Solar Panel Installation for BuckeyeCam Orion

[yoderjac]

On one of the other threads, talked about how I jumped through a lot of hoops to use an inexpensive 45 watt harbor freight panel and 12 volt PWM charge controller with a 12 volt battery converting the 12-volt load output to 7.5 volts to keep the 6-volt Orion battery charged on the camera I use as my primary repeater.

A couple years ago, I got one of the newer 12 volt X80-series cameras. I had planned to put it in the field and bought another of those 45 watt harbor freight panels to keep it charged permanently. Well, we did a timber sale so I hooked up the X80 to monitor our entry gate so I could count logging trucks and keep a closer eye on things with contractors in. Since I have power at camp, I just rigged a regular smart charger with the correct input cable to keep it charged.

Solar panel technology has significantly improved. I would not have done it this way if I didn't already have the HF panel, but I decided to use it on an Orion mounted on one of my box blinds that wasn't getting quite enough light to keep up with how I had it programmed. I found a 6 volt PWM charge controller so I don't need to jump through the hoops I did for the other Orion. This was much more simple. I first built some structure on top of the box blind to accommodate the panel I then used the frame that came with it and angled it appropriately. I was able to do that in one afternoon a couple weeks ago. Yesterday, I finished the hookup. Here is a picture of the controller and the panels:

I left the old panel up so you can compare the size. When you use a solar panel sold at 45 watts for a 12 volt system, you don't need to use a 12 volt controller. You can use a 6 volt one like I did but you do lose half the power. So a 45 watt panel at 12 volts is roughly a 22 watt panel at 6 volts.

So, why wouldn't I use these harbor freight panels again? The run about $120 on sale and come with a frame, controller, wiring, and lights. Because the controller is not a PWM or smart controller, it is hard on batteries. So I don't use it or the lights anyway. These panels are very space inefficient. It takes a lot of surface area to get that 45 watts (at 12 volts).

I can now buy a raw panel for about $80 that is rated at 50 watts at 12 volts. Since I'm buying a better controller than HF sells with their kit, I get a little more power for $40 less. I do have to buy my own wire but that is a minor cost. The big difference is that todays panels are much more space efficient. The single panel is only about 2' square and only weights 10 lbs. That makes installation much easier.

I have one more camera that could use a little more power so my next project will be done with a panel like this 50 watt one.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[John-W-WI]

You might have to talk slowly for me to understand Jack

What controller did you use for 6 volts? (I have the Orion cameras) and would like to add some solar to my setup.

Thanks,

-John

 

[yoderjac]

John,

Here is the 6-volt PWM controller I used: http://store.sundancesolar.com/solar-charge-controller-3a-6v-12v/ It is pretty bare bones, but I didn't need anything fancy for this. The panel I was looking at for my next project was this one: https://www.altestore.com/store/solar-panels/alte-poly-50-watt-12v-solar-panel-p10351/ but I see that the company is not selling it any more. It looks like they have a similar one but I haven't had time to explore it fully: https://www.altestore.com/store/solar-panels/solarever-50-watt-12v-poly-solar-panel-p40438/. A cursory look shows it has MC-4 connectors rather than a junction box.

I may go for the 80 watt one. It is a bit larger but has the junction box which I like: https://www.altestore.com/store/solar-panels/alte-poly-80-watt-12v-solar-panel-p10352/ 80 watts is probably more than I need. With tree planting and frost seeding on the horizon followed by spring planting and grafting, I may not get to the other one until summer.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[yoderjac]

By the way, I had old BEC 6-volt panels laying around. I just cut the cable from the connector to the BEC panel at the length I needed. Here is a picture of the connector:

It shows which pin is hot. Note the key is the cut out on top in the picture. Just buzz the conduits to find out which goes to the hot pin and cold pin. The third pin is not used.

The hot wire goes to the + on the battery out of the controller and the cold to the -. For the panel side, if you get one with a junction box, the + and - will be labeled. If you get one with connectors, you simply clip off the connectors, put the panel in the light. Set your volt meter to the lowest DC voltage setting you have above 25 volts. The panel will put out about 22 volts or so. The volt meter will read - 22 volts or so if you put your red lead on the cold side and 22 volts if you put the red lead on the hot side. Just connect the hot from the panel to the + one the controller for the panel and the cold to the - likewise.

With this setup, the battery inside the camera is being charged as needed from the panel. You don't need a separate battery or anything. Don't connect anything to the load connections on the controller with this application.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[John-W-WI]

Thanks Jack. I have some digging to do.

I've been putting golf cart batteries (6 volt) on each camera with no battery installed in the camera.

