External Battery Camera Power 2

I realize that it hasn’t been that long since I created an external battery attachment for the inexpensive Frugal Cage. I even modified to make it work a little better. After using it in the field while shooting Invader, felt like it could be even better.

In the last setup, the battery cradles were stacked vertically, which meant I could only use one of the higher-capacity Sony F970 battery clones, due to space limitations. Increasing the space between cradles helped a little (and made changing the smaller battery easier), but I still wanted to be able to use F970s simultaneously.

This video illustrates this change in design. Now the battery plates are firmly mounted next to each other on two points (up from the more wobbly one point) that attach to the cage. The side-by-side design eliminates the space issue, allowing me to use two F970 batteries at once. Now I can run my camera all day without a battery change and my monitor almost as long.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with the previous version. If you’ve already spent the money and put that one together, you’ll be fine. This one is just the result of testing and improving and my desire to make an external power setup that much better. I look forward to testing this version on the next short film.

PARTS LIST
2x Sony F970 Battery Plate w/power cable
8x 4-40 machine screws, 1/2" in length
2x 1/4-20" machine screws 3/4" in length
Mounting plate (I used cutting board scrap)

2x Sony F970 Battery Clones

TOOLS NEEDED
Drill press (for straight pilot holes)
Drill w/various bits
Philips screwdriver
Precision Philips screwdriver