# Untangling Canon's asinine use of proprietary connectors in the AC-E6N AC power adapter



## Kit Lens Jockey (Apr 25, 2020)

I love Canon cameras, but sometimes their insistence in limiting what people can and can't do with their equipment really pisses me off. This is one of those times.

Alright, so in another thread I was talking about what I was learning about powering and using my EOS R to take long time lapses. But this topic will apply to a lot of different cameras, and will hopefully have a lot of useful info for people, so I'm starting a new thread.

I've been trying to use a cheap third party AC adapter to power my EOS R to take a series of long time lapses. What I've discovered is that the camera seems to still recognize this AC adapter as a battery, not a continuous power source. So long story short, if you leave the camera on for long enough (like 12+ hours) it will still shut off due to a "dead" battery.

My hope is that the official Canon adapter will be properly recognized by the camera as an AC power source and never shut off. So I forked over the $50 to buy a genuine Canon DR-E6 "DC coupler." It is essentially a dummy battery with a cord that is supposed to run to the AC-E6N AC adapter, which then plugs into the wall.




However, there's one problem with the AC-E6N AC adapter. First, it's an additional $80-$100. (Yeah, for a simple AC adapter!) Second, it's out of stock pretty much everywhere right now. I figured that wouldn't be a problem because the DR-E6 shown above appears to have a standard barrel style power connector. I've probably got a similar sized connector around the house that I could splice onto my existing AC power adapter to allow it to plug into the DR-E6.

Or so I thought! The DR-E6 I ordered arrived in the mail today. And guess what!? Canon has decided to eschew the common power connector that everyone and their mother has been using for decades in lieu of this monstrosity...




Yeah, looks like a normal barrel connector until you look inside, and there's a tiny little pin in the middle. Normally that space would just be open, and a larger pin in the mating connector would slide in there. I have never seen this bizarre power connector before, and I definitely don't have the mating connector for this laying around the house.

I came very, very close to just chopping the end off of the DR-E6 and splicing on a connector that I would have a proper mating connector for. But I don't like the idea of taking wire cutters to the power adapter that I just spent $50 on. So I went back to the internet to try to do some more research and see if there was any possible standard this weird connector adheres to. I found this thread on an astronomy forum where someone ran into this exact same problem...









Canon DC Coupler DR-E6 socket


Hi all. I've got a Canon DC Coupler model DR-E6, which I want to use at my scope to power my camera instead of using a battery. (I've heard that this means there will be less heat in the camera, not to mention that running from the internal battery on a cold night isn't the best thing to do for t...




stargazerslounge.com





Just in case that link ever gets broken, it included photo of the connector on the AC-E6N that plugs into Canon's "DC couplers." One weird thing about this photo is this AC-E6N seems to have the connector for the DC coupler right on the side of the adapter itself, while the one I've seen for sale online has a little pigtail wire coming out of it with the connector. Not sure what the deal is there.




After a lot of trial and error, the author finally found this connector for sale online. *The connector is known as a JSBJ4 connection. The outer diameter is 5.9mm, the diameter of the inner barrel is 3.0mm, and the diameter of the center pin is 1.05mm.*

After looking around online, I found this for sale for those of us in the US:






4840.2221 SCHURTER Inc. | Connectors, Interconnects | DigiKey


Order today, ships today. 4840.2221 – Power Barrel Connector Jack JSBJ4 Panel Mount from SCHURTER Inc.. Pricing and Availability on millions of electronic components from Digi-Key Electronics.




www.digikey.com





That connector's outer barrel is listed as 6.0mm instead of 5.9mm, but hopefully being 0.1mm too large won't be a big deal.  

Also, it seems like Canon wants to keep the actual specs of the AC-E6N a state secret so you'll buy their $100 adapter, but I also managed to find a photo of the back of the genuine Canon AC-E6N adapter online.




The text is a little hard to read, but it looks like it outputs 8.0V at 3A.

So there you have it! Instead of paying for Canon's $100 AC-E6N adapter, you can splice that connector onto any AC adapter that puts out 8.0V at 3A, and it should power the DR-E6 properly, which you can then use to power any camera that takes an LP-E6 or LP-E6N battery.

