12v LifePo4 Battery for Trail Cameras-DIY Build

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Amazon Link to all products in the 12vLifePo4 Build:
www.amazon.com/shop/thehandyh...
Check out these cool LifePo4 batteries if you don't want to build your own:
6ah-LifePo4 Battery: amzn.to/48ipPCp
10ah-LifePo4 Battery: amzn.to/3Sd5tVJ
12ah-LifePo4 Battery: amzn.to/3TMNC9c
12v LifePo4 battery packs are gaining in popularity to add extended life to trail cameras, security cameras, and other gadgets due to their long life and superior performance. LifePo4 batteries tend to have an edge over lithium ion both in terms of cycle life (it lasts 4-5x longer), and safety. This is a big advantage because lithium ion batteries are at a higher risk of overheating and can even catch fire, while LifePo4 batteries do not.
In the past, I would drop a SLA (sealed lead acid) battery in a plastic ammo box to provide backup power to my trail cameras. Although this is an easy and cost effective approach, it is not without problems. Two of my biggest issues with this setup was water and bug intrusion. Many times this led to premature death of the battery which ended up costing me more money to replace. After years of frustration, I started building my own 12v LifePo4 battery builds and I couldn't be happier.
A 12v LifePo4 battery build is easy with the right tools and supplies. In this video, I go step by step into building this 12v 6ah LifePo4 battery setup and show all the tools and materials required for the project. The project box I use is waterproof and bug proof while the cable is wrapped in stainless braid to prevent squirrel and rat damage.
This external battery for trail cameras is protected by a PCB board that protects the LifePo4 batteries from both over discharge and over charging! The PCB also has charging balance which equalizes each battery and extends the life of the entire pack. I would not be surprised if this DIY 12v LifePo4 battery pack last 10 years! We'll see!
Amazon Link: Complete 12vLifePo4 Build: a.co/1zCCSDQ
Contact:
HHSteve@protonmail.com

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Опубликовано:

22 июн 2022

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Комментарии : 169

@TheHandyHunter 5 месяцев назад

Hey guys, the DIY build is great in this video but I'm now using the prebuilt LifePo4 batteries because they've come down in price. I've been using these for a while now and they work great! The links are in the description of the video or here: 6ah-LifePo4 Battery: amzn.to/48ipPCp 10ah-LifePo4 Battery: amzn.to/3Sd5tVJ 12ah-LifePo4 Battery: amzn.to/3TMNC9c

@pie55555555 4 месяца назад

can you sell them already build?

@TheHandyHunter 4 месяца назад

You can buy them from Amazon at the links above. They work great!

@pie55555555 4 месяца назад

@@TheHandyHunter Ihave a question.if i buy a 12 volt lifepo4 battery and its written on the port of my trail camera DC12V/1A,can I use a 12 volt lifepo4 with any amount fo amps ?

@TheHandyHunter 4 месяца назад

Those 12volt LifePo4 batteries are perfect for trail/cell cameras. Trail cams don’t really pull any amps so you’ll be ok.

@pie55555555 3 месяца назад

@@TheHandyHunter Thanks , I just bought 2 lifepo4 battery for 2 of my trail cam to try. If its working as expected, I will buy one for all my other cameras.

@hashtagjustadad5110 Год назад

BRILLIANT!!!! You got my attention!!!

@seansmith3747 Год назад

Thank you for sharing this. Im going to try this with my stealth cam

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

You are welcome! Good luck!

@RobertZullo Год назад

Well done!

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Thank you!

@yankey4 2 года назад

Love it brother. One small tip. Best not to solder to the tops of the cells if you can. Just weld a tab on that your wires are pre solder to or after. The #1 thing I see that kills cells is them being solder to. I hope this duse not upset you. Not trying to be that guy. I am fare from it. Those look grate. Them cells are grate! I used a case to make a park for a friends hunting camper. He loved it so much now he is using it to run his lights in his man cave lol. Keep up the grate work brother. God Bless.

