My Unlimited GoPro Power Solution

[buzz]

I have a GoPro 3+ Black. The 4 main components to my power solution are:

1. Kapaxen 30-Pin-to-USB Power Supply Cable With Waterproof Backdoor
2. LEDJump® Male Female 2 Pin Waterproof Connector
3. Poweradd™ Apollo 7200 mAh Solar Battery Charger
4. Pelican 1060 Micro Dry Case with Clear Lid

I cut the USB connector off the Kapaxen cable and soldered the male end of the waterproof connector in place of it. I drilled a hole in the lid of the Pelican case and using a cable gland, I mounted the female end of the waterproof connector in the lid. Then I soldered USB connector to the female end of the waterproof connector. With both connections encased in heat shrink tubing I easily get IP66 waterproofing... maybe better.

IMG_0061.JPG

I sort of tested it yesterday starting off with a fully charged GoPro battery and the Poweradd also fully charged. The GoPro was set recording at 1080@30fps in Loop Mode with the WiFi running. I began recording at 12:30pm and it was still running an hour after sunset. That was 7.5 hours of continuous use.

The Poweradd worked much better than expected. It continued to charge even after the sun dropped behind the house and I was left with only indirect light. I will probably test it again to get a more accurate assessment of my setup, but as it is now it seems it will easily do the job.

[JohnE]

Would like to hear how well that solar power bank works out.

My setup is almost ready roll also. I have a 10,400 mah battery pack with the same power supply cable and a similar waterproof box. I was looking at different thru hull solutions to get the cable into the waterproof case and just ended up getting another hobie thru hull wiring clam. It is a little more than I wanted to spend on that part and came with 2 when I only needed 1, but I guess it will be worth it. I really like the head strap mount for my gopro and had an issue with this new extended backdoor with the wire sticking out of it. I found this extension to work perfectly and allow me to continue with the headstrap I am used to instead of coming up with another mount somewhere: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o01_s01

The gopro extended battery I bought previously is terrible and I don't really get much more recording time than I do with the regular wasabi batteries. Missed some good footage last weekend. Should finally have my all day rig ready for next time.

[ComeOnFish]

Buzz,
Was the memory card filled up before the battery quit?.
How did you make GoPro water resistant? Does GoPro black come with a special box?
I have issues with multiple large files when edit. So I preview videos all then load one at a time when edit. Do you have issues with multiple large files when edit?

Joe

[JohnE]

That was the problem I saw before, but he is using loop mode so it keeps writing over data at the specified intervals until you press the button to record a section of video. I still need to play with mine to get used to that. But 128 gig sd cards are not very expensive at this point either and my laptop can handle large files no problem. I have what would be considered a 'gaming' laptop. Your computer is probably not powerful enough to handle large files. Entry level gaming laptops start around $700. Any computer that is considered to be gaming computer will easily handle video editing of large files.

[buzz]

Buzz,
Was the memory card filled up before the battery quit?.
How did you make GoPro water resistant? Does GoPro black come with a special box?
I have issues with multiple large files when edit. So I preview videos all then load one at a time when edit. Do you have issues with multiple large files when edit?

Joe

Like JohnE said, I use Loop Mode set for 5 minute clips. So later instead of having to review hours of video, I end up with a bunch 5 minute clips of just the action.
All GoPro cameras come with a case that keeps them waterproof to 40m. The power cable I'm using comes with its own GoPro back door so I just snap off the stock back door and snap on the one with the cable.

When it comes to editing, I typically only work on one file at a time. I mostly use Adobe Premier 10 Elements. I will cut my video file into the clips I want. After getting all the clips from all the video files I assemble the clips together.

[EMSer]

Sounds like a sweet setup. I am looking forward to the results of further testing!

[AbuMasgouf]

Nice Setup Buzz. I'm still toying with the idea of recording my outings... I'll be interested to hear more

[JohnE]

20150822_150859.jpg

Finally received my thru hull clam and was able to complete the project today. Ended up costing me about $75 for the parts not including head strap and additional head strap extension I purchased. Should be worth it. Will test it out at cbbt tomorrow.

[buzz]

Looks good. I prefer clams to glands for thru hull applications.
However, since my power pack uses solar to keep it juiced I have to find a way to secure mine on deck.

Any suggestions for a mounting arm for the camera? All I have now is a Scotty extender.


Sent from my PalmPilot

[JohnE]

Find anything for a different mount yet? I am looking at getting the yakattack panfish, but it is more than I want to spend. I already have a monopod and just need to make a track mount for it to have essentially the same thing.

My setup works great so far. Was finally able to make a nice fish catching video. I would always run out of power or not have it on when I caught fish before and did not bother much with the gopro on the kayak because of that.

[buzz]

My Unlimited GoPro Power Solution

Ouch. At $60, that's a little more than I want to spend also.

Hope to try mine out this weekend. I've been distracted lately... ever since I got the new motor in my 19' walkaround.

Now you need to post that video for us.

Sent from my PalmPilot using Tapatalk

[smb]

Using the Scotty extension you can get a Scotty oar lock which drops in and locks in the arm socket. The oar lock has a center hole and you can through bolt into a pvc pipe or whatever. I also added a ball tripod mount at the top of the pipe. Works like a champ.

[JohnE]

Yeah, I was looking through stuff I have laying around. I am just going to make something with pvc and an extra gear head track mount I have to make my monopod work. That oar lock looks like it could be useful in my project.