Solar Powered Blink Camera - **Confirmed** Can Run On Solar!

[marktheknife]

the solar panels that are approved to be used with the XT camera

Just as a heads up, AFAIK there is no solar panel that is “approved” for use with the XT cameras. There is a community member that designed one for use with blink cameras and is selling it on amazon. Not knocking that particular solution, just clarifying that it’s not developed by blink and wouldn’t necessarily be something that customer service/tech support can help you with.

Having said that, if the solar panel is supplying sufficient current to the camera, it shouldn’t matter whether the batteries are in it or not. If the solar panel is unable to supply adequate power to the camera because of cloud cover etc. (and the panel’s internal battery bank is not charged) then the camera will shut off unless there are batteries in it.

[adolfo2]

You will never know if the Solar Solution even works unless you run it w/o the internal camera batteries. I removed the internal ones with my home-spun, solar solution.

[lmosenko]

Hi @maria ,

@marktheknife is correct. This solar panel is not official Blink product. That said, I tested it in day light and it does have a built in battery. I need to do more testing. But I would tell you from MHO from the Blink cameras which I actually wire to A/C power…Take Out the Batteries. The batteries did go bad and the camera heat alert was triggered in the push notifications. So now no batteries in the wired Blink cameras.

[maria]

Hi. I did connect my cameras with no batteries to the solar panels and so far I don’t have any issues.

[topgallant]

For $29 on amazon there is a solar option that has a built in battery and supplies the blink power through the usb input on the camera: https://www.amazon.com/Compatible-Security-Waterproof-Continuously-Adjustable/dp/B07HG5STZY/ref=cm_wl_huc_item

I’m wondering if one could be built any cheaper - might not be worth the effort, but it might look something like this:

1. solar panel 5v/1A out: $4.42 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-Travel-5W-5V-3-5W-6V-USB-Solar-Panel-Charger-USB-Port-Cellphone-Use-D/283021312856?hash=item41e5628358:m:mZDh-t-XhcHBxVLbIidSStg:rk:19:pf:100:
2. battery charging circuit in 4-6v, out 4.2v at 500mA : $4.90 for one https://www.dfrobot.com/product-1139.html (or $7.99 for 10: https://www.amazon.com/Diymore-18650-Lithium-Battery-Charging/dp/B01J7FXZLY/ref=cm_wl_huc_item
3. battery: $11.00 - 3.7v LiPo 3000mAh

Total: $16.22+tax+shipping+case… this presumes you could supply the blink with 3.7 through the usb connector… A previous post had said they were considering trying this, has anyone? … I’m inclined to think this wouldn’t work, but for another $3-4 you could add a dc-dc step up converted from the 3.7-4.2v to 5v usb.

[N0ctrnl]

As someone who truly enjoys electronics and building things like you’re proposing, you have to consider the durability of a solution like this. If you were talking about huge savings, this would make sense, but other than from a hobbyist point of view, saving $5-$10 for the work and trial/error has to be weighed.

You have to consider that a <$5 charging panel on eBay may not be the most long-lasting piece of equipment you’ll ever buy

[topgallant]

I agree, it was just from a tinkering, self fulfillment perspective. I really don’t have time to do this, and would rather work on making a zwave enabled chicken coop controller.

[Jackastor]

Hey all, I purchased a Wasserstein solar panel that provides 5v @2watts from amazon. It was advertised for one of the ring stick up cameras that are powered with micro usb. At any rate with the enclosure and mount I purchased for my new Blink XT , I found the usb connector to be too long to be placed with the camera. So I purchased a separate usb cable that had a smaller connector backing and was about 10 feet long. Now the solar panel is capable of powering the Blink XT alone, but not at night. So I added a 20100ma battery pack feeding the solar panel into the charging port on the battery and the usb cable I purchased into the battery pack. So far the system works flawlessly and the battery pack is being charged while the sun is shinning. Since the camera is mounted above my garage with the panel mounted near it as well, the cables are fed back into the garage to the battery pack which could be positioned and mounted on the of the solar panel with a small bit of tinkering and a case to enclose it for water proofing. But it works as is for now and I am quite happy with it. I will be adding more cameras along the way so that I can monitor my property. We do have some coyotes around here along with an unusual number of rabbits, and foxes to name a few animals. At any rate I’ll post more information about my solar set up as time goes by.

[lmosenko]

Hi @Jackastor,

Do you mind taking a video of the setup and posting it here via a Youtube uploaded link?

[Jackastor]

I don’t use YouTube. Otherwise it would not be a problem.

[Drlx2]

Hi Jackastor,
I was wondering if you had any updates on your solar set up since the January post, as it’s been several months now.