Permanent Trail Camera Power Project

[IkemanTX]

I blew out my ankle this year just before my season started and haven’t been able to swap batteries or pull cards on any cameras.

Most cameras will be dead (or memory cards full) by now, as i run video mode on everything and the batteries have been running since may.

Losing a hunting season sucks, but what is really eating me up is losing an entire year worth of intel from not being able to do my early season battery/card swap…. So since i’ve been stuck at home for weeks I decided to work on fixing the problem.

I found a video on YouTube last year from “The Handy Hunter” where he put together a small diy solar battery. The battery he uses for that build is no longer available, so my son and i soldered one up ourselves out of 3,000mah rechargeable AA batteries.

Then, we assembled the solar panel / battery according to his video (soldering and shrink tubing instead of wire nuts).

Most of my brownings will accept EXTREMELY large SD card sizes, so with these panels / batteries supplying permanent power i should be able to get videos for a full year without fail when paired with a 256 gig card. (Assuming the camera isn’t on a high traffic spot like a feeder) in picture mode with a memory card that big, this thing could probably run continuously for a couple of years before filling the card.

The 12v regulators i picked up are running a little lower than 12v, but the camera still runs just fine off of it. But, i wish i had tested that part before soldering and assembling.

I only run 2 cameras on private land, though, and this setup is definitely not something i want to have on public land. Theres too much money and time invested in it, and i think you would be able to spot it from a mile away regardless of how good a sponge paint job is. I originally planned to do some 12v lithium battery packs that i can charge at home and just hang behind the camera for public land,
but i found a much smaller 12v solar panel, that runs 1.5 watts as opposed to this MUCH bigger panel’s 1.8 watts. That got me down a rabbit hole of just how small and ergonomic i could make something like this.


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[IkemanTX]

My brother recently got a 3D printer and he mentioned a 3D modeling software that is super easy to learn called TinkerCAD. He said if i get a design put together that i like, he will try to print it and send it to me for free. So, i spent a few hours learning the software and designed up a housing for everything. It took a few designs, but i think i have one that works extremely well.

The total size of the box and solar panel would be 4” X 5” X 1.6”, and it would be completely waterproof with a little silicone under the lid flange when finally assembled.

The mount is be a simple 1/4” stainless steel lag bolt in the end opposite of the battery. I designed a hex shaped hole based on the head of lag screw i intend to use and thickened the wall for a little reinforcement so when it is epoxied into place, it should distribute stress throughout that wall of the box. This would allow the box to be mounted by simply screwing the whole thing into the tree as if the box itself is the head of the lag screw. Just press it against the tree and turn.

The other 2 holes are for waterproof 5.5mm barrel sockets that a standard 5.5mm 12v cord plugs into. The first is regulated 12V power for the camera, and the second is directly connected to the battery circuit for battery testing.

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[Gator]

Not to derail but having to learn CAD is what has kept me from getting a 3D printer. My brother is a career CAD designer but hasn't really seemed interested in doing it after hours as well. With that said, how much time did you spend learning this TinkerCAD and what does it cost?

 

[IkemanTX]

Not to derail but having to learn CAD is what has kept me from getting a 3D printer. My brother is a career CAD designer but hasn't really seemed interested in doing it after hours as well. With that said, how much time did you spend learning this TinkerCAD and what does it cost?

It is a free browser based app. Between learning some basics and designing this box… i think i have 3-4 hours into it total.
ThIs isn’t anything you could base a design career off of accuracy/complexity wise, but for small simple projects like home 3D printing, it looks to be a good starter program.


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[bowhuntr09]

While the DIY part is cool, have you looked into retrofitting something like the Cuddeback external power packs and or solar chargers? Would probably be pretty someone to do.

 

[IkemanTX]

While the DIY part is cool, have you looked into retrofitting something like the Cuddeback external power packs and or solar chargers? Would probably be pretty someone to do.

Ya, their AA pack isn't too bad price wise, but their solar panels are HUGE and $60 a pop. This setup would end up being about half as big as the Cuddelink AA pack alone, even smaller than the browning trail cam. This DIY version is about the only way I can get small enough for me to comfortably use them on public land. If the first one doesn't perform to my expectations, I will go with DIY extended batteries only.

If I go with just a battery and no solar panel, I will be using LifePo4 32650 cells and just shrink wrapping the pack. I could probably build those for about $15-18 a pack including the cells themselves... and then, I would get 2,000 charging cycles out of those with no additional cost. Essentially, I wouldn't ever buy batteries again if I did those... I would just bring the battery packs home and recharge them before re-deploying them on my next trip out. I think I could velcro those to the back of the camera if I end up going that direction.

 

[woodsdog2]

Cool stuff!!!

 

[IkemanTX]

Question from a different forum that i thought was pertinent…

Does the 12v directly power the camera or just charge in batteries in the camera?

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That depends on the brand and model of the camera. If the 12V connector is on the same circuit as the battery housing, it will directly charge the batteries in-camera as well as run the camera (assuming they are rechargeable).

