Newbie Question – Turning 12V 2A into 8V 2-3A

Hi I’m new here and I’m a photographer wanting to power a camera in a particular setup and am looking for some help in creating the right ‘elegant’ power solution – I can solder pretty well and a bunch of things like that…. however I am just learning electronics and I’m not a Math head, so be gentle :wink:

There are products out there that do this job for other camera brands and also similar use cases… but an elegant solution for my Nikon use case is not available off the shelf, which is to take 12V 2A and safely and efficiently down to 7-8V 2A using the correct plug systems and with whatever safeguards I need to protect the system (Assuming it’s possible).

The equipment involved in this process is the DJI Ronin-S Gimbal and the Nikon Z6 Camera.

As a start point of my project I’m using some of the other solutions in the market to help determine what is an appropriate power specification for my use case. Both examples convert power to their respective specifications and feed it via a dummy unregulated battery into the camera via it’s battery terminals.

Incidentally Nikon are not very forthcoming with specifications relating to the cameras power demands, which is why I am referencing these other products.

You can see them here:

https://tethertools.com/product/onsite-relay-a-coupler-bundle/ – Output 8V 2A

https://tethertools.com/product/onsite-relay-c-coupler-bundle/ – Output 8V 3A

You will see if you look at the specs that these two solutions have slightly different specs despite both being rated to safely run my Nikon Z6 camera.

In this particular case both products have an internal battery which probably helps condition the supply as well as allow for hot swapping power sources, that said theres plenty of products out there that don’t have an internal battery in their circuit.

I also have an older version of the products above rated at 7.4V 1A (however it’s not as stable under some circumstances as it should be).

It would seem that the Nikon Z6 tolerates voltages from 7-9V and potentially up to 4A based on looking at other products in the marketplace.

The DJI Ronin-S is powered by a Lithium Ion Battery and has dedicated auxiliary 12V 2A outputs for powering 12V accessories – So I am assuming that the output must be fairly regulated and stable.

So my question is can I use some simple and small components to take my 12V 2A to 8V 2-3A so I can build an elegant and compact cable to do the job?

Thanks in advance for any help and don’t hesitate to get me to find more specs if you need them to give advice.

Hi @Elliot250405 welcome to the forums.
Just some thoughts:
There are certainly DIY modules that you can use for this type of power conditioning eg this 7.5V 2.5A DC-DC converter. You might want to take a look at the regulators category to find one that you feel is the best fit.

As for interfacing to the camera, it’s possible to take old batteries and remove the cell, leaving just the circuitry inside. Your DC-DC converter can then take the place of the cell.
Note: working with lipo cells can be dangerous and appropriate care should be taken. Don’t attempt unless you are confident in your abilities.

Your mileage may vary. It depends on how Nikon identify the connected battery and what proprietary safeguards they have in place to reject DIY jobs such as this.

Thanks for the reply Michael.

Thanks also for the tips regarding battery mods to house the electronics. Fortunately in this case I don’t need to worry about either that or any of Nikons battery decoding as I already have plenty of the dummy adapters.

My project will run from a proprietary DJI connector through the (regulator) and out through a Nikon coded dummy battery into the camera.

The only things I need to ensure is the quality, voltage and load requirements are met eg 8V 2-3A.

I’ve taken a look at the regulators and the one you mentioned looks perfect.

Thanks