@TheHandyHunter 2 года назад

Great suggestion brother! I actually hate soldering and love the spot welder anyway. I’ve done it the way you are suggesting on some of my solar packs with small batteries because it’s easier and I didn’t want to heat them up. Thanks for the suggestion!

@dr.sethbarr9351 Год назад

Newbie question. What’s the difference between welding and soddering in this case? And why not sodder?

@yankey4 Год назад

@@dr.sethbarr9351 The soldering process requires a lot of heat over time. The Spot Welding is a Lot of heat real fast. The cells don't like a lot of heat. So the welding is beater for the cells over all. But if you don't care about extreme longevity of the cells or just are using older cells. Solder is fine.

@prostreet4975 Год назад

Where do you get the tin to solder to the batteries

@dr.sethbarr9351 Год назад

@@prostreet4975 Mine came with the welding (not soddering) kit that was posted here. That thing is awesome. I highly recommend.

@dr.sethbarr9351 Год назад

So after building 9 of these I can say these things are AWESOME. Big thanks to the Handy Hunter for putting this video together. Make sure to get the stuff via his link so he gets some credit for the work he put into make these. Couple of things I've noticed while building. 1) You really need to make sure that the hole for the plug is as close to the top as possible. I like to keep the box together when drilling that hole as to not crack the lip of the box and ruin it. 2) As mentioned before in the comments, its best to not sodder wires to the batter but to sodder to a strip first then weld it to the battery. 3) There is absolutely no way you can make one of these in 10 minutes even if you have all the stuff laid out. There is 10 sodders per each of these. Its a lot. I'd realistically expect to spend a minimum of 30 minutes on each one, probably longer.

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Great feedback! Thanks for sharing! Keep in touch and let us know how these work out for you over the coming months.

@gosteelers8322 Год назад

I just finished my first one and the charger works, as expected. However, the one BIG issue I'm having or seeing is the fact that the "DC Power Pigtail Cable,3FT DC 5.5MM x 2.1MM Male Plug to Bare Wire Open End Power Wire" that I purchased from the Amazon site, per the provided instructions from this channel, seems to not "seat-in firmly" into the external 12v DC input jack on both of my Browning Trail camera models, "BTC-PATRIOT-FHD" Patriot and my "BTC-5HDE" Strike Force Elite HD trail cameras here. ANYONE ELSE having this issue, as well, when connecting to the Browning Trail camera's external 12v DC input jack, by chance? It's looking to me that the power cable should include a "twist lock or keyed" plug on the end of the DC power cable which should connect "firmly" into the bottom of these Browning Trail Camera's external 12v DC Input jack, by design.

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

I run brownings too but are you having a problem with the size of the barrel fitting in the jack or is the plastic on the plug preventing the barrel from going in far enough? I usually take a sharp knife or razor blade and shear off a little plastic from the edge so the plug can go in further. I wish they made locking plugs but I’ve never seen them on a trail cam.

@gosteelers8322 Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter I finally got the DC power cable to fit much better and secure now. I simply "sliced off" about 1/32" or thereabouts of the end of the black, hard rubberized material that surrounds the metal barrel of this connector that goes straight into the external 12V power jack of the camera. There was just a tad too much of that black rubberized shielding on the barrel itself on original DC supply cable that was preventing me from getting it to slide in all the way and make that good, solid connection. Now, its working perfectly.

@tr-mn4di 4 месяца назад

How do these hold up in sub freezing temperatures? Also, any idea on the life expectancy?

@Isaacmantx Год назад

I recognize those 32650 cells! I still haven’t put together my last 3 packs yet. Life got busy and I didn’t even get a chance to get cameras into the woods this year.

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

I hear ya…life gets busy quickly! I totally understand that!! You’ll like this setup though!

@rtrbamaps Год назад

I have now built two of these and have the parts to build two more!!! Materials ordered for #"s 5 and 6!

