Voltage converter for Shark Shield model "C"

The following info is nothing new. I just thought I should move the voltage converter info to it's own thread.

People who are interested in powering their Shark Shields with an external battery can do so easily. Assuming you have some sort of a 12v battery source, you can remove your dead SS battery, and re-route a couple of wires inside the Shark Shield and be able to power the unit with the external battery.

Model "A", "B" owners, you don't need the converter that I'm about to show in this thread. You just need to make sure your external power source connecting to the SS is between 9.6v and 12.6v to match the original battery pack. Re-route the internal charging wires to connect to the battery terminal. Soldering required. And please don't connect the SS to more than 12.6v, which exceeds the original battery pack's voltage. I don't know what would happen to the SS, and I don't want to find out.

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For model "C", you need to make sure your input power is between 7v and 8.4v to match the original battery pack. To make things easier for model "C" owners, I put together a little converter that you can install inside the SS. With this converter, you can connect your external 12v source to the SS to power it. The converter takes care of feeding the main board the right voltage.

You can use any available down converter that fits inside the SS enclosure, as long as it is within specs. I chose this one...
https://tinyurl.com/5n6rjbpe
To be more useful, I installed a voltage meter at the converter output. This way you can tell the voltage that is fed to the SS' main board.
I tested up to 24v input to this converter. I set the output to around ~8.0v.
This little drop-in is simple and requires no soldering. Best of all, you can revert this mod anytime.

(NOTE: If you're making the same mod with other converters, do not use one that has a built-in voltage meter. All of the ones with a voltage meter that I've seen require you to click some button to activate it. That is not possible if it is enclosed inside the SS.)


Here's a couple I put together...


This picture shows a better view of the wiring. All you have to do is remove the battery, then plug the converter between the charging wires and the battery terminal.


This is what it looks like when you energize the SS with an external battery. You want to see the right voltage is fed to the SS main board before turning on the unit.


This is how it looks when you turn on the SS.


Enclosed.


Please note the use of a 3D-printed external power plug. You can get more info about the plug here... http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=98036.0


-ernest

Everyone with a SS should bookmark this… lol thanks lucky13

looks like a really nice upgrade!  I was curious about these shark shields and was wondering, do you have an oscilloscope to gather some readings of what exactly the SS is outputting?  I was considering DIYing my own and open sourcing the plans

Installed the converter into my Sharkshield, and then added wiring so the plug is by the scupper hole. The unit is designed for scuba divers not for kayaks so normally it sits upside down when placed in the scupper.

I removed most of the Velcro attachment cuff, and left a small portion to secure it with a Velcro piece attached to the kayak. Wires run to the front where I have a Nocqua 10AH battery. Once plugged in the unit worked fine. The battery should be good for about 16 hours of run time. So much better than the 4-4.5 hours the C unit is good for.

Thank you so much Ernest for putting together all of these components for us, what a game changer.

Installed the converter into my Sharkshield, and then added wiring so the plug is by the scupper hole. The unit is designed for scuba divers not for kayaks so normally it sits upside down when placed in the scupper.

I removed most of the Velcro attachment cuff, and left a small portion to secure it with a Velcro piece attached to the kayak. Wires run to the front where I have a Nocqua 10AH battery. Once plugged in the unit worked fine. The battery should be good for about 16 hours of run time. So much better than the 4-4.5 hours the C unit is good for.

Thank you so much Ernest for putting together all of these components for us, what a game changer.

This mod is so great.  On mine, I heat shrink wrapped the red and black wires up to the plug, then gooped around the head of the plug to seal it up better.  Also, I split power from my Nocqua so I could also power my fishfinder.  I used one of Nocqua's splitters and voltage controllers for the 12V needed for the FF.  The SS and FF work great off of one battery.  You're correct.  Game changer for sure, if you appreciate the additional peace of mind like I do. 

Glad you guys found these parts useful. It's interesting to see how people come up with different ways to power their SS.

looks like a really nice upgrade!  I was curious about these shark shields and was wondering, do you have an oscilloscope to gather some readings of what exactly the SS is outputting?  I was considering DIYing my own and open sourcing the plans

I don't own or have access to a scope.

looks like a really nice upgrade!  I was curious about these shark shields and was wondering, do you have an oscilloscope to gather some readings of what exactly the SS is outputting?  I was considering DIYing my own and open sourcing the plans

I don't own or have access to a scope.

Ah okay no problem, thanks for the answer.  I might just need to buy one just to figure out exactly what it's doing because I bet it wouldn't be hard to replicate the output for much cheaper.

I was able to give it a try at Albion this past weekend. It was on for about 6 hours each day for a total of 12 hours. When I got home I put the Nocqua 10ah battery on the charger, and it showed above 78%. So I should be able to run my Hook2 5 , and it together.

Very nice