What the thread found

• The Varicam should be used with a standard V-mount quick release plate rather than a heavy sliding baseplate designed for film cameras, weighing approximately 6 pounds.
• Dionic batteries are generally compatible with the Varicam, as rental houses routinely deploy them together without issues.
• The Varicam draws approximately 38 watts during normal operation but experiences significant power spikes during startup that can exceed this baseline draw.
• Lithium-ion batteries have protection circuits programmed to handle inrush current, and different manufacturers program these circuits differently, which can cause compatibility issues with equipment that draws high startup power.
• When powering both the Varicam and an Evertz downconverter, power must be supplied directly to the downconverter from an onboard camera battery rather than through the camera's 4-pin input.
• A loose power cable connection at the battery mount can cause electrical faults including sparks and temporary readout failures in batteries.
• Some Dionic batteries displayed scrambled video output or went unresponsive when used with a particular Varicam and Evertz setup, while larger capacity Hytron batteries worked without issues.

Depends on

• The specific cause of compatibility between certain Dionic batteries and the Varicam with Evertz downconverter remains unclear and may be equipment-specific.
• The original poster did not test whether the issue was caused by the Evertz downconverter alone or the combination with the Varicam.
• No information about whether additional onboard lights were in use during the problematic power attempts.
• The loose cable issue was identified but not confirmed as the root cause of the earlier battery readout problems.

Parts

Base Plate

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