Sounds like maybe I can go back to the small batteries and solar? I hate hauling those heavy batteries!

-John

 

[Red Picqua]

i would hate to be sitting in that with a thunderstorm in the area. wow. that is quite the set up. probably a little overkill for anyone that I know. I spend so much time to conceal my cameras, I take it you are not in that camp.

 

[yoderjac]

i would hate to be sitting in that with a thunderstorm in the area. wow. that is quite the set up. probably a little overkill for anyone that I know. I spend so much time to conceal my cameras, I take it you are not in that camp.

Silent black flash cameras only need to be concealed if you are moving them around. When I use small portable cams for scouting, I do the same thing. No solar panels, no wireless, etc. However, these BEC wireless cams are stationary for many years. Deer acclimate to them just like any other foreign object in their environment. Since their is no visible flash and they are a duel lens design with no mechanical filter, deer have no idea when they trigger. The purpose of my cameras is to collect consistent data 24/7/365 so that I can do long term trending analysis to support my QDM management decisions. Most are on small fields less than 1/2 acre. In this particular case I happen to have a box blind on the field so it was convenient to mount the camera and solar panel on it. In most cases, it is a single post with a small panel mounted 10'+ off the ground well out of the normal visual path of deer. The antenna is on a mast on top of the post. For the setup in the picture above you can see lower part of the support structure on the roof of the box blind for the antenna mast.

In general, I find that visiting a camera frequently to check SD cards or change batteries has much more impact on deer than the presence of a wireless, silent, black flash setup where you can go for many months (or even years with the right setup) without visiting the camera.

My problem is that I'm on a pine farm and transmitting through pines is problematic. That is why I require tall antenna masts and high gain antennas to get a signal path over the pines. The weaker the signal, the more battery power it takes to transmit a picture. So, the key to running a camera 24/7/365 is a good balance between the programming (delay between pics, resolution, etc.), the signal level, and the energy available from the solar panel to charge the battery. Most of my cameras are very well balanced but I have a couple that require me to swap batteries more frequently than I like. I don't want to reduce the programming load on those cameras so I'm looking to increase the energy available from the panel.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[yoderjac]

Thanks Jack. I have some digging to do.

I've been putting golf cart batteries (6 volt) on each camera with no battery installed in the camera.

Sounds like maybe I can go back to the small batteries and solar? I hate hauling those heavy batteries!

-John

John,

No reason to change you battery setup until the golf cart batteries die. Simply connect the charge controller battery output to your golf cart batteries. With a solar setup, the battery is acting like a buffer. On cloudy days and such, you may be consuming more energy than you are providing with the panel. So, the larger the battery, the longer the camera can run on a string of consecutive cloudy days. With a small panel this may not help much because the panel may not catch up. However with a large panel (large in a power sense), the panel may be able to catch up much more quickly with just a sunny day or two.

Lead acid batteries only last so long. They can either take many tiny charges or fewer deep charges. The real problem is when the battery get drained and remains at a low charge level for a while. This can reduce the life span of the battery. So eventually those golf cart batteries will die. When they do you can decide if you want to go to the internal battery. If so, you can just put the connector on as shown above and run from the battery out of the charge controller to the camera.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Red Picqua]

as long as you are happy... that is great.

I like black flash too. I don't see how a mature buck could acclimate to having the equivalent of a radio tower in the woods. I spend a lot of time to conceal and make sure my impact is not known. Totally agree on checking cameras too much. I run reconyx and I let them soak for a long time. I normally only check the cams in the rain or when rain is in the forecast. Just a difference in opinion. You feel deer will get accustomed to it, my theory is I want them to have absolutely no idea anything is different. All good. Still surprised at that set up. That is quite the set up.

 

[John-W-WI]

as long as you are happy... that is great.

I like black flash too. I don't see how a mature buck could acclimate to having the equivalent of a radio tower in the woods. I spend a lot of time to conceal and make sure my impact is not known. Totally agree on checking cameras too much. I run reconyx and I let them soak for a long time. I normally only check the cams in the rain or when rain is in the forecast. Just a difference in opinion. You feel deer will get accustomed to it, my theory is I want them to have absolutely no idea anything is different. All good. Still surprised at that set up. That is quite the set up.

I know what you mean Red - but what I think you have to take into account is these cameras and their setup can sit for YEARS without much disturbance.

My buckeye cams were visited probably 3 times from September to December. And that's only because I needed to replace the big battery. I'm working on cutting that down to zero from August to January.

If your setting is very remote and deer don't have much disturbance they are probably more sensitive.

There is a reason deer bed in people's flower beds in town. They acclimate to nearly anything that doesn't pose a threat.