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Awesome! My 6ah packs are getting 7 months of use before needing recharging.

@rtrbamaps Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter That is great! Thanks for the idea and guidance. I will soon test a solar charger on one of mine. All are within sunlights reach... even if I have to run a cord. I have a gate camera with close to 50' of cord connecting a battery/charger and a ground battery that works well.

@allenstone3218 Год назад

Great idea and amazing packs. Maybe this will be a helpful, if you use tape at the end of your stainless wire (where you cut) it will make a clean cut. Also try using heat shrink on the ends to hold it instead of wire.

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Great suggestions! Thanks for sharing!

@vincedriggers2045 Год назад

I love this setup. I would be interested in seeing if solar panel would work and be able to test battery level in the field.

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

I haven’t tested with a solar panel but it might work. I don’t use solar on these because I use this box for deep cover where there’s low light. I have a better setup for solar which uses a much smaller battery. You can definitely test battery level in the field with a voltage tester testing at the plug…inside is positive and outside is negative. I’m going to be testing the battery level for the first time next week so we’ll see how it goes. It’s been out almost 3 months.

@jacksprat7087 7 месяцев назад

I do mine a little different. I use 4 LiFePo4 batteries hooked in parallel. Between the solar panel and the batteries I use a Buck Converter with set output at 3.5 volts. The current goes to zero when the batteries get to 3.5v. Between the batteries and cam I use a boost converter set to either 6 or 12v. The boost converter shuts off at 2 volts protecting the batteries from low voltage. I have several that have been deployed (unattended) for 5 years. Using 3.5v instead of 3.62 is said to double their lifetime. I have some pics if interested. The converters are cheap on eBay. Being parallel the batteries are by definition always balanced.

@TheHandyHunter 7 месяцев назад

Great suggestion and interesting setup! I’m always interested in new designs that last! Can you shoot me a pic to hhsteve@protonmail.com…thanks for sharing!!!

@waynelaurabunnell2798 7 месяцев назад

Hello could you send me pictures as well as I’ll be building some of these soon. Thanks

@jacksprat7087 7 месяцев назад

@@waynelaurabunnell2798 I need your email address.

@scott21ny Год назад

Gonna build some of these for my trail cameras. Thanks for such a well done overview! I used your links for my purchase. One question, after building do I have to rig something like you did with fans to drain the batteries and test the pcb function? If I don’t have fans is there something else I can use?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

You don’t need to drain it to test pcb. Just top it off and put it to work.

@jacksprat7087 6 месяцев назад

I quit using the cylinder type LiFePo4 batteries. I’m now using the rectangular type with each rated at 24Ah, 3.62V. No need to put them in parallel as one battery is enough. Just put a Buck Converter between the battery and the solar panel and a Boost Converter between the battery and the camera.

@TheHandyHunter 6 месяцев назад

Great and simple idea! Thanks for sharing!

@TheHandyHunter 6 месяцев назад

Can you post a link to the battery you are using?

@jacksprat7087 6 месяцев назад

It’s called a Prismatic Lithium Iron Phosphate battery. 6” tall, 2-3/4” wide, and 1” thick. Rated at 24 Ah. Mine were blue. Uses screw terminals on top. Got mine on Amazon. Original price was 4 for $89. For some reason they gave me a $35 credit. I didn’t argue.

@fredeckhardt3377 Год назад

I love this system! Can the camera batteries still be used in the tray as backup while using this system? Will this work on a 6 volt 1.5 amp camera? Thanks for your great teachings!

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

I do run lithium batteries in the internal camera as a backup. My Brownings automatically switch over when the external battery dies. You can regulate this 12v battery down to 6 volts with a Buck converter easily. Good luck!

@genesmith4386 8 месяцев назад

@@TheHandyHunterAs someone who knows nothing about batteries, I did not understand what you said. How do you switch over from a 12v to a 6v? Mind doing a video?

