powering 36 DSLR cameras from a single powersupply

Submitted by Adrian on Fri, 01/04/2019 - 23:44
Hi there.
 
I am a total novice when it comes to understanding power supplies and the like. Last year I built myself a multi-camera rig in order to produce realistic human 3D models for animation. I am looking this year to improve on my build. One such area for improvement would be its power supply. Currently each camera has a dummy battery connected to a mains transformer ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/PremiumDigital-Canon-Replacement-Power-Adapter/dp/B00841UIOU )... very messy cables and lots of multi plugs. I would like to remove all the individual power supplies and replace them with a single transformer or even a couple  to service all the cameras. At the moment the rig uses 18 canon eos 400d cameras but I plan to double this number so wish to accommodate scalability. Any formulas on how to calculate what I would need a transformer to deliver or any help/guidance would be much appreciated (I do dislike having to cable tie transformers together to try to make them tidy)

Hi Adrian,

I fail to understand what exactly you are trying to achive here. From the link I could see that your cameras use adapters rated at 7.4V and 2A which can be diretly plugged into the AC mains. 

For 36 camers you will have 36 adapters which you can directly plug into the AC mains using a spike box. 

Is your aim is to get rid of all the 36 adapters and use a single supply unit that could power all the 36 camers?

If yes then you will need a unit that can supply constant 7.4V with 2A current for each camera, so for 36 camers you will need a massive 72A to be sourced by your power supply. 

  Joined August 14, 2018      44
Tuesday at 03:25 PM