Remote Power Source for GL-2 at DVinfo.net

Rob Anderson · October 23rd, 2006, 10:10 AM

Folks,

For using a GL-2 for taping in wilderness areas (meaning away from any electricity for recharging for at least a week at a time), is there a way to solar charge or, better yet, find an adapter for a 12-V car battery that might provide power for 15-30 minutes/day? Is the answer a simple Radio Shack adapter purchase? I've seen other Canon cameras used in the wilderness powered off 12-V, but I noticed their voltages requirements differ from the GL-2.
Rob

David Ennis · October 23rd, 2006, 11:05 AM

Yes, there is a simple Radio Shack solution called an inverter. They cost about $30-40 and will convert 12V DC battery power to to an AC plug capable of supplying in the range of 100-150 watts of power--ample for the GL2 AC adapter. They are usually outfitted with a cigarette lighter plug, but if that doesn't work for you you can cut it off and put alligator clips on the leads.

There may be a 12V adapter available from Canon, but I think that the inverter is a better deal. You can watch TV while you're waiting for your next shot sequence 8>]

Rob Anderson · October 23rd, 2006, 11:14 AM

Fred,

Thanks. It's interesting that I called Canon tech support for help with this and they referred me to dvinfo for answers.

Alex Dolgin · October 23rd, 2006, 12:11 PM

We make 12V to 7.2V converters for this. It is a simpler and more efficient solution than generating 120V AC.
HTH

Harold Schreiber · October 23rd, 2006, 03:01 PM

Hi Rob,

Might I suggest the SIMA SUP-2 Universal Power Adapter, sold at Best Buy, Circuit City, Mico Center and likely other such places too. It has a number of different connectors and Voltage out puts.

It is very small and both AC and DC ready - you can use it in the wall or in the car. I'm running 4 of them due to their small size and AC-DC for my 4 Cams. They have worked great. I keep two of them attached to two of my TriPods as part of my PreWired systems. Cost is 30 to 40 bucks depending on if you find a sale.

Harold

Don Palomaki · October 23rd, 2006, 06:22 PM

Alex beat me to suggesting you check out his converter. (In fareness, I suspect there are other brands on the market as well.)

Forget using an inverter to convert 12 VDC to 120 VAC to power the A/C adapter - it wastes battery power, and can be a source of electronic noise as well.

Alex Dolgin · October 23rd, 2006, 08:20 PM

Hey Don, how are you? Remember how your wrote a hands on review of the converter for the Watchdog? It feels like ages ago, the first XL1 was the king then :-)

Don Palomaki · October 24th, 2006, 04:07 AM

It has been a few years. Or as the frog said "Time's fun when you are having flies." Alex, I trust you are doing well.

FOr others, the link to the review is:
http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article25.php
The product in this review had a form factor for the XL1 and Panasonic 12-vilt camcorder batteries, but a stand-alone version of the same voltage converter was available as well.

Don

Alex Dolgin · October 24th, 2006, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Palomaki

It has been a few years. Or as the frog said "Time's fun when you are having flies." Alex, I trust you are doing well.

FOr others, the link to the review is:
http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article25.php
The product in this review had a form factor for the XL1 and Panasonic 12-vilt camcorder batteries, but a stand-alone version of the same voltage converter was available as well.

Don

:-) Yes, and trying to catch as many as we can, not like the "Slowsky turtles" in the Comcast commercial. Have a new 20W (!) version of the converter for the HD crowd, HD cameras are very power hungry. And the new battery chargers are going all over the world, where I never travel. Filming expedition to Mt. Everest, Australia, New Zealand...B&H and a few others carry them as standard stock items:-).
Stay in touch!
Alex

Ben Lynn · October 26th, 2006, 03:43 PM

Alex,

I've been considering options for powering my XL1s off a battery belt and your converters are perfect. I use 4 945 batteries right now and that's fine for a day, but I've been looking into more efficient ways of powering the camera. I've bookmarked your site.

