Camera Voltage Monitoring
- Thread starter worlando
- Start date
sebastiantombs
Known around here
You could do something like that I'd guess. It would take a circuit to monitor both, digitize the measurements and transmit them to your PC. Then, you'd need to decode that information into text. Once that is done the text can be displayed by BI. Don't forget the added overheard, power consumption, of the monitor circuit when calculating you solar panel and battery requirements though. There's a thread, somewhere on here, by a guy who does things like that for a college or university out in the mid-west. He's using cell and satellite links, but I'm pretty sure he's also monitoring battery/power conditions as well.
sebastiantombs
Known around here
^^^ That's the easy way, not as elegant though 
some cams can display the current voltage reading in hidden OSD. what cam brand/model are you using?
or just MEASURE the current draw while running during the day and night time, maybe with one of these (or similar):
put it inline between battery & cam/load, and place it in the cam's field of view until you get things dialed in...
when i think about sizing battery/solar settups, i figure you need 2-3 days (48-72hrs) worth of battery (in case of consecutive no-sun days), and enuf solar to fully recharge the battery on an average day (with about 4hrs of full sunlight).
of course, more of each is better...
or just MEASURE the current draw while running during the day and night time, maybe with one of these (or similar):
put it inline between battery & cam/load, and place it in the cam's field of view until you get things dialed in...
when i think about sizing battery/solar settups, i figure you need 2-3 days (48-72hrs) worth of battery (in case of consecutive no-sun days), and enuf solar to fully recharge the battery on an average day (with about 4hrs of full sunlight).
of course, more of each is better...
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If you just want to measure current draw once, here's how you can do that with a standard electrical multitool: How to Use a Multimeter, Part 4: Measuring Current (amperage) | Hagerty Media
Otherwise the item linked by @pozzello doesn't have a computer/network interface, but looks like it would be great for a permanently-wired local display.
I did some searching and this looks like it might be a starting point for remotely measuring DC voltage and current. TCP/IP Voltmeter v 1.2 Assuming the product is real and it works as advertised, it would take only a relatively simple program to read the data from the device and write it to a text file for Blue Iris to overlay on a camera.
Otherwise the item linked by @pozzello doesn't have a computer/network interface, but looks like it would be great for a permanently-wired local display.
I did some searching and this looks like it might be a starting point for remotely measuring DC voltage and current. TCP/IP Voltmeter v 1.2 Assuming the product is real and it works as advertised, it would take only a relatively simple program to read the data from the device and write it to a text file for Blue Iris to overlay on a camera.
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Yeah I thought I was good. I got a 10w panel with a 12v 9ah battery used for gate openers. the specs on the camera said <5 w/ infrared on so I calculated that for a total of 120w. I was fine for 2 days, but the 3rd day was overcast and the battery was 6volts this morning.
I have an extra 31ah battery so I put that on. My buddy thinks I need a 50w panel and per the on online calculator I saw it said I need a 36w of panel with 36ah.
I may just did the trench 80’ and run power out there!
its an amcrest 3mp camera.
Yeah, I wouldn't expect that to work very reliably either. Consider the 10 watt panel will produce much less on cloudy or overcast days and nothing at all during the night. You can make up for some less than ideal conditions by using bigger or more batteries, but then you need bigger or more solar panels to get them charged very quickly.
figure the cam draws 3w daytime, 5w at night, average of 4w. 4w @ 12v is 1/3 amp. x 24hrs is 8ah per day, so you've got maybe one day of power in your 9ah battery.
A 10w solar panel may only deliver 10w during peak insolation when facing directly at the sun, which practically never happens, so figure maybe 1/2 amp (6w @ 12v) on average, and figuring 4hrs/day of 'good' sunlight (on average), is maybe 2Ah/day of recharge, not enuf for your daily discharge, much less topping off the battery. thus, suggest a 40W or greater panel and appropriate charge controller...
A 10w solar panel may only deliver 10w during peak insolation when facing directly at the sun, which practically never happens, so figure maybe 1/2 amp (6w @ 12v) on average, and figuring 4hrs/day of 'good' sunlight (on average), is maybe 2Ah/day of recharge, not enuf for your daily discharge, much less topping off the battery. thus, suggest a 40W or greater panel and appropriate charge controller...
Thanks. What is the benefit of the charge controller?
matches voltage between the panel and battery, prevents over-charging. not needed for lead-acid if the amp input from the panel is small relative to the capacity (1/100 or so).
crucial for lithium and other chemistry batteries... for example, a 100ah battery (large truck or golf cart battery) can take 1 amp input (or 10-12w) indefintley with no charge controller safely.
anything more than that, you need charge controller or you'll burn up the battery once it's fully charged and not able to push back hard enuf on the incoming current....
crucial for lithium and other chemistry batteries... for example, a 100ah battery (large truck or golf cart battery) can take 1 amp input (or 10-12w) indefintley with no charge controller safely.
anything more than that, you need charge controller or you'll burn up the battery once it's fully charged and not able to push back hard enuf on the incoming current....
Mailbox Camera
A few months ago I was taking out the trash and while walking down the driveway I noticed a car stopping at our mailbox, opening it and driving away. It was dark so I know it was not the rural mail carrier. We live in a rural area and have had occasions of missing mail in the past. We don't have...
This uses a panel and battery.
sebastiantombs
Known around here
Here's a link to the one I was thinking about. Note the size of the solar array, but the installation does use a PTZ camera.
ipcamtalk.com
Livestream camera in the sandhills of Nebraska
The Nebraska sandhills region covers roughly 23,000 square miles . It is a vast region of sparsely populated counties and not too many roads. It lies atop the Ogallala aquifer, the largest fresh water aquifer in the world. In the low lying areas are hundreds of lakes and rivers. 85% of the...
That is pretty cool. 100w panel is huge! I might get away with a 50w without upsetting the Mrs.Here's a link to the one I was thinking about. Note the size of the solar array, but the installation does use a PTZ camera.
Livestream camera in the sandhills of Nebraska
The Nebraska sandhills region covers roughly 23,000 square miles . It is a vast region of sparsely populated counties and not too many roads. It lies atop the Ogallala aquifer, the largest fresh water aquifer in the world. In the low lying areas are hundreds of lakes and rivers. 85% of the...
my setup is to try and catch who keeps pooping in my yard!
sebastiantombs
Known around here
I hope it's not a human pooping in your yard 
Lol no just dogs. It’s one thing going in the grass. But when they are going right by the mail box or on the side walk I get a little pissy.I hope it's not a human pooping in your yard