# Powerbank and LP-E6N Power adapter



## Grimbald (Apr 10, 2018)

Hi

I do look for a solution for long timelapses with my 5d Mark 4, that would simply outpower a single battery, especially in colder night situations (i.E. remote milkyways in the mountains).

I was thinking about a powerbank and a Power AdapterLP-E6N that is hocked to the powerbank, but almost all powerbanks can only delivere power by USB where as most power adapters require electricity from a power outlet.

Has anyone a solution or idea to this, or experience with gear that works well? Considering that I would also take the powerbank to the airplane, it cannot be so massive that I get in trouble at the airport security.


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## LDS (Apr 10, 2018)

There are powerbanks with non-USB ouputs, but they have to deliver the right voltage - IIRC the Canon DC adapter needs 8V.

One solution could be simply a grip with two batteries, if it is enough for you.

There are external power packs which have adapters for powering a camera, for example this https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/730916-REG/Quantum_Instruments_SD7_SD7_Power_Cable_for.html (to be used with a Quantum power pack) or https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1100255-REG/lanparte_pb_600_e6_e6_portable_battery_with.html.

But I don't know if they are compatible with a 5D4.


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## ajfotofilmagem (Apr 10, 2018)

You're not going to have a power outlet, and you use batteries, right?

Using multiple batteries together causes the actual voltage not to drop when the camera is turned on because of the amperage that is much larger than normal.
Is it safe to use exactly 7.6 volts when the camera is designed to use between 7.2 and 7.4 volts?

There are videos on youtube of power banks that worked, but the camera came to have defects after the experiment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXd9T4J10y4

After that, the camera malfunction:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8egiu1OiX4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61i7OzwzKhY&t=90s


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## ajfotofilmagem (Apr 10, 2018)

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/815627-REG/Bebob_Engineering_COCO_AK_CAN_Power_Cable.html


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## Grimbald (Apr 11, 2018)

ajfotofilmagem said:


> You're not going to have a power outlet, and you use batteries, right?





Idealy I find a solution where I can use a "dummy lp-e6n" battery and hook it up to an external power bank in remote places for timelapses. (or any solution that allows me to make very long timelapses without a battery grip)

The lp-e6n has 7.2V if I'm not mistaken, is this Bebob 12V Adapter delivering 12V or changing 12V input into the ~7.2V that are required?


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 11, 2018)

I use a Tether Tools case relay. It connects to a usb power battery, and converts it to the right voltage for all canon dslr's except 1 series. It fits in the camera on the other end with a dummy battery. It contains a smaller battery, so you can disconnect and replace the usb battery. You can also power it from AC either while recharging a large battery or directly.

The system is then limited by how large of a USB battery you have.

https://www.tethertools.com/product/case-relay-camera-power-system/

You can also use a high capacity dtap battery with it.

https://www.fjwestcott.com/portable-d-tap-battery


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## bhf3737 (Apr 11, 2018)

Grimbald said:


> Hi
> 
> I do look for a solution for long timelapses with my 5d Mark 4, that would simply outpower a single battery, especially in colder night situations (i.E. remote milkyways in the mountains).
> 
> ...



There are D-Tap batteries + dummy LPE6N but a cheaper solution is getting a multiple output voltage powerbank, such as:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01G6EGR7I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 that has adjustable 5 voltage levels (9V/12V/16V/19V20V) and connect it to a dummy LPE6N. The 9V output voltage is good for Canon 5DSR and Panasonic GH5 cameras that I use and the powerbank comes with all sort of connectors for laptop and other devices.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 11, 2018)

bhf3737 said:


> Grimbald said:
> 
> 
> > Hi
> ...




But, what do you do when the power bank runs out of power and needs to be exchanged? The thing about the case relay is that it works, it communicates with the camera like a LP-E6, and the battery can be disconnected and changed without shutting down the camera. If you do not need continuous power, that may work, but if you need the camera to keep going while switching batteries, then the list is very short. Those with a time lapse setup may need continuous operation.


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## gwooding (Apr 11, 2018)

One potential solution for keeping the camera going for a long time could be using the Canon AC Adapter Kit for your camera
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1278814-REG/canon_ac_e6n_ac_adapter_and.html

In order to power the adapter you could then just get yourself a computer UPS. You can spec the UPS to give you whatever run time you need(try get one that has companion software allowing you to disable the beep). 

If you are more the DIY type you could even get yourself a little inverter that runs off 12V and just hook it up to a car battery (you could even have a bunch of batteries in parallel if you liked). 

I think this would allow significantly longer run times than any USB battery bank (although it is physically much larger as well).


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## Valvebounce (Apr 11, 2018)

Hi gwooding. 
I’m just wondering if you missed the bracketed sentence? (i.E. remote milkyways in the mountains). 
I’m not sure, but carrying a ups or an inverter and one (or more) car battery up a mountain along with all the other gear, tripod etc might not be Grimbald’s idea of a fun evening! ;D
For a start there is far too much extraneous weight in a ups that is for charging the batteries and pass through power for normal use! 
Not a bad idea for use out of the back of a car. 