Ben

Alex Dolgin · October 26th, 2006, 05:17 PM

Thank you Ben! Bookmarking our site is the first step in the right direction :-)
Alex Dolgin

Dan Keaton · October 26th, 2006, 06:48 PM

Canon used to sell a 12 to 24 volt battery charger for the BP945 type batteries. This looked just like the standard battery charger that came with the camera, except that it had a cigarette adapter plug.

This unit could be used to charge your batteries, or directly power your camera. If you use a large car battery, you could power your camera for weeks (I assume).

But, the real beauty is that you can charge your batteries whenever you have car battery power, or you can power your camera.

Other low cost battery chargers exist for the Canon batteries, many come with a cigarette adapter plug.

David Ennis · October 26th, 2006, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Palomaki

...Forget using an inverter to convert 12 VDC to 120 VAC to power the A/C adapter - it wastes battery power, and can be a source of electronic noise as well.

I would say don't rule out the inverter on the basis of these fears. The "waste" is absolutely insignificant compared to the energy stored in a car battery, and the potential for AC noise is no greater then when you use the AC adapter elsewhere. The DC to DC converter solution is more elegant, but you can't run your electric toothbrush with it. The inverter is more versatile.

Don Palomaki · October 27th, 2006, 04:30 AM

The noise is a result of the DC-to-AC conversion and the quality (or lack there of) filtering, and with some economical inverters there is a very significant spatter that can creap into audio systems, especially when mic-level signals are involved. I have encountered this trying to use DC-AC inverters to power recorders. Obviously there are differences in quality (and price) among inverters. Perhaps the Radio Shack model is a good one.

Dan Keaton · October 27th, 2006, 07:05 AM

Most low cost inverters, those costing less than several hundreds of dollars, output a "Modified Square Wave". An ideal inverter outputs a "Sine Wave", identical to normal AC power.

Many inverter's instruction manuals warn against using these to power some battery chargers.

If it works for you, great, but I would not recommend it since there are other very low cost options available.

The following charger cost $2.01 plus $7.51 shipping, and charges from AC or 12 to 24 volt supply:

http://www.power101.com/item.htm?id=60109

October 23rd, 2006, 10:10 AM	#1
Rob Anderson New Boot Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 7	Remote Power Source for GL-2 Folks, For using a GL-2 for taping in wilderness areas (meaning away from any electricity for recharging for at least a week at a time), is there a way to solar charge or, better yet, find an adapter for a 12-V car battery that might provide power for 15-30 minutes/day? Is the answer a simple Radio Shack adapter purchase? I've seen other Canon cameras used in the wilderness powered off 12-V, but I noticed their voltages requirements differ from the GL-2. Rob

October 23rd, 2006, 11:05 AM	#2
David Ennis Fred Retread Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Hartford, CT Posts: 1,227	Yes, there is a simple Radio Shack solution called an inverter. They cost about $30-40 and will convert 12V DC battery power to to an AC plug capable of supplying in the range of 100-150 watts of power--ample for the GL2 AC adapter. They are usually outfitted with a cigarette lighter plug, but if that doesn't work for you you can cut it off and put alligator clips on the leads. There may be a 12V adapter available from Canon, but I think that the inverter is a better deal. You can watch TV while you're waiting for your next shot sequence 8>] __________________ "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence..." - Calvin Coolidge "My brain is wired to want to know how other things are wired." - Me

October 23rd, 2006, 11:14 AM	#3
Rob Anderson New Boot Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 7	Rob Anderson Fred, Thanks. It's interesting that I called Canon tech support for help with this and they referred me to dvinfo for answers.

