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Product category: Batteries and Chargers
News Release from: Saft Lithium Battery Division | Subject: MP lithium-ion batteries
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 24 June 2004

Lightweight batteries put cameras on
MotoGP racers

Saft's MP lithium-ion batteries are now standard on the video systems that Dorna Sports installs on the stable of bikes that race in the MotoGP World Championship events.

Saft's MP lithium-ion batteries are now standard on the video systems that Dorna Sports installs on the stable of bikes that race in the MotoGP World Championship events Each bike can have up to three cameras (one facing forward, one backward and an optional third one for other angles), plus a transmitter to beam the TV-quality images to a production studio for broadcast

The Dorna video system is turned on at the start of the race and must operate for over an hour to ensure transmission of the exciting track images to a 300 million viewers audience worldwide.

Dorna selected Saft's MP batteries because of their reliability, light weight, small size and high power.

They fit perfectly into the space where Dorna had earlier been using primary (or nonrechargeable) batteries.

MP stands for "medium prismatic", a small flat rechargeable-cell type of battery that is particularly powerful and that fits easily into engineers' designs.

The Dorna-specific battery pack, which includes three MP 144350 cells, also comes with a specially designed state-of-charge indicator, which Dorna particularly appreciates.

The Saft battery pack in all represents just 350g, roughly a third of the entire video system's weight.

The Dorna video system enables the production studio director to switch among any of the onboard cameras in real time, selecting the image that will provide the greatest interest to the millions of viewers that watch the MotoGP World Championships on live TV through almost 50 networks across the globe.

Because of the vibration and other aspects of the racing environment, the entire video system - including the Saft battery pack and the transmitter - must be especially tough.

But it is precisely this fast, tough environment that makes the images so valuable to the race organisers and broadcasters and have made MotoGP considered the pinnacle of two-wheel racing.

Saft's MPs with Dorna's advanced video system will help broadcasters entertain racing fans still better, and keep viewers watching longer.

With up to three TV-quality images from a dozen or more bikes, the director has a wealth of valuable resources to choose among, all reliably available thanks to Saft's batteries.

The Saft lithium-ion technology delivers a host of benefits.

It retains 95% of its charge even after one month of storage at room temperature.

It's recognised by the US-based UL standards organisation.

It charges at temperatures as low as -20 and up to +50C.

It supplies power in environments also from down to -20 and up to +60C. Request a free brochure from Saft Lithium Battery Division ...

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