Power Your Dashcam on a Budget: Affordable Solutions
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
- Don't want to spring for an expensive dashcam battery? Here are some more affordable alternatives.
Watch Part 1: • Top 3 Dashcam Battery ...
Cheaper Off-the-shelf Batteries:
Blackvue B-112: geni.us/B112 [Amazon]
Thinkware iVolt Mini: geni.us/iVoltMini [Amazon]
Blackvue B-124X: geni.us/B124X [Amazon]
DIY Install Videos:
Install a Second Battery: • How To Install a Secon...
Car Battery Isolator: • Car Battery Isolators ...
Standalone 12v LiFePO4 Battery: amzn.to/3CjOlor
100W Solar Panels: amzn.to/45Y7vxK
Solar Panel Testing w/ B-130X: dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads...
16 AWG vs. 12 AWG wire testing: dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads...
0:00 Intro
1:05 Smaller Dashcam Batteries
1:58 Correction
2:19 Egen
2:46 Portable USB Batteries
7:20 Secondary Lead Acid Batteries
8:10 Deep Cycle Batteries
9:31 DIY LiFePO4 Batteries
14:05 Solar Panels
18:38 Wrapping Up
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Best Dash Cameras: www.vortexradar.com/best-dash...
Recommended Equipment:
Radar Detector: geni.us/Redline360c
Laser Jammer: bit.ly/AntiLaserPriority
Dashcam: geni.us/ViofoA139Pro2CH
Dashcam battery pack: geni.us/Powercell8-A139
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#Dashcam #Dashcamera #Batteries - Авто та транспорт
There are efficient charge controllers that can be used to connect solar panels to the stand-alone battery packs.
For emergency response, I have used an 80 Ah battery to power the radios, etc. I would connect the battery to the car using a separate charge circuit that limited the input to ~10A. I also would connect the solar panels, 2x 30W folding through a charge controller to the battery. This would support the load while maintaining voltage with any excess going to the battery.
I would only go this way if I needed more run time than I could get with just the commercial packs.
Thank you very much, for the information! This video as well as all the videos you put out are very informative. I use a lot of dash cameras for my teams who do private investigations and counter surveillance, and a long battery life and a parked vehicle is what it’s all about for us :-)
Nice overview on the options.
I think the DIY LiFePO4 with a 7-20ah capacity would be pretty easy to build.
You could even incorporate a standard dashcam hardwire kit to protect the auxiliary battery.
The preference over lead acid or AGM is the LiFePO4 is sealed and can be mounted in any orientation.
Very thorough. I enjoyed the thoughts and details. Thank you.
I have some info on this topic that may be helpful to someone planning on powering their DC with an external battery. My thinkware f200 using the hardware kit is connected to a 12v 200ah lifepo4 house battery using the constant power cable. I then used a common vehicle chassis ground with a negative cable from the lifepo4. The ACC signal cable is connected to and ACC fuse on the fusebox, which tells the dashcam if the car is on or off. This allows me to use parking mode when the car is off while only drawing power from the lifepo4 house battery. So far has been working great with no issues and virtually untilmited parking mode as the house battery is charged with solar.
When someone asks me how they should power their dash camera, I say "it depends on how long you drive the vehicle and how long you park and need parking mode functional". I think the LFP (LiFePO4) 7500 mAh battery packs are the best overall solution. Nice job on presenting all of the options!
Retro do you plane on making a video showing how to use those battery packs?
@@Slow93ls I do have a videos on my channel for these dash camera battery packs. I address the topics of how to wire their charging power, how to create hardwiring cables and a variety of videos showing the results of my charging tests.
@@RetroCarGuy530 I was hoping for a video on the LFP LiFep04.
@@Slow93ls I'm not quite sure I understand your request. What exactly are you wanting in a video regarding LFP LiFePO4 batteries?
BioEnno makes a 28W Foldable solar panel; you can daisy chain two of these into the power station they're meant to "charge", and that power station in turn is "recharging" your dash cam's battery pack. This can all be hidden in the trunk, and the panels would be on the front and rear glass. Moreover, they would keep the excess sunlight out of your car. There would be a little more prep to do this, but it does work. Please note that the panels work best outside the car. Inside, the glass takes 30% of the available UV energy, keeping photons from exchanging correctly. Lay the panels on the roof, and secure them gently.
Thank you man!!
Great info! Thanks :)
Ok thanks....great channel by the way!!
That answered every question i had when watching your video on the dedicated battery packs from black box etc. I was thinking why are power banks so much cheaper than the phosphate one with what appeared to be 3X the capacity but as i learned they aren't much larger capacity but similar capacity..
New subscriber here love your videos. I have an Energizer portable power station 320 w h that's at 12 volt lithium iron phosphate batteries excellent you can get them for $169 as low as $149. 320 1 hours at the 12 volts. Which is 3 times more than those more expensive units. It is a little heavy but you can also use 110 volts ac currents if needed. I use mine to keep my internet going during power outages and I can charge my phone tablet whatever it has USB C. And also has passed through charging so you can charge something while you are charging the unit itself you can hook solar up to it very good choice in a situation like this I have two of them. I'm just sharing and passing the information along because Energizer is a good brand it should last for many years. But the one thing to remember is no battery likes to be in extremely hot or cold conditions so stop can always affect the battery life. Hope this help somebody.