October 23rd, 2006, 12:11 PM	#4
Alex Dolgin Contributor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Lexington, Ma Posts: 286	We make 12V to 7.2V converters for this. It is a simpler and more efficient solution than generating 120V AC. HTH __________________ Alex Dolgin Dolgin Engineering Camera DC Power accessories, Fast 4 position Battery Charger http://www.dolgin.net

October 23rd, 2006, 06:22 PM	#6
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,487	Alex beat me to suggesting you check out his converter. (In fareness, I suspect there are other brands on the market as well.) Forget using an inverter to convert 12 VDC to 120 VAC to power the A/C adapter - it wastes battery power, and can be a source of electronic noise as well. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

October 23rd, 2006, 03:01 PM	#5
Harold Schreiber Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Olathe, Kansas Posts: 309	Hi Rob, Might I suggest the SIMA SUP-2 Universal Power Adapter, sold at Best Buy, Circuit City, Mico Center and likely other such places too. It has a number of different connectors and Voltage out puts. It is very small and both AC and DC ready - you can use it in the wall or in the car. I'm running 4 of them due to their small size and AC-DC for my 4 Cams. They have worked great. I keep two of them attached to two of my TriPods as part of my PreWired systems. Cost is 30 to 40 bucks depending on if you find a sale. Harold

October 23rd, 2006, 08:20 PM	#7
Alex Dolgin Contributor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Lexington, Ma Posts: 286	Hey Don, how are you? Remember how your wrote a hands on review of the converter for the Watchdog? It feels like ages ago, the first XL1 was the king then :-) __________________ Alex Dolgin Dolgin Engineering Camera DC Power accessories, Fast 4 position Battery Charger http://www.dolgin.net

October 24th, 2006, 04:07 AM	#8
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,487	It has been a few years. Or as the frog said "Time's fun when you are having flies." Alex, I trust you are doing well. FOr others, the link to the review is: http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article25.php The product in this review had a form factor for the XL1 and Panasonic 12-vilt camcorder batteries, but a stand-alone version of the same voltage converter was available as well. Don __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

October 26th, 2006, 03:43 PM	#10
Ben Lynn Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 636	Alex, I've been considering options for powering my XL1s off a battery belt and your converters are perfect. I use 4 945 batteries right now and that's fine for a day, but I've been looking into more efficient ways of powering the camera. I've bookmarked your site. Ben

October 26th, 2006, 05:17 PM	#11
Alex Dolgin Contributor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Lexington, Ma Posts: 286	Thank you Ben! Bookmarking our site is the first step in the right direction :-) Alex Dolgin __________________ Alex Dolgin Dolgin Engineering Camera DC Power accessories, Fast 4 position Battery Charger http://www.dolgin.net

October 26th, 2006, 06:48 PM	#12
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Canon used to sell a 12 to 24 volt battery charger for the BP945 type batteries. This looked just like the standard battery charger that came with the camera, except that it had a cigarette adapter plug. This unit could be used to charge your batteries, or directly power your camera. If you use a large car battery, you could power your camera for weeks (I assume). But, the real beauty is that you can charge your batteries whenever you have car battery power, or you can power your camera. Other low cost battery chargers exist for the Canon batteries, many come with a cigarette adapter plug. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

October 27th, 2006, 04:30 AM	#14
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,487	The noise is a result of the DC-to-AC conversion and the quality (or lack there of) filtering, and with some economical inverters there is a very significant spatter that can creap into audio systems, especially when mic-level signals are involved. I have encountered this trying to use DC-AC inverters to power recorders. Obviously there are differences in quality (and price) among inverters. Perhaps the Radio Shack model is a good one. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

October 27th, 2006, 07:05 AM	#15
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Most low cost inverters, those costing less than several hundreds of dollars, output a "Modified Square Wave". An ideal inverter outputs a "Sine Wave", identical to normal AC power. Many inverter's instruction manuals warn against using these to power some battery chargers. If it works for you, great, but I would not recommend it since there are other very low cost options available. The following charger cost $2.01 plus $7.51 shipping, and charges from AC or 12 to 24 volt supply: http://www.power101.com/item.htm?id=60109 __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia