Power without battery [ New ]

[tuckman321]

I've been using my GoPro Hero5 Black as a webcam while working from home but can't figure out how to charge it while it live streams. Is that possible? I'd like to be able to just take the battery out and have it run straight from a USB outlet. When I remove the battery and plug in  USB-C power it just flashes on and off continuously. Holding the power button doesn't fix anything. I also don't need to be recording this footage so is there a way to purely use it as a webcam? ie no recording & no batteries?

[mariustanya]

Hello, @tuckman321. When you connected your camera to an external power source, did you use the original GoPro charging cable that came with the camera? Also, was the power source/adapter used rated with an output of 5V 1-2 A? You should be able to continue with the stream while the camera is connected to a power source. See the setup description here https://gopro.com/en/us/news/how-to-use-gopro-for-webcam . 

[tuckman321]

@mariustanya Yes I'm using the original cable with a Samsung phone charger which is 5V 2.0A. I am able to stream but the issue is that I cannot charge the battery while streaming. Ideally I could just remove the battery entirely and run off of external power. Is that possible?

[mariustanya]

By design, the battery does not get charged when the camera is recording or streaming live, even if the camera is connected to an external power source. Charging resumes when the stream or recording is stopped. 

Users who do extended recordings (not necessarily streaming live) recommend removing the battery while recording. Doing this allows more space for heat to dissipate while the camera is in continuous operation. It would be something to try with your particular setup for live stream, @tuckman321. We'd be glad to hear back from you. 

[tuckman321]

Thanks but my camera does not stay on with external power and the battery removed. It flashes on, beeps 3 times then turns off repeatedly. 

[aenriquez]

@tuckman321, to further isolate the problem, could you please try using another wall charger? Then, also try with another power source and use a different USB-C cable (if available).