Cheers, Graham. 



gwooding said:


> One potential solution for keeping the camera going for a long time could be using the Canon AC Adapter Kit for your camera
> https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1278814-REG/canon_ac_e6n_ac_adapter_and.html
> 
> In order to power the adapter you could then just get yourself a computer UPS. You can spec the UPS to give you whatever run time you need(try get one that has companion software allowing you to disable the beep).
> ...


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 11, 2018)

I reread the original post, I thought I read use of a intravalometer for extended periods. For air travel, there is a 100 WH limit for carry-on li-on batteries. You cannot put them in luggage.

Lithium ion batteries (a.k.a.: rechargeable lithium, lithium polymer, LIPO, secondary lithium). Passengers may carry all consumer-sized lithium ion batteries (up to 100 watt hours per battery). This size covers AA, AAA, cell phone, PDA, camera, camcorder, handheld game, tablet, portable drill, and standard laptop computer batteries. *The watt hours (Wh) rating is marked on newer lithium ion batteries.* External chargers are also considered to be a battery.

To determine watt hours (Wh), multiply the volts (V) by the ampere hours (Ah). Example: A 12-volt battery rated to 8 Amp hours is rated at 96 watt hours (12 x 8 = 96). For milliamp hours (mAh), divide by 1000 (to get to Ah) and then multiply by the volts.

For a power bank with a 3.7v battery, you could technically carry on a size up to 27,000 mah, but that's pushing it.

Don't carry one unless its marked watt hours, you may not be able to convince them its legal.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 11, 2018)

bhf3737 said:


> Grimbald said:
> 
> 
> > Hi
> ...



The battery you refer to is illegal to bring on a airplane, its too large and exceeds TSA rules. A smaller one would work.


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## bhf3737 (Apr 11, 2018)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> bhf3737 said:
> 
> 
> > Grimbald said:
> ...


Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't know the limit and was about to take it with me on a flight.


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## mb66energy (Apr 29, 2018)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I use a Tether Tools case relay. It connects to a usb power battery, and converts it to the right voltage for all canon dslr's except 1 series. It fits in the camera on the other end with a dummy battery. It contains a smaller battery, so you can disconnect and replace the usb battery. You can also power it from AC either while recharging a large battery or directly.
> 
> The system is then limited by how large of a USB battery you have.
> 
> ...


Thanks for mentioning the tether tools power supply: A very good solution which relies more or less from USB power which has a high reliability. Maybe a laptop USB port would be sufficient for emergency cases because the relay box must have some internal energy storage to supply peak power consumption of a camera during a burst.

I always thought that I would build some device with a 4 EUR adjustable step-up converter with LED voltage display and a larger capacitor but maybe it is safer and more comfortable to buy a solid ready-to-use solution with additional features.


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## Grimbald (May 6, 2018)

Soo, I'm considering following solution now:

Given that I intend to use the battery for timelapse, I was thinking about a solution were I only use one power bank, one that could power also timelapse gear: http://www.dynamicperception.com/product-p/dp-ppb2.htm 
That means though, that the poweroutput from the battery must come from the USB exit (5V).

To transform the USB output into an 9V exit, I would use a transformer, such as https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073N2HG78/ref=psdc_10967761_t2_B074R7FDCR, and then couple it to the Canon Power adapter https://www.amazon.com/Canon-DR-E6-Coupler-Digital-cameras/dp/B001KBZ3Q4. 

College is long over, and I'm not sure if the polarity of the adapter (positiv inner, negativ outer) fits the input of the Canon Power adapter (other way around). Also, the canon adapter seems to have an 5.5mm input, what kind of exit would that require? 

Also: Does anybody know how high the required Ampere can go of a 5d Mark IV? Given the 1900mAh capacity of a LP-E6N, I would assume that it the camera will very very unlikely ever go over 1A of usage?


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## Bennymiata (May 7, 2018)

What you need is one of these.
It will charge 2 lpe6s at the same time and it runs off a USB li ion battery pack that you use to charge your phone.
It works well and was about $5 from a cheap Chinese web site.
I've used mine when I'm away from home or on a long wedding job.


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## privatebydesign (May 7, 2018)

I have used a Paul C Buff Vagabond Lithium Extreme for a remote on occasions. I have an AC/DC kit for my camera and use the battery, that has regular AC outlet, to run it.

I wouldn't necessarily buy it to d the job but I have it for my lights anyway and it works very well.


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## Grimbald (May 7, 2018)

Bennymiata said:


> What you need is one of these.
> It will charge 2 lpe6s at the same time and it runs off a USB li ion battery pack that you use to charge your phone.
> It works well and was about $5 from a cheap Chinese web site.
> I've used mine when I'm away from home or on a long wedding job.




Did you even read what I plan to do (first post)? ....

I do have a double charger, but I don't see how that will help me when my camera is supposed to run for 7 hours straight while I sleep in a tent ....


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