B-Mount is ARRI’s 24 V open-standard battery system. Essentially it is a battery system that is capable of providing 24 V power, but it is also able to support 12 V. To more fully explain B-Mount, ARRI has released a Tech Talk video.

B-Mount is cross-compatible with on-set camera and lighting equipment from manufacturers worldwide, and it enables productions to streamline their power needs and source batteries locally.

B-Mount was specifically designed to become an industry standard for cameras, lights, and stabilizers. Multiple manufacturers are and will be making B-Mount batteries and as I previously mentioned the main benefit of the system is that it still works with existing products and battery standards.

B-Mount batteries offer a very sturdy connection and they feature a side-loading interface. The batteries are specified to a minimum of 15 A at 24 V. They also feature robust electrical contacts to avoid damage to contact blocks. 24 V allows for more efficient power delivery and compact product design. 12/24 V bi-voltage batteries support adapting to V-Mount or Gold Mount.

One of the other big benefits of B-Mount is that they feature next-gen data and diagnostics and advanced SMBUS communication. this allows for accurate information on run time and charge time, even with stackable batteries. There is also battery identification in camera metadata as well as battery max. load info to avoid overload shutdown of camera equipment.

All new ARRI cameras moving forward will come with B-Mount power systems.

Matthew Allard is a multi-award-winning, ACS accredited freelance Director of Photography with 30 years' 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 43 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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