Theta S - external battery

Ricoh Hardware and Software
1

I have a Theta V that I use for work documenting buildings. I convinced the company I work for to purchase a second camera and for budgetary reasons, it is a Theta S. I also purchased the exact same external battery and USB cable that I use on my Theta V. The problem I have discovered is that the Theta S is very picky about power. It will not charge from the same external battery as my Theta V. I have tested about 4 different packs and they all function fine with my Theta V and other devices. They will not work with my Theta S. They are all newer battery packs that have SMART and FAST charging. When I plug it in the status indicator flashes 2 red lights and the camera turns off.

So my question does anyone have a list or can anyone recommend a specific external battery pack that they have tested on the Theta S? I see a lot of people online claiming they use the Theta S with an external battery but none of them say what specific battery it is and where they got it.

I am very thankful for any help that you can provide.

2

With all the knowledge in this forum, I find it hard to believe no one can help me.

3

There are different way for charging Theta s, Connect the camera to your computer using the provided USB cable, charge it using car charger with USB output, you can also use portable power station,like jackery power supply Best Portable Power Station Reviews 2020 [An Expert Advice] | Bestpowerstation.com , If you are camping in the wild, you can charge all your devices including a Theta s. 67000mAh capacity it enough for you to charge Theta s (950mah) many times. I think this depends on which way you choose. Hope can help you.

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4

I broke my Theta S a year ago, so I can’t check right now, but I remember that it needed to be turned off to be charged effectively.

On the other side, I often ran my Theta V for 6-8 hours from a USB power bank without any problem.

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5

I use a PortaPow voltage/current monitor in line with my battery pack and it charges my Theta S with no problem. I use the “smart charge” functionality built into the monitor. If I plug my Theta S directly into my battery, it will charge for about 3 seconds, then turn off.

This is what I use : https://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-3-20V-Monitor-SmartCharge-Technology/dp/B01CVMAK2M

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6

I have had a similar experience with the Theta S. I cannot get the camera to stay on while receiving power through the USB port. I have to turn it off and wait for the battery to charge up, then disconnect to use it. It also seems to be finicky about chargers in general. Someone mentioned using a power only usb cable, no data.

7

I think that the WiFi should go off when the camera is plugged into a computer. If you want to keep the WiFi on, you can try something like this:

image

A data blocker is less than $5.

If the camera itself is turning off, the data blocker will likely not help.

If the camera itself is turning off, there is likely another problem.

8

I posted this in another thread, but I’ll post it here as well. I watched a youtube video about disassembling the Theta, it’s actually easy as pie. I opened the camera and discovered that the battery terminals had lost their springiness and were not pressing against the battery very well. I was able to bend them to press against the battery better and that fixed all the issues I was having.

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