@lucfillion4809 Год назад

Nice Kit!! Where did you buy the PCB 4s l didn’t find your there is so many different one,

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Click in the Amazon link in the description and it’s in our store. The whole build is in there for you to check out. Thx!

@yankey4 2 года назад

BTW Do you think I need to add some desiccant packs to mine? Here in the south it's hot at wet. 99% humidity and 86 F right now at 6:42 am..

@TheHandyHunter 2 года назад

If you have some it probably wouldn’t hurt!

@waynethomas6024 Год назад

would you build this battery kit &put in store for us not good at putting things together. love your videos. wayne

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Man, I wish I had time! Thanks for the suggestion though!

@Boogaloo94 9 месяцев назад

I picked up a couple of the lifepo4 batteries off amazon that you suggested lower in the comments. Curious how you're making the leads for the cameras, and are you putting anything over the terminals to help against the weather?

@TheHandyHunter 9 месяцев назад

I just use spade terminals with no special protection. So far no problems. I’d be pretty easy to slide some wire protector over the terminals if needed. Good luck!

@dubosecody 11 месяцев назад

I opted for the 6aH batteries that you recently listed in the description because I can also use them for some of our feeders. How would you wire that battery into the box with the power cable and the charging port when the PCB isn’t involved? Can I just pull a jumper from the positive and negative cables connecting to the battery terminals and run it to the charging port?

@TheHandyHunter 11 месяцев назад

Sorry, I don’t understand what you are asking. Are you trying to wire the battery into a feeder box?

@dubosecody 11 месяцев назад

nah, I’m trying to build the battery box for the trail cameras using the 6ah battery instead of the 4 individual batteries being connected together since I’m already using those batteries for feeders. But I’m not quite sure how to wire in the charging port. I’m thinking I can wire it similarly to how a solar panel connects to a battery.

@TheHandyHunter 11 месяцев назад

You’ll connect the solar directly to the terminals using a piggyback spade connector. Then on your wire from the piggyback connector to the camera install a 12v buck converter or 7812 regulator to prevent high voltage passthrough from your solar. The pcb within the battery should regulate charging. Hope that helps!

@nathansanders9559 Год назад

Nice pack. How long did it last on a single charge with your camera?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Hi Nathan, I don’t know yet but will let you know. I put it out about a month ago and may not check it for another month from now. Hoping to get many months on one charge. Stay in touch!

@rerailmark Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter well?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Still going…may check after Christmas and update

@onedashusmc Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter results?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

I got 7 months on a full charge. A general way to look at it is for each 1ah in the battery you’ll get one month of use. So 6ah = 6/7 mos from my experience. All depends on camera and number of videos etc. Hope that helps.

@SteveZ919 Год назад

Can you show how you paint your different camo patterns?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

If you watch my recent Reolink video I show how I do the sponge effect camo. I hope that helps!

@kennydorsch4414 Год назад

Hmmmm...with the prices of lithium aa's this is becoming more intriguing to me! in theory, what are the 12 energizer lithium aa's equivalent to in a set up like this? should the 12v6ah hour last longer then the aa lithiums ???

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

According to their specs…3.5Ah..so half of the Ah in the video setup. Plus, they aren’t rechargeable unless you get rechargeable AA’s.

@albertdik3376 Год назад

Would a after marker Milwaukee m12 battery be a safe and good option for this?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

As long as you regulate the voltage down to 12v with a buck converter

@IronmanOutdoors 6 месяцев назад

Our men's ministry runs Covert Cameras....I have some areas where cell service isn't great and we are going thru AA Energizer batteries every couple of weeks. What type of solar panel and set up do you recommend? Any links to where I can purchase? I enjoy your videos!

@TheHandyHunter 6 месяцев назад

Thank you! Cell cams can be power hogs. Do you have full sun in these areas? If not, I would look at the 12v LifePo4 batteries on Amazon. You can build them DIY but they are getting cheaper to the point I just buy them and they work great. There are a lot of prebuilt solar/battery packs on Amazon now but I haven’t tried them although I have heard good things so far. I have a couple cell cams with solar that can’t keep up so I switched to larger LifePo4 batteries and recharge them every few months. Hope that helps!

