# Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Aggressor - external battery pack



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

Here is the parts list.

*12 volt battery*. Any 12 - 22 volt source will do, but I was able to score this one on clearance at Walmart. It also came with a waterproof case and AC/DC charger.











While I was at it. I also picked up the solar charger. Also on clearance. 









The solar charger is not required. Just a "nice to have".




A "*Buck Converter*" to step-down the 12 volts to 8.4 volts.









This is the one that I bought off of Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C0KL1OM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . 



*2.1 mmx5.5 mm DC Power Jack Socket*. 









I bought these...also off of Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JR591DG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 



*Waterproof Project Box*









Again...Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JEWNKR0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 

And last but not least....The CABLE. I will cover this in the next post.


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

*The cable....*

I was able to find all kinds of connectors on eBay and Amazon that I thought might work. This type of connector is commonly used for security cameras and low voltage lighting. They could be found for just a couple dollars each, but I wasn't sure of the dimensions or if the gauge of the wire was going to be sufficient. Rather than try to save a few bucks on something that I was unsure about, I called up Bushnell and just ordered theirs. It was only $11 shipped and came with the squirrel proof shielding. 

The phone number and "replacement part" number are on the invoice below.











If you want to save some money and buy the $2 connectors, I took some measurements for you below.


















Next....Assembly...putting it all together.


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

Regarding the Bushnell cable. I cut off the end that attaches to their Solar panel/Battery combo unit and wired it directly to the Buck Converter. After peeling back the aluminum shielding, a black and red wire were revealed. Just to make sure of the polarity, I verified it with my Harbor Freight multi-meter. I got it for FREE with a coupon.










In researching the specs on the Bushnell Solar/Battery unit, I found out that the output is 8.4 volts. There is a dial on the back of the buck converter to adjust the voltage output. Using my multi-meter, I adjusted it down to 8.39 volts. The camera will run off external power anywhere from 8.4 volts down to somewhere around 6ish volts. Once the voltage drops below a certain point, the AA's take over.









Note the polarity on the cable. With the little notch facing down, Left is + (positive) and Right is - (negative).


I will throw in a few more pics since I took the time to take them.

















Model # 119873C. I think the "C" is for "camo" or "Cabelas" since Cabelas carries the camo version. Elsewhere, it is brown.


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

As mentioned earlier. I am testing everything in my backyard for now. So far so good. I will keep you posted on how it does and let everyone know if I end up frying my camera.

I had originally bought a couple 12 volt (7.5Ah) sealed lead acid batteries for setting this up at my hunting location. The 32gb SD card holds about 7,000 pictures using the 14mp setting on the camera. When I go to swap out the card, I will just replace the battery with a fully charged one and charge up the old one when I get back home. Wash, Rinse and Repeat. The solar charger is going to be pretty much useless for my setup (heavily shaded area), but it was on sale and couldn't pass it up.

I didn't do the math on what all this cost me, but it should pay for itself in short order given the price of those AA Energizer batteries.

Oh...Happy New Year! I am going to go watch the ball drop and then go to bed....if I can hold out that long.











The battery pack is tucked away back in the tree out of the elements.

You can see it in the upper left portion of the pic (10 o'clock).


I cut up an orange juice container to provide the camera some protection from the weather.


----------



## asmith4 (Aug 26, 2011)

really cool! but gotta ask why would just a 12v external fry a camera? does the battery just store power and the camera takes what it needs from it?


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

Voltage that is too high can cause premature failure of electrical and electronic components (e.g. circuit boards) due to overheating.


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

So far so good.

I has been a few weeks now and the cam has taken over 6,000 pics and videos so far. The battery indicator is at 100% full strength (3 bars) and hasn't budged a bit....even with the single digit temperatures we have been getting lately. 

The 12 volt battery did draw down to 11.8 volts. It should be somewhere around 13 volts when fully charged. The solar charger must not be keeping it topped off. The buck converter still showed 8.1 volts though. Rather than draw down the 12 volt battery #1 anymore and risk damaging it, I put it on my small 1.5 amp Schumacher battery charger and swapped it out with battery #2 while it is recharging. This is most likely what I will be doing when I place the camera in it's real location...a deeply shaded area where the solar charger will be of little use. I will swap out the SD card and the battery every 4 weeks or so.

A set of Energizer Lithium AA batteries (8) would probably be dead about now.

For some reason I was having trouble posting any pics this time around. I will try later.


----------



## Neokane (Sep 6, 2014)

I recently made a similar battery pack for my Aggressor HD. 

