Finally found an external continuous power source for my E-PL6

Since Olympus doesn't make an external AC adapter for cameras they don't make external grips for, I decided to look around for a third party solution. I found a fellow in Austria (an electrical engineer) who makes them on his 3D printer. This thing is pretty great- I can now power my camera with ANY kind of power source that accepts DC or AC output via converter (just make sure you set the converter to 7.5 V and set the correct polarity). Shipping took just 5 days from Austria to New York!

He makes them for different batteries that are used by Olympus M43 cameras. Basically, you insert the dummy battery with the gold-plated contacts in your camera and use the 2 meter cord that comes with it (and a standard connector that's 5.5mm x 2.1 mm) to connect to the power source of your choice. Freedom from Li Ion batteries!

http://helge-suess.com/hardware-en/battery-adapter-bln-1-and-bls-5/

How much does he charge? Just curious, shipping to my location might kill it but still... I like the concept of this USB power source / voltage regulator for cameras:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01C39T1WI/

I don't even mind the price considering it should be a pretty universal solution and it does seem to work rather seamlessly in allowing one to 'hot swap' power sources. Their couplers are priced rather high tho, and since almost nobody else makes Oly power couplers for the high end OM-D bodies I was resigned to pay for one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01CIL4NFQ/

Impulses wrote:

How much does he charge? Just curious, shipping to my location might kill it but still... I like the concept of this USB power source / voltage regulator for cameras:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01C39T1WI/

I don't even mind the price considering it should be a pretty universal solution and it does seem to work rather seamlessly in allowing one to 'hot swap' power sources. Their couplers are priced rather high tho, and since almost nobody else makes Oly power couplers for the high end OM-D bodies I was resigned to pay for one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01CIL4NFQ/

So I can use the USB port on my laptop to power the camera? That's excellent! What would I need to get in addition to this adapter I now have?

edit- I just looked at those, so I need both of them to hook my camera up to my laptop for power? Would that work with the BLS-5/50 battery type used in the E-PL6? It's not listed there.

Could I just use the adapter I got from Austria- since it seems to look just like the part in the second link? I would just have to get the part on the first link to make it work- but it says it's a 5 V output, and our cameras require 7.5 V- 8 V don't they?

Oh, the adapter was 15 Euros and 5 for shipping within Europe and 7 to the US or Australia. I ended up paying $25 in total and he shipped it Priority.

OutsideTheMatrix wrote:

Impulses wrote:

How much does he charge? Just curious, shipping to my location might kill it but still... I like the concept of this USB power source / voltage regulator for cameras:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01C39T1WI/

I don't even mind the price considering it should be a pretty universal solution and it does seem to work rather seamlessly in allowing one to 'hot swap' power sources. Their couplers are priced rather high tho, and since almost nobody else makes Oly power couplers for the high end OM-D bodies I was resigned to pay for one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01CIL4NFQ/

So I can use the USB port on my laptop to power the camera? That's excellent! What would I need to get in addition to this adapter I now have?

edit- I just looked at those, so I need both of them to hook my camera up to my laptop for power? Would that work with the BLS-5/50 battery type used in the E-PL6? It's not listed there.

Could I just use the adapter I got from Austria- since it seems to look just like the part in the second link? I would just have to get the part on the first link to make it work- but it says it's a 5 V output, and our cameras require 7.5 V- 8 V don't they?

Oh, the adapter was 15 Euros and 5 for shipping within Europe and 7 to the US or Australia. I ended up paying $25 in total and he shipped it Priority.

Not sure if laptop power would do it, would probably work for a while even on an older laptop with ports that tap out at 0.5A, you'd have to look into it to see if 1A is necessary for extended runtime... A laptop as a source is kinda clunky tho, you can just grab a $30 USB power bank in addition to the two items I linked before (I like Anker's), or an AC USB charger indoors.

It looked like you could even get away without the coupler, since you have one already, but I didn't look closely at the barrel size of yours vs the linked one to make sure they match. If the E-PL6 isn't listed it's probably just because they don't make their own coupler/adapter for it. The internal battery of the main ($99) device is what raises the voltage from most USB power sources to what the camera needs (and what keeps it powered as you hot swap batteries).

