Core SWX has unveiled its new APEX 360 battery solutions that were designed for use with high-power draw LED lights.
With a lot of high-voltage LED lighting products continuing to be released there is a real need in the market for better remote powering solutions. That’s where Core SWX’s APEX 360 battery packs come in.
The APEX packs offer a 367Wh Lithium-ion V-mount solution capable of outputting up to 24A continuously as well as providing extended runtimes.
The Apex packs are offered in both a 14.4V (APX-360v) version which is suitable for most lights as well as a higher voltage 29.6V variant (APX-360hv).
The high voltage APX-360hv is capable of delivering even more power under lower current requirements allowing for a more efficient, cooler operation of LED lights that accepts higher voltages (voltage acceptance is up to DC 34V).
The APX-360hv option utilizes Core’s patented Helix system pin set so inadvertently placing the high-voltage pack on 14V equipment isn’t an issue.
The APEX 360 batteries feature a rugged housing comprised of a reinforced polycarbonate outer shell. The pack’s inner cell structure ensures the cells are firmly secured in the event the pack is dropped.
A multi-sided LED gauge can be viewed from both sides of the pack as well as in front of and behind the lighting ballast when connected.
Whether on charge or in use (discharge) the LED power gauge illuminates.
To use the Apx 360hv battery packs with certain lights you are you are going to need the optional HLX-2HV-DC. This is a Direct Connect Plate for high voltage lights and if you want to use the Apx 360hv with lights such as the Aputure LS 600d/600x/600c then you will need to swap over the V-mount plates that come on the power supply/controller.
The nice aspect about these plates is that they require minimal technical skill to connect and still allow you to use all your 14V V-mount packs. To exchange the plates on your Aputure LS 600-series light you unscrew your current V-mount plates, snip the wiring of the existing plates and the connect blocks, clip the Core SWX direct plates onto the existing wiring and screw back on the Apex Direct Connect plate. No soldering skills or tools are required. Just to be crystal clear, this modification is only required so to leverage the high voltage efficiencies of the Apex HV packs. Standard Apx360v packs will work without any modification to the lighting ballast.
Now, with a lot of high-power draw LED lights you are going to need two of the APEX 360 battery packs to be able to power them.
Well, I am glad you asked! The answer really comes down to what fixture you happen to be using. With lights such as the Aputure LS 300d and 300d II you can run them at full power using two 14.4V Apx360v batteries for 4 hours and 31 minutes. The Aputure LS 600d Pro can be run at 50% output for up to 2 hours and 2 minutes from two battery packs. With lights such as the 600d, the only way to achieve full power output would be through 48V. The light inhibits you from getting full output when using on-board packs despite it saying 100% on the controller/power supply display. Although Aputure’s manual suggests you can achieve full output by using high voltage on-board batteries, they have confirmed the function has yet to be implemented through firmware.
Above you can see a cost per Wh comparison between the Core SWX Apx360v and other competing batteries on the market.
Large capacity packs require fast chargers to recharge the packs. Core SWX has developed an economical series of chargers dubbed ‘X2R’ for the Apex system. The two chargers available are the GP-X2RV and the GP-X2RHV.
While the GP-X2RV charger is ideal for the APX-360v, the batteries can also be charged on any 14.8v Lithium-ion charging system. What you need to keep in mind, is that because of the large capacity of the batteries, the charge time will vary depending on the charger you have.
With the APX-360hv batteries, you do require the high-voltage variant of the Apex two-position charger (GP-X2RHV). The GP-X2RHV will also charge Helix MAX V-mt packs.
The Apex charger models are capable of either charging one pack in a little over 5 hours or two Apex packs in under 10 hours.
Above you can see the accessories that are available.
CORE SWX will be selling two different bundle configurations. The first is the APX-360VK which consists of two APX-360v batteries and the GP-X2RV charger. The second is the APX-360HVK which consists of two APX-360hv batteries, the GP-X2RHV charger, and the HLXVDC Direct Connect plate.
Below are the prices for the batteries, chargers, and other available accessories:
The batteries are very competitively priced given their capabilities and capacity. All the products will be available to purchase in mid-January 2023.
Matthew Allard is a multi-award-winning, ACS accredited freelance Director of Photography with 30 years' of experience working in more than 50 countries around the world. He is the Editor of Newsshooter.com and has been writing on the site since 2010. Matthew has won 45 ACS Awards, including four prestigious Golden Tripods. In 2016 he won the Award for Best Cinematography at the 21st Asian Television Awards. Matthew is available to hire as a DP in Japan or for work anywhere else in the world.
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