URGENT QUESTION: D-TAP Extender cable, any risk?

[Ignacy Heringa]

:smiley:Hi,

I want to purchase a d-tap extender cable (about 3ft/1m long) for my V mount battery and connect this through to a d-tap splitter to power an A7S and Ninja monitor (and other tools on other projects)
Is there a risk that the voltage delivery will be lowered because of the extra length of the cable? Could it damage the gear?
I even found 10ft/3m long extenders. Would this be more risky still?

Does anyone have experience with this?
I need to make a quick decision and need help asap, if possible

Thanks in advance and kind greetings!

 

[Bill Ravens]

you're adding a tenuous d-tap connection...that doubles the risk.

 

[Ignacy Heringa]

you're adding a tenuous d-tap connection...that doubles the risk.

Thanks for answering. That's actually the least of my worries. I have solutions for this.

 

[Andrew Gentle]

Is there a risk that the voltage delivery will be lowered because of the extra length of the cable? Could it damage the gear?
I even found 10ft/3m long extenders. Would this be more risky still?

There's a certainty that the voltage will drop the further you run it. It's not necessarily a problem since you can calculate how much this will occur and ensure it's within the operating range of the connected equipment. The amount of voltage drop depends on the conductivity of the metal conductor, the cross-sectional area of the conductor, the length of the cable and the temperature (which will also be affected by the current demand).
If you're connecting to a battery, this is already starting at a certain voltage and dropping as it discharges, so essentially the gear is designed to operate until the voltage is too low for it. If you add an extension, you're shortening the usable range of the battery's discharge cycle somewhat. To what extent depends on the factors above, although it's not usually a big problem for low-powered gear if you choose a thick gauge cable.

-Andrew

 

[Ignacy Heringa]

There's a certainty that the voltage will drop the further you run it. It's not necessarily a problem since you can calculate how much this will occur and ensure it's within the operating range of the connected equipment. The amount of voltage drop depends on the conductivity of the metal conductor, the cross-sectional area of the conductor, the length of the cable and the temperature (which will also be affected by the current demand).
If you're connecting to a battery, this is already starting at a certain voltage and dropping as it discharges, so essentially the gear is designed to operate until the voltage is too low for it. If you add an extension, you're shortening the usable range of the battery's discharge cycle somewhat. To what extent depends on the factors above, although it's not usually a big problem for low-powered gear if you choose a thick gauge cable.

-Andrew

Excellent, thanks so much Andrew, exactly what I needed
I did some calculations on the power draw of the A7s and Ninja. The latter consumes noticeable more. I'll check to see if I can find a 3ft extension cable with a thick cable.