now Blind Spot is building on that idea with its new Power Pipes, launching on Kickstarter right now. They are a series of power cables designed to make it as easy as possible to power things on set, by using the nearly ubiquitous USB-C batteries to power everything.
Most things on a film set aren't powered with USB-C (though they should be). They use either barrel connectors (when designers aren't worried about things getting yanked apart), or Lemo connectors for more security, like the 2-pin Lemo for the Blackmagic Pocket. This leads to a lot of dedicated battery solutions out there for every different item you might want to power.
The beauty of USB-C, however, is that it is a smart connector; it will give out different amounts of power based on the cable that it is plugged into it. This means you could use the same USB-C battery to charge your laptop, charge your phone, and power your Blackmagic Camera.
The Power Pipe units are available in three flavors: a 12V 2-pin Lemo for the Blackmagic Camera, a 12V barrel connector, and an 8V barrel connector. While USB-C itself is smart, the barrel connector isn't, it just puts out power, so you should be sure to check and make sure that you are attaching it to devices rated for the right power.
Most impressive is the price point for the Blackmagic cable, which is under $50. Lemo connectors are themselves pretty expensive and you often end up paying more than $100 to get custom made cables with Lemo style connectors. Blind Spot likely is getting a good price due to volume, and considering the popularity of those pocket cameras, this cable could be a winner.
If you want to power accessories, switchers, or camera's directly from an affordable USB-C battery, here is the way to do it.
Power Pipes are available now and costs between $45 - $35 depending on which flavor you buy.
Source: Blind Spot Gear
