This tutorial will show you how to modify a Yongnuo YN560-III Speedlite flash so that it can be run off the V88. We built this specifically for a remote camera trap project Gabriel Olson is conducting. The V88 operating at 12V will go through a 5V regulator and fed to the battery terminals of the flash. The same concept should work with other DSLR flashes, but we have not tested on other models. To do this modification, you will need a couple items.

Materials:

• soldering iron / solder
• heat shrink / heat gun or lighter
• 12V/5V converter (this specific one works)
• 5.5 x 2.1 mm barrel jack to bare wires
• a connector (I used XT60s, but you could also use EC3 or JST)
• screwdriver

Modifying the flash:

1. Remove the bottom 4 screws
2. Twist the top 90 degrees and unscrew 2 more. One is usually hidden under a sticker
3. The bottom cover comes off – remove it and disconnect the wires from the flash’s base, remembering which connector it pairs with (the middle one)
4. Slide open the battery cover, pop off the soft plastic cover on the other side, and take the back casing off, with the seam going right through the middle of the flash. Disconnect these wires from the base as well
5. On this back casing, remove the 3-prong connection by removing 2 screws (one’s on the bottom) and popping it out to reveal a hole
6. Identify the positive and negative battery terminals on the flash using a multimeter. There are a couple ways to do this – plug in 4 AAs and see across which points you get 6V, or follow the visual layout of the battery setup to find it. In this case they’re here (the red wire with the arrow goes to the bottom left battery but it’s hard to reach)
7. Determine if the connector you’re going to use can fit through the hole in the back casing. The XT60 could not; if yours can’t either, first solder the connections to the camera before soldering onto the XT60, sliding the back casing on in between – OR solder on the XT60 connector first, slide the wires through the back casing, and then solder the connection to the battery terminals after
   • If your connector can fit through the hole, don’t worry about the order. You just want to make sure the casing can get between the two ends of the wires and you don’t get stuck with the casing off
   • Make sure of the length and size of the wires – there isn’t that much space in the actual flash and unless you’re planning on having these wires extend out of the flash, you’ll have to fit it all in there somehow
8. Solder connections to positive and negative on the battery terminals
   • You can solder to the black connection on the battery terminal – denoted by the white arrow in the above picture. The red is a little more difficult to get to, so I soldered onto the other side of the PCB rather than try to maneuver in there.
9. Confirm that the wire and connectors all fit together
10. Put the back and bottom casings back on and connect the wires back to the base
11. Screw back on all 6 screws
12. Ensure connector is secured and add strain relief – possibly hot-glue connector to the base

Converter modifications:

1. Solder 5.5×2.1mm barrel jack to 12V input of the converter, making sure to add heat shrink beforehand
2. Solder matching connector onto the 5V output of the converter 

You’re all set. Just plug in the converter between the V88 set at 12V output, and the flash. 

Due to the nature of the types of productions we film, one of Ultralite’s biggest challenges is reliable power on location. We’re usually not simply trying to power one device, but multiple camera batteries, MacBooks, phones, GoPros, etc. On a recent shoot to Cayo Costa we had great success using two Arc 20W Solar Kits at our camp. These were enough to power a couple V72 laptop batteries (now available as the upgraded V88 Battery) daily. The batteries provided plenty of power for our various daily charges plus powered a USB Touchlight hanging over our workstation at night.

Arc 20W kit charging up at camp

Our primary shooting location was actually from ocean kayaks around the island but because we were able to return to camp each night, we could leave the panels lashed to our tents during the day to power the batteries. Each night after we wrapped, we could then go back and get everything charged as we slept. While the island does offer a few 110 outlets at the ranger station, it was located about a mile’s walk from our camp and was generally an inconvenience to access when we returned from production each evening.

Charging phones while taking a break from shooting

If we would have needed to charge directly while on the water, we would have used our 17 Watt Solar charging kit with a Nanuk 904 case, as it is a fully waterproof systems. While the Arc 20W kits are not, they are foldable and a bit more compact, and I personally prefer them for backpacking and carrying on planes. (You can learn how we previously used the 17 Watt Kits in Panama and the San Blas Islands here.)

Photo and words by Bud Force, Ultralite Films

Background: Ultralite Films‘ director Bud Force recently spent some time on the island of Cayo Costa off the West coast of Florida with Jose Azel, president of Aurora Photos, to capture still photography and video for Jackson Kayak, Backpacker Magazine, and Aurora Photos.

