Buckeye Camera (Orion) - connector question.

John-W-WI

Administrator
I purchased connectors in the past for external batteries (from DigiKey.com). The red squirrels got a few of my connectors, and now I can't find my order info.

Does anyone know the part number from digikey (or elsewhere) that I can order the connectors with?

Thanks,

-John
 
John,

I've tried a few things. Here is information about the parts I used. Not sure exactly what you are looking for but it should be a start:

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Thanks,

Jack
 
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I'm sure BEC will sell you external cables as well. They have made special cables for me. I bought one of their 6-volt solar panels once but needed to mount it high on the antenna mast to get sun. They put a custom length cable with connector in it for me.

I've also done some other things with the connectors myself. I tried using a dry box and connecting two solar panels (pointed in different directions) together in parallel and then to the camera.

For my repeater camera in the middle of the property I wanted perpetual power. The problem is that most solar panels are 12 volts not 6. I bought a 45 watt solar panel (12 volt) from harbor freight. I replaced the controller with one that has a day-night sensor and light timer. I use the panels to keep a 35 amp-hour 12 volt battery charged. I use the light timer to drive a 12-volt to 6-volt Powerstream voltage converter. I cut off the cigarette lighter plug and wired it directly to the light timer. I removed the alligator clips form the other end and soldered on one of the power connectors BEC uses. I then set the program controller to turn the "light" on for X hours after dark. Five hours seems to work pretty well. Each night, the "light" turns on at dusk. This drives the voltage converter (set to 7.5 volts output) which goes into the camera and charges the 6-volt 12 amp-hour battery. The camera circuitry seems to handle the over charge pretty well since this is not a smart-charger setup. In other words, the 6 volt battery gets charged whether it needs it or not. The 45 watt panel gets enough sun to fully charge the 35 amp-hour battery the next day.

Thanks,

Jack
 
Exactly what I was looking for Jack - Thank you.

I need to build replacement cables to go from the external power port on the camera to a deep cycle 6 volt battery. Looks like SCS252-ND is the critter I'm looking for.

I'm running the wires in some flexible conduit this time. The red squirrels won't win!

-John
 
Glad I could help out. I too had a camera a couple years back were some of the cables were chewed. I did the same thing and used flexible conduit over them when I replaced them.
 
I always loved how those cameras work but man they are sure finiky and complicated to run. I guess there not for the average Joe.
 
I always loved how those cameras work but man they are sure finiky and complicated to run. I guess there not for the average Joe.

You are certainly right Snow Man... They are lots of extra work, but worth it most days.

-John
 
I always loved how those cameras work but man they are sure finiky and complicated to run. I guess there not for the average Joe.

I would say this. There is no camera more reliable or with a longer life-span. If you use them in SD mode, operation is as simple as any other camera. When you take advantage of the wireless features, things become more difficult, not because of the camera or design it is because of the physics associated with RF transmission.

You are probably right when you say that are not for the average Joe, simply because the average Joe doesn't need reliability or longevity. They just want to see what is out there for hunting. These cameras are a fit for folks who need reliability. If you are doing a research project and the project collapses because of camera failures you've got a problem. If you are collecting hard data for QDM like I am where you need to trend data over many years, having cameras that run 24/7/365 becomes important.

When it comes to wireless (just for hunting), you have two options. You can pay a monthly fee for someone else to do the work and use the cell phone network. Towers are tall and the frequencies are different so vegetation is generally not a big issue. Either you've got a signal or not. If not, there is nothing you can do. With the BEC cams, you can have a high up-front cost to get good connectivity depending on your topography and vegetation, but once you get it setup, there are no recurring costs except replacing a $20 battery every year or two.

Like most things, it is fitting the tool, technique, or method to your situation and objectives.

Thanks,

Jack
 
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