Once my connectors come in the mail, I'll try this myself, and report back if this works.

One last thing that threw me for a loop... I also found this youtube video that shows a guy using a commonly found connector coupler to plug an external battery into what appears to be a genuine Canon DR-E6. So now I'm wondering if at some point Canon did use the much more standard barrel connection on the DR-E6 and the AC-E6N. Did they change it just to lock people into buying their $100 AC adapter??


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## privatebydesign (Apr 25, 2020)

My DR-A4/AC-E4 is the same although it costs a little bit more, output is [email protected] 2A but has the same connector.

I think they changed it so people couldn't put $4 Chinese no name DC supplies on it then blame Canon for burnt out cameras and demand unjustified warranty claims. Having said that I agree the money they do charge for the proprietary stuff is over the top, I have several Canon cables that cost between $30 and $80 fo no reason other than they have proprietary connectors.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 26, 2020)

I've come across the two different standards for the connectors years ago. It was a issue with many of my products because the more common power supplies would be unreliable, but I finally figured it out. It is a pain when a product appears to be defective due to that smaller center pin, but its not Canon who started it.


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## Kit Lens Jockey (Apr 26, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> I think they changed it so people couldn't put $4 Chinese no name DC supplies on it then blame Canon for burnt out cameras and demand unjustified warranty claims.


What, as opposed to Chinese Canon branded DC power supplies?  



privatebydesign said:


> Having said that I agree the money they do charge for the proprietary stuff is over the top, I have several Canon cables that cost between $30 and $80 fo no reason other than they have proprietary connectors.


If they sold the AC adapter for $30, that would be more than reasonable, and I bet ten times more people would buy the Canon one as opposed to the cheap third party ones people tend to use. And you'd have less fried cameras too. But charging $80-$100 for what is essentially the same device with maybe a little better build quality than what you can get on ebay for $15... What do they expect?


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## Kit Lens Jockey (Apr 26, 2020)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> It is a pain when a product appears to be defective due to that smaller center pin, but its not Canon who started it.


Not sure quite what you mean by that, but based on the youtube video above, it seems like Canon made a conscious decision to change the connector at some point. It's hard to say exactly why though.


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## privatebydesign (Apr 26, 2020)

Kit Lens Jockey said:


> What, as opposed to Chinese Canon branded DC power supplies?



Well I've taken Canon and Apple chargers to pieces and there is a hell of a lot more circuitry in them than a $4 off brand one, I doubt if they put it all in there for the fun of it...

I don't expect anything, and I don't care what other people do with their own cameras! I will only use Canon chargers for Canon batteries (although I do use off brand batteries with my M5 because it came with them) but I wouldn't use any kind of AC/DC adapter that was third party, not because I am some kind of Canon nut but because I consider it reasonably priced insurance.

Apple are way worse than Canon too, I used to burn through the Magsafe power adapters in about 10 months, I am so happy I have moved to USB-C, that is one of the many reasons I'd like to upgrade to the 1DX MkIII from my MkII, USB-C, I have it on my drone, gimbal, GoPro, laptop, iPad, portable HDD's etc etc, when I travel I can use one charger to charge them all (apart from the 1DX III).


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## Kit Lens Jockey (Apr 26, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> Well I've taken Canon and Apple chargers to pieces and there is a hell of a lot more circuitry in them than a $4 off brand one, I doubt if they put it all in there for the fun of it...
> 
> I don't expect anything, and I don't care what other people do with their own cameras! I will only use Canon chargers for Canon batteries (although I do use off brand batteries with my M5 because it came with them) but I wouldn't use any kind of AC/DC adapter that was third party, not because I am some kind of Canon nut but because I consider it reasonably priced insurance.
> 
> Apple are way worse than Canon too, I used to burn through the Magsafe power adapters in about 10 months, I am so happy I have moved to USB-C, that is one of the many reasons I'd like to upgrade to the 1DX MkIII from my MkII, USB-C, I have it on my drone, gimbal, GoPro, laptop, iPad, portable HDD's etc etc, when I travel I can use one charger to charge them all (apart from the 1DX III).