Impulses wrote:

OutsideTheMatrix wrote:

Impulses wrote:

How much does he charge? Just curious, shipping to my location might kill it but still... I like the concept of this USB power source / voltage regulator for cameras:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01C39T1WI/

I don't even mind the price considering it should be a pretty universal solution and it does seem to work rather seamlessly in allowing one to 'hot swap' power sources. Their couplers are priced rather high tho, and since almost nobody else makes Oly power couplers for the high end OM-D bodies I was resigned to pay for one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01CIL4NFQ/

So I can use the USB port on my laptop to power the camera? That's excellent! What would I need to get in addition to this adapter I now have?

edit- I just looked at those, so I need both of them to hook my camera up to my laptop for power? Would that work with the BLS-5/50 battery type used in the E-PL6? It's not listed there.

Could I just use the adapter I got from Austria- since it seems to look just like the part in the second link? I would just have to get the part on the first link to make it work- but it says it's a 5 V output, and our cameras require 7.5 V- 8 V don't they?

Oh, the adapter was 15 Euros and 5 for shipping within Europe and 7 to the US or Australia. I ended up paying $25 in total and he shipped it Priority.

Not sure if laptop power would do it, would probably work for a while even on an older laptop with ports that tap out at 0.5A, you'd have to look into it to see if 1A is necessary for extended runtime... A laptop as a source is kinda clunky tho, you can just grab a $30 USB power bank in addition to the two items I linked before (I like Anker's), or an AC USB charger indoors.

It looked like you could even get away without the coupler, since you have one already, but I didn't look closely at the barrel size of yours vs the linked one to make sure they match. If the E-PL6 isn't listed it's probably just because they don't make their own coupler/adapter for it. The internal battery of the main ($99) device is what raises the voltage from most USB power sources to what the camera needs (and what keeps it powered as you hot swap batteries).

Thanks, do you think I could power it from an AC power outlet that way? When I asked the guy who I bought the adapter from, he told me I just need to go to the hardware store and find a 7.5V converter that matches the adapter and I can attach it to anything- including AC power.

Thanks to the supplier I have now found a few different ways to hook up external power to my camera! One with AC power and one with DC power (like an AA battery pack).

If you want to power the camera from AC, you need something like this:

http://www.truevalue.com/product/Universal-AC-Adapter/30842.uts?keyword=ACadapter

Make sure it has the 5.5x2.1mm connector (the one above has 7 connectors, the one below has 6) and set the right polarity.

DC power:

http://www.truevalue.com/product/Auto-Truck-RV/Auto-Accessories/Plug-In-Accessories/DC-Car-Power-Adapter-Universal/pc/2/c/29/sc/307/33838.uts

Whichever you use, make sure to set it to 7.5V

With the latter, you can use a 12V iSun BattPak as your power source (insert 10 AA batteries), like this, which I already have:

http://www.survivalunlimited.com/solar_misc/batpak.htm

Radio Shack also has an AC converter that works.

https://www.radioshack.com/collections/batteries-power/products/enercell-high-power-ac-adapter

You need the type M connector.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_power_connector#Adaptaplug

Allan Brown wrote:

Be careful with these adaptors.

Many have unstabilized outputs and the output voltage could rise above the maximum for the camera. Another problem, especially with the switching type, is noise. If the output is unfiltered, voltage spikes and other noise could enter the camera.

I looked at the links you provided but I could not see any specifications.

Allan

Thanks for pointing that out!  It says the voltage output can be regulated- I am going to set it for 7.5V.  Do you think I could harm the camera or the adapter in any way?

Allan Brown wrote:

OutsideTheMatrix wrote:

Allan Brown wrote:

Be careful with these adaptors.

Many have unstabilized outputs and the output voltage could rise above the maximum for the camera. Another problem, especially with the switching type, is noise. If the output is unfiltered, voltage spikes and other noise could enter the camera.

I looked at the links you provided but I could not see any specifications.

Allan

Thanks for pointing that out! It says the voltage output can be regulated- I am going to set it for 7.5V. Do you think I could harm the camera or the adapter in any way?

Yes, there is the possibility of harming the camera if the adaptor is not regulated. Also, there is the possibility that any noise created by the adaptor could interfere with the camera's operation.

