Building an E-Series Power Adapter. 

Disclaimer

The information on this web page if used incorrectly can permanently damage your camera.  USE THIS INFORMATION AT YOUR OWN RISK .  Pine Tree Computing, LLC explicitly rejects all responsibility for any loss monetary or otherwise which may arise from proper or improper use of the information on this page.

Overview

The following instructions can be used to build an external power adapter for the Olympus E-Series cameras.  These instructions are a step-by-step, detailed procedure providing the information you need to build this power adapter using easily obtained off-the-shelf parts from Radio Shack and your local camera store.  This adapter will power any camera that uses a single Olympus BLM-1 1500mAh Lithium Ion battery.

Parts List

1 - Radio Shack 273-1696 Digital Camera Power Adapter (order online from RS here)
2 - Radio Shack 273-1716 Size M Adaptaplug (order online from RS here)
3 - Radio Shack 274-1577 Size M Coaxial DC Power Plug (order online from RS Here)
4 - Olympus LBH-1 Battery Holder (order online from B&H Photo here)
5 - minimum 6" long, 16 or 18 gauge, 2 conductor, multi-strand, color-coded wire (scavenge from that collection of old power adapters you have laying around or use RS 273-1742 and cut off the plug order online here)
6 - heat shrink tubing; one piece of 1/8" approx 1/2" long , and one piece of 3/16" approx 1" long

Figure 1. Power Adapter RS 273-1696

Figure 2.  Adaptaplug "M" RS 273-1716

Figure 3.  Size M Coaxial DC Power Plug RS 274-1577

Figure 4.  Olympus LBH-1 Battery Holder

Required Tools

1 - Wire cutters.
2 - Wire strippers.
3 - Pencil type soldering iron.
4 - Heat gun (or cigarette lighter) for shrinking heat shrink.
5 - Dremel tool (or equivalent).
6 - Optional voltage meter to check your work.

Building the Adapter

Note: the following procedure assumes rudimentary knowledge of basic electronics soldering techniques and project building skills. 

The best tip you will ever get regarding soldering is simply "heat the part, not the solder".  Heat the part until the part melts the solder and the solder will flow easily to all the right places.  Remove the heat as soon the solder has flowed to avoid overheating the part.

1. Strip approximately 1/8"-1/4" of insulation from one end of the two conductor wire.  See figure 5 below.
   
   Figure 5.  Strip wire
   
   
2. Tin the stripped ends of the wire.  Note: tinning means to heat and apply solder to the stripped ends.  Again, heat the wire until it melts the solder and the solder will flow easily into the wire as shown in Figure 6 below.
   
   Figure 6. Tin ends
   
   
3. Tin the negative and positive connectors on the LBH-1 battery holder.  See Figure 7, Figure 8, and Figure 9 below for details.  Take note of differences in shape and location between positive and negative connectors.  This information is very import and will be used later.  Note that the orientation of the LBH-1 in Figure 9 is flipped over from that shown in Figure 8.  Use the visual cues in the figures to help you understand exactly what connectors are being used here.
   
   Figure 7. LBH-1 negative connector before tinning.
   
   
   Figure 8. LBH-1 negative connector after tinning.
   
    
   Figure 9.  LBH-1 positive connector after tinning.
   
   
4. Solder the wires to the LBH-1.  Connect the black with white trace wire to the LBH-1 negative connector.  Connect the all black wire to the LBH-1 positive connector.  See Figure 7, Figure 8, and Figure 9 above, and Figure 10 below for reference.  It is critical you connect the wires correctly.  Failure to connect the wires correctly will cause damage to your camera.  Make sure you understand and follow these instructions.
   
   Figure 10.  Solder wires
   
   
5. Put a small loop in the wire inside the case of the LBH-1.  Position the loop so it will not allow the wire to be pulled out of the case and rip apart the solder connections inside.  Secure the loop with a small cable tie and cut off the excess tie end.  This is called strain relief.  Note the wire in the picture below is put through the wrong hole in the LBH-1.  Use the hole marked in green on the photo, you'll see why later.
   
   Figure 11.  Strain relief
   
   
6. On the outside end of the two conductor wire, separate the conductors, and cut the black with white trace wire approximately 1/4" shorter than the all black wire.  Strip and tin the ends of the wires.
   
   Figure 12.  Strip outside end
   
   
7. Unscrew M-jack case from the jack - remember, "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey".  Make a note of the different parts and connection points as described in Figure 13 below.
   
   Figure 13.  M-Jack parts
   
   
8. Slide a piece of 3/16" heat shrink tubing approx 1" long over both wires.  Do not shrink it.  Slide another piece of 1/8" heat shrink approx 1/2" long over just the all black wire.  Again, do not shrink it.  Slide the m-jack casing over both wires and the heat shrink with the threaded end of the casing toward the free ends of the wires.  Again, do not shrink the heat shrink yet.
   