Just my .02 - everyone has an opinion.

-John

 

[yoderjac]

Mature bucks like all deer acclimate well. For many years I archery hunted deer in the suburbs of northern VA. Houses, dogs, traffic, kids playing, folks cutting grass, and deer thrive. It is not at all uncommon to have a mature buck bedded 50 yards from a house while the homeowner is cutting the grass. There is no question they acclimate well to structure. You hit the nail on the head when you say "I want them to have absolutely no idea anything is different". The key word is "different". When I build a structure, antenna tower, box blind, etc. it takes deer roughly a full year to acclimate. Once they do, it doesn't bother them in the least especially at night. I will say that mature bucks tend to avoid the larger structures like box blinds by about 40 yards during daylight hours until other deer get close. These large box blind structures don't lend themselves well to archery hunting for larger bucks. However, with a muzzleloader range or longer, there is no problem. When something is new, it is different, but it doesn't take long for it to be come a permanent part of a deer's environment.

By the way, Reconyx makes great cameras as well. I think a lot depends on your primary purpose for cams. I did have a flash avoidance issue with mature bucks when using the red blob flash, but since I have gone to black flash, mature bucks walk right up to the cameras. I actually don't care much about mature bucks from a camera perspective. My only concern is that they are fairly represented in my data. The red blob cams did skew the data. I get enough pictures of mature bucks with cameras running 24/7/365 to know what deer are using my property as part of their home range. I'm more concerned with relative population trends, doe to fawn ratios, buck to doe ratios, and predator (coyote) trends, than I am with individual deer.

Your approach with cameras is closer to my approach for actually hunting mature bucks than it is to my use of cameras.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[yoderjac]

I just thought I'd provide an update. Before I connected the new larger panel, I checked the battery reading at the PC base. It was 59%. After I connected the panel it showed 100% but that was expected since the battery level reported is the combination of the battery voltage and the voltage provided by the solar panel. I arrived at the farm late tonight. I checked the battery level of that camera and it was 96%. Since this is a nighttime reading, there is no voltage from the panel so the 96% is estimated only from the voltage provided by the battery. This tells me that with the relatively sunny weather we have had, the panel can take a battery from about half charge to full charge in something less than 9 days. This includes any shading the panel gets from its location as well as the fact that it is angled for spring/fall and we are in the middle of winter. Keep in mind that it may have charged the battery in a day or two, but I only know for sure that it did it since my last visit 9 days ago.

So far, I'm happy with the setup.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[yoderjac]

John,

I decided to order another panel and controller for the other camera project. Not sure when I'll get to installing it, but here is the panel I ordered:

https://www.altestore.com/store/solar-panels/solarever-50-watt-12v-poly-solar-panel-p40438/

I plan to cut off the MC-4 connectors and wire it directly to the controller. I got the same controller as last time.

I also took a look at the specs for the BEC panels they sell so I could compare how much more I was getting. BEC sells their panes for $135. They are rated at 9 watts at 6-volts. The panel I got is rated at 50 watts at 12 volts. So, it will roughly put out 25 watts at 6-volts. I paid $75 for the panel (less 5% for presidents day and the sale is still on) and $39 for the 6/12 controller. So, for 18% less, I'm getting 2.7 times more power.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[yoderjac]

Updated Picture Links

 

[John-W-WI]

Jack - I'm sure there is an obvious reason, but why do you go with a 12 volt panel and controller rather than a 6 volt panel? 12 volt panels are much more plentiful based on the searches I've done. Maybe that's why?

-John

 

[yoderjac]

Jack - I'm sure there is an obvious reason, but why do you go with a 12 volt panel and controller rather than a 6 volt panel? 12 volt panels are much more plentiful based on the searches I've done. Maybe that's why?

-John

Most solar panels are actually 24 volts. The same panel will produce a particular wattage in full sun at 24 volts and about 1/2 of that at 12 volts and 1/4 of that at 6 volts. The charge controller will take the 24 volts and depending on the controller will regulate the output to a nominal 12 volt or 6 volt system. I say nominal because you are actually putting out over 7 volts to charge a 6 volt battery and over 13 to charge a 12 volt battery.

When you see a solar panel advertised as a 12-volt panel, that simply means that it will produce the advertised wattage at 12-volts. So, when I use a panel that is advertised as 50 watts at 12-volts, if I use it on a 6-volt system it will only produce 25 watts. If the same panel was advertised for a 6 volt system, it would be sold as a 25 watt panel.

The charge controllers I've been using are PWM controllers that automatically sense the voltage of the battery. If it sees a 6-volt battery connected, it will output a controlled voltage to charge a 6-volt battery. If it sees a 12 volt battery it will put out the correct voltage for it.

