External power source for Canon EOS

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alpraphoto

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Richard
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Hi! I'd be very grateful if anyone can help with a bit of tech electrical advise. I'm setting up a one year time lapse film with an external power source to the camera, which will be a Canon EOS 6D. I've bought an AC adaptor with dummy battery to go in the camera. I intend to run it off a 12V car/leisure battery, so I need a 12v to 240V inverter. I've been told to get a pure sine wave inverter, but I don't know what size/power rating to get. They range from 250w to 3000w plus. Can anyone advise? Much appreciated! Best wishes. Richard
 
Will you have a second 12v battery on hand for when you have to rechaarge the first one?
 
ecoleman said:
If all you intend to run on the inverter is the external power for the camera then 250W should be more than sufficient.
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Hi, thanks for confirming my suspicions. The AC adaptor is rated at 24W, but I was just worried in case I was missing something! Many thanks again
 
Giblets said:
Will you have a second 12v battery on hand for when you have to rechaarge the first one?
Click to expand...
Hi, thanks for the thought. I've just been thinking about that, plus also, how to monitor the charge/life of the battery. One option is to stick a standard battery in the camera while the big one is recharged; I already tested a standard battery that lasted 5 days. No idea how long the car battery would last though! Cheers
 
alpraphoto said:
No idea how long the car battery would last though! Cheers
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Car batteries are designed to output a lot of current for a short period of time (starting your car) and not for prolonged current draw which means any inverter will drain the car battery fairly quickly if not supported by the alternator.

You should always ensure the engine is running while using an inverter in a car.
 
A camping leisure battery is designed to work with a smaller output but for a longer period of time - but you'll need to be able to charge that or swap it over without disruption. Could possibly use a solar panel to charge - depends on the current draw of the inverter / camera vs the quality/duration of daylight.
 
ecoleman said:
Car batteries are designed to output a lot of current for a short period of time (starting your car) and not for prolonged current draw which means any inverter will drain the car battery fairly quickly if not supported by the alternator.

You should always ensure the engine is running while using an inverter in a car.
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Hi, thanks, yes, I understand that I need to get a leisure battery.
 
andrewc said:
A camping leisure battery is designed to work with a smaller output but for a longer period of time - but you'll need to be able to charge that or swap it over without disruption. Could possibly use a solar panel to charge - depends on the current draw of the inverter / camera vs the quality/duration of daylight.
Click to expand...
Hi, a solar panel would be great! I think that'll be the next thing to look at once I'm up and running. I think I'll monitor the battery life quite closely in the first month and then see how to proceed. You're right about disruption, I don't want to fiddle with the camera unless it's necessary as don't want to risk it moving even 1mm. I'll see how securely locked off it feels once it's set. It's on a heavy duty manfrotto 3 way tripod head and I've swapped the handles for bolts that I can tighten with a spanner!
 
alpraphoto said:
Hi, a solar panel would be great! I think that'll be the next thing to look at once I'm up and running. I think I'll monitor the battery life quite closely in the first month and then see how to proceed. You're right about disruption, I don't want to fiddle with the camera unless it's necessary as don't want to risk it moving even 1mm. I'll see how securely locked off it feels once it's set. It's on a heavy duty manfrotto 3 way tripod head and I've swapped the handles for bolts that I can tighten with a spanner!
Click to expand...

Oxford make a solar car battery trickle charger that might be man enough for the job. I use a couple to keep my bike batteries alive over the winter. https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/206242
 
I'd forget using an inverter and get a DC to DC converter and the DC Coupler.

store.canon.co.uk

Buy Canon DR-E6 DC Coupler

Shop online for Canon DR-E6 DC Coupler at Canon UK Store. Just one of the many great deals in Camera Power Adapters. Free shipping on all orders over £30!
store.canon.co.uk store.canon.co.uk

Then you need to get yourself a 12VDC to 7.2VDC converter. That way you're not converting 12VDC to 240VAC to convert it back down again meaning your car/leisure battery will last a whole lot longer.

www.cloudynights.com

12V adapter for EOS 6D? - DSLR, Mirrorless & General-Purpose Digital Camera DSO Imaging - Cloudy Nights

12V adapter for EOS 6D? - posted in DSLR, Mirrorless & General-Purpose Digital Camera DSO Imaging: Anyone using an adapter to power an EOS 6D from a 12V car battery? There is an Orion 12V adapter for $100, which seems expensive, but they dont list the 6D as a compatible model. Any other options...
www.cloudynights.com www.cloudynights.com

https://flic.kr/p/nZhRPE
View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hiroc/14431821792/
 
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Hi, thanks so much for this. I saw someone else had done this, but I had a look and had no idea where to find a 12V to 7.2V converter. Do you have any idea?
 
ecoleman said:
I'd forget using an inverter and get a DC to DC converter and the DC Coupler.

store.canon.co.uk

Buy Canon DR-E6 DC Coupler

Shop online for Canon DR-E6 DC Coupler at Canon UK Store. Just one of the many great deals in Camera Power Adapters. Free shipping on all orders over £30!
store.canon.co.uk store.canon.co.uk

Then you need to get yourself a 12VDC to 7.2VDC converter. That way you're not converting 12VDC to 240VAC to convert it back down again meaning your car/leisure battery will last a whole lot longer.

www.cloudynights.com

12V adapter for EOS 6D? - DSLR, Mirrorless & General-Purpose Digital Camera DSO Imaging - Cloudy Nights

12V adapter for EOS 6D? - posted in DSLR, Mirrorless & General-Purpose Digital Camera DSO Imaging: Anyone using an adapter to power an EOS 6D from a 12V car battery? There is an Orion 12V adapter for $100, which seems expensive, but they dont list the 6D as a compatible model. Any other options...
www.cloudynights.com www.cloudynights.com

https://flic.kr/p/nZhRPE
View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hiroc/14431821792/
Click to expand...
Hi, thanks so much for this. I saw someone else had done this, but I had a look and had no idea where to find a 12V to 7.2V converter. Do you have any idea? Also it would need battery clips rather than cigarette lighter plug
 
alpraphoto said:
Hi, thanks so much for this. I saw someone else had done this, but I had a look and had no idea where to find a 12V to 7.2V converter. Do you have any idea? Also it would need battery clips rather than cigarette lighter plug
Click to expand...

Here's one here


You can wire in what ever clips you like.
 
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