   Figure 14.  Install heat shrink
   
   
9. Insert the wires into the connection points on the jack.  Insert the all black wire in the center(+) connection, and the black with white trace wire to the shield(-) connection.  Refer to Figure 15.  Solder the wires to the jack.  Again, it is critical that you get the right wires in the right place.  Double-check your work!
   
   Figure 15.  Solder wires to M Jack
   
   
10. Slide the 1/8" heat shrink on the all black wire up over the solder connection and shrink it.  See figure 16 below.
    
    Figure 16.  Heat shrink positive connection
    
    
11. Crimp (bend) over the strain relief on the end of the shield connection.  This is a light crimp that serves only to hold the wires and prevent too much movement.  Do not crimp this too hard as the crimp could penetrate the insulation and cause a short-circuit.  See figure 17 below.
    
    Figure 17.  Crimp strain relief
    
    
12. Slide the 3/16" heat shrink up over both connections and shrink it.  In addition to protecting the connections, this will act as additional strain relief.  See figure 18 below.
    
    Figure 18.  Heat shrink negative
    
    
13. Slide the m-Jack casing up over the jack and screw it together.  The adapter is now finished.  Put the top back on the LBH-1.  See figure 19 below.
    
    Figure 19.  Finished adapter
    
    
14. Assemble the AdaptaPlug M (RS 273-1716) connector to the digital camera power adapter (RS 273-1696).  The end of the cable from the digital camera power adapter has a jack that accepts a variety of different plug adapters.  This makes the adapter quite versatile however, you have to put on the right plug in the right direction.  The direction in which you make the connection effects whether the center connector in the plug is the positive or negative connector.  This is a critical step.  If you make this connection the wrong way, it could damage your camera.
    
    The connector on the end of the adapter cord is marked with the word "TIP".  See Figure 20.  Note I've highlighted the letters on my adapter, your adapter will not be highlighted.
    
    Figure 20.  Power adapter connector
    
    The AdaptaPlug M connector (RS 273-1716) plug is marked with a "+".  Again, I've highlighted it.
    
    
    Figure 21.  Adaptaplug M positive mark
    
    Join the plug and the connector together with the "+" on the plug aligned with the "TIP" on the connector.  See Figure 22.
    
    
    Figure 22.  Joined connection
    
    
15. Set the voltage setting on the power adapter to 7.5V.  This is done with the slide switch on the front of the adapter.
    
    As an aside, if you're wondering why I used the Size M plug and jack, it is because the size M is a very common size and is easily obtainable at most Radio Shack stores.  The other plugs that came with the power adapter are not common parts and would have to be ordered.
    
    
16. Now, if you have a volt-meter, you can test that you wired everything correctly.
    
    Plug the adapter into the wall and connect the LBH-1 assembly to the adapter.  Inspect the top of the LBH-1 assembly and you will see the polarity of the + and - connectors is embossed next to the connecting pins.  The + and - pins are the outer pins and the center pin is labeled "T".
    
    With the black lead from your meter on the - connector, and the red lead on the + connector, your meter should read between 7.3 and 7.7 positive volts. 
    
    If your meter is not reading approximately +7.5 DC volts, check that you are on the correct connections on the LBH-1, that you connected the leads to your meter correctly, and re-test.  If it's still not reading around +7.5 volts, go back and check your work. 
    
    If you still can't get it to read +7.5 volts, you can try emailing me at CochranMA@PineTreeComputing.com, or take it over to Radio Shack and have one of the geeks there help you. 
    
    I strongly suggest that if you cannot get your meter to read approx +7.5DC volts, you DO NOT plug it into your camera as it may damage the camera.
    
    
17. Modify the battery cover on the camera to pass the wire for the new adapter.  Some of us, including myself, cringe at this step.  This is an irreversible step that modifies the battery cover of your camera.  Unfortunately, the LBH-1 assembly must be pushed securely into the battery slot by the battery cover or the connectors will not make contact.  To make this happen, you need to either modify your battery cover or come up with some other alternative for fully inserting and keeping the LBH-1 assembly in the battery slot.  THE LITTLE BATTERY CATCH WILL NOT WORK.
    
    Happily on my E-330, the battery cover has a small spot that is not covered by metal in the perfect location to pass the wire.  This is why you want to put the wire through the correct slot in the LBH-1.  (See step 5).  To modify the cover,  I used a dremel tool and a 1/8" upcut spiral bit to route out a small slot in the battery cover as shown in Figure 23 below.  The battery cover on the e330 pops right off making this a bit easier.
    
    Figure 23.  Modified battery cover
    
    
18. Modify the LBH-1 to allow the wire more freedom of movement.  After I had finished my adapter and put everything together, it occurred to me that a minor modification of the case of the LBH-1 would allow the wire to pass through new slot in the battery cover better.  Again, using the dremel tool, I removed a wee bit of the case as show in Figure 24 below.
    
    Figure 24.  Modified LBH-1
    
    
19. Fully Assembled.  See Figures 25a and 25b below for some pictures of the fully assembled adapter installed in the camera.
    
    Figure 25a.  Fully assembled adapter in camera
    
    
    Figure 25b.  Camera on tripod with adapter