The island is still in a very natural state and looks much as it did when first discovered by Spanish explorers. Cay Costa is now a Florida state park and features a plethora of wildlife ranging from wild hogs to alligators to manatees.

You can read Bud’s complete field journal of the shoot at www.ultralitefilms.com/blog.

Light For Life: Solar Energy in Nepal

Energy is at the forefront of most economic, environmental and developmental issues the world faces today. Reliable energy services that are clean, efficient, and affordable are fundamental to a modern quality of life and a country’s global prosperity. In Nepal, over two-thirds of the population lack access to reliable electricity. For those who have a grid connection, the average power outage is nine hours each day; during the dry season this can reach over 20 hours. In addition, many traditional energy sources are highly destructive to the environment. A lack of access to electricity prevents access to high quality healthcare, education, water and other services that are fundamental to the alleviation of poverty and an improved quality of life.

In partnership with two nonprofit organizations, SunFarmer and Photographer’s Without Borders, I had the opportunity to return to Nepal to work on my long-term mixed media documentary project on solar energy solutions in Nepal. SunFarmer is a solar engineering non-profit that installs solar energy in hospitals, health clinics, schools and agricultural sites throughout the developing world. Nearly 1.3 billion people worldwide are without access to electricity. In Nepal, a country that has endured long-term political hardship and instability, a lack of electricity remains one of the biggest barriers to its economic development and prosperity.

In order to plan my month-long return, I knew I would need a few essential items to do my job as a photographer and find a way to keep my equipment for photography and film fully charged. The site visits we worked out several months in advance included travel to remote agricultural locations, as well as regions where SunFarmer and their partner organizations were delivering disaster relief to people who lost their homes in the April 25^th and May 12^th earthquakes earlier in the year. My goal and focus was to follow the families I met, document the importance of reliable electricity and share a collective visual story that chronicles the lives of the Nepalese families and local community members throughout Nepal’s countryside.

I knew that we would have little to no access to electricity in these remote areas and that we would need a way to harness the sun’s energy to power our equipment. For my project, Voltaic Systems provided me with their 17-watt solar charger kit that was perfect for the job. This kit combines a rugged, lightweight and waterproof 17-watt solar panel with the V72 portable battery (now available as the V88 Battery)for speedy laptop, DSLR camera battery, GoPro battery and tablet / smartphone charging in all locations where we had direct sunlight to use the 17-watt panel to power the portable battery.  During the evenings and on the road when we had no direct sunlight access, we were able to use the stored power from the V72 portable battery to keep all of our devices charged for the next day’s shoot. The accessories and various charging cradles supplied by Voltaic Systems allowed for a very mobile charging station inside our four-wheel drive, outdoors on site and inside the guesthouses we stayed at. This setup provided a great back-up solution for us on the road while traveling across Nepal’s countryside.

On location shooting with the Voltaic Systems 17-watt solar charging kit has allowed me and my teammates to continue running our camera batteries down with peace of mind that we would always have a way to power our equipment for the next day’s shoot. On average, we spent one to two days at each solar site and would need enough power to run through four to five interviews with a run time of 5 minutes to 15 minutes and a 30 minutes to an hour portrait session at the end. We needed to keep two camera bodies charged at all times with spare batteries ready to go. I had with me my Canon 5D Mark III as my main camera and Fuji XT-1 as backup and second camera. We ran through three to four batteries each day on average.

As Nepal continues to struggle with the effects of the natural disasters and political instability, renewable energy is providing both light and hope for a nation of people renowned for their resilience.

Learn more about Kristin’s trip, including more photos and gallery display locations here.

