Mains powered camera battery
2021-May-05, Wednesday 05:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
So picture it. (Or simply remember it.) A pandemic has struck, and lockdown implemented. You are now cut off from all your activities, socialising, friends, as they take place an hour's bus ride (or flight) away. The internet is your only connection. You have a desktop computer, but no webcam. And webcams are sold-out everywhere. What do/did you do?
I was quite lucky, in many ways, but specifically here in that a year before the pandemic I had upgraded to a rather fancy digital micro-four-thirds camera. And it just so happened to be one of the few that the camera manufacturer had enabled with not just HDMI output, but clean HDMI output. They posted an article detailing how to steam video with some Olympus cameras. Following the guide I got a HDMI capture device. (Or rather two; I got on a waiting list for the expensive kind, and ordered a UKĀ£10 version from ebay.) And a HDMI-to-micro-HDMI cable.
And for a few video chats my friends had to look at me in 4K. At least for a couple of hours, until the battery died. See the camera can be charged over USB, but not while actually in use. And the manufacturer does not sell a mains adapter for my model of camera. So I ended up buying the first webcam that came into stock.
Several months go by and I have acquired a 3D printer. I am browsing the internet for things I can do with a 3D printer and I find an article on camera tools which has some cool things, but as I browse the wider 3D printed camera stuff category I come across the concept of printing dummy batteries, to be able to use any size battery with your camera. I even found one for my exact battery, in the Olympus OM-D BLS-50 Dummy Battery. The instructions on assembly are on the original model. But my experience was not as smooth as that.
I had to cut JST connectors off a receiving-barrel-jack cable (because I could not find any other options). But then I had a cable to thread through the openings. I ordered the crimp spade connectors, clamped them around the cables, and bent them appropriately. Putting them into the 3D printed slots caused the slots to break off. So I glued it all back together (and added some glue to secure the wires as well).
Then I tested for continuity and couldn't find any. I scrapped the patina off the connectors, and got continuity, but the camera battery terminals didn't connect. The 3D printed wall is too deep. So I soldered very large blobs of solder to the connectors (while trying not to melt the print) to bring them level with the outside of the print.
But it seems the spade connectors were simply too big, as I had to cut off a section of the printed lid in order to be able to close the case and insert it into the camera. But make it all work I did. Next step is to connect up your external battery.
My use case doesn't call for another battery though, it calls for mains power. But how much power? The official battery is marked as 7.2V, 1210mAh (1175mAh minimum). Not available locally, but definitely available on aliexpress, I ordered 7.2V barrel jack power adapters, one in 1A, and one in 1.5A. When they arrived I tried the set up in a less expensive camera, starting with the 1A. And stopped there, because everything worked fine. Now people will have to look at me in 4K until my sensor overheats!
This project has made me see the full potential of 3D printing. We're not just making our own pet projects. We can build things to add functionality that is not available at any price to the things we already own. And propagate it to the entire world. Okay, I get it now.
I was quite lucky, in many ways, but specifically here in that a year before the pandemic I had upgraded to a rather fancy digital micro-four-thirds camera. And it just so happened to be one of the few that the camera manufacturer had enabled with not just HDMI output, but clean HDMI output. They posted an article detailing how to steam video with some Olympus cameras. Following the guide I got a HDMI capture device. (Or rather two; I got on a waiting list for the expensive kind, and ordered a UKĀ£10 version from ebay.) And a HDMI-to-micro-HDMI cable.
And for a few video chats my friends had to look at me in 4K. At least for a couple of hours, until the battery died. See the camera can be charged over USB, but not while actually in use. And the manufacturer does not sell a mains adapter for my model of camera. So I ended up buying the first webcam that came into stock.
Several months go by and I have acquired a 3D printer. I am browsing the internet for things I can do with a 3D printer and I find an article on camera tools which has some cool things, but as I browse the wider 3D printed camera stuff category I come across the concept of printing dummy batteries, to be able to use any size battery with your camera. I even found one for my exact battery, in the Olympus OM-D BLS-50 Dummy Battery. The instructions on assembly are on the original model. But my experience was not as smooth as that.
I had to cut JST connectors off a receiving-barrel-jack cable (because I could not find any other options). But then I had a cable to thread through the openings. I ordered the crimp spade connectors, clamped them around the cables, and bent them appropriately. Putting them into the 3D printed slots caused the slots to break off. So I glued it all back together (and added some glue to secure the wires as well).
Connectors and wires glued into 3D printed case
Photo by chebe
Then I tested for continuity and couldn't find any. I scrapped the patina off the connectors, and got continuity, but the camera battery terminals didn't connect. The 3D printed wall is too deep. So I soldered very large blobs of solder to the connectors (while trying not to melt the print) to bring them level with the outside of the print.
Connectors recessed too back back behind print walls
Photo by chebe
But it seems the spade connectors were simply too big, as I had to cut off a section of the printed lid in order to be able to close the case and insert it into the camera. But make it all work I did. Next step is to connect up your external battery.
Dummy battery, with all adjustments, ready to go
Photo by chebe
My use case doesn't call for another battery though, it calls for mains power. But how much power? The official battery is marked as 7.2V, 1210mAh (1175mAh minimum). Not available locally, but definitely available on aliexpress, I ordered 7.2V barrel jack power adapters, one in 1A, and one in 1.5A. When they arrived I tried the set up in a less expensive camera, starting with the 1A. And stopped there, because everything worked fine. Now people will have to look at me in 4K until my sensor overheats!
Mains powered dummy battery in use in camera
Photo by chebe
This project has made me see the full potential of 3D printing. We're not just making our own pet projects. We can build things to add functionality that is not available at any price to the things we already own. And propagate it to the entire world. Okay, I get it now.