Building a do it yourself external camcorder battery pack is moderately easy.
Camcorders usually require between 7 and 8 volts to operate. Lithium ion battery packs are fairly common, due to their weight and endurance. However, making a lithium ion battery pack ought not to be undertaken. The batteries are unstable if not they are not handled and wired correctly. In addition, a specialist electrical protection system needs to be built into the pack. Alternatively, you can make a do-it-yourself external camcorder battery pack easily and safely using NiCad or NiMH rechargeable batteries.
Instructions
1. Check the input voltage on the label of your camcorder. It's likely to be just over 7 volts. Each NiCad or NiMH battery cell produces 1.2 volts so you need six batteries, wired in series, to power your camcorder. Wiring batteries in series increases the voltage: six batteries wired in series produces 7.2 volts, perfect for your camcorder.
2. Place your six batteries on a flat surface. The battery terminals must alternate so you have three positive and three negative terminals at each end. Label each battery numerically. Wrap electrical insulating tape around the six batteries to form a pack.
3. Cut seven wire strips using a knife. Using AWG 18 wire is fine. Two strips need to be long enough to reach between your camcorder and your external battery pack: the other five strips need to be an inch long. Label one long wire "+" and the other "-."
4. Using wire strippers or a knife, remove ¼-inch of plastic from the ends of each strip of wire to reveal the inner metal. Attach the strip labeled "+" to the positive terminal of battery 1 and the other strip labeled "-" to the negative terminal of battery No. 6. Use electrical insulating tape to attach the wires.
5. Attach your first short strip of wire to the negative terminal of battery No. 1, and the other end to the positive terminal of battery No. 2. Repeat the process, attaching a short strip of wire to the negative and positive terminals of each battery in numerical order. Attach the last end of the fifth strip to the positive terminal of battery No. 6.
6. Wrap the external battery pack completely using electrical insulating tape. Make sure you completely cover the terminals, but make sure the two long wires remain outside the pack.
7. Wire a suitably-sized power jack to the end of both long wires. You may purchase a power jack from your electrical store. It needs to be the same size as the power input socket on your camcorder, so take it with you to the store to get the correct one.
8. Remove the cover from the power jack and slide over both long wires. Heat a soldering iron to operating temperature. Put the long "+" wire on the positive terminal of the power jack -- it's labeled. Touch the wire and terminal with the soldering iron and introduce the solder. Let the solder melt so it coats the wire and terminals, then remove the solder and soldering iron. Allow the power jack to cool.
9. Repeat the process and attach the "-" long wire to the negative terminal of the power jack. Turn off the soldering iron. Allow the power jack to cool then slide the cover down the wires and attach to the power jack. You have yourself a DIY external camcorder battery pack.
Tags: power jack, battery pack, terminal battery, your camcorder, positive terminal, soldering iron, camcorder battery