I haven’t tested the browning cameras i currently use, but from the 6 series and 8 series AA setups they have, i assume their entire board is working on 9v-12v variable board components. Or it operates on 9v that is regulated down from 12v, so the external 12v supply is stepped down in camera anyways. I think it may be the variable voltage option, because i get DRASTIC differences of trigger sensitivity between standard AA batteries and lithium ones. The lithium batteries operate at 1.8v per battery vs the traditional 1.5v of an old school AA. The higher voltage is what i assume cause the sensor sensitivity.

I can actually run cameras off of this setup without any batteries internally at all. And, i think with an hour or two of sunlight throughout the day i could do so indefinitely. So, the batteries in-camera are essentially backups with something like this. Not as big of a deal as if the 12v only powered the camera’s board itself.


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[IkemanTX]

One of the benefits to doing a pack like this is that i can maintain the higher voltages. Swapping primary cells for secondary cells (non-rechargeable vs rechargeable) ends up dropping the voltage. Rechargeable AA’s operate at 1.2v as opposed to the 1.5v of standard cells. So, if you have 8 AA’s in series… that means you will run 12 volts for non-rechargeable batteries, but only 10v for rechargeable ones.

I set this pack up with 10 rechargeable cells in series to ensure i reached the required 12v, and may run a set of non-rechargeable lithium batteries in camera as backups. I couldn’t get any additional charging of the in-camera batteries, but if my external pack failed, the camera would still be running at 12v+ instead of dropping to 10v.


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[IkemanTX]

Got the design finalized and the files exported and sent to my brother. I’m hoping he will print them in the next few days.. because i might have the box just after thanksgiving if that is the case.


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[Homebrew454]

Sucks about blowing your ankle and losing a hunting season. I'm very interested in this and using it in cell cams, which I still don't have yet.

I'm just debating how much more whitetail hunting I'm going to do as I really want to go after elk for the next 10 years or so while I still can. If my son or daughter showed more interest in deer hunting I'd happily jump back in though.

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[tarafrost]

I just use a Spypoint solar micro LTE trailcam. Comes with a lithium battery and solar charger. It's been in the county forest near my house for many months and is still showing 100% charge.

 

[IkemanTX]

I just use a Spypoint solar micro LTE trailcam. Comes with a lithium battery and solar charger. It's been in the county forest near my house for many months and is still showing 100% charge.

Im a sucker for max quality videos on my trail cameras… no cell sending those! Lol

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[IkemanTX]

I woke up early this morning and checked the webcam my brother has on his printer…. I see my box!!

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[BenG]

Very interesting stuff. I have some locations I'd like to put some cameras and not have to come back for a year but haven't gone down this rabbit hole yet. Have you considered just buying the little solar/rechargeable packs some of the trail cam manufacturers sell? Just curious if those are worth it or if you've been there done that and looking for a better solution?

External Solar Panel

REVEAL by Tactacam's 12-volt External Solar Panel with integrated rechargeable Lithium battery is designed to provide power to all brands of Trail Cameras - even if the host camera batteries are dead.

www.tactacam.com

 

[BenG]

And wow, that first video makes me cringe.

 

[IkemanTX]

Very interesting stuff. I have some locations I'd like to put some cameras and not have to come back for a year but haven't gone down this rabbit hole yet. Have you considered just buying the little solar/rechargeable packs some of the trail cam manufacturers sell? Just curious if those are worth it or if you've been there done that and looking for a better solution?

External Solar Panel

REVEAL by Tactacam's 12-volt External Solar Panel with integrated rechargeable Lithium battery is designed to provide power to all brands of Trail Cameras - even if the host camera batteries are dead.

www.tactacam.com

That tactacam one would be my #1 choice for an off the shelf option. I wanted to do something that small, but they had to incorporate some kind of low temp protection for the lithium because they can’t be charged below freezing without damage. I also would have to use pouch cells, and they are notoriously difficult to work with for newbies.

This project was more about figuring out the process and doing it alongside my son so we can get some electrical and soldering experience for some future projects for him and i to do together as a hobby. After these battery projects, we are moving on to microcomputer projects (Raspberry Pi).


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[IkemanTX]

A little bit of warping in the print, but the box looks to still be useable. My brother thinks he didnt get the best bed adhesion. The garage that his printer is in isn’t heated, and they had a pretty hard temp drop last night about the time the print was started. I don’t think he will be doing another print of it until after the holidays, because he is moving in a few weeks. But, this should still definitely work for prototyping. He ran the layers larger than normal to shorten the print time on this one, (9 hours as opposed to 12.5) and that might have caused the warping.

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[Jtaylor]

Wouldn't one of the Moultrie 6v solar panels wired to the battery tray and rechargeable batteries in the battery tray be enough? Asking because I'd like to go this route rather than paying for a cellular plan.

 

[IkemanTX]

Wouldn't one of the Moultrie 6v solar panels wired to the battery tray and rechargeable batteries in the battery tray be enough? Asking because I'd like to go this route rather than paying for a cellular plan.

It will officially work, but with rechargeable batteries in the tray it will not be running at the same voltage as if standard batteries were in it. That would permanently put the camera at 9-10 volts as opposed to 12v.


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