Cyclapse Classic
Product Guide - Revision B
Please note that the 10W solar panel may not provide enough power to keep the internal battery pack charged under all
circumstances. If you are taking many hundreds of shots per day or do not get frequent sunshine, then the battery voltage will fall,
albeit more slowly than if there were no solar panel connected. It's very difficult to estimate the maximum number of shots that can
be taken while keeping the battery fully charged! Different cameras will draw varying amounts of power, and solar power can
obviously vary dramatically with climate, weather, latitude, and positioning.
In excellent conditions (daily intense direct sun, temperatures above freezing) the 10 watt solar panel can keep the battery charged
while taking as many as 800 pictures per day. In most locations around the world, we estimate that the system can reliably take 200
or more pics per day. We can also provide larger solar panels for applications that require more pictures per day, or are in locations
with little direct sunshine.
AC Mains Power
Many sites have AC mains power available, and customers often think that this is an excellent alternative to using a solar panel. This
is typically not true! AC mains power on construction sites is generally unreliable, and if connected using a standard outlet, you may
find your camera system unplugged after someone decides that your outlet was a good place to power a drill. Dedicated AC power
connections require an electrician, conduit, and other expensive considerations. Once you receive a quote for a dedicated AC power
line, you will realize how inexpensive solar power can be! Solar panels are extremely reliable and quite inexpensive.
If however, your installation is indoors, with no simple way to route a solar panel cable outdoors, AC power may be the best source
available.
Please note that the Cyclapse Classic cannot operate directly from AC mains! The system requires a current limited DC voltage. To
operate from AC mains, a power converter must be used.
Indoor AC Installation
A UL approved ‘universal AC’ battery charger kit is a recommended
option (Harbortronics P/N 000716). It's primary use is to periodically
recharge battery packs removed from the system when testing indoors.
This is almost never required for most customers, but it can be frustrating
to find you don't have a charger in those rare times you need it! The low
current (0.7 amp) charger will require about 9 hours to charge a
completely drained battery pack. If you commonly need to charge a
battery pack faster than this, we would be happy to help you choose a
different charger.
This charger is perfectly suited to powering the system while in use, and
indeed includes an adapter to connect directly to the Cyclapse Classic.
The available power is sufficient for the vast majority of applications.
This AC battery charger is not intended to operate in an outdoor
environment.
The AC mains plug is the North American style, so a physical adapter will
be needed for use in other areas of the world, but the charger is
compatible with all AC voltages.
The kit includes a small adapter to work directly with the battery pack, and an adapter cable to mate with the Charge Power
Extension cord (Harbortronics P/N 000673), to power the system in place of a solar panel.
Outdoor AC Installation
Frequently a construction site will have AC power available, but with no protected location for an AC power source. We also offer an
AC power converter that is waterproof and intended for use outdoors (Harbortronics P/N 000754). This power source does not
include an AC plug. The black & white wires should be connected to your AC mains using industry standard techniques by a
qualified electrician. A Charge Power Extension Cable (Harbortronics P/N 000673) should be used to connect he output of the power
source to the camera housing.
Wind Power
In some locations such at the polar extremes, the only source of power during the winter months may be via a wind turbine.
Harbortronics can work with you to source a wind turbine which can be connected to the Cyclapse charge port in place of the solar
panel.
Please note however that there are additional complications in the polar winter. At low temperatures (below freezing), lithium ion
chemistry will not accept charge power. We discourage the use of heater elements, as they often create more problems than they
Harbortronics Inc 9 8/4/2015
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