[ftp]

Had a trip to Maplins today to buy a wireless camera for inspecting gutters using a pole in preparation for a gutter sucking vacuum. First problem - wireless doesn't really mean no wires. The camera itself needs to be plugged in to the mains for it to run. This can be overcome in theory by soldering a jack onto the wire and powering from a rechargeable 9v battery. Then there is the monitor - except that needs power too - great just buy an inverter and run from the van socket easy!
Except then you are tied to the van - bugger - can't operate the camera and screen together. Therefore need a monitor that runs off batteries too.
Staff in the shop were next to useless  : Where's Jeff?

[jeff1]

I bought my monitor from Tesco's and its a portable one, it must be able to except video in.

Re-your camera ? your right, you can make up a lead and have the 9v battery taped to the top of your pole with the camera.

The reciever is done the same way, I stuck my reciever to the back of my monitor with double sided sticky tape.

I'll log on again later when my pc is sorted out

[ftp]

Blimey that was quick Jeff!
Unfortunately i bought the bundle without really thinking. I've soldered the jack (red to centre post) but it's not working yet but that could be due to a flat battery - i'm charging a couple now. Looking on the box it would seem that the monitor runs at 12v and draws 1.0A. I am a complete electrical dunce so am floundering a bit. Do you think my monitor can be adapted to run from battery?
Another thing is that the mains power has some kind of suppressor? I think - is this needed when on battery power?

www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=223420 this is the culprit. 

[poles apart]

I bought my wireless camera from Maplins and it's exactly that! It's got  a rechargeable battery as does the monitor.
Rod

[ftp]

  did it come with batteries or have you adapted it?

[jeff1]

Blimey that was quick Jeff!
Unfortunately i bought the bundle without really thinking. I've soldered the jack (red to centre post) but it's not working yet but that could be due to a flat battery - i'm charging a couple now. Looking on the box it would seem that the monitor runs at 12v and draws 1.0A. I am a complete electrical dunce so am floundering a bit. Do you think my monitor can be adapted to run from battery?
Another thing is that the mains power has some kind of suppressor? I think - is this needed when on battery power?

www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=223420 this is the culprit. 

Your lucky it was quick then Lol been without a pc since last night and only just got up and running again.

OK before you go connecting it back up and asuming the center post is possitive, STOP

Have a look on the little power supply that comes with it and you will see a symbol on the label, it may look like a letter C and in the middle will be a dot with a line running to eother a possitive or negative symbol, the one in the center will tell you what polarity the center symbol should be.

If you bough the same one as I did then your ok the center is possitive (red)

You can change the monitor to run on battery, I see yours draws 1.0 Amp, thats about average for a monitor and is high, a 9v battery will go flat in no time, if you can get your self a small 12v battery from the thickys at Maplins, then a 1amp battery will run your monitor for 1 hr continuous, so the larger the amp the longger your monitor will run.

I was wondering why your monitor was 12v but after checking the spec on your link, I see the monitor contains the reciever? that's why its 12v @ 1A
before you plug in any powerto the monitor again check the little syblo on the side, if your still unsure then get a close up of the sockets and the back of the power supply and I will tell you the correct polarity.

A suppresor is nothing to worry about, unless your running your system were it can pick up high interference from electrical items.

[poles apart]

did it come with batteries or have you adapted it?

It came with internal rechargeable batteries.

[ftp]

Ok Jeff, the monitor dot runs to positive as does the camera (negative goes to the c )

What i do have in my garage is a rechargeable NiMh 13.2V 4 amp Battery from an expensive bicycle set up. Do you reckon that would be any good?

[jeff1]

Ok Jeff, the monitor dot runs to positive as does the camera (negative goes to the c )

What i do have in my garage is a rechargeable NiMh 13.2V 4 amp Battery from an expensive bicycle set up. Do you reckon that would be any good?

OK your wired correctly
All electrical items have a voltage tollerence range of around -/+3v, so you should be ok to run it from your rechargable battery.