@morinlouis8314 Год назад

I'm not sure I understand. In the introduction you highlighted a specific PCB board. Then a battery charger different from the others. My question is can I use a standard battery charger?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

No, you need a battery charger specifically made to charge LifePo4 batteries. It will say on the battery charger if it charges LifePo4.

@dr.sethbarr9351 Год назад

Just got the materials today. Can I ask what 'gear' setting did you use for the weld to the battery?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

I use gear 8 on the battery ends but use gear 2/3 on the pcb contacts, otherwise you will fry the pcb contacts with too much heat. Hope that helps!

@dr.sethbarr9351 Год назад

You weld the 3 pcb leads? In the video it looks like you have sodder on them?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Yep, I use solder when I’m forced to use wire and can’t spot weld. Just be as quick as possible to not overheat. Some people will spot weld a little tab and then solder to that. Good luck!

@dr.sethbarr9351 Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter Very helpful! So in theory soddering the wire to to a little tab then spot welding that tab to the pcd board at gear 2/3 would be better / safer for the pcb board

@dr.sethbarr9351 Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter One more question! I see the 32650 battery you have listed is replaced by the 32700 serries. Same volts but higher mAH (6000 vs 5000). Will this batter work with the pcb board you have listed?

@davetoms63 10 месяцев назад

How long do these last compared to lithium aa batteries (before needing recharging)

@TheHandyHunter 10 месяцев назад

I’ve never used AA rechargeable so I’m not sure. This 6ah battery last me 6 to 7 months in the field. Hope that helps.

@percylathamwhiteiii7672 Год назад

Can the charging port be used with a solar panel? Assuming a charge controller would be needed

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

I haven’t tested it with solar but don’t know why it wouldn’t work. Don’t need a controller because the onboard bms will manage charge protection. Good luck!

@genesmith4386 8 месяцев назад

Can I use this 12v that you created for my 6v trail camera?

@TheHandyHunter 8 месяцев назад

Yes, you install a buck converter and adjust it to max output of 6-7volts and you are good to go. They are cheap too. Good luck!

@gosteelers8322 Год назад

At "16:55" timestamp of your video, can you please tell me what "model, make, and type of cooling fans" you opted to go with as your "fan bank" load when recharging this "12v LifePo4 Battery Unit" to drain it persay and hit the "low-voltage" value (11.1 Volts) so that this rechargeable battery pack unit gets a complete or full charge? I see so many different sizes and types that I'm unsure of what to buy when making this "fan bank" similar to the one you've made for this video.

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Heres the ones I use…Dorhea 4PCS 80x80x15mm Fan 12V... www.amazon.com/dp/B092QR7QM1?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Hope that helps!

@gosteelers8322 Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter Thank for your response and the "fan" info, as well.

@robertwaltersmith Год назад

Having a hard time finding those cells. Would you expect any 32650 LiFePO4 3.2v cell to be fine?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Yep, you can also substitute 32700 batteries as well. They are very similar. Everybody seems to be having trouble locating the 32650’s for some reason. Good luck!

@JSmartnick Год назад

AliExpress has 32700 batteries in 12.8Ah (Green in color). I bought 24 for $100 shipped, just received them the other day.

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Good to know…thanks!!

@nathansanders9559 Год назад

Have you ever thought of using a dewalt 12 battery?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

I haven’t but it would be a very easy solution to rig up and recharge! I hear about people doing it. Good luck!

@dr.sethbarr9351 Год назад

About how long did it take to drain the battery using the fans? I think my pcb board might be faulty and need a way to drain them

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Depends on how many you use. When I hook up 4 it still takes several hours. What you may need to do is reset the pcb by touching the tabs with a 12v battery. Just a quick tap is all it takes. I’ve had to do that before as well.