The new X-series are 12-volt systems. With these controllers, I can use them on my current 6-volt orion cams now, and in years to come if I need to replace them with the X-series I can use the same charge controllers and panels.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Bill]

Jack,
The log system on X-80's must be different than Orion's. I know when just checking a cam they always say 100%. But the X-80's always say 100% in the log file also, even when I know it's not true. I have 1 cam relaying pics from 2 others.
It has enough power to send files. Problem is it only has enough power to fire the flash a few times. Then it's dark pics.

I can swap the battery with a new one and it's good for a 6 - 8 months. Thinking of using a 12 volt car battery. How big a panel do you think I'll need to keep that charged?

I'm being lazy. Figured I'd ask you rather than research it. I have a panel that trickle charges my truck when it sits for weeks but I don't think the trickle would work here if the camera had a long night.

 

[yoderjac]

Bill,

I'll PM you my email address if you don't already have it. Send me one of your X-80 logs. I did a little testing with my X80 and then put it at camp to watch the front gate. I put a charger on it so it has perpetual power. So, I have not done much looking at battery life for the X80. I do recall modifying my analysis software to read the X80 log but I have not kept up with version updates for it. So it may or may not work with your log.

First, you can probably install a larger ah battery inside the X80. As I recall, I was able to fit a larger SLA battery in the case than the one that BEC sells with the camera.

Keep in mind the battery only acts as a buffer if you use a solar panel. The battery size (in amp hours) needs to be large enough to run the camera for the number of days when you have cloudy and overcast weather which depends on your location. The charging system needs to be large enough to recharge the battery in a day or so of good sun. This will all depend on how much light your panels gets and that will change over the year based on sun angle unless you adjust the angle of your panel. It also changes with seasons as weather changes.

Before you put a big marine battery (deep cycle verses cranking amps) on it. I'd put the largest AmpHour battery in the box that you can fit. Next, I'd see if that is enough buffer. As for panel, since the X-series is 12-volts, you will get a lot more efficiency than I do. You probably want a different charge controller than the one I'm using. It is limited on how much power it can handle and you don't need the 6volt aspect. A 10 amp PMW charge controller should be overkill. I can't recall what the charger for the X80 draws. I think the ones for my Orion only draw an amp. As for panel size, I just picked up a Vikram 50 Watt 12V Poly for $60. I have not installed it yet but I plan to when I get a chance. They have a 60 watt version for $10 more.

One thing to keep in mind is that the output of a panel is related to the amount of sun. When you have full sun, these panels can produce much more than you can draw to charge the battery. Where they really help is at times when you don't have full sun intensity. A smaller panel may not keep up with the battery draw because it can't collect enough photons where a larger panel may be able to keep charging the battery. This ends up with more energy collected and stored in the battery over a time period.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[yoderjac]

Well, this issue is not yet solved. On some of my setups the large panels with the 6-volt solar charge controller are working well but others are not. I think I figured out what is going on. It is very hard to find a 6-volt charge controller. Folks with the X80 system have lots of good options since it is a 12-volt system. 6-volt charge controller are few and far between. The one I was using is made in china and the instructions/documentation are lean and poorly translated.

I had ordered another one while planning to upgrade another camera site. It is the same unit from the same company (but who knows if the internals are the same). This time, the instructions were slightly different. In the specs on this one, it indicates the largest panel it will handle is 18 watts at 6-volts which is equivalent to 36 watts at 12 volts. My panels are larger. I think I now know what is happening. Most of my setups don't get full sun. I think when it is cloudy, partially shaded, or whatever and the panel is operating at an amperage that is lower than the controller's maximum, the battery charges. However, if the panel get enough sun charging is limited by the controller.

I'm taking two paths forward. First, I found some of these Chinese controllers that are dirt cheap. They look just like the ones I have on the outside but the specs listed show a higher rating that matches the largest panels I've got. They are sold through amazon for about 10% of the price I paid from the us reseller but of course free shipping takes weeks. My guess is that they are probably intentionally beefing up the specs figuring they will be long gone but the time someone realizes it. But for the low price, I figured it was worth the gamble.

The second path is more promising. I found a Canadian company that makes a charge controller that looks like it will do the job and has a high enough rating. The downside is that it is a MPPT controllers not PWM. MPPT controller will do the job even better, but they are more expensive. So, this controller will cost over double of what I was paying. I'm still chatting with the company to make sure it will do the job since it is so expensive, but I'll probably order one tomorrow.

I'll report back over time as I see how this works.

Thanks,

Jack