Shave an inch from the thickness of the Switronix HyperCore battery, and you¡¯ve got yourself the HyperCore Slim (14.8V, 82Wh), designed for UAV and gimbal applications, suitable for any application demanding a low-profile battery, and TSA-friendly.
You may be familiar with the original HyperCore, a workhorse capable of handling 10A draws. It¡¯s suitable for up to the most advanced cameras, and is one of the options relied on by professionals, like Andy Casagrande, who used it on his Phantom Flex 4K and RED Dragon for Discovery Channel¡¯s Shark Week.
Well, save the huge LCD, all the advanced components and features have been retained in the transformation to the slimmer, lighter, more compact model. First among these is the HyperCore cell, which handles 10A draws without deterioration in service life. Then there¡¯s an accelerometer (for hibernation); 1,000 charge/discharge cycles; safety sensors; a rubberized, non-slip body; D-Tap output; a quick-glance 4-LED gauge on the side; and?charge routine management.
Based on a 25W load, the HyperCore Slim is estimated to run for approximately 3.2 hours. It¡¯s available in a V-mount and Gold-mount, as well as a V-mount version specifically for RED cameras, designed to deliver the exact percentage of remaining capacity to RED viewfinders/LCDs.
Here¡¯s what you can expect from the HyperCore Slim.
I. Clear Your Gimbal Rails?
The HyperCore Slim is ideal for UAV and handheld gimbal applications. Its slim design allows it to clear gimbal rails to allow for full range of motion of the camera.
II. Up To 10A Loads
Capable of handling up to 10A loads (148W), the HyperCore Slim is also perfectly suitable for advanced cameras such as your ARRI, RED, and Phantom, and is just as suitable for lower-draw models from small mirrorless to mid-size cine cameras. Its compact form and high-draw capacity makes it an apt fit for lightweight applications with any of these cameras.
III. ROI
Like the original HyperCore models, the HyperCore Slim is built to handle up to 10A draws for multiple hours without taxing the cells. This translates to a substantially longer service life.
IV. Flight Compliant
Featuring an 82Wh capacity, the HyperCore Slims fall under the 98Wh air travel limitations, and this is reinforced by the “Air Travel Compliant” logo right on the front of the battery.
V. Hibernation Accelerometer?
Inactivity can be detrimental to a lithium-ion battery’s life. To prevent this, the HyperCore Slim incorporates an accelerometer tied to a clocking algorithm that gauges inactivity and triggers a hibernation period. If there¡¯s no usage or movement for 48 hours, the battery will go into a deep sleep, which will preserve state of charge. This will have you making fewer trips to the charger, and will minimize issues resulting from self-discharge. Upon detecting the slightest movement, such as you picking it up, the battery will come back to life at full capacity.
VI. Communication to Camera
The HyperCore Slim conveys battery percentage directly to the viewfinder of the camera used, so there¡¯s no guessing as to what your battery level is.
VII. Charge Compatibility?
Like the rest of the HyperCore family, HyperCore Slims are among the most charge-compatible batteries in the industry. The Gold-mount models work with Anton Bauer chargers; the V-mount models will charge on IDX, Sony, and RED chargers; and all the versions work with Switronix chargers. This flexibility will allow you to continue using existing chargers you may have.
A Little History
The HyperCore cell was discovered by Switronix a few years ago when the company was tasked with powering a high-draw military application sustainably. Switronix turned to its Canadian cell manufacturer MoliCell and requested a higher C-rated cell than the one that was using in the battery lineup at that time. The request was accommodated and Switronix successfully accomplished its mission. Switronix named the cell ¡°HyperCore,¡± put two years of work into it, and the HyperCore battery was born and then introduced at NAB 2014, in 98Wh and 150Wh capacities. Now we have a slim, lightweight version of it¡ªthe HyperCore Slim!