@dr.sethbarr9351 Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter that would be sweet. Mine pack clocked in at 7 volts. Can’t be good for the batteries. Surprised they still work. Can you explain what you mean by touch the tabs with a 12v

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Is this new build or existing one you are trying to recharge? On a new build you may have to touch a 12v battery to the main pos and neg on the pcb to start up the pcb. If its an old build you may have to charge each battery to slightly bring the total pack back into pcb charging range. The pcb shouldnt let the charge go that low before shutting down but it happens…they are perfect. Hope that helps!

@dr.sethbarr9351 Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter it’s an existing build. I’ve had 2 so far drop into the 5 and 7 volts respectively. The 7 charged back up. The 5 wou my my budge and I’m wondering if the batteries are shot? You are saying to charge each individual battery? If so how would I go about that? Is there a way to see if the PCB board is faulty on the ones dropping into the single digit land?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Not really sure how to know if pcb is faulty other than it continually going below threshold. Your batteries are probably not bad. You can charge a couple diff ways. I use a benchtop power supply that you can select exact voltage. If you dont have one then i would use a 9v battery and put a buck converter on it and adjust it to about 3.7 or so for each battery. You just need to get the pack charge a little higher for the pcb to work. Lastly, if all else fails switch to using the 6ah LIFEPO4 brick batteries now on amazon. I’ve had great success so far and they are only $25 or so. They already have pcb built in so it’s a plug and play. Hope that helps

@jlinde371 Год назад

4s pack of lipo4 is 14.6V, thats apparently not too high for the camera? I wonder if 4s lion fully charged 16.8v is to high? What made you decide to use Lifepo4 and not say 3s LION or LIPO? fully charged voltage of 12.6v depleted 10.5

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

The pcb board regulates the highest voltage at 13.5 volts and prevents overcharging. I wouldnt use LifePo4 or Lithium without a pcb. I dont like the 3-lithium packs because they take a much bigger solar panel to charge. A 1.5w panel will easily charge a LifePo4 pack. Hope that helps.

@freedomiseverything2767 Год назад

Lithium-ion self discharge rate is considerably lower than let us who it only self-discharge at 2% per month. lithium ions voltage drop off was considerably less making it ideal for trail cameras.

@chuozngtran7072 Год назад

Can you use this battery on 12V deer feeder? thank

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

You sure can but getting it to fit inside a spinner box might be a challenge. You could rig it on the outside.

@gosteelers8322 Год назад

Have you ever seen where your "cutoff voltage" was "12 Volts", and no lower, from any of your previous builds, by chance? I've built three, thus far, and all three had a "cutoff voltage" at "11.1 - 11.3 Volts" and a charged output voltage of "13.5 - 13.57 Volts" thus far. Currently, this one I just finished building last evening is presently being "charged" right now. Anxious to see what the end result will be for the "output voltage" once fully charged. Just curious about this build, since the first three went without a "HITCH" thus far. I guess there's always going to be that ONE that stands out from the others as we say.

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Never had one cut off at 12 volts. You may want to exchange that pcb just in case. Good luck!!

@gosteelers8322 Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter Thank you for the quick response and feedback, as well.

@gosteelers8322 Год назад

(Update) - The Output voltage reading, after a full charge, is currently showing "13.75 V" ..... a tad higher than the previous three where the voltage reading was showing "13.5 - 13.57 Volts" with my previous three builds.

@jameshz1 Год назад

What part do you use to reduce to 6 volts?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Use a simple buck converter and set it to 6 volts…works perfectly

@terswan18 Год назад

How long does it take to charge this battery pack from completely dead to fully charged?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Hard to say because I haven’t times it but my best guess would be about 3 hours. Hope that helps.

@terswan18 Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter Thanks

@JSmartnick Год назад

Do you have suggestions for other batteries? The one's you are showing are no longer available. Excellent video too, very well explained!

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Sometimes batteryhookup.com will have them but you may have to do some searching if Amazon is out. Hope that helps.

