All thru last season I was getting tired of replacing AA batteries every couple of weeks due to the number of pics my game cameras were taking. Those darn things get expensive! It's not hard for me to burn thru a 50-pack in a season.
This year started a push to revamp all of our lease equipment, and my cameras' power was one of those tasks.
I don't run big fancy cameras but they get the job done. They are all 6V systems running on 8 AA batteries (4x4 in parallel). My plan was to run dual 6V-4Ah batteries in parallel and to build a system that was self-contained on a semi-portable setup.
Wiring plans were "borrowed" from The Handy Hunter YouTube page...
Next step was ordering parts and figuring out a box to put it all in. Knowing that cameras can be susceptible to voltage spikes from solar panels during peak sun times, I included voltage regulators as part of the equipment along with solar charge controllers, diodes, etc.
I picked up some cheap plastic ammo boxes from Buc'ees for $8 ea and the batteries fit perfect. They each sit in a cradle made from 1" insulating foam board (the pink stuff from HD).
The diodes were placed inline on the (+) side of the solar panels going to the charge controller. I had a problem two years ago with a solar panel getting back-fed voltage at night and draining my feeder battery. I didn't want that issue here.
All connected and time for a power test function with the cameras...
Full power to the camera without any AAs! The only problem is that the camera looses power once you pull the cord out, in order to open the camera and access the memory card.
Throughout my testing phase, I was able to run only 4 AA batteries as just a memory function so I can remove the power cord. (These cameras will actually run by themselves on 4 batteries, but that's not enough power to take pics at night using the IR flash.)
Also during testing, it became apparent that my charge controllers did regulate the voltage on their own. If I used the added regulators, the power was significantly dropped to hinder camera performance (right about 5.8V). Weird, but I just had to pull the regulators out of the system.
Checking voltages at the power cord during different times of day and at different sun/shade locations, revealed that the controller was able to maintain a steady voltage of 6.45-6.53 volts the entire time even though the solar panels were putting out 9+ volts.
I chose two locations in my backyard for testing: 1) off the back deck which gets full sun almost the entire day; 2) on a tree stand mounted to the base of our big Red Oak tree which provided shade most of the day, and only about 3 hrs of direct sunlight in the late afternoon.
I started testing this setup at the end of February this year. and would rotate both cameras thru both locations. My dogs, squirrels, a hawk, various other birds, me & my mower, and some WT deer that come up to our back fence all provided subjects to photograph!
On average, both cameras were rocking about 4k + pictures a month! Some times it was upwards of 5k pics, depending on how many times I mowed the grass. Each 6V battery was initially charged up for the beginning of testing. To date (and both cameras have been installed at the lease as of this weekend), all 4 batteries are still at 6.45V+ and have yet to be on a battery charger since February!
This year started a push to revamp all of our lease equipment, and my cameras' power was one of those tasks.
I don't run big fancy cameras but they get the job done. They are all 6V systems running on 8 AA batteries (4x4 in parallel). My plan was to run dual 6V-4Ah batteries in parallel and to build a system that was self-contained on a semi-portable setup.
Wiring plans were "borrowed" from The Handy Hunter YouTube page...
Next step was ordering parts and figuring out a box to put it all in. Knowing that cameras can be susceptible to voltage spikes from solar panels during peak sun times, I included voltage regulators as part of the equipment along with solar charge controllers, diodes, etc.
I picked up some cheap plastic ammo boxes from Buc'ees for $8 ea and the batteries fit perfect. They each sit in a cradle made from 1" insulating foam board (the pink stuff from HD).
The diodes were placed inline on the (+) side of the solar panels going to the charge controller. I had a problem two years ago with a solar panel getting back-fed voltage at night and draining my feeder battery. I didn't want that issue here.
All connected and time for a power test function with the cameras...
Full power to the camera without any AAs! The only problem is that the camera looses power once you pull the cord out, in order to open the camera and access the memory card.
Throughout my testing phase, I was able to run only 4 AA batteries as just a memory function so I can remove the power cord. (These cameras will actually run by themselves on 4 batteries, but that's not enough power to take pics at night using the IR flash.)
Also during testing, it became apparent that my charge controllers did regulate the voltage on their own. If I used the added regulators, the power was significantly dropped to hinder camera performance (right about 5.8V). Weird, but I just had to pull the regulators out of the system.
Checking voltages at the power cord during different times of day and at different sun/shade locations, revealed that the controller was able to maintain a steady voltage of 6.45-6.53 volts the entire time even though the solar panels were putting out 9+ volts.
I chose two locations in my backyard for testing: 1) off the back deck which gets full sun almost the entire day; 2) on a tree stand mounted to the base of our big Red Oak tree which provided shade most of the day, and only about 3 hrs of direct sunlight in the late afternoon.
I started testing this setup at the end of February this year. and would rotate both cameras thru both locations. My dogs, squirrels, a hawk, various other birds, me & my mower, and some WT deer that come up to our back fence all provided subjects to photograph!
On average, both cameras were rocking about 4k + pictures a month! Some times it was upwards of 5k pics, depending on how many times I mowed the grass. Each 6V battery was initially charged up for the beginning of testing. To date (and both cameras have been installed at the lease as of this weekend), all 4 batteries are still at 6.45V+ and have yet to be on a battery charger since February!
Comment