Leica TPS powering from car battery/ own cable

That is expensive, but I see it has surge and polarity protection:

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Anyway, this video may help:

Thank you for the video. It will be very helpfull when soldering 😀

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But does anybody know to which pin I need to solder "+" and to which "-" from car battery?

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@djdan?ÿ I did the same hack you're describing a year or so ago with less than stellar results. IMHO you're better off buying the LEMO connector 'ready made' and working the other end to fit your needs. I also use a Parani BT on my 1200 series robot and the y-cable shown worked out fine. I used a 9ah SLA battery (HD) with spade terminals for power. Both set me back about $75. The Leica cable and red brick battery would likely have cost $500. Like others have stated, CHECK your polarity and maybe put an in-line fuse in the circuit.

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Here's a schematic I made years ago.

@djdan As others have said, LEMO cables are can be tough.?ÿ I gave up on doing it years ago, it is just not worth the frustration / cost of having a failure in the field.?ÿ These guys might be have something you can use https://www.gpac-llc.com/productlist.php?category=9&secondary=37 .

On a side note, you might look at a smaller deep cycle battery to run you setup.?ÿ Car batteries are not meant to provide a continuous draw for the long term and are a pain in the a$$ to move around all day.

@john-putnam

As someone who currently runs a 5600 from a car battery, John's advice is spot-on.?ÿ Unless you're looking to bulk up by carrying a car battery all day, look into an alternative power source.?ÿ?ÿ

I don't solder LEMOs anymore, either.?ÿ I've been running both my Leica robots with these batteries for about 8 years now, the latest pair I bought still run the gun all day after 3 years.?ÿ These are NOT L-ion batteries - much safer.?ÿ Be sure and get the recommended charger with them.

https://www.batteryspace.com/Customize-LiFePO4-18650-Battery-12.8V-4500-mAh-57.6Wh-7A-rate-w/PCB.aspx

@john-putnam?ÿ GPAC does make nice power packs and cable assemblies, but most of the batteries are the cheaper SLA's that you can pick up at HD or online for significantly less. They work fine as long as you double the capacity you think you will need for a day's work and recharge every time you use them no matter how long the duration.

@sergeant-schultz Unfortunately you still can not ship these air cargo.

Thank you all guys for help :D?ÿ

Writing "car battery" I've thought about something like this (it weights about 2kg):

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@jim-frame

If I correctly read your schematic, 5-PIN LEMO 1 SHELL MALE PLUG is the same side of cable, which I've photographed in 1 post? And the 0-SHELL is connecting to TPS?

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Thanks! 😀

@djdan I saw your cable online and noticed two LEMO connectors, one for the instrument and one for the battery. My old 1200 used the "red brick" which had a connector which looked like a capital "U" with the top closed. Not sure what battery the LEMO connects to. You might consider returning the cable before you cut off one end as it may be an expensive lesson in soldering.

Your picture is the type of battery I used in my setup. I cut off the trailer hitch connector on the cable and used Anderson PP connectors which I also used on both battery and charger. Much easier to attach/detach and keeps polarity correct.

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Posted by: @beartow

I use the Anderson Powerpole connectors, with the ARES configuration standard.

Those connectors are great because you can interconnect anything to anything while maintaining correct polarity.

I put 2 parallel connectors on my receiver cable so I can hot swap batteries, or parallel batteries if the need comes up, say for an overnight session. With two connectors on a battery, you can do the same, or daisy chain them on the float charger.

Link toprior discussion and pictures of Anderson connectors