Phase One IQ3 XF Will Charge Over USB3

UPDATE: Digital Transitions has thoroughly tested IQ3 backs with the BC 1.2 port on the USB3 Anker hub linked to below. Our testing shows great results. In very fast shooting the battery will still need to be changed occasionally, but battery life is greatly extended. In many types of non rapid shooting battery changing is nearly or entirely eliminated. We recommend this solution to any client who shoots tethered over USB3 and wants to avoid the AC FW solution (since that solution requires two separate cables if you want to take advantage of the tethering speed of USB3). Questions? Any of our four full-time Phase One certified tech support team members can help, but Joe King was our lead tester for this particular project.

One of the well received features of the Phase One IQ3 and Phase One XF was the ability to share power between the two. This allows hot-swapping batteries, prolonged battery life, and easier management of batteries (since only one type of battery is used).

Now with the release of new firmware, both the IQ3 and XF will be charged when using supported USB3 “charging” port. This brand new USB standard was created primarily for the faster charging of smart phones and tablets (e.g. to charge an iPad much faster than the slow rate provided by normal USB3 ports). This increased amount of power also provides enough juice to power the IQ3 and XF, and charge the battery in each.

That carries the promise of eliminating or greatly reducing the need to change batteries when shooting tethered.

So far only one specific USB3 powered hub has been tested and deemed supported. In the coming months as the USB3.1 spec is more widely adopted we’d expect this number will increase.

Digital Transitions has purchased several USB3 hubs with Charging Ports and will be doing extensive testing with the new firmware to independently confirm this new feature, and look into limitations (e.g. cable length limitations, any impact on speed of transfer etc). Stay tuned for the results from that testing. For now we’d recommend holding off on purchasing any hubs until our testing is complete.

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