I wonder what it means by "the voltage output can be regulated"? Either this is poor English or there is something else you have to do or add to the adaptor.

Adaptors I have seen are either regulated or not - not in between.

Allan

Allan, can you check the two True Value converters on their site- those are the ones I bought.  On the package it says that the voltage can be regulated from between 3V to 12V in discrete steps of 1.5V each.  It also mentions that the converters can be used with digital cameras specifically.  Included are 6 connectors with one and 7 connectors with the other, of various sizes to connect to the battery adapter.

I talked to the manufacturer of the custom power supply, and this is what he said:

Hi!

I haven't heard any complaints about the effects mentioned. That doesn't mean, that they can't occur. It depends mainly on the circuitry inside the AC adapter or DC converter. In my experience, most current designs meet the requirements. The only way finding out in particular would be to use an oscilloscope and look at the output voltage (when idle and under load).
My adapters, as stated before, have no electronics inside. They require a power supply matching the camera's needs.

Your AC adapter and the DC converter allow to set different output voltages. That means, that the nominal voltage may be set. In most cases nowadays, that also means that it is regulated to avoid voltage peaks at low loads. If you have an electronic voltmeter (measuring true RMS), you may take measurements of the idle voltage. It should be close (< 10% difference) to the nominal voltage that is set. It should drop to the nominal voltage when some load is connected.

Allan Brown wrote:

OutsideTheMatrix wrote:

I talked to the manufacturer of the custom power supply, and this is what he said:

Hi!

I haven't heard any complaints about the effects mentioned. That doesn't mean, that they can't occur. It depends mainly on the circuitry inside the AC adapter or DC converter. In my experience, most current designs meet the requirements. The only way finding out in particular would be to use an oscilloscope and look at the output voltage (when idle and under load).
My adapters, as stated before, have no electronics inside. They require a power supply matching the camera's needs.

Your AC adapter and the DC converter allow to set different output voltages. That means, that the nominal voltage may be set. In most cases nowadays, that also means that it is regulated to avoid voltage peaks at low loads. If you have an electronic voltmeter (measuring true RMS), you may take measurements of the idle voltage. It should be close (< 10% difference) to the nominal voltage that is set. It should drop to the nominal voltage when some load is connected.

Without proper test equipment it is difficult to determine if the output from the AC or DC adapter is suitable or not.

Take a look at this site for info on the topic.

http://www.powerstream.com/Wall-mount-FAQ.htm

Another factor that I mentioned before is noise and spikes from switching type adapters. In an other thread on this topic a while back, someone was designing their own camera battery adapter just like the one you have.

I suggested placing capacitors inside to remove any noise before the power enters the camera. The guy who manufacturers the battery adapter you have says "have no electronics inside".

This means that any noise generated by the AC or DC adapters will enter the camera. What effect that will have on the camera is anyone's guess.

You may be lucky and everything will work, however, as I said, be careful.

Allan

Thanks Allan!  Do you suggest that I get an instrument to test the adapters to see how much noise is generated by them?  What do I need to get- a voltmeter or oscilloscope?

vintlens wrote:

What has your experience been with this adapter now that a few years have passed? I'm looking to power my E-M10 II from USB or AC but after looking all morning long I can't say I've found a method that's 100% tested, reliable and that is complete - I find mention of one part / adapter or another but nothing like a complete kit. How did you end up powering this (model / settings?) and has the camera suffered any odd behavior or (gasp) damage at all from it?

Knock on wood no problems yet, I used it to power my camera for some long exposures of that total lunar eclipse the other day and it worked just fine!  I'm using both AC power and also DC power from an iSun BattPak!

Sorry for the late response, I also had to have a new computer built as my old one's hard drive died.   The computer was 11 years old, using Win XP and due to be replaced soon anyway lol (I had already placed the order for the new one and right after the old one's hard drive died- funny how that goes lol.)

I posted an article about powering my Stylus-1 which uses the BLS-1/5/50 batteries (same as E-PL6 I believe) over in the Olympus Compact Camera Forum about 3 months ago:

• https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/61753012

I've also used the dummy battery to power my E-m10 mark II. The dummy battery is available from alibaba.com, and is somewhat cheaper than the European battery. You will need a 9 volt power source that can provide roughly 1 amp of power (at 9v).