Here is where i was able to get the power cable from 
http://custom1enterprises.com/custom1enterprises_004.htm
Used amazon to find a 12v to 9v converter, a dakota lithium 7Ah battery , and a menards Survivor Dry Box Green (Model Number: S1072-11 | Menards® SKU: 1759050)

So, yeah.. for around 90 bucks, I was able to make a pretty solid battery pack. I could have had a cheaper battery if I used a conventional SLA battery. But I feel the lithium will give better performance. 
Either way, when you have to pay almost $17 for an 8 pack of lithium AA batteries, it wont take long to get my money back out of this battery box.


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

Hey NeoKane,

Thanks for the links. Feel free to post pics of your battery pack. I am interested in seeing what you and others have come up with. 

Now that hunting season is over and Winter is in full swing, I am going to start working on battery pack #2. I will look into the Dakota Lithium batteries as I agree...they are superior to standard SLA batteries, but they sure ain't cheap. I already have a $4 Harbor Freight plastic (and hopefully waterproof) ammo can to house the battery (or batteries). It fits 2 7ah SLA's perfectly, with just enough room for wiring in some connectors. This should give me twice the run time when wired in parallel but may be overkill...plus it will be quite a bit heavier.

Again, thanks for the links. I looked at the $35 kit that "Custom1..." put together. I think I prefer the Bushnell cable over theirs since it comes with the vinyl wrapped aluminum conduit shielding to keep the critters from chewing through the wires. The buck converter I chose is rated for up to 3 amps vs. their 1 amp and it is made out of aluminum instead of plastic which should help with better heat dispersion. Not to mention, but I only have about $20 in my "kit". 

With my last card pull/battery swap, I changed the settings on the camera to take pics only (no videos). I want to see how many pics I could get before the battery drops below 12 volts. I think video (especially nighttime video) drains the battery faster as it has the keep the IR LEDs lit up over a longer period of time. I will post the results later.


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

I did another card pull/battery swap today...right around 30 days since my last one. I was able to get 5,122 pictures and the 12 volt battery dipped down to 10.6 volts.

I'm thinking it should last longer than that, but oh well. At least I do not have to shell out any more $$$ to buy more AA's. I'll just keep recharging the 12 volt batteries and swap them out every month.

Another $18 saved.


----------



## Chaotica69 (Jul 3, 2016)

Hey mate nice write up im gonna give it a crack me self do u reckon this battery might work looking for something a bit smaller https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com.au/ulk/itm/152942858307


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

Sorry...just seeing your post. That battery should work as long as you step it down to 8.4 volts. 

With the capacity of that Lithium ion battery, you are gonna fill up the card before the battery dies. 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

I set out a trail camera this weekend over a couple of salt blocks. Here is the setup and view. You can see why a solar charger will not work in my situation. The woods are overly mature with a very dense canopy...no sunlight.

















I was going to make a 2nd battery box out of a plastic ammo can, but opted to just Keep it Simple.









I made a "basket" that the battery could sit in so that I could easily swap them out every 30 days or so.


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

I had someone ask me about the polarity of the connectors. Here are a couple of pictures that I hope clarify things a bit.


----------



## Neokane (Sep 6, 2014)

Nothing too fancy.. just have it all in a weather proof box.


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

That'll work. Let us know what kind of battery life you are getting. 

I'm swapping mine out every month or so and still have 3 bars after taking 300-400 pics/videos in "hybrid" mode. 

I could definitely run it longer but I worry about draining the battery lower than 12 volts. Besides....I'm too curious to see what is on the sd card and can't wait much longer. 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

Update:

Come to find out, the polarity to the "made in China" solar panel was wired backwards by the manufacturer. No wonder it wasn't keeping my battery topped off. Should extend the battery life now. I still check the SD card and swap out the battery every month or so.


----------



## srkrit0980 (Sep 17, 2009)

Great setup!

Looking for some help for a cuddeback system. I’m thinking of switching and trying an entire set of cuddeback cuddelink cameras. The G series take 4 D batteries and the J series take 12’AA batteries. How can i figure out what to step down the voltage to in order to make a SLA- solar setup? I have found the jack size for external charging port so that’s good but having trouble on the figuring aspects of
The voltage. You seem fluent in these things 

I have 3 covert cellular code blacks and have built my own battery packs with solar. 
I did buy coverts cable that stepped down 12 volt to 9. Got an ammo can- stuck a SLA in it and wired my covert cable and solar charger to the respective terminals. Drilled holes and used rubber grommets for entering/exiting cables and bam done. 

Now that I’m wanting to try the cuddeback system all the reviews say the battery life is terrible. Any thoughts?


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

srkrit0980 said:


> Great setup!
> 
> Looking for some help for a cuddeback system. I’m thinking of switching and trying an entire set of cuddeback cuddelink cameras. The G series take 4 D batteries and the J series take 12’AA batteries. How can i figure out what to step down the voltage to in order to make a SLA- solar setup? I have found the jack size for external charging port so that’s good but having trouble on the figuring aspects of
> The voltage. You seem fluent in these things
> ...