Hey I would gladly buy a genuine Canon AC-E6N. But try and find one to buy that isn't shipping out of Japan right now.


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## Antono Refa (Apr 26, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> I think they changed it so people couldn't put $4 Chinese no name DC supplies on it then blame Canon for burnt out cameras and demand unjustified warranty claims.



Another way to avoid that is to sell the adapter at a small margin over non name Chinese supplier, so customers would prefer OEM.


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## SecureGSM (Apr 26, 2020)

Antono Refa said:


> Another way to avoid that is to sell the adapter at a small margin over non name Chinese supplier, so customers would prefer OEM.


If you pay peanuts you get monkeys. 
R&D investment into the design, prototyping and quality assurance can be substantial. That cost would have to be absorbed and reflected In the final sale price. it is a convoluted issue.


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## BillB (Apr 26, 2020)

SecureGSM said:


> If you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
> R&D investment into the design, prototyping and quality assurance can be substantial. That cost would have to be absorbed and reflected In the final sale price. it is a convoluted issue.


Another piece of the puzzle is overhead cost for stocking and distributing low volume items. That and dealing with fraudulent warrantee claims from people who fry their Canon camera using cheap knockoffs.


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## AlanF (Apr 26, 2020)

BillB said:


> Another piece of the puzzle is overhead cost for stocking and distributing low volume items. That and dealing with fraudulent warrantee claims from people who fry their Canon camera using cheap knockoffs.


Has anyone here fried their Canon camera using cheap knockoffs or know someone who has?


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## SecureGSM (Apr 26, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Has anyone here fried their Canon camera using cheap knockoffs or know someone who has?


There is plenty of evidence exists that poorly designed lithium batteries can cause all sort of issues.
“... “When you are pushing a battery to its limits,” said Nadim Maluf, the CEO of the battery-software company Qnovo, “the margin of error is extremely thin...”


Redirect Notice


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## Kit Lens Jockey (Apr 26, 2020)

SecureGSM said:


> If you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
> R&D investment into the design, prototyping and quality assurance can be substantial. That cost would have to be absorbed and reflected In the final sale price. it is a convoluted issue.


Oh give me a break. It's an AC to DC power adapter, which have been made for decades. There is no R&D or prototyping. Canon calls up a (reputable) supplier, gives them the specs for the type of adapter they're looking for, and the supplier pulls a design off the shelf, maybe tweaks it a little (for example putting that stupid connector on it), and Canon slaps their name on it.

Even in that photo I posted of the real Canon adapter, you can see it was made by "Phihong Electronics Co."

So no, R&D into the design and prototyping is not substantial. Quality control yes, but I guarantee Canon could sell the AC adapter for $30, the DC coupler for $20, and they would still be making a tidy profit.


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## AlanF (Apr 26, 2020)

SecureGSM said:


> There is plenty of evidence exists that poorly designed lithium batteries can cause all sort of issues.
> “... “When you are pushing a battery to its limits,” said Nadim Maluf, the CEO of the battery-software company Qnovo, “the margin of error is extremely thin...”
> 
> 
> Redirect Notice


We all know about things like that and Samsung is pretty good at frying its own phones. But it doesn't answer my specific question: Has anyone here fried their Canon camera using cheap knockoffs or know someone who has? Even Bryan from The-digital-picture has confessed to using a Wasabi charger to save money, and he isn't a monkey.


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## Kit Lens Jockey (Apr 26, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Has anyone here fried their Canon camera using cheap knockoffs or know someone who has?


YES. Thank you. I'm so tired of hearing about the mystical dangers of cheap third party accessories when I've never seen one verifiable case of somebody actually _damaging_ their camera from them.

And yes I know someone will probably reply to this with "well I knew of one person that did." But even so, it's still an _exceedingly_ rare occurrence.


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## SecureGSM (Apr 26, 2020)

Kit Lens Jockey said:


> Oh give me a break. It's an AC to DC power adapter, which have been made for decades. There is no R&D or prototyping. Canon calls up a (reputable) supplier, gives them the specs for the type of adapter they're looking for, and the supplier pulls a design off the shelf, maybe tweaks it a little (for example putting that stupid connector on it), and Canon slaps their name on it.
> 
> Even in that photo I posted of the real Canon adapter, you can see it was made by "Phihong Electronics Co."
> 
> So no, R&D into the design and prototyping is not substantial. Quality control yes, but I guarantee Canon could sell the AC adapter for $30, the DC coupler for $20, and they would still be making a tidy profit.


