Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

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Thomas Schumacher

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Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostTue May 21, 2013 11:45 am

Hi there,

so after one or two fully loaded cycles, my Anker Astro 3 doesn't load anymore, gotta have to send it back. :twisted: At least amazon will refund me.

Has anyone else had these problems? I'd really like to give it another try based on your experiences, maybe I just got a lemon?

Thx
Thomas
https://www.gernemehrfilm.de/
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Carl Kadie

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostWed May 22, 2013 6:13 pm

I've tested ours through about 10 cycles and have had no problem.
Carl Kadie
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Jason Dunphy

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostThu May 23, 2013 12:12 am

CarlK wrote:I've tested ours through about 10 cycles and have had no problem.



How long has one lasted for you?
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Thomas Schumacher

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostThu May 23, 2013 4:50 am

Thanks CarlK,

so I will give it another go, as after leaving negative feedback they suggested to sell me one for 20 Pounds as a compensation (and didn't even ask to remove the negative feedback, which I expected them to ask for and which I of course wouldn't have done).
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Jason Dunphy

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostThu May 23, 2013 2:30 pm

gmf wrote:Thanks CarlK,

so I will give it another go, as after leaving negative feedback they suggested to sell me one for 20 Pounds as a compensation (and didn't even ask to remove the negative feedback, which I expected them to ask for and which I of course wouldn't have done).



How long did the battery power your camera when the battery worked?
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Thomas Schumacher

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostThu May 23, 2013 3:30 pm

Jason,

the few times Icould use it were too short to use itsf ull capacity, but others report from about 2 hours runtime.
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Jason Dunphy

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostThu May 23, 2013 4:00 pm

Awesome, thanks. It's a good, cheap solution if it will last 2 hours.
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Thomas Schumacher

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostThu May 23, 2013 4:08 pm

It truly is, as long as it works and endures its advertised 500 loading-cycles...
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Thomas Schumacher

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostFri May 24, 2013 5:38 am

Haha, now they asked me to remove the negative feedback, but have already advised amazon to partially refund me on the new purchase. Of course I'll add another review once the new item is here on how about everything went. :twisted:
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Jason Dunphy

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostFri May 24, 2013 12:24 pm

haha, that figures. Sucks. But I'll keep a lookout for that review. I think I'm going to go this route at least for the short term.
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Thomas Schumacher

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostFri May 24, 2013 1:43 pm

Haha, I wonder how many negative reviews have turned into positive ones and if that is already covered by their price-policy.

Nevertheless it's a cheap interim solution.
And why not write a neg review anyway and see what they offer :mrgreen:
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Rudy Satria

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostFri May 31, 2013 4:52 am

Hi,.. are u still using Anker? is it running well to your production? thanks in advance
Rudy Iskandar
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Thomas Schumacher

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostFri May 31, 2013 7:10 am

I did order a second Anker as the other users didn't report any problems, but having to work for the last 7 days and having heavy rain all the time there was no chance to even use one load of the battery at all, so I can't tell you if this copy works better, but I really hope so.

Here's what Paul Abrahams said in this thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5523&p=42447&hilit=anker#p42447

I have the Anker Astro 3 (bought off ebay - Search for: Anker Astro3 External Battery Pack 10000mAh 5V 9V 12V 2A iPad3 iPhone Galaxy Tab) it at least doubles the run time of the camera. The Anker can put out 9v or 12v comes with a charger and the main power cable fits the BMCC socket. The PB70 is rated at 14.5volts the Anker is slightly under that at 12volts, I do also think the PB70 is of higher Amperage too, hence the reason it lasts longer.

A rough guess:

The Anker will at least Double the run time
The PB70 will Quadruple.... so take that into consideration when thinking about price.

So the PB70 is 3/4 times the power.