Thanks. 

I'm not that familiar with the Cuddeback's, however your 4D cell camera is definitely running off of a 6 volt system. 1.5 volts x 4 = 6.

12 batteries is a lot of batteries! I would have to guess that they are wired in a combination of a series and in parallel. 

My Bushnell Aggressor cam has 2 sets of 4 AA batteries wired in parallel to make 6 volts. 1.5v x4 =6 ran in parallel to double the battery capacity Ah. I took it apart and just traced the wiring. I also knew that the Bushnell Solar charger designed for this particular camera has an output of 8.4 volts. That is where I set my buck converter. I simply looked up the specs on Bushnell's website. 

My Bushnell E2 camera runs off of a 12 volt system. 8 AA batteries wired in a series. 1.5v x 8 = 12. Again, I took it apart and traced the wires. 

Every cam is different. You can call the manufacturer or take your camera apart and trace the wires. A quick call to the manufacturer maybe the quickest and easiest. 

Good luck. 





Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## MandK (Jul 29, 2013)

Great job! Love The DYI


----------



## srkrit0980 (Sep 17, 2009)

2Rsquared said:


> Thanks.
> 
> I'm not that familiar with the Cuddeback's, however your 4D cell camera is definitely running off of a 6 volt system. 1.5 volts x 4 = 6.
> 
> ...


I think I’m going to go with the G series because of the reviews and they do have the optional power port to add external batteries. If I add a 6 volt SLA charged with a solar trickle I should be ok correct since I’m not exceeding the 6 volt system of 4 D batteries? Or do a 12 volt sla with trickle solar stepped down to 6 volts. 

I’m guessing I’d have to find rechargeable D’s to put in camera as I don’t know the exact operating system of the camera if it runs off 4 in house Ds first then switches to External after certain level reached or if the whole system can charge at same time as one system.

My coverts use rechargeable internals with external sla with solar.

Any Input? 

Thanks again


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

srkrit0980 said:


> I think I’m going to go with the G series because of the reviews and they do have the optional power port to add external batteries. If I add a 6 volt SLA charged with a solar trickle I should be ok correct since I’m not exceeding the 6 volt system of 4 D batteries? Or do a 12 volt sla with trickle solar stepped down to 6 volts.
> 
> I’m guessing I’d have to find rechargeable D’s to put in camera as I don’t know the exact operating system of the camera if it runs off 4 in house Ds first then switches to External after certain level reached or if the whole system can charge at same time as one system.
> 
> ...



It appears that the Cuddeback G series is set up just like my Bushnell Aggressor. They are both a 6 volt system that have the ability to add external batteries somewhere in the 9 volt range. 

Cuddeback makes a fairly inexpensive external battery pack (model #3358) made specifically for the G series. Here is the Amazon link https://www.amazon.com/Cuddeback-3358-CuddePower-Battery-Booster-x/dp/B00TFYMDA2 and Cuddeback's link https://www.cuddeback.com/products/cuddepower-battery-booster 

_Product description

CuddePower Battery Booster powers Cuddeback C, E, and G size cameras from 6 D Cell batteries. A single D battery has over 6 times the capacity of an alkaline or lithium AA battery. CuddePower's 6 D batteries provide 3 times the power of the cameras 8 AA batteries. More power enables the camera to record better night images and have much longer battery life -especially in sub-freezing conditions. For many users, 6 D batteries will operate a camera for over 12 months. CuddePower can power the camera with or without batteries being installed in the camera. The camera will draw power from the D batteries first, saving the camera’s 8 AA or 4 D batteries for backup when the CuddePower's D batteries fail. The cameras slide onto the CuddePower for a convenient and easy deployment. Includes a Genius Metal Lock Mount (batteries not included)​_
Since that external battery pack holds 6 D cell batteries, I would say that the G series will run off of 9 volts (1.5 volts x 6 = 9). A 12 volt SLA battery may be too much and you would have to step it down to 9 volts or so to be safe and not burn up your camera....similar to my build for my Bushnell Aggressor.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your project. Let us know how it turns out.

BTW...it looks like Cuddeback is coming out with a solar powered external battery pack (model 3532). They do not list a price but it sounds exactly like what you want to build.


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

Here are a couple of pics of my Bushnell E2 running directly off of an external 12 volt SLA battery. 

The E2 is a 12 volt system and there isn't a need for a buck converter. Took me a 1/2 hour or so to drill a small hole and solder the wires. Pretty easy.









Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## B.Hunter (May 4, 2009)

2R,
I don't have plans on running this setup but wanted to thank you for the extensive work/time/plans/description/pics you've detailed here. Kudos brother for helping others.