++++ guarantee Canon could sell the AC adapter for $30, the DC coupler for $20, and they would still be making a tidy profit.

A.M.: that’s an assumption however. They also expect distributors and resellers to make a profit. Grey market operates on prices considerably lower than RRP. 
happy to give you a break though


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## SecureGSM (Apr 26, 2020)

AlanF said:


> We all know about things like that and Samsung is pretty good at frying its own phones. But it doesn't answer my specific question: Has anyone here fried their Canon camera using cheap knockoffs or know someone who has? Even Bryan from The-digital-picture has confessed to using a Wasabi charger to save money, and he isn't a monkey.


Alan, burglary is also an exceedingly low occurrence however we tend to take out a house content insurance. It is about risk mitigation.
you are risking to foot an extremely high repair bill if Canon refused warranty support over a non authorised accessories used with your camera.
Samsung exploding batteries: all cases were investigated and supported by OEM and local insurance policies.


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## koenkooi (Apr 26, 2020)

SecureGSM said:


> There is plenty of evidence exists that poorly designed lithium batteries can cause all sort of issues.
> “... “When you are pushing a battery to its limits,” said Nadim Maluf, the CEO of the battery-software company Qnovo, “the margin of error is extremely thin...”
> 
> 
> Redirect Notice



Except we're not talking about lithium or batteries, we're talking about a cable, an AC-DC adapter and for some variants an extra DC-DC converter.


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## AlanF (Apr 26, 2020)

SecureGSM said:


> Alan, burglary is also an exceedingly low occurrence however we tend to take out a house content insurance. It is about risk mitigation.
> you are risking to foot an extremely high repair bill if Canon refused warranty support over a non authorised accessories used with your camera.
> Samsung exploding batteries: all cases were investigated and supported by OEM and local insurance policies.


I am asking a genuine straightforward question, not a rhetorical one, has anyone fried their Canon by using a 3rd party charger? I want to know the answer, not get involved in a debate.


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## Kit Lens Jockey (Apr 26, 2020)

AlanF said:


> I am asking a genuine straightforward question, not a rhetorical one, has anyone fried their Canon by using a 3rd party charger? I want to know the answer, not get involved in a debate.


Psst, the answer is no.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 26, 2020)

Kit Lens Jockey said:


> Psst, the answer is no.


I use a 3rd party charger, a USB PD supply from Anker. It cost about $30, so not cheap but its a standard, so shouldn't be a problem. I also received a Canon branded USB-C-PD charger with the grip for my EOS R. I have a cheap Chinese made DC Coupler which I first used on my 5D MK III, then my 5D MK IV, and on my EOS R. It works fine with my Case Relay power supply for cameras with LP-E6 batteries. I would not recommend it with a unknown power supply, but it will probably work with most of them.

My original use for the Case relay was to be able to use a USB battery to power my 5D MK IV continuously with live view operating during the Solar Eclipse. It worked well for that. I also use it in the studio when running continuously with live view.


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## privatebydesign (Apr 27, 2020)

I have fried an Apple laptop battery, it split and killed the motherboard, and several Canon NP-E3 batteries using third party chargers. The NP-E3 experience was why I won’t use third party chargers for my batteries and I didn’t use third party Apple chargers again until the latest USB-C PD standard but even then I will not use a ‘cheap’ one.

I use Hyper+Juice blocks for USB-C, not cheap but not expensive.

I have never attached an AC adapter to a camera direct so couldn’t comment on the reliability of that. I was running my 1DX II off the DR-A4/AC-E4 and a PaulCBuff Lithium Extreme true sine inverter today, for what thats worth.


