My recent tour to Scotland was the last straw as far as my Sony HDR-AS15 action cam was concerned.
Not only did the internal batteries expire within a couple of hours, but even with an on-board battery charger there was no readily available way to maintain a feed of freshly fully charged batteries to replace the dead ones.
It simply took too long to recharge them.
Enough is enough.
I've now finally resolved this problem by mildly modifying the camera and rather more extremely, the waterproof case it sits in, so I can attach a USB cable that can be powered directly from the bike using a USB converter plug.
I started out by ordering a 50cm USB to microUSB cable that employed a right angle connector for the microUSB plug.
Cost = 90 pence (plus 89 pence postage)
Unfortunately, the HDR-AS15 is powered via a microUSB socket located in the bottom of the camera beneath a shell cover, so first order of business was to loosen the two size 00 phillips screws beneath the cover which enables the cover plate to fall free of the camera (see far left on picture 2).
This is the only modification to the camera and can easily be reversed if necessary, providing you don't lose the cover you removed.
The next task is to remove the metal tripod mounting plate and drill and shape a hole in the base of the waterproof case sufficiently large to enable the body of the right-angle microUSB connector to sit deeply enough for the connector to seat properly in the socket in the camera. As you can see in the photo, this essentially means making the hole pass completely through the waterproof case as well as through the bedding plate located in the bottom of the case.
Please note the hole is slightly offset to one side of the case.
I ensured the correct alignment of this hole by bordering the sides of the connector when inserted in the camera with masking tape affixed to the camera body, then having removed the connector and placing the camera in the case, repeating the placement of masking tape on the waterproof case. Only this time, aligned with the tape strips already placed on the camera.
At this point, it should be possible to install the camera in the waterproof case (it will be necessary to 'fan-fold' the short case cover retaining strap a little as it will no longer be able to seat properly when the USB connector is inserted. You can see this 'fan-fold' of the strap in picture 2).
Once the camera is in the waterproof case, you can now insert the cable's microUSB connector through the hole in the case and into the socket in the bottom of the camera.
To secure the cable, simply refit the metal tripod mounting plate.
The final task is to shorten the locating stud on the yellow camera mounting plate that screws to the tripod mounting plate.
The reason for this is that the back of the USB lead connector is sitting directly below the tripod mounting plate locating hole and the locating stud need only be sufficiently long to sit in the hole in the plate without protruding further otherwise it may damage the connector or the camera.
This last photo shows a before (in the background) and an after (foreground) of the modification to the locating stud.
So what does this mean in terms of using the camera?
Most importantly, the waterproof case can no longer be regarded as anything more than splash proof, so if you want to take the camera underwater, you'll need a fresh case to put it in. Not something I'd planned to do anyway.
By applying a permanent power feed via USB, I no longer need to remove the camera from the waterproof case or replace the internal camera battery. It also means I can download the camera images and videos as well as clear the memory card content via the new cable.
Since a 64Gb memory card has the capacity for 40,000 images and given that I'd rather set the camera to take a still image every 5 seconds than to film in video mode, I can expect to capture about a week's worth of images (55.5 hours worth) without even disturbing the camera at all (assuming I'm using the button on the rear of the camera to start and stop the camera only when in the saddle).
My only wish was that I'd done all this before my last trip...
Mike
