Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Photo Research PR650 battery

This is topic Photo Research PR650 battery in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mike Babb (Member # 1379) on 03-07-2018, 09:27 AM:

Anyone got a source? I have a meter but my battery is toast.

Posted by John Thomas (Member # 6509) on 03-07-2018, 03:18 PM:

Took one of mine to Batteries+Bulbs and they replaced the cells for around $30, over a weekend. Worked great.

Careful though: when they glued the whole thing back together some of the glue stuck out the sides. Had to sand it down a little so it wouldn't get stuck inside the battery compartment.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 05-03-2018, 10:24 AM:

We're having the same problem with our 655. Battery is FUBAR, they are backordered from Photo Research themselves, and none of the third party vendors we've tried has any. The battery in ours is a Powersmart VSH009 (3.6v / 6,600mAh). Can't find any trace of them from anyone on the web. Having ours dissected and the cells replaced looks like an option we may need to explore.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 05-03-2018, 11:25 AM:

For the PR-655, the battery crosses to a Sharp battery pack BT-L22U.

"Battery Kings" claims to have it.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 05-03-2018, 01:26 PM:

Thanks Steve! Just placed an order.

Posted by Jason Metcalfe (Member # 5739) on 05-03-2018, 01:47 PM:

Hey Mike,
When I talked to PR about mine they sent me to a 3rd party who has taken over servicing the 650s:

K-Light Laboratories, Inc.
15705 Arrow Highway, Suite 3
Irwindale, CA 91706
626-960-0400
klightlab@aol.com

When I checked with them about a year ago I remember the replacement battery being egregiously expensive, I had just been using the AC adapter until I got a new meter (Colorimetry Research CR-250)

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 05-13-2018, 10:53 AM:

I just got an email from Battery Kings saying that my order status had changed, and that they'd refunded my account. I guess this means that when they went to get the batteries off the shelf, they found that they weren't there.

I'm going to bug Photo Research themselves again tomorrow. I find it astonishing that batteries for this model of meter, which is widely used across the industry and has a reputation for the batteries not lasting very long, are so hard to come by.

Posted by Mike Babb (Member # 1379) on 05-13-2018, 11:58 AM:

One of my crew is taking our meter to JT's source in Detroit, hopefully a quick turnaround. I have a Qalif Spectro which I like very much, but it's nice to have two meters floating around the company.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 05-13-2018, 05:28 PM:

The way it looks, you could try to pry open the dead battery and build a new one yourself. Maybe even modify the case so you can insert standard Lithium cells.

- Carsten

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 05-13-2018, 10:01 PM:

I'm sure that there is a viable solution if one is prepared to start jerry rigging. My point is that it's not as if this is a no-name meter. It's an industry standard measurement device, of which thousands are in use by techs in the field, shooting colors every day. The US-based manufacturer still supports them, at least to some extent, because we had ours re-calibrated in December. Therefore, I'm surprised at how hard it is just to buy a new battery for the thing.

Posted by Mike Babb (Member # 1379) on 05-14-2018, 04:15 AM:

I believe they are trying to force people to upgrade to the 655 or Cinebrate. They said as much to me when I called asking to order a new battery. It's one of the main reasons I bought the Qalif Spectro instead of upgrading to a PR655. The Qalif guys are a pleasure to deal with.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 05-14-2018, 06:12 AM:

That battery seems to be used in many consumer devices like camcorders. As such, there certainly is no real problem to source a replacement. It may appear more complicated if you go through the 'official' equipment suppliers.

- Carsten