The battery I've used for powering other cameras is the Talentcell 72W 100WH 12V/8300mAh 9V/11000mAh 5V/20000mAh DC Output Lithium Ion Battery Pack for LED Strip and CCTV Camera, Portable Li-ion Power Bank, Black:

• https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01337QXMA/ref=sxts_kp_lp_2?pf_rd_p=8778bc68-27e7-403f-8460-de48b6e788fb&pd_rd_wg=ouk5W&pf_rd_r=9VTFVTHTFQ1DD6W07SB1&pd_rd_i=B01337QXMA&pd_rd_w=AcI1C&pd_rd_r=5bac9352-c755-42ff-834c-238262261f30&ie=UTF8&qid=1548347425&sr=2

Note, I bought my unit in August 2017, and recently there have been some bad reviews on Amazon. I don't know if the quality of the recent batteries has gone down, or what. I've never seen a spark when I connect the battery. I have used it to power a G85 camera for ~ 2 hours of video (start/stop) and I think another time where I did a 1.5 hour continuous video with the battery.

Talentcell has a larger capacity battery (12V/11000mAh, etc.) but I passed on that, since it is near the limit of the USA TSA specs for airplane carry on batteries, and I didn't want to argue with TSA of whether the big battery was within the specs or not.

If you use a USB to 9v converter, you need to make sure that the converter is spec'ed to be able to deliver 9 volts and 1 amp of power (from 5 volts, 2.1 amp input). A lot of the 5->9v converters aren't spec'ed to deliver 1 amp of power. Some of the newer Panasonic cameras need up to an amp of power and fail with the other converters.

Also, if you use a USB battery pack, note that many of the USB battery packs will not deliver 2.1 amps to things that don't properly identify themselves (most of the 5->9v converters don't identify themselves, so they might get a lot less power).  I've seen adapters that have 2 USB plugs, so they can draw from two separate batteries at the same time.

If you look around on ebay, you can find low cost battery containers that take 6 18650 batteries, and produce 5v, 9v, or 12v depending on the switches. For example, this battery box can produce:

• https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-6V-5V-6V-9V-12V-Power-Bank-Box-USB-6x18650-Battery-Charger-Adapter-USA-Seller/162900193174?hash=item25ed9baf96:g:ZjMAAOSwlAZagma3:rk:5:pf:1&frcectupt=true
• USB 5v, 2a
• DC5.5*2.1-2.5MM: 3.6V/2.5A; 5V/2.1A; 6V/1.8A; 9V/1.1A; or 12V/0.6A

You would need to source the 18650 batteries separately (be sure to use a quality supplier that can properly mail the batteries from within your country by ground mail). The 18650 batteries come in two types, protected or unprotected. This unit needs unprotected variety.  The protected batteries have circuit protection against too high/low discharge, but the battery box presumably has its own protections. I don't (yet) have this battery box.

I have an earlier box that used 5 18650 batteries, and it would allow you to set the voltage from 5-13v, but that model seems to have disappeared.

If you want to power the camera via A/C, there are many 9v/1a converters out there. You might need a 5.5mm x 2.1mm gender changer as many of the A/C adapters have a male plug, and the dummy battery also has a male plug.

Michael Meissner wrote:

I posted an article about powering my Stylus-1 which uses the BLS-1/5/50 batteries (same as E-PL6 I believe) over in the Olympus Compact Camera Forum about 3 months ago:

• https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/61753012

I've also used the dummy battery to power my E-m10 mark II. The dummy battery is available from alibaba.com, and is somewhat cheaper than the European battery. You will need a 9 volt power source that can provide roughly 1 amp of power (at 9v).