@Blttaylor23 10 месяцев назад

How many ah is the battery you build? Do you still build your own or buy the already made one now?

@TheHandyHunter 10 месяцев назад

This one was 6ah. I no longer build my own due to the success of the LifePo4 batteries I’ve bought off Amazon. Can’t beat the price vs DIY. Good luck!

@Blttaylor23 10 месяцев назад

What enclosure do you put the battery into? Also is it possible to charge these with solar panels? I couldn’t see why not but I figured you would know

@TheHandyHunter 10 месяцев назад

I don’t use an enclosure. I just lightly sand and paint then I epoxy a u-bolt to hang on the tree or post. Works great. You can use a solar panel but Im still trying to decide which watt panel is all around best. Testing 2w-5w. A lot depends on how much shade you have therefore needing more watts.

@Blttaylor23 10 месяцев назад

@@TheHandyHunter that makes sense could you possibly post a picture of how you have it set up? It’s weird to think of all the terminals and connections exposed

@TheHandyHunter 10 месяцев назад

I dont have a pic since they are all in the woods. You can definitely put it in a box but I was trying to keep it a small as possible. The exposed terminals are covered once you slide on the connectors and i have not had a problem so far. You can still put some wire protector on your cable all the way down to the connectors. Depending which way you put the ubolt the terminals can be on the bottom or the top. I tend to hang them off the bottom and hang right next to the cam. Then it’s just a short cable over to the bottom of the cam jack.

@gaelewis6623 5 месяцев назад

Can you run tactacam reveal cameras on solar power only without batteries?

@TheHandyHunter 5 месяцев назад

Not sure. You definitely need solar plus an external battery but some cams still require internal batteries to run. In this case just run lithium batteries inside the cam so they don’t leak.

@silentbutdeadlyoutdoors 2 года назад

Can you connect a solar panel to the charger input?

@TheHandyHunter 2 года назад

I don’t see why not but I would test it first. I use these back in the woods where I don’t get good sun but it might be worth trying it with solar. I would test it in full sun to see how the PCB manages the higher input voltage and whether it keeps it in the 12v safe range before plugging into a cam. If it past the first test I would then drain the battery and then see how long solar takes to recharge it. I would probably start with a 5watt panel and see what happens. If it takes too long then go bigger. Let me know if you give it a shot! Good luck!

@dr.sethbarr9351 Год назад

Did you test the solar and did it work?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

I didn’t test the solar because I dont plan on using solar with this pack. I don’t see why a 5watt panel wouldn’t keep it charged though. I use this pack in dense cover where solar wouldn’t be productive but it should do fine with solar in good light!

@MrBobWareham Год назад

Nice video but NO fuse from the battery, so any short would be very bad!!

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

I dont use any fuses on my trail cam setups. Just have to be careful not to touch while you are building. So far so good.

@huntermark1160 9 месяцев назад

I just built one of these. I checked the output and it read 13.09. I plugged it into one of my cameras and it did not turn on. I put the batteries back in after unplugging it from the box. It no longer works at all. Is it possible that it fried the camera??

@TheHandyHunter 9 месяцев назад

13.09 volts is normal and won’t fry your camera. I would check the polarity on the plug. The inside should be positive and the outside of the barrel should be negative. It’s easy to get them switched. What type of cam is it?

@marks3478 9 месяцев назад

@@TheHandyHunter, I used the black outside and the red inside to get the reading. The camera is an apeman camera. I plan on using the box for my Tactacam cell trail camera. It’s still in the field so I haven’t brought it in yet. I also want to camouflage the battery box first.

@huntermark1160 9 месяцев назад

@@TheHandyHunter, So after further research, the Apeman wildgame cameras are 6volt cameras. I’m guessing that by plugging in the 13 volt box, it fried something in the camera?

@TheHandyHunter 9 месяцев назад

Yep, most likely. If you get a replacement be sure to put a buck converter on your box and reduce down to 6 volt range.

