Solar & Dry Enclosure Set-Up Guide

CamDo Solutions SolarX & DryX Enclosure Setup Guide

1. Introduction
2. Package Contents
3. Enclosure Assembly Instructions
4. Camera Bracket Assembly
5. Arranging the components inside the enclosure
6. Connecting the Swivel Mount Kit
7. Connecting Two Solar Panels
8. Connecting Two Battery Packs
9. Framing the Shoot(Sony)
10. Framing the Shoot(GoPro)
11. Downloading Footage

1. Introduction

This guide describes how to setup your CamDo solar enclosure. In addition to setting up your equipment, please make reference to our comprehensive time lapse guide, "How to Time Lapse" here. In particular, please make reference to Composition to make sure you are shooting what you want to shoot and the time lapse calculations and associated camera settings.

Below is a setup video for our outdoor enclosures. You can also view other helpful instructional videos in the “Support” section.

2. Package Contents

DryX with V50

1. DryX Enclosure
2. 67mm threaded lens
3. V50 battery pack
4. V50 USB charging cable
5. External power wire
   -M to F 3.5x1.1mm barrel
6. V50 charging adapter
   -F barrel to microUSB
7. USB charging adapter
   -M barrel to USB-A

Solar Panel Kit

10. Solar Panel
11. Ball-socket arm
12. Splitter cable (2Fx1M)
13. 1" ball mount (¼"-20 thread)
14. Lock washer

Swivel Mount Kit

15. Mounting base with Swing Arm
16. Ball-plate with 2.75" spacing
17. 2x ¼"-20 Flathead screws
18. Optional Replacement Nut for Ball-socket (width:9/16" thread:5/16"-18)
19. Optional Replacement nut for Swingarm (width:9/16" thread:3/8"-16)

3. Enclosure Assembly Instructions

2. Connect the output of the battery pack to the camera system. If using the V44, the camera system should only use the 2000mA USB port labeled "For Tablets". Blink, BlinkX, and UpBlink are typically powered through the controller's USB port with the GoPro battery removed.
The power connection will vary based on the CamDo controller and GoPro camera in use. If using a HERO3/3+, it is recommended to use a H3 Battery Eliminator.

3. Connect the CamDo Controller to the camera and follow the corresponding instructions here to program it to the desired settings. The CamDo Controller will be one of either the UpBlink, BlinkX, Blink, Time Lapse Intervalometer, or Programmable Scheduler.

4. Adjust the camera bracket to fit your camera model. See SolarX Camera Bracket Assembly Guide section for instructions on adjusting the auxiliary bracket to fit your camera model.
Note: our legacy (discontinued) Dry-H3 & Solar Enclosures do not have an auxiliary bracket and only fit the HERO3 & HERO4 cameras.

5. Place the GoPro in the camera slot within the enclosure. Ensure that the velcro strap is fastened tightly to the back of the camera.

6. Loosen the cable gland at the bottom of the enclosure to thread the solar panel cable through. Insert the desired length of cable before tightening the cable gland at the rubber bushing around the wire.

Note:If using more than one solar panel, refer to the section on connecting two solar panels.

7. Plug the solar panel cable into the battery pack using the appropriate adapter. The V50 and V15 battery charges with the "F3.5x1.1mm to microUSB" adapter(left). The V44 charges with the "F3.5x1.1mm to M5.5x2.1mm" barrel adapter(right).

NOTE: If using multiple battery packs, refer to the section on connecting battery packs in parallel.

8.Tighten the UV Lens Filter onto the threaded lens adapter on the front of the enclosure. Ensure the camera lens and enclosure lens are clean. A packet of desiccant can be placed inside the Enclosure to prevent condensation on the lens in humid environments.

The enclosure is fitted with a standard 67mm threaded filter adapter (or 55m for the Legacy Solar-9W). Optionally, you can replace the neutral-density lens with your optical filter of choice.

9. When closing the lid, check that the edges are free from damage and obstruction before fastening the latches to ensure a water resistant seal.

NOTE: The enclosure latches can exert extreme force. Cables or debris obstructing the lid may result in damage or prevention of a weatherproof seal.

10.Screw the 1" ball with the lock washer to the top of the Enclosure and use the double ball socket arm to attach the solar panel. Repeat if using a second solar panel.

Alternatively, use another 1" ball mount such as our Tough Claw (purchased separately) to attach the solar panel further away from the enclosure for better sun exposure.

11.Use the ¼"-20 threaded holes on the back and/or bottom of the mounting bracket to attach the enclosure using standard tripod screws. Alternatively, thread straps through the slots on the back of the mounting bracket to attach the enclosure to a post. See our guide to Framing the shot by using the GoPro App for a live preview when adjusting the camera position.

We also offer a high-quality swivel mount bracket (purchased separately) that matches the 2.75" hole spacing at the back of the enclosure's mounting bracket. The swivel arm allows for full 360-degree rotation and the ball and socket system allows a 360-degree rotation for fantastic aiming flexibility when attached to a flat or round surface.

