Need help, recommendations on electrical line

M

Mike8623

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Need some recommendations here guys, I have this Buckey game Cam at my lower gate. It has been there about 5 years, same place, year round and has worked well with just a few problems which I'm trying to reconcile now. The worst is electrical. I first just had the cam hanging in a tree with just the battery in it. I then bought a battery extender with 3 batteries in it. Ran a line up the tree to the cam and hid the battery extender box on the ground. Ran all year no problems. I then had power ran to within 150 feet of the cam. I took an extension cord and plugged it into the power outlet. I then ran the extension cord over to the battery box with "one battery" in it. I then plugged the other end of that extension cord into a 12 volt conveter plug and cord. The other end of the 12v power cord was connected to an outlet in the battery box where a solar plug in would normally go. It worked well all last winter and kept the cam powered up, however this spring it blew the power breaker and it appears where I plugged in the 12v power adapter got wet and short circuited, so it doesn't work now.

What I would like to do is find a way to keep the cam powered up all year with as few problems as possible. Winter is the enemy here with its wetness. I was hoping to just find a 12v power box and cord that would run all the way from the power outlet, up the tree and into the cam (150-200 ft.). The 12v power sources (boxes) have 18 gauge wire. Is there anyone that makes a 12v power source with a line 150-200 feet long and if they do will the 18 gauge wire carry the electricity to the cam. Or could I just use the extension cord I have now extend it a little up the tree and plug in 12v power box and then run the other end into the cam and do away with the extra battery box or just what. I would like just one line (cord) with as few connections as possible to prevent water getting in and shorting out..........What are your thoughts out there.20200601_111034.jpg20191004_172637.jpg20200601_111156.jpg20200601_111131.jpg
 
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The first picture is of the current 12v power box plugged into the power outlet.

The second picture is of my front gate taken back a ways, to give an overall picture of everything.

The third picture is of my battery box extender uncovered on the ground.

The fourth picture is of the cam in the tree
 
Solar panel and battery.

Many off the shelf products.

Need to be sure there us a battery charger unit to insure correct voltage to battery.

Place panel such that snow slides off.

Large enough battery too.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
To start, I would put a protective cover over the AC adapter. I suspect that it is intended for indoor use only. I see that you have a GFIC outlet. This should have tripped once moisture created a current path to ground. LV systems for landscape lighting might come close to meeting your needs. An ac adapter with a pigtail power cord rather than a case mounted plug would work better. Bring the leads in from below, using a drip loop, if necessary. The 12 volt lone shouldn't be a problem but observing the same water/moisture management would be a good practice
 
So I guess I could splice a long piece of 18 gauge wire to the 12v power plug, run that up the tree and to the cam. Then splice a connection to the other end of the 18 gauge wire and into the cam. Doing away with the entire extra battery box
 
Mike8623 said:
It worked well all last winter and kept the cam powered up, however this spring it blew the power breaker and it appears where I plugged in the 12v power adapter got wet and short circuited, so it doesn't work now.
Click to expand...

What died, the 12V supply or the actual outlet? The 12V supply is probably pretty water-tight, but not water-proof. If it was the outlet, you may need to change the GFIC. Also, explain how things got wet. Have you heard of RTV silicone for your exposed connections?

Are you watching for people or game? Or both?
 
Wall adapter are not all equal.. There are two main types, switching and linear. The linear supplies have a transformer and generally are not regulated. They are intended to provide the rated voltage at the specified current. Under a lesser load, the voltage can be as much as 40% higher. Switching supplies are generally fairly well regulated. If your adapter was supplied with the camera, you're good to go,; otherwise you need to check for suitability. You can tell a switching supply by the weight. They are lighter than their counterpart.
Having a battery in the circuit provides for more stability providing you're not overcharging it. If you have a switching supply, it shouldn't be necessary.
 
I think the 12v plug shorted out. It had some black around the metal prongs. I did my best, wrapped it several times in electrical tape and positioned it well under some big wood bark, at least I thought I did. It had 3 to 4 foot of snow on it. I get pictures of all sort of critters including the two legged ones. Lions, griz, moose etc. The cam comes in real handy where it is. I've even got a few folks going to the restroom.

If that 18 gauge wire will carry the current for 200 ft. I think I'll just make one long line with a plug in at the electrical outlet and one at the cam and just eliminate that extra battery box. Do you think if I fit that line to where the battery in the cam plugs in to the cam I could also do away with that battery also and just have a line straight to the cam without any batteries
 
Rj, what amp or volt switching transformer would you look for if not using any batteries in the system and just using transformer to power the cam
 
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