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## AlanF (Apr 27, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> I have fried an Apple laptop battery, it split and killed the motherboard, and several Canon NP-E3 batteries using third party chargers. The NP-E3 experience was why I won’t use third party chargers for my batteries and I didn’t use third party Apple chargers again until the latest USB-C PD standard but even then I will not use a ‘cheap’ one.
> 
> I use Hyper+Juice blocks for USB-C, not cheap but not expensive.
> 
> I have never attached an AC adapter to a camera direct so couldn’t comment on the reliability of that. I was running my 1DX II off the DR-A4/AC-E4 and a PaulCBuff Lithium Extreme true sine inverter today, for what thats worth.


If I may paraphrase Oscar Wilde: *“*To fry 1 NP-E3, Mr. PFD, may be regarded as a misfortune; to fry several looks like carelessness.*” *


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## privatebydesign (Apr 27, 2020)

AlanF said:


> If I may paraphrase Oscar Wilde: *“*To fry 1 NP-E3, Mr. PFD, may be regarded as a misfortune; to fry several looks like carelessness.*” *


Alan, you may. 

I made a mistake, well I wish I’d only made one! It was two NP-E2’s that I killed.

It was back in the days of my 1VHS’s, you needed an NP-E2 (the NP-E3 and NP-E2 were interchangeable if you swapped the end plate over which was quick and easy to do) to get the maximum FPS but it didn’t come with the ‘optional‘ battery and charger and Canon wanted $400 at the time for the charger with its own kind of proprietary plug, so I got a third party charger and killed two $125 batteries. I then got a 1D which came with the charger so used that for the NP-E2’s and NP-E3’s and never had a problem after.


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## AlanF (Apr 27, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> Alan, you may.
> 
> I made a mistake, well I wish I’d only made one! It was two NP-E2’s that I killed.
> 
> It was back in the days of my 1VHS’s, you needed an NP-E2 (the NP-E3 and NP-E2 were interchangeable if you swapped the end plate over which was quick and easy to do) to get the maximum FPS but it didn’t come with the ‘optional‘ battery and charger and Canon wanted $400 at the time for the charger with its own kind of proprietary plug, so I got a third party charger and killed two $125 batteries. I then got a 1D which came with the charger so used that for the NP-E2’s and NP-E3’s and never had a problem after.


I always use Apple and Canon chargers for direct connection to the mains supply. However, I do use 3rd Party ones that plug into USB outlets for charging when travelling or plugging into the car. They are useful being light and I can plug them also into my laptop or an Anker. It seems to me they can't be dangerous as only a low voltage is going into the charger from the USB. But, many of the Chinese USB chargers don't pass electrical safety standards and could be dangerous https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/0...-and-power-banks-rife-on-online-marketplaces/


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 29, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> Apple are way worse than Canon too, I used to burn through the Magsafe power adapters in about 10 months, I am so happy I have moved to USB-C, that is one of the many reasons I'd like to upgrade to the 1DX MkIII from my MkII, USB-C, I have it on my drone, gimbal, GoPro, laptop, iPad, portable HDD's etc etc, when I travel I can use one charger to charge them all (apart from the 1DX III).


I do like USB-C in that on trips I can charge my R battery in-camera with my 15” MacBook Pro charger. But I guess I’ve had better luck with the MagSafe adapters – the big brick from my 2006 17” MBP is still going fine, as is the slightly-less-big brick from my 2011 17” MBP. Amazingly, the 2006 MBP itself still works fine, although only when connected to the power adapter since I removed the battery after it ‘exploded’ (swelled up to 1.5x normal size) some time back. My youngest uses it for typing practice so he can learn on a real keyboard instead of his iPad.


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## AlanF (Apr 29, 2020)

neuroanatomist said:


> I do like USB-C in that on trips I can charge my R battery in-camera with my 15” MacBook Pro charger. But I guess I’ve had better luck with the MagSafe adapters – the big brick from my 2006 17” MBP is still going fine, as is the slightly-less-big brick from my 2011 17” MBP. Amazingly, the 2006 MBP itself still works fine, although only when connected to the power adapter since I removed the battery after it ‘exploded’ (swelled up to 1.5x normal size) some time back. My youngest uses it for typing practice so he can learn on a real keyboard instead of his iPad.


I miss the MagSafe as USB-C plugs get bent as people trip over the cables and even pull the MacBook over.


