Aftermarket or DIY solar?

[Silveroddo]

Has anyone been using any of the add on solar options out there? I see there are quite a few but the reviews seem horrible on most of them. I've watched the Handy Hunter youtube clips and I'm building a couple based off of his ideas. My standard cameras are fine on double A's but my cellular stuff is where they come up short. I picked up one of the HME 2 watt solar/7ah AGM battery set ups and they seem decent. The smaller HME's with the Lithium battery look slick, but I see the reviews aren't great. Anyone have any experience? I run browning cameras with spy point cell links and what I'm building will power both units.
Anyone have units the really like? Do the lithium based solar systems work reliably? For some reason my perception are those have been more problematic, however I'm open to correction on that. Looking to buy another factory unit or 2 to compare to what I'm building. I'm also looking at building add on battery packs. I get 2.5-3 months on the cell links with them set on instant, adding another battery pack and doubling that would be sufficient in most cases.

 

[Flgrizzy]

I run the Tactacam solar panel with my Tactacams and a Browning panel with my Dark Ops Browning… I LOVE the Tactacam / Reveal products and they only seem to fail (can’t keep up). if they don’t get more than 2-3 hours of sun OR covered by snow or a raccoon, bear/ animal pulls the cord out. You can get adapters for pretty much any brand. Check out trail camera solar Battery reviews, there are some good ones out there $$$ It will still come down to placement

 

[magtech]

I hard wire connectors where my AAs go then drill a hole in the base of my cameras sealed with caulk. Run leads however long I want to 7/8/9 ah sla batteries.

I also have 18650s and multiple cell battery trays. On some camera setups where I dont want a big sla around ill connect these in.

Overall I get on average 30k pictures from a single charge on my SLAs, maybe more. Just depends.

For a solar charger find your charging hours a day average, theres sites for that, and base your solar from that. It shouldnt take much, but just depends on if it gets covered like someone else said.

Just remember, the bigger the battery (ah) the longer the system can go without charging.

 

[Silveroddo]

I run the Tactacam solar panel with my Tactacams and a Browning panel with my Dark Ops Browning… I LOVE the Tactacam / Reveal products and they only seem to fail (can’t keep up). if they don’t get more than 2-3 hours of sun OR covered by snow or a raccoon, bear/ animal pulls the cord out. You can get adapters for pretty much any brand. Check out trail camera solar Battery reviews, there are some good ones out there $$$ It will still come down to placement

I'm probably going to give the Tactacam products a try, the SK looks to have it all and you can't put anything together at the price point thats cellular and solar.

I hard wire connectors where my AAs go then drill a hole in the base of my cameras sealed with caulk. Run leads however long I want to 7/8/9 ah sla batteries.

I also have 18650s and multiple cell battery trays. On some camera setups where I dont want a big sla around ill connect these in.

Overall I get on average 30k pictures from a single charge on my SLAs, maybe more. Just depends.

For a solar charger find your charging hours a day average, theres sites for that, and base your solar from that. It shouldnt take much, but just depends on if it gets covered like someone else said.

Just remember, the bigger the battery (ah) the longer the system can go without charging.

What are you using for battery trays? I'm toying with that idea as well, probably going to order something off of amazon to try.

 

[magtech]

I just ordered some cheap ones off Amazon then put them in a zip lock. Real basic. Some cameras I have are 6v. So I only need 2 18650s... you'd have to see how yours are wired to know how many batteries you need.

 

[Flgrizzy]

I forgot to mention >>> (When I dove in to the endless equipment pit) - I did A LOT of research and check TONS of reviews. One of the brands that stood out was WingHome. With a UNIVERSAL kit and a 2000mAH capacity I ALMOST went for it. I decided to keep the accessories / brands matching and avoid adapters and having to buy 5 of them, I saved some $$ going with the highly rated Tactacam option.