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I have a mobile "platter" that includes a laptop and two cameras that should be able to be light enough to be carried to meetings and be able to self-sustaining without being plugged into anything not on the platter for up to 3 hours.

One of the cameras is PoE / 12V DC powered. My challenge right now is figuring out how to power this camera and allow it to function on this platter while not connected to the network.

I am thinking either it runs off of a small battery that it can plug into or I somehow figure out how to convert energy off of the laptop so that it can power the camera.

I am open to ideas. Thoughts / RFIs (other than not possible)?

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Have you looked into any kind of injectors?bhphotovideo.com/c/product/728216-REG/… – kobaltz Dec 14 '11 at 2:57
@kobaltz No, I hadn't seen that. Most of the injectors I had seen have to be plugged in. I wonder how heavy that is. – ferventcoder Dec 14 '11 at 14:23
for 6 hours of continuous use, i'm sure it would weight 5+ lbs – kobaltz Dec 14 '11 at 15:17
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Weight 3.8 lbs (1.7kg) – kobaltz Dec 14 '11 at 15:17
And only $200 ;) – ferventcoder Dec 14 '11 at 15:33
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Going off the laptop might be a stretch. There are USB-based converters that might do the trick, but my concern is getting 3 hours off of the laptop by itself, let alone the camera sucking juice.

Definitely get a power test tool so you can plug the camera in and see exactly how much power it takes. One popular model is called "Kill-a-watt" but there are certainly many others to choose from.

If it turns out to be overwhelming for the laptop battery, I might suggest going out and buying a small UPS. It doesn't have to be huge, just big enough to power the camera and maybe the laptop - say 350-500VA. Of course you'll want to find one that allows you to turn off any audible alarms that might sound :)

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How easy is that going to be then to carry? That's the big contraint in this case. All of the UPSes I have seen are heavy and take up a lot of space. – ferventcoder Dec 14 '11 at 14:16
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