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 30, 2020)

Well, since we’re in a thread about 3rd party power solutions, there are several products of this ilk:

https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Adapter-Connector-Quick-Charge/dp/B07MMKZ8XD

I haven’t gone this route, but I’m considering it for my two older kids (10 and 12), who both have recent-model MB Airs and aren’t as careful as I’d like. Then again, the biggest issue with them isn’t tripping over a cord, it’s that they leave the laptops on the floor where being stepped on is the risk.


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## Kit Lens Jockey (May 5, 2020)

Ok everyone, my connectors from Digikey finally came in the mail. So here's the rundown of how everything worked.

First, the connector that I linked to in the first post is indeed the correct connector to plug into the Canon DR-E6 DC coupler. So again, this connector is commonly known as a JSBJ4, but the specific part number for the connector I ordered is the Schurter 4840.2221. Here's the connector I got. Also note that they make a similar connector that has a solder tab on the back, but while it plugs in the same, the housing it's in is larger, and it seems like it's made to be mounted in a panel. I thought this would work fine for my uses.

(These pics are not spectacular, but I'm not trying for pro-level macro photos here.)




Here it is plugged into the genuine Canon DR-E6.




And here is after I cut off the end of my cheap third party AC adapter (8V at 3A), and soldered the connector on to let it plug into the Canon DR-E6. After I took this photo I hit this with some hot glue to prevent any of the pins of the connector from shorting out against each other, and then wrapped it in heatshrink tubing.




And finally, the moment of truth. I popped it into my EOS R, and sure enough...




The camera recognizes it as a DR-E6, not an LP-E6 battery like the cheap third party dummy batteries. So therefore, hopefully, the camera will stay on as long as it's plugged on, not shut off after a while like it does with the third party AC adapters.

So what does this tell us? As I thought, the actual determining factor as to whether or not the camera recognizes the AC power as a true AC adapter or just a battery lies within the "DC coupler" (dummy battery) itself, not the AC to DC converter that's powering it. So if you need to run your camera for a long time, you should buy a genuine Canon DR-E6. But it's not necessary to shell out the money for the ridiculously overpriced ACK-E6N, you can use any 8V 3A AC adapter with this connector spliced onto the end to allow it to power the Canon DR-E6.

Hope someone gets some good use out of this info. It really pissed me off that Canon charges so much for a simple AC adapter (that isn't even in stock anywhere right now), and then also puts a weird connector on it to make it harder to use another similar AC adapter in place of theirs. So, there you go, you don't need to throw any more money at Canon for their pricey AC adapter.


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## Kit Lens Jockey (May 5, 2020)

Also here is how to wire the connector onto an AC adapter properly. I'm not entirely sure why the connector has 3 pins, or what that other pin is for. I couldn't find a great diagram of the connector online. But suffice it to say, you can just cut off the unused pin. You just need a positive and negative from your AC adapter.


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## koenkooi (May 5, 2020)

Kit Lens Jockey said:


> Also here is how to wire the connector onto an AC adapter properly. I'm not entirely sure why the connector has 3 pins, or what that other pin is for.[..]



It's for extra mounting strength, there's a lot of leverage when using it on a PCB, it would be too easy to rip it off when pulling on the cord sideways. And even then you'd want to drop some epoxy on top, since it's for consumers


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## RGB49 (May 5, 2020)

koenkooi said:


> It's for extra mounting strength, there's a lot of leverage when using it on a PCB, it would be too easy to rip it off when pulling on the cord sideways. And even then you'd want to drop some epoxy on top, since it's for consumers


Actually looking at the aboves data sheet the socket would be pcb mounted but third pin is a normally closed contact that opens when the plug is inserted. I have attached the data sheet if anyone wants more info on the socket and plug.
Well done KLJ for all the work sorting this


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## Kit Lens Jockey (May 5, 2020)

Yeah I had seen that datasheet, but I didn't feel like it gave a very good explanation of what the other pin is for. Isn't the barrel of the plug that inserts into it metal on both sides? So then it wouldn't actually cause there to be an open between pins 2 and 3 when a plug is inserted? Maybe I'm taking that little electrical schematic too literally. Anyway, at the end of the day, pin 3 just isn't needed for what we're using the connection for, so it's best to just cut it off to avoid shorting anything out.