The battery I've used for powering other cameras is the Talentcell 72W 100WH 12V/8300mAh 9V/11000mAh 5V/20000mAh DC Output Lithium Ion Battery Pack for LED Strip and CCTV Camera, Portable Li-ion Power Bank, Black:

• https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01337QXMA/ref=sxts_kp_lp_2?pf_rd_p=8778bc68-27e7-403f-8460-de48b6e788fb&pd_rd_wg=ouk5W&pf_rd_r=9VTFVTHTFQ1DD6W07SB1&pd_rd_i=B01337QXMA&pd_rd_w=AcI1C&pd_rd_r=5bac9352-c755-42ff-834c-238262261f30&ie=UTF8&qid=1548347425&sr=2

Note, I bought my unit in August 2017, and recently there have been some bad reviews on Amazon. I don't know if the quality of the recent batteries has gone down, or what. I've never seen a spark when I connect the battery. I have used it to power a G85 camera for ~ 2 hours of video (start/stop) and I think another time where I did a 1.5 hour continuous video with the battery.

Talentcell has a larger capacity battery (12V/11000mAh, etc.) but I passed on that, since it is near the limit of the USA TSA specs for airplane carry on batteries, and I didn't want to argue with TSA of whether the big battery was within the specs or not.

If you use a USB to 9v converter, you need to make sure that the converter is spec'ed to be able to deliver 9 volts and 1 amp of power (from 5 volts, 2.1 amp input). A lot of the 5->9v converters aren't spec'ed to deliver 1 amp of power. Some of the newer Panasonic cameras need up to an amp of power and fail with the other converters.

Also, if you use a USB battery pack, note that many of the USB battery packs will not deliver 2.1 amps to things that don't properly identify themselves (most of the 5->9v converters don't identify themselves, so they might get a lot less power). I've seen adapters that have 2 USB plugs, so they can draw from two separate batteries at the same time.

If you look around on ebay, you can find low cost battery containers that take 6 18650 batteries, and produce 5v, 9v, or 12v depending on the switches. For example, this battery box can produce:

• https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-6V-5V-6V-9V-12V-Power-Bank-Box-USB-6x18650-Battery-Charger-Adapter-USA-Seller/162900193174?hash=item25ed9baf96:g:ZjMAAOSwlAZagma3:rk:5:pf:1&frcectupt=true
• USB 5v, 2a
• DC5.5*2.1-2.5MM: 3.6V/2.5A; 5V/2.1A; 6V/1.8A; 9V/1.1A; or 12V/0.6A

You would need to source the 18650 batteries separately (be sure to use a quality supplier that can properly mail the batteries from within your country by ground mail). The 18650 batteries come in two types, protected or unprotected. This unit needs unprotected variety. The protected batteries have circuit protection against too high/low discharge, but the battery box presumably has its own protections. I don't (yet) have this battery box.

I have an earlier box that used 5 18650 batteries, and it would allow you to set the voltage from 5-13v, but that model seems to have disappeared.

If you want to power the camera via A/C, there are many 9v/1a converters out there. You might need a 5.5mm x 2.1mm gender changer as many of the A/C adapters have a male plug, and the dummy battery also has a male plug.

Thanks does the BLS50 battery that is needed with the EPL9 also work with the EPL6?

OutsideTheMatrix wrote:

Thanks does the BLS50 battery that is needed with the EPL9 also work with the EPL6?

Yes.  Olympus has 3 generations of the BLS battery.  As far as I know, you can use the BLS-1, BLS-5, or BLS-50 in any camera that takes BLS batteries (i.e. most of the Pen series except Pen-F and Pen E-P5, and the OM-D E-m10 cameras).

You cannot use the charger (BCS-1) for the BLS-1 with the later BLS-5 or BLS-50 batteries.  Likewise, you can't use the charger for the BLS-5 or BLS-50 with the BLS-1.  The difference is the BLS-5/BLS-50 have an additional contact used by the charger but not the camera that the BLS-1 did not have.  This change was mandated by a law that went into effect in Japan a few years ago that mandated battery chargers shut off when the battery is full, rather than switch to trickle charging.

The only difference between the BLS-5 and BLS-50 battery is the BLS-50 battery has a little more capacity than the BLS-5 battery.

The BLS-1 batteries and BCS-1 charger are black, while BLS-5/BLS-50 batteries and BCS-5 charger are gray.

If you go back to earlier cameras, there was a period of time, when Olympus had switched the cameras being sold to the BLS-5 battery, but had to switch non-Japanese shipments to using the older BLS-1 and BCS-1 battery because an earthquake had damaged the factory they made the BLS-5 batteries.