I'm still messing on my pc getting everything back to normal, but I will keep popping on to check how your getting on. 

One thing you should do before connecting your system to run on batteries is to connect it all up via the mains and make sure its all working OK, The first one I bought from Maplins was crap and didn't work properly.

[ftp]

Yes all works fine by the mains. Shame really i didn't think it would be this hard.
Pretty annoyed at the staff to be honest they seemed to have as much knowledge as me (nill).
I'm going to need some kind of reducer because the jack on my bike battery is much bigger than the input connection on the monitor.

[jeff1]

Yes all works fine by the mains. Shame really i didn't think it would be this hard.
Pretty annoyed at the staff to be honest they seemed to have as much knowledge as me (nill).
I'm going to need some kind of reducer because the jack on my bike battery is much bigger than the input connection on the monitor.

Maplins is full of Gonks, the same as these DIY stores.

Go into Maplins and ask for the manager, he works behind the counter as well, he's not stuck in the back office doing paper work, the manager usually knows what he's talking about, failing that, ask for someone who knows what there talking about, I often bye-pass the Gonks and go straight to the top Lol.

You can cut the plug of if you want to and add one that fits the monitor, I think its around 3.5mm the one you need, take your monitor in with you and try them in the shop, I do, poke the plug through the plastic bag and try it.

[ftp]

I have found a power adapter plug in the maplins catalogue that might do the trick then i can whip it off to charge the NiMh battery when required. Ho hum.

[jeff1]

If you have the correct adapter, all the better.

[ftp]

Maybe one of these?    www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?menuno=11913  try Curries tomorrow (another load of wasters)
Then i can connect one of these       www.lumicycle.com/Product/Productlist.aspx?page=1&dep=86&tdep=86&pdep=


Second one down.

[Chris Galloway]

Yes all works fine by the mains. Shame really i didn't think it would be this hard.
Pretty annoyed at the staff to be honest they seemed to have as much knowledge as me (nill).
I'm going to need some kind of reducer because the jack on my bike battery is much bigger than the input connection on the monitor.

Maplins is full of Gonks, the same as these DIY stores.

Go into Maplins and ask for the manager, he works behind the counter as well, he's not stuck in the back office doing paper work, the manager usually knows what he's talking about, failing that, ask for someone who knows what there talking about, I often bye-pass the Gonks and go straight to the top Lol.

You can cut the plug of if you want to and add one that fits the monitor, I think its around 3.5mm the one you need, take your monitor in with you and try them in the shop, I do, poke the plug through the plastic bag and try it.

I always ask behind the components section. they need to know what they are on about.. dont want the wrong advise being given about components..

[jeff1]

Maybe one of these?    www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?menuno=11913  try Curries tomorrow (another load of wasters)
Then i can connect one of these       www.lumicycle.com/Product/Productlist.aspx?page=1&dep=86&tdep=86&pdep=


Second one down.

I have one of those adapter kits and there very good.

[windowwashers]

Had a trip to Maplins today to buy a wireless camera for inspecting gutters using a pole in preparation for a gutter sucking vacuum. First problem - wireless doesn't really mean no wires. The camera itself needs to be plugged in to the mains for it to run. This can be overcome in theory by soldering a jack onto the wire and powering from a rechargeable 9v battery. Then there is the monitor - except that needs power too - great just buy an inverter and run from the van socket easy!
Except then you are tied to the van - bugger - can't operate the camera and screen together. Therefore need a monitor that runs off batteries too.
Staff in the shop were next to useless  : Where's Jeff?

Can you not just get a cam off ebay wireless

[ftp]

Do you mean stick a cam recorder on the end of a pole?
Got the camera going now just the monitor next and i'll be out surveying if the rain stops.

[jeff1]

Have a look on my web and see how I use my camera on the end of my Xtel

[ftp]

Jeff, just done a twenty mile round trip for a connector to reduce the dc in, charged my battery all night on smart charger and connected up guess what? Nothing! What should i do? I have thought maybe the polarity of my battery could be the opposite way round god knows.  :