@erokjenkins Год назад

Would you recommend this type of setup for cell cam? Also, the two Amazon battery packs pre-built that you linked…what is the process for using those? Solder a cable to pos/neg then into camera?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

The battery links I shared seem to be the future. They already have a bms and they are LifePo4 for only $22+. The 10ah is $35. All you need is to epoxy a hanging hook and add a cam cable with spade connectors. This is what I’m testing now and it’s good so far!

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

I would definitely use for cell cam but would probably go with the 10ah. Good luck!

@erokjenkins Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter do you have a video on setting that up with one of those packs?

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Not yet. Still testing but hopefully soon. It’s a good gamble I think for this type of battery. Don’t need to build it yourself or buy special tools. Cheapest way with the best kind of battery. Almost too good to be true…we’ll see!

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Not yet but I will in the future

@saxaloquuntur 2 месяца назад

Can you please put complete build link again? This one dont work any more for me

@TheHandyHunter 2 месяца назад

The link still works from my end. Here's the link again and maybe this will help. Thanks, www.amazon.com/shop/thehandyhunter/list/2VSHSP8MKEYS6?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_aipsfthehandyhunter_VJM6BG2YSSVNY0RYS71S

@bigbuck2720 Год назад

What is total cost per battery box without paint

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

I would say it cost around $40 but you can click on the link to our Amazon store for this build and add it all up.

@bigbuck2720 Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter thanks

@JBs_trucks_and_whitetail_bucks Год назад

How long does the battery’s last

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Running a field test on it now. Just checked at 3 mos and it dropped from 13.5 down to 13.13volts so its still considered full. At this pace it looks like this battery could last over a year without recharging. Hope that helps.

@JBs_trucks_and_whitetail_bucks Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter how many pictures in that 3 mo time period

@JBs_trucks_and_whitetail_bucks Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter my Tactacam revel is eating brand new Duracell optimum in about 4-5 day

@TheHandyHunter Год назад

Hundreds of 10sec videos on both test cams over 3mos. Pretty busy cams

@dr.sethbarr9351 Год назад

@@TheHandyHunter is that sending the videos via cellular too or only taking them? Awesome tutorial btw! Just trying to get a sense of how long to expect usage before recharging on cellular camera and also if a solar panel could be plugged into the charger port to be left out on the field indefinitely

@frankrb1 6 месяцев назад

Links are dead.

@TheHandyHunter 6 месяцев назад

Fixed! Thanks for the heads up!

@jimmyanthony6557 5 дней назад

You still running these setups?

@TheHandyHunter 5 дней назад

Yep still running and works good but an easier route is to just buy a prebuilt LifePo4 on Amazon because they are much cheaper now and come in larger Ah sizes. Hope that helps.

@jimmyanthony6557 5 дней назад

@@TheHandyHunter What Ah do you target?

@JustinDelacerda-hq1bp 11 месяцев назад

Would you be interested in making a few to sell?

@TheHandyHunter 11 месяцев назад

I just dont have time but if I were you I’d buy a 6ah LifePo4 battery off Amazon. They are cheaper now and you dont have to build them. That’s what I’m switching too since they’re now reasonably priced.

@JustinDelacerda-hq1bp 11 месяцев назад

Have a link on the ones you would use?

@JustinDelacerda-hq1bp 11 месяцев назад

Or what box would you recommend for the 6ah lifePO4?

@TheHandyHunter 11 месяцев назад

Feuruetc 6Ah 12V LiFePO4 Battery 2000 Cycles Maintenance-Free Rechargeable Battery Low Self-Discharge & Light Weight with Built-in BMS for Solar Power, Boat, RV Camper and More a.co/d/9BfvCmR

@TheHandyHunter 11 месяцев назад

This is the one I’ve been using. You can buy the bigger 12ah if you want double the Ah. I dont put these in a box. I epoxy a U-bolt on the back and hang them directly on a tree. Works great and cheaper.