Question for the electronic guru's

[bone]

I have a predator trailcam that operates on 10 aa batteries or a 12 volt external battery. What I am thinking of doing is pluging a 12 volt solar panel into the camera where the external battery port is and splicing the wires inside the camera from the external plug to the wires that run off the 10 aa batteries and using rechargeable aa's. Will this work or am I an idiot? The only reason I am wanting to do it this way is so I can eleminate the big bulky external 12 volt. Thanks for any input.

[Coach W]

Thats a good question:

I have looked into it as well. Some of the external battery ports bypass the internal battery supply which would not work out for charging them. In the day light it would run off the solar charger and during night it would drain batteries that would never get a charge.

Thats my first thought on it but Im not sure if its right just a thought.

Second thought: rechargeable lithium-ion AA batteries are 3.6 volts. so 3.6 volts x 10 = 36 volts?

Your average AA alkaline battery produces 1.5 volts x 10 = 15 volts

And Lithium AA batteries are 3 volts x 10 = 30 volts which is why they last up to 2x longer.

I guess my question about this is: If it is a 12 volt system and your cranking 36 volts into it is it too much? Or is there a volt restrictor built in that keeps it at 12 volts?

[PSD Ryan]

I don't know the predator batteries but are they wired in series or parallel? Your idea can and has worked...but don't forget to put in a diode because solar panels work both ways.

[bone]

Not sure what you would call it but i can tell you there are 5 on one side and 5 on the other and they rotate positive and negative down each side. I have to ask what is a diode, and what do you meen they work both ways? THis shows how much I know about this stuff!

[bone]

I just checked and the rechargeables I have are nihm batteries and are 1.2v each so that makes 12v total.

[Loneaggie]

Will work as long as you are behind any diodes. The batteries are wired in series and should charge fine in theory.

[bone]

okay im sure i look like an idiot but what are diodes so i can figure out if im behind them

[PSD Ryan]

Diodes let electricity flow only one direction. Without it, the solar panel can also cause the batteries to quickly discharge if it's not being energized by sunlight.