12. Adjust the solar panel for optimal sun exposure and tighten the double ball socket arm to prevent the panel from moving.

Check the Solar Irradiance Calculator for determining the optimal angle for your solar panel. The average Solar Irradiance varies throughout the year depending on the seasons. If your project spans over a year and you will not be occasionally adjusting the panel angle, we suggest using the "Best Winter Performance" angle as the winter months will require the most solar collection since there is less light available throughout the day.

4. Camera Bracket Assembly Guide

For GoPro HERO5/6/7 Black cameras
Slide the velcro strap to the edge of the Auxiliary Bracket. Use a screwdriver (PH1) to loosely connect the screw of the Auxiliary Bracket to the top flange of the main Camera Bracket. Align the legs of the Auxiliary Bracket with the upper keyholes of the Camera Bracket that correspond to the HERO5-Black camera position before tightening the screw.

For Sony RX0 & GoPro Session cameras
Slide the velcro strap to the middle of the Auxiliary Bracket. Use a screwdriver (PH1) to loosely connect the screw of the Auxiliary Bracket to the bottom flange of the main Camera Bracket. Align the legs of the Auxiliary Bracket with the keyholes of the Camera Bracket that correspond to the RX0/Session camera position before tightening the screw.

For GoPro HERO8 & HERO10/11 cameras
Use a screwdriver (PH1) to remove the Auxiliary Bracket from the main Camera Bracket. Wrap the velcro strap through the slot in the top flange on the main camera bracket

For GoPro HERO4/3+/3 cameras
Slide the velcro strap to the edge of the Auxiliary Bracket. Use a screwdriver (PH1) to loosely connect the screw of the Auxiliary Bracket to the top flange of the main Camera Bracket. Align the legs of the Auxiliary Bracket with the lower keyholes of the Camera Bracket that correspond to the HERO4&HERO3 camera position before tightening the screw.

5. Arranging the components within the weatherproof enclosure

The following photo shows how to arrange the various components within the weatherproof DryX enclosure. This particular image shows the use of the Sony RX0 camera which is a slightly tighter fit that the GoPro due to the cable positioning.

Note the use of the USB extension cable that ships with UpBlink to enable more flexible position of any USB modems you may utilise.

6. How to Connect the Swivel Mount Kit

1. Attach the ball-plate mount to the back of the Enclosure. The ball-plate connects to the middle screw hole and either the top or bottom hole using the included tripod screws (¼"-20).

2. Fasten the Swivel Arm's vertical mounting plate to a fixed surface. There is an insert on the vertical mounting plate to allow solid mounting to a rounded surface such as a pole or rail using hose-clamps or zip ties, as well as multiple screw holes for solid mounting to a flat surface.

3. Loosen the hand-knobs to adjust the angle of the arm. The hand-knobs can optionally be replaced with the included set of hex-nuts (9/16" width) for tamper resistance.

4. Insert the ball on the back of the Enclosure into the socket end of the Swivel Arm. Loosely tighten the socket end to anchor the ball while allowing for movement.

5. Adjust the angle of the Enclosure to frame the camera's field of view before fully tightening the adjustment knobs.
TIP: The GoPro App, allows for using the GoPro's WiFi signal to provide a live preview of your camera's view on your smartphone/tablet

7. How to Assemble SolarX with Two Solar Panels

Our Blink and BlinkX time lapse controllers conserve power by turning the GoPro camera off between intervals which can allow for the system to run continuously with the use a solar panel. However, if you are running a power intensive schedule (short intervals or recording video clips) or powering a peripheral device (mobile hotspot) you may require an additional solar panel. Connecting two solar panels can double your recharge rate, to ensure that on average you consuming less power in a day than can be collected from the sun.

1. Attach both ball mounts to the top of the Enclosure.

2. Remove the cap and grommet from the cable gland.

3. Thread the first solar panel cable through the cap of the cable gland and then through the cable gland grommet. Repeat for the second solar panel cable.

4. Thread the solar panel cables into the enclosure and insert the grommet back into the cable gland.

5. Insert the desired length of excess cable and tighten the cable gland cap.

6. If using a single battery pack, connect the two inputs of the splitter cable to each solar panel cable, and connect the output of the splitter cable to the battery charging adapter.

7. Connect the battery pack to the charging cable and CamDo controller.

8. Attach the solar panels to the top of the Enclosure.

8. How to Connect Two Battery Packs in Parallel

Connect the battery outputs
Connect the USB multi-cable to the output of each battery pack. If using the V44, use the 2000mA port labeled "For Tablets".

Use the splitter cable with two male ends to connect to each USB multi-cable. Connect the single female end of the splitter cable to the appropriate USB adapter for your CamDo controller. BlinkX uses the microUSB adapter, while Blink uses the miniUSB adapter.

