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Munich-based battery maker Bebob has an exciting, new power accessory for the RED Komodo. The BeBob COCO-MODO battery adapter expands the powering options for the Komodo and peripheral equipment to professional V-mount and A-mount batteries. Let’s take a closer look!
The unique Red Komodo features a dual Canon BP-9 series battery plate for powering the camera. Canon BP-9 batteries are affordable, small, and offer a lot of capacity for their size and weight. Moreover, the dual-slot design of the Komodo allows the batteries to be continuously swapped without the need to power down the camera.
Canon BP-9 series batteries are great for when you need to keep the camera small. However, the Komodo lacks the ability to pass power on to accessories like a monitor, wireless transmitter, or remote follow focus. This is where an adapter like the Bebob COCO-MODO comes in handy.
The Bebob COCO-MODO is designed to fit perfectly into the dual BP-9 slots, and convert the 14.4V output voltage of the brick battery into 7.4V to power the camera. It features 1 D-Tap, 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A, and 2 Lemo 2p 12V outputs for powering accessories.
The ability to hot-swap batteries is a distinctive difference between the Bebob COCO-MODO adapters and the competition. The COCO-MODO offers a Lemo 2p DC IN, which passes power into the Komodo’s DC-IN port. This allows shooters to keep the camera powered on, presumably with an external battery, while changing bricks.
There are several similar options available to power the Komodo. Most notably, offerings from Tilta and Core SWX offer the same 14.4V to 7.2V active plate conversion as the Bebob COCO-MODO.
However, users of the Tilta and Core SWX adapters have reported issues with their designs. These models leave a small amount of play between the battery and the battery mount. This can cause the battery to wobble slightly when mounted to those adapters.
Bebob claims to have resolved any ill-fitting issues with their adapters.
“Special attention was paid to an excellent fit when designing the adapters: The Bebob COCO-MODO attach absolutely smoothly to the back of the camera, and the batteries sit securely and smoothly on the plates.”Bebob COCO-MODO Press Release 11/10/21
“Special attention was paid to an excellent fit when designing the adapters: The Bebob COCO-MODO attach absolutely smoothly to the back of the camera, and the batteries sit securely and smoothly on the plates.”
When using a Red Komodo with accessories, it is extremely important to follow proper start-up and shutdown procedures. 12G SDI ports aren’t insulated, and power from accessories can discharge into the camera and damage your SDI port.
Accessories should be powered on prior to connecting them to the SDI port, and the SDI port should be disconnected prior to shutting down any SDI accessory.
A LEN SDI Galvanic Isolator (~$500) can also be used to shield the SDI port from damage.
This adapter is not listed as being certified by RED, and there is no indication that battery information will be passed through to the camera. It will work with all V and A mount batteries.
The Bebob COCO-MODO is coming soon for a premium price of $610. For more information about this adapter, visit Bebob’s website.
How do you prefer to power your Red Komodo? Will the Bebob COCO-MODO find its way into your rig? Let us know in the comments below.
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Dave Kratz is a freelance documentary & commercial editor, and DP based out of Philadelphia, PA. His work includes films & series for Discovery Channel, History Channel, A&E, and HBO.