How can I power a portable multi-camera Canon 200D scanning rig without swapping batteries?
Asked 5/15/2019
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I’m building a portable 3D face-scanning rig with 36 Canon EOS 200D cameras. I’d like to avoid constantly recharging or swapping batteries, but I also want to keep the setup tidy and minimize loose cables and plugs. AC adapters for each camera don’t seem practical. What power approach works well for a multi-camera rig like this?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
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Buying cheap AC adapters for parts and modifying them into a custom wire-harness that is run from a central power supply is my preferred solution for a problem like this.
The most graceful solution for a setup like this is design a cable harness that includes the wiring for the power to each camera, as well as the trigger sync, and have them branch out in an organized tree.
- All power/trigger/data cables get bundled into shared sleeves that are sized to run from each camera back to one or more central points to minimize the total number of connections you need to make.
- Just remember to keep different classes of connectors as clearly different from each other... Don't cheap out and use the same kind of connector for a sync cable as you do the power connectors... The camera's won't like that. I would also suggest going with a physically different positive and negative connector for your power lines to ensure those don't accidentally get flipped.
With custom length and grouped cables, you minimize excess wiring and maintain a professional clean look.
If possible, I would suggest a semi-modular approach to designing the harness. This will save time and effort if you expand or change your camera array.
Originally by user82321. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user82321
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For a rig this large, the practical approach is centralized external power rather than individual camera batteries. The common solution is to power each camera through a DC coupler (dummy battery) and run those back to a central supply or power box.
A custom cable harness is often the cleanest way to do it: bundle power and trigger/sync wiring into organized branches so the whole rig connects back to one or a few central points. That reduces the number of separate leads you have to manage and makes setup faster and neater.
Whichever route you choose, use good-quality cables and connectors so every camera gets stable voltage when all cameras fire. Also keep power connectors clearly different from trigger/data connectors to avoid accidental misconnection.
So, yes—there are alternatives to swapping batteries: a central power supply with dummy batteries, either via a DIY harness or a dedicated multi-camera power box.
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