I have noticed the Anker gets very warm and drains quickly which also shows that it only just copes with powering the BMCC. I was concerned that the power might be weak? Meaning the BMCC loses its power whilst sitting turned off. But I came home today after topping it up with the Anker last night and the BMCC is still showing 100% which is promising. I have noted my BMCC, when turned on, drains down to 50% within half an hour so its a power hungry beast!

In the long term the PB70 seems to be the current best option. Would I get two Ankers? Not sure, I might end up ponying up for the Switronix. But I'm hoping another company comes out with a cheaper alternative who knows maybe NAB might have some goodies in store.

For me the Anker was a cheap, quick solution, for you guys in TAX land it could be throwing money away. At least with the PB70 it will hold its value for resale and will definitely power your BMCC for a shoot.
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Jess0d

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostWed Dec 11, 2013 5:43 am

lol, cute idea, to get a lemon and make some power.
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charliehill

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostSun Feb 23, 2014 3:30 pm

Hello, I have Sumsung phone and Ipad, can any external battery charge both of these? I guess there are different specifications between phone and pad.
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David

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostSun Feb 23, 2014 10:16 pm

Geoff Baxter wrote:Yes, there are many external battery solutions for phones and iPads, but the batteries being discussed here are not suitable for them. Best to buy a battery designed for the job.


Actually Geoff, the battery being discussed here IS specifically designed for phones and tablets and such. It's we wretched and cheap camera owners who are the anomaly.

I have the Anker 20000mAh. I haven't timed it but I get at least 4 hours for the BMCC and it also charges phones, laptops etc.
David Daniel
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charliehill

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostFri Mar 14, 2014 9:49 am

I've used Anker and it will take a 50% charge to 100% in about an hour.
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Euan Preston

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostFri Mar 14, 2014 1:47 pm

My first Astro 3 did exactly the same and so I had it replaced (through Amazon). The second has been going strong for nearly a year, mostly for charging iPhones and iPads but also occasionally powering other devices such as my BMCC, BMPCC and my Dynamic Perception timelapse rig.

At one stage I did think it had failed - it stopped charging just as the first one did. But then I noticed that the region adapter on the charger had become ever so slightly misaligned. I just had to push it on properly. It left me wondering if this had been the situation with the first one I'd sent back. The adapter comes loose pretty easily so it's worth checking if it stops charging.
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David Jorgensen

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostFri Mar 14, 2014 11:07 pm

I have 2 of them and have had good luck. I've used them around 8-10 times with no issues so far. I dont expect them to last forever but for such a cheap solution I am impressed.
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Mac Jaeger

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostSat Mar 15, 2014 8:54 am

It's been half a year now, and my Anker Astro Pro hasn't failed me once. And even if it would, i guess i'd buy one again straig away. This have been the best spent fourty bucks in years.
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Jared Caldwell

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostSat Mar 15, 2014 2:24 pm

I've got two of the Anker Astro Pro 20000 batteries, and they work great. I'm getting about 5 hours straight from each.

I was just shooting a conference gig on the BMCC, and I was able to go all day without having to change the first battery (of course, I wasn't running the entire time).

Rigging the batteries can be difficult, but it can be done. :)
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Mac Jaeger

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostSat Apr 05, 2014 9:22 am

charliehill wrote:I used to have this but now I use XYZ Wireless Charger

You either totally miss the point of this thread, or just want to advertise. Using all caps to emphasize the products name suggests the second, but who knows. At least you surely have not exchanged your Anker Astro battery for a wireless charger, that would make as much sense as saying
macjaeger wrote:I used to eat fish, but now I eat forks...
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Mac Jaeger

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostSat Apr 05, 2014 12:07 pm

Thought so, but couldn't resist to post my fish&fork line... ;-)
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joechiazza

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Re: Beware of Anker Astro battery solution?

PostSat Apr 05, 2014 12:25 pm

My anker astro pro2 works amazing with the bmcc. Just get some velcro and stick it to your rig. I'm actually about to order a second one for a backup soon!


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