Permanent Trail Cam Power

[IkemanTX]

Well, a little progress…

The 3D printed boxes are in texas finally. My brother’s station with the Air Force was changed so they pieces he printed were packed away until he came through for the holidays.

The rest of the pieces to put it all together have been ordered, along with a small spot welder so i am not degrading any of the batteries with excess heat from the soldering process. I think the furthest delivery estimate for parts is January 11th, so hopefully i can get them assembled quickly after that.

I am thinking of doing a small build video for the two boxes i will be putting together, and will post it up here if i do.


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[IkemanTX]

Just realized I never updated this…

The first round of boxes had too much warping from temperature changes during the print cycle. Life got pretty busy, so the project got out on hold for a while until a few weeks ago when I decided to get everything ordered to complete the project. All components are ordered, most have arrived already, and I ordered a pair of newly designed boxes to house it.

Total size is 125mm X 95mm X 35mm tall.
The internal batteries are 2,800 mAh Nickel-metal-hydride rechargeable batteries connected in series (positive-negative-positive-negative) to make a 12V pack.

I found some small, flat, 12v solar panels that will perfectly cover the back of the box. I made it 5mm wider length and width wise to protect the edges of the panel.

With the files sent out today, I should have the final high quality boxes in hand in the next 2 weeks. I rendered the 12v regulator and directional diode into the box just for size reference. The main empty space in the compartment will be taken up mostly by wires, and the holes on opposite sides will be waterproof bulkhead DC wire plugs.






I also added some lithium battery only setups to the DIY task list and will provide more info for those when the final components arrive.
I am building those out of LifePo4 32700 cells that have 6,000 mAh. So, the external pack is the equivalent of 2 full sets of Energizer Extreme Lithium batteries. They should provide 16-18 months worth of power even on video mode at the ultra setting.
Now to order several 256gb cards so the cameras don’t fill up. 4 of those makes a 12v pack, and i will be using a Battery Management Board with active balanced charging to keep the batteries in good shape.



All said and done, between the Gen 1 solar batteries, the Gen 2 ones, and the battery only packs, i will have external power for 10 cameras with a minimum of 18 months on video mode.


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[shaness]

Just curious - how do you plan to keep the squirrels, raccoons, etc. from chewing up your wires?

I gave up on similar efforts in my younger days and decided to re-invest that time in killing squirrels, raccoons, etc.

[12ring]

I read through this whole thing, just waiting to get to the bottom so I could pose the above question, lol.

[gonzojul]

Thanks for the idea.

[IkemanTX]

So, the BMS (battery management system) boards finally arrived from China, so i assembled a couple of the lithium battery only packs.

They worked like a charm.







With the lag bolt/lag screw mount system I use for my cameras, I should have JUST enough space to Velcro these packs to the back of the camera and not be any more visible for other people on public land to find them. Obviously these will end up painted camo to help hide them. I am thinking a sponge paint job when all 6 are done.

This is the equivalent of 2 entire sets of lithium ultimate batteries and should last at least 16-18 months, without internal batteries, almost no matter how much it triggers. I am pairing them with at least 128 Gb cards so that the cards don’t fill too fast.

Now if the 3D printing would finally ship…. I would get that portion of the project started.


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[IkemanTX]

Just curious - how do you plan to keep the squirrels, raccoons, etc. from chewing up your wires?

I gave up on similar efforts in my younger days and decided to re-invest that time in killing squirrels, raccoons, etc.

I haven’t had any problems with wire chewing yet.
I’m guessing I could spray them down with ghost pepper oil to slow them down if it becomes a problem.


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[IkemanTX]

The 3D prints came in, with 2 minor issues that were entirely my fault. I hadn’t noticed that 2 of my design components weren’t touching the main box when I merged the objects during exporting. The extra support for the mounting screw hex head, and the 12V lettering on the outside were each slightly separate, causing the printing of those components to fail.
The Hex head support was 0.2mm off and the 12V lettering was 0.1mm, so neither component adhered to the box. Minor imperfections, to be honest, and not required for it to function.

This is the failed hex head component. And the 12V lettering didn’t fall off until I unwrapped it. So close to adhering!!!



I am only home in Texas for 16 hours tonight between work trips, so I won’t be soldering and assembling parts until next week at the earliest. But, here is a rough dry fit.

10 AA’s (NiMh) soldered into a 12V pack fit perfectly with room for wiring.


The 1.5w solar panel fit perfectly with enough room around the edges to protect the edges of the panel.


Size comparison vs a Browning Dark Ops camera. These should be east to conceal after a camo paint job.


The holes for the waterproof female DC plugs were absolutely perfect, and the hole for the solar panel aligned precisely. Looks like all the time taking notes with calipers paid off.



I can’t wait to get these things finished now… I am so stoked!!!


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[IkemanTX]

I have been flying 5 days a week for work, so progress is CRAWLING on this project. But, after this paint job all I have left is assembly!









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[JES]

Nice work, a lot of time and detail has gone into this.

Question, how do you connect the two parts of the box? The lid to the box part?

[IkemanTX]

Permanent Trail Cam Power

Nice work, a lot of time and detail has gone into this.

Question, how do you connect the two parts of the box? The lid to the box part?

They are going to be sealed with a silicon based adhesive. I had originally thought of doing a small screw in each corner, but they would have to be so small, I doubt they would have added any structural integrity.

Here she is all drying up.

https://youtube.com/shorts/NtZiSi9ryBQ?feature=share

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[PROD49]

Just curious why a conventional rechargeable 12V battery with a solar panel wouldn't work? I've packaged that up in a small plastic ammo case and attached to my camera post off the ground with good success in the past. I just use rechargeable AA batteries in them now since I'm able to check cameras every 2-3 weeks. I definitely like the size of your arrangement better.

This is what I did and has been running great for 2 years.

[IkemanTX]

Permanent Trail Cam Power

This is what I did and has been running great for 2 years.

These smaller boxes are for public land where the size of a normal SLA battery isn’t conducive to concealment…


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[IkemanTX]

Well. I couldn’t wait until clear skies. The storm moved mostly past, so I put one up. I have a couple cords on order specifically for these 2 solar boxes that will be sponge painted to match, so ignore the jet black extra thick cord.










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[JES]

If it was me, I would place the box higher up on the tree so that any reflection from the solar panel isn't at, or below, eye level.