----------



## rk_diver (Feb 10, 2019)

First, I don't have a Bushnell solar panel but have just started looking into them because my brother-in-law has three of the Aggressor series cameras (model 119973C) and he's tired of replacing Lithium batteries. His camera takes 8 AA batteries but they're divided into two separate banks. The camera itself is a 6 volt unit, so they have both banks in parallel to give twice the current capacity. You can run the camera with only four batteries if you choose, but you'll be replacing batteries more often. From what I can determine the solar panel from Bushnell itself is a 9 volt panel. This charges an internal 6 volt battery. So the voltage going into the two prong twist jack is 6 volts, not 8.5 or 9 volts. In order to charge the internal lithium battery the solar panel has to put out a higher voltage then the fully charged lithium batteries 6 volts. The solar panel isn't able to generate a lot of current which is why the voltage is higher then you'd normally charge the lithium battery with (using a 1 amp charger for example). I have an old solar panel system for my first trail cam and it's also a 9 volt output @ 70ma (.63 watts) which also charged a 6 volt battery. You need to look at the solar panels output voltage when it's connected to a load (the partially discharged internal lithium battery with a good light source to generate enough output voltage). I'm sure you'll see the voltage is just over 6 volts, which is actually the output of the lithium battery. If you've ever measured a cheap wall wart charger (not regulated) you'd see for a 12 volt battery the unloaded charger output was probably close to 18 volts. The point of all this is, you're running your cameras at too high a voltage (approx. 8 volts). The cameras must have some over voltage protection (like a zener diode that clamps the incoming voltage to 6 volts) otherwise the higher voltage then what it was designed for may damage the camera. I'm going to order the cable and connect it to a 6 volt 8 amphour SLA battery. My Moultrie and Browning cameras run for months (12 volt system) taking only videos. If anyone has a Bushnell solar panel measure the output voltage going to the camera with a good light source (my solar panel outs out the rated 70ma with a bright LED flashlight pointed at it. I don't know what the amp hour rating is for the panels internal Lithium battery. Hopefully this all makes some sort of sense! Rick


----------



## 2Rsquared (Nov 4, 2008)

Thanks for the input Rick. 

I have been running my buck converters at 8.4 volts for over a year now and all is well. I will turn them down closer to 6 volts and see how that works. I don't want to run them any higher than I have to. 

I no longer use any internal AA batteries. I run everything off of externals. It only takes one AA battery to leak and mess everything up. 

I pulled all my cameras out of the woods for the Winter but still run one in my backyard. It doesn't use any batteries at all....0, zero batteries. I currently have it hooked up to a AC/DC converter (wall wort) plugged into an outside AC outlet. 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## rk_diver (Feb 10, 2019)

Primos told me I couldn't use batteries the same time I used my external battery pack, would cause over-heating. Don't know why but I've got a couple of their cheaper cameras for monitoring trails close to public land. If they get stolen it'd irritate me but but not as much as a more expensive camera! From Moultrie; "The way the Moultrie external powers are made they trickle the power so you are not going to over do the voltage." Don't quite understand what they're trying to say, but they recommend using internal batteries if you're running an external source. Without a schematic to look at one can only make best guesses. That's why I'm assuming your cameras have decent power regulation which is why some over-voltage isn't bothering them. It would be interesting to throw an amp meter in series with your source (and have a voltmeter across the source at the same time if possible) and see what the draw is with your present setting, and then lower it and see what happens (have the camera set to take long videos with the light level detector covered so the lighting is on so you have maximum current draw). Monitor both voltage and current throughout the whole test. You'd have to know what the rated draw is for a reference. I'm not familiar with the Buck brand converters, but just make sure the voltage and current remain consistent throughout the video/lighting test. Becomes much easier with a good variable DC supply with built in meters! If you're only taking photos then it isn't a big deal. I personally like to shoot videos so I capture as much as possible. It takes me a long time to go through five or six cameras worth of videos each week, but that's one of the perks of being retired!  Rick


----------



## carterr2011 (Aug 6, 2018)

Thanks for the guidance. I have this setup on 4 of my BUshnell cell cameras now. How did you hookup the solar panel? I have a bushnell solar panel and hope to hook it up so my battery is always charged.


----------



## FeOxide (Jan 2, 2020)

Great build thread thank you.


----------



## near_miss (9 d ago)

Just came across this thread and posted a reply to the other thread about the connectors:

The mystery connector is an M12 2-pin connector, that and the M16 which has room for more pins are fairly standard tough-environment power connectors so not hard to source from any electronics supply place, just make sure you get the screw rather than bayonet coupling. 

Apart from that, if anyone has a dead or unused Bushnell could they open it up and post photos of the circuit board, front and back, particularly around the power handling area? It'd be interesting to see if they have reverse-polarity protection on the input, whether they use a DC/DC converter or just assume the input is exactly 8.4V, and so on, in other words check what sort of possible mishandling the circuitry can deal with for DIY power feeds.


----------