In Kristin’s Bag:

• Voltaic Systems V72 portable battery and 17-watt solar panel
• Canon 5D Mark III Camera Body
• Canon EF L series 24-70mm f/2.8 lens
• Canon EF L series 16-35mm lens
• FujiFilm X-T1 Camera Body
• FujiFilm XF 23mm f/1.4 R prime lens
• FujiFilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R prime lens
• Fuji Fujinon XF 50-140mm F/2.8 LM OIS WR
• Profoto Softbox RFi 3” Octabox
• Profoto RFi Speedlight Speedring
• Portable Lightstand
• Canon 430EX II Speedlight
• Hanel transmitter/receiver
• Manfrotto 222 joystick head
• Sennheiser G3 Wireless lavalier
• Zoom H4N External Recorder
• Vanguard Alta Pro 264 Tripod
• inReach DeLorme SE 2-way satellite communication device
• Extra camera batteries, AA batteries, CF Cards, SD Cards, and chargers
• Laptop, Hard Drive, USB Stick
• Lens filters / Lens cleaning kit
• First Aid kit
• Dry Bag
• Notepad / Pen
• Waterproof shell / towel
• Bug Spray
• Super Glue / Duct Tape / Electrical Tape
• Head Lamp

To share his adventures with friends, family, and sponsors – Kedyn took along one of our famously tough 17 Watt Kits with a custom Nanuk waterproof case. Even with the temperate rain forests and cloudy days, Kedyn was able to keep his Nikon D810 and D7100 powered up and ready to capture the beauty of the Northern Lights and more.

We’re happy to be a part of Kedyn’s journey and wish this inspiring young photographer the best in his next adventure. To read more about Kedyn’s adventure and to see more photos visit his blog here.

To help make the photo shoot possible, Neil took along our 17 Watt Kit to charge up his DSLR, MacBook, and DJI Phantom Drone. Here’s what Neil had to say about his experience:

“Earlier this year my friends at Deutsch NY took me along with them to Africa to shoot 2 projects for Water is Life.  In the Omo Valley in Southern Ethiopia there are limited options for charging cameras and computers and since I was shooting stills and video, I was chewing through batteries.  Luckily there is plenty of sun and I had a 17 Watt Voltaic kit to keep all my gear juiced.   Below are some behind the scene photos from the trip and here is a link to an article about the Water is Life project.”

Please take a moment to donate to WaterIsLife’s work to provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions to those in need. You can read the entire article here.

Our three portable solar panels gave Ultralite the power to keep their DSLR cameras (Canon 5D), Sony High Speed Camcorder, Macbook Pro, and DGI Phantom running all while shooting off-the-grid.

Soaking up some Panama sun after a long day of shooting.

17 Watt Kit sun set up.

For more information on how you can run your devices on Voltaic solar power, visit the links above.

Interested in learning how to power your Sony FS-700? Bud and Ultralite films simply paired our 17 Watt Solar Kit with a Sony Off Camera ‘Intelligent’ Rapid Charger to make it possible to quickly charge up while out in the field. Stay turned for more updates on how Ultralite Films are using Voltaic to power their creativity.

All photos were taken and provided by Ultralite Films.

Rafting the Grand Canyon of the Colorado river presents challenges that are unique to its environment. Having been on this trip four times, I was excited to revisit them with seven new friends. The first of which, was our lack of access to civilization for sixteen days. This meant we had to pack and plan accordingly. We also faced the added difficulty of navigating the rapids while keeping our gear dry. Most importantly to me, my camera. One of my main goals of the trip was to capture the beauty of the canyon.

Over the past few years, I have developed a passion for photography. I wanted to make sure that I would have the opportunity to capture the trip without running out of battery power. After researching my options, I decided on the 17 Watt Solar Charging Kit. I couldn’t have been happier with my decision. I love that it is much more environmentally friendly than bringing marine batteries or generators, yet it was able to keep our DSLR, our 2 GoPros, and our point and shoot charged without any problem. We left the panel strapped to the raft with the battery in a drybag and charged our devices every few nights. Next time, I would make a drybox for the battery similar to the one described here.

Here is the setup on the raft.

Here are the pictures Luke took from his trip. See more on his website.

You can see catch up on their story on their Facebook Page.

We tested the Domke 414 ($57 from B&H) which fits firmly inside the Array and safely carries two DSLRs, multiple lenses and more. And there is still room for your MacBook in the back pocket. Overall, we liked how secure our gear felt inside this package. It is a robust and well-padded insert.

The Compact III from Cameroo ($23 on Amazon) is smaller, but fits well inside our backpacks. If you had less camera gear and wanted to store non-camera gear in your backpack, this could be the way to go.

Overall, we’re seeing lots of people pairing their Array or Fuse 10W purchase with a camera cradle, enabling them to charge their laptop and DSLR. Follow the link to learn more about solar camera charging.