Power to the recorders
Power to the recorders
If you're in the field and need power for your recorders, it's always an issue.
Of course, there are plenty of solutions, each with its own advantages. So this article is not going to say that one solution is the best money can buy. We'll leave that to the "final shootout YouTube video people."
What we are going to do is share what works great for us. The best thing we want to achieve is to inspire you.
The latest addition to our collection is the LITIONITE Titan Powerbank 60000mAh 200W.
We like it because it has two independent USB ports. This is great if you want to run two Zoom F8n (Pro) recorders simultaneously with all inputs delivering +48V phantom power.
The power bank delivers 3 amperes at 12 volts, which is about 36 watts. The Zoom F8n Pro and the Zoom F8n each consume 15 W, so there is enough power even when you turn on +48 V phantom power for all inputs.
It's not leight, but that's the "price" you pay: 1.368 g (~ 3 lbs).
Our former powerbank the "LITIONITE Tanker 90W / 50.000mAh weighs about the same (~1.200 g), but can only power one Zoom recorder via a DC-pin connector. This works great, but for 170 g more, you can power two recorders!
You can buy it at almost any large online retail store.
Once you connect these cables to the power bank and your Zoom F8n (Pro) recorder, they automatically switch to a 12V input voltage. No configuration needed, just connect and off you go.
However, there is one thing to consider: If the power bank fails for any reason, both recorders will lose power unless you have a backup system. This could be dual AA batteries or whatever.