Anyway, I can now confirm that with the genuine Canon DR-E6 in the camera powered by a third party AC adapter, the battery level shown on the camera doesn't drop even after 12+ hours of leaving the camera on doing a time lapse the way that it would with a third party dummy battery.


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## Valvebounce (May 5, 2020)

Hi Kit Lens Jockey.
An example idea of a use for third pin would be for something running on internal batteries, plug in the power lead and it switches the batteries off so that you don’t inadvertently charge non rechargeable batteries.
Thanks for untangling this, I have often toyed with the idea of external power for my cameras, keep talking myself out of it as it would probably be another one of those useful but rarely used space fillers! At least now I know what to do if I do go down that road. 

Cheers, Graham.


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## Kit Lens Jockey (May 5, 2020)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi Kit Lens Jockey.
> An example idea of a use for third pin would be for something running on internal batteries, plug in the power lead and it switches the batteries off so that you don’t inadvertently charge non rechargeable batteries.
> Thanks for untangling this, I have often toyed with the idea of external power for my cameras, keep talking myself out of it as it would probably be another one of those useful but rarely used space fillers! At least now I know what to do if I do go down that road.
> 
> Cheers, Graham.


Yeah I know there are some uses for sensing whether or not there is a plug inserted, but looking at that diagram, I didn't understand how it would work since the barrel of the plug is metal, so if it slipped in between two contacts, I don't see how it would break those contacts. But like I said I guess I need to look at that diagram more as the conceptual electrical schematic that it is rather than a literal diagram of how the connector works.


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## Valvebounce (May 6, 2020)

Ah sorry, I misunderstood your previous comment. I guess I should have realised from the fact that you untangled this riddle that you have a handle on electrics / electronics.

Cheers, Graham. 



Kit Lens Jockey said:


> Yeah I know there are some uses for sensing whether or not there is a plug inserted, but looking at that diagram, I didn't understand how it would work since the barrel of the plug is metal, so if it slipped in between two contacts, I don't see how it would break those contacts. But like I said I guess I need to look at that diagram more as the conceptual electrical schematic that it is rather than a literal diagram of how the connector works.


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## privatebydesign (May 6, 2020)

Kit Lens Jockey said:


> And finally, the moment of truth. I popped it into my EOS R, and sure enough...
> 
> View attachment 190263
> 
> ...



Never thought to check the 'battery' situation with the 1DX II, but sure enough it recognizes the DR-E4.



Meanwhile over on DPReview somebody has recommended this for the E6 output. https://www.amazon.com/Glorich-Repl...anon+6d+battery+adapter&qid=1588606926&sr=8-4 which is reasonably priced and requires no soldering.


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## Kit Lens Jockey (May 6, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> Meanwhile over on DPReview somebody has recommended this for the E6 output. https://www.amazon.com/Glorich-Repl...anon+6d+battery+adapter&qid=1588606926&sr=8-4 which is reasonably priced and requires no soldering.


I highly suspect that that third party adapter and dummy battery uses the much more common plug that looks like this, but admittedly there's no way to tell from the photos on Amazon, I've just never seen any other devices use the weird connector Canon does. And I have two cheap third party power adapters similar to the one you linked to, and they both have this style of connector.




The whole point is that you really do need the genuine Canon DR-E6 dummy battery if you're running very long time lapses. It doesn't seem like the cheap third party alternatives have figured out how to crack the code of getting the camera to recognize them as a DR-E6. The camera thinks they are LP-E6 batteries, so even though they are getting continuous power from the wall, the battery meter in the camera slowly declines over about 12 hours until the camera shuts off.


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## Kit Lens Jockey (May 6, 2020)

Actually, nevermind, one of the customer reviews shows the connector on that AC adapter straight-on. Sure enough it is the same strange connector Canon uses. Good find! Most of the third party adapters will not plug into the genuine Canon DR-E6. Looks like that one probably would. Wow, there really is no reason to buy the Canon ACK-E6N then.