Connect the Battery Inputs
Use the splitter cable with two male ends to connect to the appropriate charging port adapter for your battery pack. The V44 uses a (M5.5x2.1mm) barrel adapter, while the V50 and V15 uses a microUSB adapter.

Connect the single female end of the splitter cable to the external power cable. The external power cable can be connected to either a solar panel or USB wall adapter.

9. Frame the Shoot with the Sony Camera and UpBlink

1.Turn on the camera to set the Sony camera's USB mode to "PC Remote" to allow UpBlink control of the camera. The USB mode selector of the RX0 can be set through:
MENU → (Setup3) → [USB Connection] → [PC Remote]

2.Turn on the UpBlink WiFi signal and close the enclosure before connecting to the programming web interface.

3.Open the UpBlink's Setting menu to select "Sony Control" from the "Camera Control Type" dropdown selector.
The currently selected camera control type is shown in the Camera Status container at the top of the UI.

4.If the Sony camera is not powered on, open the manual control menu and power on the camera. When the Sony camera is communicating with UpBlink, the camera's values will load into the camera status container and the additional Manual Controls buttons will become enabled.

5.Click the Video Preview button to load a low resolution view of the camera. The Video Preview button's icon will be red while the preview is active. Once the desired camera view is obtained, click the Video Preview button again to end the camera preview.

10. Frame the Shoot with the GoPro App

10.1 Framing GoPro's view with BlinkX and UpBlink

1.Before deployment, download the GoPro App, and pair the GoPro camera with your smartphone or tablet.
BlinkX cannot activate the WiFi signal of a GoPro that has not yet been paired with the GoPro App.

Camera pairing instructions can be found on GoPro's website here.

2.Turn on the BlinkX/UpBlink WiFi signal and close the enclosure before connecting to the programming web interface. If using BlinkX, disable any currently active schedules and hit the Save All button to ensure that they will not interfere with the framing procedure. UpBlink does not trigger schedules while in programming mode

3.Open the manual controls menu to power on the GoPro camera and activate the GoPro's WiFi signal.

4.Open the GoPro App, select the Camera menu to locate and connect to your GoPro camera.

5.If the GoPro App does not display the live preview, use the power button in the GoPro App to switch the GoPro off then on again so that the live preview of the camera's view becomes displayed in the App.

6.Viewing the live preview on the GoPro App, make any fine adjustments to the enclosure angle as necessary to ensure the camera is capturing the correct frame. Fine adjustments to the enclosure angle are made easy using our Swivel Mount Kit.

Once the perfect shot has been framed, ensure all fasteners are tightened and the enclosure is secure.

7.Reconnect to the BlinkX/UpBlink WiFi signal and use the manual controls menu to turn off the GoPro's WiFi network before turning off the GoPro camera.

8.Enable any required shooting schedules and hit Save All. If using UpBlink, ensure to click the "RESTART IN CAPTURE MODE" button to disable UpBlink's WiFi and begin the capture schedules. Reference here for more details regarding BlinkX setup, or here for more details regarding UpBlink setup.

Optional: Open the enclosure to turn off BlinkX's WiFi. To conserve power, the BlinkX WiFi signal will automatically turn off after 5minutes of inactivity.

10.2 Framing the GoPro's view with Blink

1.Before deployment, download the GoPro App, and pair the GoPro camera with your smartphone or tablet.

Camera pairing instructions can be found on GoPro's website here.

2.Open the GoPro App on your smartphone or tablet and select "connect to your camera".

3.Open the enclosure and turn on the GoPro camera's WiFi by holding the settings button on the side of the camera.

Within a few seconds of turning the GoPro's WiFi on, you should see your camera's WiFi network is available to connect to on the GoPro App.

4.Select your GoPro camera to view a live preview of the camera's view with the App.

5.Close the enclosure lid, and loosely mount the enclosure to a fixed surface that will point in the direction of the shot.

6.Viewing the live preview on the GoPro App, make any fine adjustments to the enclosure angle as necessary to ensure the camera is capturing the correct frame. Fine adjustments to the enclosure angle are made easy using our Swivel Mount Kit.

Once the perfect shot has been framed, ensure all fasteners are tightened and the enclosure is secure.

7.To conserve power, open the enclosure and turn off the GoPro camera's WiFi by holding the settings button on the side of the camera. Your GoPro App should lose connection to the camera to confirm the GoPro's WiFi has been turned off.

8.Turn Blink's WiFi on to ensure the schedules are set, then turn Blink's WiFi off once confirmed. Reference here for more details regarding Blink setup.

9.Close the lid and make any final adjustments to the solar panel angle for optimal sun exposure.

11. How to Download Footage

There are multiple options for downloading time lapse footage from your GoPro camera outlined on the following pages:

• How to Download Blink Time Lapse Footage
• How to Download BlinkX Time Lapse Footage