[picdic]

question.
can a 9V solar panel be used on a tcam that runs on 4 AA batteries. that would make it a 6V cam. it can hold 8 AAs, but will run on just 4. also, the plug in the bottom of the cam says 6V.
i'm guessing it needs to be a 6V solar panel and that a 9V will not work.
my brother ordered a couple cams for me, and solar panels too. but i'm thinking they aren't the proper solar panels. but he's saying that the output doesn't matter because it's charging. that it's the same as charging your vehicle. the battery is a 12V but the alternator is putting out up to 16 volts and even up to 18 volts.

[April Lee]

It depends on the camera. Most AA battery cameras do not have the charging circuit built in, so that the external input may not be connected to the inside battery. Even if it is, it may not have the over-charging protection. Further, many cheap made cameras do not support a 3V extra voltage from the external power port. Over voltage may damage the circuit inside.

[picdic]

that's what I thought. that t-cams are much different than how other systems may or may not work.

[Anthony]

actually the camera's internal voltage may have no bearing on what the external power port is.

The Ridgetec cameras run internally off 9v but the external port is 12v.

Look in our store here at cg for our solar power pack. it outputs 12 volts but a 6v regular could easily be incorporated.

[picdic]

well, upon reading more, it seems like it is for the cam. even though it's a 9V solar panel, they say it's for this brand of cams and not compatible with other brands.
still seems weird/wrong to me, but seems like that's what it is.

[April Lee]

It's dangerous to allow external port to charge the batteries inside the camera: if user mistakenly puts the non-chargeable AA batteries inside the camera, the battery could explode when external (Solar) power charges the AA battery.

Therefore, for Boly's cameras, you have two choices:
1. If the camera supports only AA batteries, then you need to use a Solar Panel that has its own rechargeable batteries
（like Boly's BC-02 Solar Charger battery). In this case, you may still use rechargeable AA batteries. However, the external power port will not charge the AA batteries inside. You should charge your rechargeable AA batteries in your home by separate charging device. The camera has not charging function.
2. If the camera supports Lithium batteries (like the 18650 lithium battery), then the external power port will be
connected to the internal battery. In this case, you can use an Android Phone charger or a 5V PV panel to connect to the Ext Power port of the camera to charge the batteries inside the camera. Yes, such cameras have built-in charging circuit and protection circuit.
Boly has two series cameras on the market now that supports Lithum batteries (18650): the BG668/636/662 series, and the BG310 Series, the former has dual battery support (18650 and AA), while the later supports 18650 only.
The 18650 battery has typically two classes: the low class with 2200mAh, and the high class with 3000+mAh. A single
low class 18650 has as much power as 5x AA batteries, while a single high class 18650 has as much power as 8x AA batteries.
Hope the above info. helps when you plan to use Solar Panels.

[picdic]

interesting, that explains how that works very well.
my covert has a switch for rechargeables or regular AA. but, the solar panel for it also has it's own external battery attached to it. so, maybe it doesn't actually charge the rechargeable AAs??
the new cams I just received as a gift, are Suntek. they are some of those "cheap Chinese cams". I've always frowned on them, and thought of them as vastly inferior, but, I received one this spring as a gift from a family member, and it's really surprised me. then my brother got me 2 that are the newer model of the earlier one I have.
they don't have any switch inside to choose between regular AA or rechargeables. and everything I can find on them, says that the 9V solar panel is matched to them. the solar panel is fairly thick, so i'm guessing there's a battery inside it.

[April Lee]

More cameras will support lithium batteries and solar panels from 2020. So a lot of old cameras will have difficulty to sell from now on.

Lithium battery not only is more environmentally friendly, but also saves money and has longer battery life.