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## SecureGSM (May 7, 2020)

interesting.. one of the customer reviews describes the adaptor affecting the noise floor in every video:

"... Reviewed in Canada on October 23, 2018
Verified Purchase
I bought this for my Canon 5d mkiii in order to power it during longer recording sessions of audio/video demonstrations I'm making. Since these are demonstrations focusing on sound character the audio quality is a priority. I find it most convenient to simply run the audio source to the camera input rather than try to align the audio later in post. After recording several sessions I noticed a ground hum significantly louder than the noise floor in every video. This led me on a very tedious troubleshooting journey that lasted the past two nights. Only after hours and hours today it dawned on me that I should check the power instead of the audio chain. As soon as I put the battery in I had clean audio again repeatedly. Next I tried making sure everything was powered using the same ground reference but it made no difference. Since this power supply renders the camera's audio input useless I must give it one star, but it seems it should work fine strictly for video..."


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## koenkooi (May 7, 2020)

SecureGSM said:


> interesting.. one of the customer reviews describes the adaptor affecting the noise floor in every video:
> 
> "... Reviewed in Canada on October 23, 2018
> Verified Purchase
> I bought this for my Canon 5d mkiii in order to power it during longer recording sessions of audio/video demonstrations I'm making. Since these are demonstrations focusing on sound character the audio quality is a priority. I find it most convenient to simply run the audio source to the camera input rather than try to align the audio later in post. After recording several sessions I noticed a ground hum significantly louder than the noise floor in every video. This led me on a very tedious troubleshooting journey that lasted the past two nights. Only after hours and hours today it dawned on me that I should check the power instead of the audio chain. As soon as I put the battery in I had clean audio again repeatedly. Next I tried making sure everything was powered using the same ground reference but it made no difference. Since this power supply renders the camera's audio input useless I must give it one star, but it seems it should work fine strictly for video..."



That's a ground loop, which is something you should always check for when you have something connected both to ground and mains power. It's sadly not so easy to solve, in a on-stage setting you can usually plug every mains power into the same group/phase, but if you're recording from the back of the room with an audio line snaking to the front, you're out of luck.


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## gwharton (Feb 12, 2021)

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but I put together a more elegant solution to this problem that cost very little.

Parts : 

Hammond 1551MBK Enclosure - eBay
3.5mm Barrel 2.1mm pin 12V DC Socket - eBay
Schurter 4840.2220 12V DC Socket - Mouser


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## josephandrews222 (Nov 20, 2021)

...stopped here for a few minutes while looking for a thread about some unusual behavior with a 5DMk3 while shooting the recent lunar eclipse [it was working sort of fine but acting abnormally in the way it was metering (I think)]; after switching lenses a couple of times it is back to normal (I hope).

In the meantime, a short eclipse .gif made using hand-held images collected with M6Mk2/70-300 IS II gear--still recovering from the midnight-3am effort:




My experience with third-party battery grips, batteries, and a/c adapter-battery replacement gizmos has been virtually 100% positive, using batteries and grips for Rebel XT (350D), 40D, 5DMk3; M, M2, M10, M6 and M6Mk2, and a/c adaptors for 40D, 5DMk3 and M6Mk2. Third-party batteries for Powershot ELPH 300, S90 and S95 (this is at least a decade ago) were not as reliable and subject to swelling. It is important to read reviews for these sorts of purchases...it would be far simpler to just buy Canon. I don't mind skimming reviews while reading/learning about a whole range of things along the way.

The a/c adaptor for the 40D enables its usage as a webcam for at-home Zoom teaching; when mated to a 17-55 2.8 IS EF-S lens, the set-up (with fifteen year-old gear) produces Zoom imagery far superior to most any webcam (or iPad/iPhone for that matter), with side-by-side comparisons (even within the compressed Zoom signal) revealing the abysmal dynamic range of most webcams.

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(Somewhat) off-topic: I do not recommend third-party ink for Canon's wide format ink-jet printers. Canon's ink & paper live quite nicely together, in terms of print longevity.

On the other hand, at least for the Canon laser printer listed below, third-party toner cartridges works very well...

=====

And completely off-topic (but related to 5DMk3 issues): any recommendations for shutter count software?

Thanks for reading.


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