What else do I need to build a surveillance camera that runs on battery?

Question

I would like to build a camera to record sound and video when movement is detected. It would also be awesome if it could run on a LiPo Battery and can be safely charged without opening the case and if I could avoid soldering and make this as small as possible.

So far I got those in my cart:

• Raspberry Pi Zero W
• SparkFun Sound Detector
• Raspberry Pi Camera NoIR V2

For prototyping I was thinking of using thick cartboard, until I can figure something nice to hang it on the ceiling at an angle (I don't have a 3D printer sadly).

I wanted it to talk to my Raspberry Pi Z-wave hub, but the Razberry is way too expensive ($55USD), so I'll have to pass on that part.

How can I safely add a battery in this mix? I am currently planning on using a ~6000mah battery (if I can find one) so I don't have to recharge it too often if I am away and want to see the livestream from time to time.

I would like to avoid soldering so I can reuse the components with more ease in the future and to avoid purchasing more hardware.

What do I need to make the connections? Some kind of small male to female wire that I could just twist around the holes probably...

Do I need anything else? I will place my order as soon as I know I don't need anything else to avoid shipping cost on a second order.

Preferably, the camera would be small so we don't notice it much. Current cost per camera for the 3 parts: 64.85$ CAD. I looked before trying to create my own but cheap cameras on amazon are... cheap. And this would allow for better flexibility and a fun learning activity I suppose.

(Please suggest tags that you see appropriate for this question)

Answer 1

I'd use a USB power bank - no soldering, just normal USB cables, easy to replace, easy to re-purpose when you get bored.

Here's one from amazon.ca which exceeds your 6,000mAh requirement. I'm not recommending it particularly, it was the result of 20 seconds of searching.

Worth bearing in mind that, in my experience, some power packs can keep their outputs on when being charged and others cannot. If you want to charge it while it's running this may be of concern.