Modding the Battery Mount on BlackMagic Design Micro Cinema Camera for Extra Run Time Canon to Sony Hack

• • 24 Comments

The Canon LP-E6 batteries were designed to fit inside of Canon DSLR cameras, so they don't really come in larger capacities. Sony batteries on the other hand come in a variety of capacities if you want extra run time. Well I wanted extra run time on the new BlackMagic Design Cinema Camera but didn't want to use the ugly and huge break out cables that is required for running external power.

Now I don't recommend this for people who don't really know what they're doing when it comes to batteries and soldering, but if you have the basic knowledge this little MOD can give you extra run time on your new BlackMagic Design Micro Cinema Camera. The dummy battery and Sony Battery Plate are very basic and once you open them up, they just have two wires inside (red + black).

Once you merge those two plates together, you have a working adapter that sends the 7.4V voltage from your Sony NPF-970 battery to a Canon mount. Now Sony batteries come in different capacities so I don't necessarily have to use the bulky one in the video, but it's a good idea how much power I can run if I really wanted to.

sony battery charger
VIEW-ITEM Sony Battery Charger

canon dummy battery lp-e6
VIEW-ITEM Canon LP-E6 Dummy Battery

Before I merged my two parts together, I added some heavy epoxy putty on the inside to make it more solid. I also plastic welded (melted the two parts together) along the sides. It's a pretty solid adapter and the wires are glued inside so they don't move. Now I like to experiment, but if you guys decide to try this out, just know you're doing this at your own risk...

blackmagic_design_cinecammichdmft_micro_cinema_camera_1428959948000_1137292
VIEW-ITEM BlackMagic Design Micro Cinema Camera RAW ProRes 60p

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24 thoughts on “Modding the Battery Mount on BlackMagic Design Micro Cinema Camera for Extra Run Time Canon to Sony Hack”

  1. FrancisCheeProductions LtD

    Great hack and surely soon some manufacturers, if they're smart, will start making commercially these adapters for this very purpose.

  2.

    Thanks for this super helpful idea to power up my Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera while keeping it small. I posted something about this on another forum and found out that someone in Japan has created this adapter plate as a single thing. I guess they saw your DIY solution and decided to produce a small run of them. I bought one at http://www.starvingartist101.com and it arrived this week from Japan. It works just as expected. I popped an NP clone battery onto it and then snapped it onto my BMMCC and powered it up and it worked fine. I'm not quite as handy with a bandsaw so this was a better solution for me. I hope it helps others and I hope the person selling them keeps producing them.

  3. Martin Landsburg

    Sorry just saw that you answered my question already here and are using the SWIT httpss://cheesycam.com/custom-mods-for-blackmagic-design-micro-cinema-camera-w-diy-remote-handle/

  4. Martin Landsburg

    Hi Emm,

    Thanks for this article! Have you tried with the SWIT NPF style batts, as you mentioned in your article here: httpss://cheesycam.com/swit-s-8972-47wh-sony-replacement-battery-with-meter-and-dc-out/
    and try to power a monitor like smallHD 502 with the same batt as the BMMCC?
    If so, I guess 3-4 of these would last that setup all day? One NPF-970 lasts me all day on the pocket cam but the smallHD is more power hungry.

  5.  Post author

    @marc - Not every dummy battery is compatible. You'll see what I mean in this video: httpss://cheesycam.com/indipro-tools-external-power-sony-l-series-mounting-plate-with-15mm-clamp/

  9.

    so...the Canon LP-E6 dummy battery you have listed above DOESN'T have the proper slits and DOESN'T work (out of the box) with either the BMMCC or BMVA.

    Really prefer not to cut my BM gear, but I'm kinda stuck at the moment. Not to be that guy, but maybe that exact dummy battery isn't the best piece of gear to recommend for this build knowing that it will have to fit specific pieces of equipment.

  11.  Post author

    @Artem Kornikov - Some Canon dummy batteries don't have the two slits (one on each side), so it won't slide down. The IndiPro Tools Canon dummy battery has this, and also the Lanparte Canon Dummy battery has this. I know those will work.

    But if you wanted to get crazy, you could take a blade and cut off the second slit guide on your battery tray. Then anything would drop in. I'll leave that one up to you.

  12.

    Hello!
    I've got LP-E6 coupler but can't fit it on BM... seems like coupler is not compatible with BM. I am sure you faced it too - how do you fixed this problem?

  13.

    I wish someone actually sold a plate like this. It would work prefect to attach my Paralynx Triton to the BlackMagic Video Assist. Can I pay you to make me one Emm?? lol I know the time would be too expensive.

  14.  Post author

    @hogo - I'm not super familiar with the power requirements of the Triton and Gratical, but if they can all take 14V input, then it should be an easy cable to make splitting into three different directions from one D-Tap. If not, then you need a distribution box that has various voltage outputs (for each device). Then you also have to think about the total Amps that they will all need and if your battery can output that. Most cheaper V-mount should at least support 6A but some can support 10A. Do you know the voltage of each device? Do you already have a power distribution box?

  15. hogo

    @emm: Ultimately i'd like to connect 3 things to my V-mount Batts:
    1) Gratical hd
    2) Paralinx Triton Tx
    3) Micro Cinema Camera

    I don't mind having 3 seperate cables, i just don't want to spend $300 on them 🙂

  18. Hogo

    Any suggestions for dummy cables that run to a d/p-tap? I have one from hot rod cameras but it stopped working. I really don't want spend $100+ for a replacement.

  19.  Post author

    @Artem Kornikov - Yes the inout is 12V DC (or more). I use a different battery to power that up externally to keep weight off the monitor. Lots of cheap 12V batteries out there for this. Like these httpss://cheesycam.com/12v-dc-battery-with-5v-usb-port/

  20.

    @Cheesycam - I googled about it and it is 12V, not 7.4v input... So it seems that straight NP-F connect will not work - need to convert to 12v before. Can you clarify?

  21.  Post author

    @Artem Kornikov - I don't see why not, but instead of having the weight hanging off the back, the BMVA has a nice DC input on the side. I use that and power it off a remote battery. Keeps my rig from being top heavy.

  23.  Post author

    @Shawn Caple - Yeah the meter shows up. I even placed a less charged Sony battery in and the yellow lights were flashing. So it knew that the battery was about to run low. The camera blinks RED when batteries are really dying, and stays green when batteries are all good. It seems to detect it fine. I haven't tried run time with the Sony batteries yet, but I imagine it to be at least 3-4x longer (with my large batteries).

  24. Shawn Caple

    What is the runtime of the canon battery compared to the Sony? Does the Sony show up in a battery meter like the Canon?

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