Great content
Funnily enough i just went through your forum thread on solar options for a 2 week trip you planned on taking. That was a good jumping point for my research! This video is great!
To me, a dashcam w/parking mode is a set it and forget it proposition. I'm not swapping put cell phone chargers everytime I get in the car and don't need a fire. Those other options are crazy wiring mess. I have the DR900X plus w/B124X battery hardwired. It charges and supplies power at the same time. The charge/discharge cycle lifespan is the issue for me. Blackvue claims 1500 before capacity is diminished to 80%. I'm constantly starting and shutting my engine as I work out of my vehicle. So it's charging and discharging 50 times a day. There not full discharges so one must wonder how this effects longevity. At any rate, these proper batteries are insanely beyond expensive. Good video.
If you discharge your battery 10% and charge your battery 10% for 10 times, that counts as one cycle, plus or less some error of course.
I like the idea of being able to charge batteries at home and swap as needed.
I always thought u just plugged ur camera into the car socket
@erickotapish7842 But in parking mode or extended parking mode, you're gonna wanna run off independent power source otherwise you'll kill ya battery.
Great video! One option that might be interesting would be to use a portable power station like an Ecoflow River 2. You can get 256Wh for about $200, and the device can also be used to power other devices if you had a roadside emergency (though it probably won't jump start your car). They are also made for solar panel input so you could easily use a large foldable panel for long duration setups. The only trick would be wiring it up with a relay so that it properly activates/deactivates parking mode based on your car's ignition signal.
that's a really good idea. do you have an update?
Dedicated batteries are nothing more than stripped down power station. LFP powerstations with all the required for dash cam functionality features are available in considerably larger capacity and lower price, installation is plug and play, I have it installed in my car running for few months now.
@Wortex love the video! But it would be great if you follow up with an update focusing on power stations. GPak
I recommend looking into offroad hood mounted solar panels. They are very sleek, thin panels that can provide as high as 120w. Some of the truck/ suv models might fit other vehicles very nicely! They also come with mppt controllers.
Cascadia is one brand to check out
The issue with all of those flexible panels is that solar panels (ironically) degrade with too much heat, and since there's no airflow underneath the stick-on panels their output either suffers greatly, and/or they fry out within a year if you're lucky :/
I agree, solar panels on cars is impractical.
Thank you for the great video! What about products like “FNNEMGE Car Jump Starter 2000A Peak 21800mAh 12V Super Safe Jump Starter”
Muito bom. Vou comprar LiFePO4
I have a car audio system on top of the dash cam setup. I have a XS Power Super Capacitor Battery SB500 and a secondary deep cycle yellow top. Both are isolated with a basic "dumb" isolator from the starter battery on my 2017 Prius C. Yes Prius with a hatchback of subwoofers and batteries.
I want to upgrade the basic battery isolator to a smart isolator.
Ah cool. Could you share a bit more?
16:35 Best shoutout ever.
Senpai noticed me. lol
lol, well deserved! Did you do martial arts growing up?
@@VortexRadar
Does eating like a Sumo Wrestler count?
🤣
What about using jump starter kit, which can be charged thru the cigarette power point. Can it be concurrent charge and supplying the 12V power to the dashcam?
I just bought a hybrid vehicle (Toyota Sienna)and was curious about how I can safely connect an always on dashcam without harming the vehicle electronics.
With the b-112 can I use two of them or should I just upgrade my battery for my DR970X 2-ch
The tutorial video is excellent., may I ask: What type of adapter or transformer should I use to charge these dash cam batteries using household mains (110/120v)?
If you wanna do that, I recommend BBMC's inverter. There's lots like this on the market, but theirs outputs 14.6v instead of 12v which may be better for certain batteries since that higher voltage tells them the car is running and thus they should charge themselves back up. geni.us/BBMC-Dashcam-Inverter
Can you do a battery installation video for the dedicated battery solutions?
Yeah when I install one in my wife’s car in the coming weeks :)
Have you tried any of the Lithium jump starter batteries most of which also provide a separate lower amperage output port with multiple adapters to power electronic devices (rather than high amp jump starting) at numerous selectable voltages including 12v?
I mean a lot of them have USB ports, but you still have the same issues with other lithium ion batteries.
What about portable power stations (Jackery, VTOMan, etc). Looking at 600Whr with USB (and often DC and AC ports). And you can use it if you go camping/beach/lake! 🤔
They don’t exactly quality as affordable, heh, but sure if you have one, you could use that too.
I cant seem to figure out why my car charger/adapter in my cigarette keeps going off when I plug my dashcam into it. I tried 2 different versions of Dual USB car chargers
How many days will it record if fully charges. The phosphate one..
Bro , do a video on best way to go about total 360 degree CCTV for cars. Adding external cameras to the sides of car ( for cars with dark tints) via the rocker panels on bottom of the car , box in trunk with battery life of 48hr plus of continuous recordings or weeks of triggered recordings. That'll be nice.
Thinkware offers a multiplexer setup that is right along those lines. ua-cam.com/video/vKqPGaRpfkQ/v-deo.htmlsi=Zg0zW2jL6f_4EnpD
I have a solar generator. 80w solar panel. I have a bestsee x9 dashcam. I want to plug it in directly into the solar generator, and it works but it will not work on parking mode or motion detection. This set up is on a boat, I would like to use Both parking mode and motion detection. I don’t want to go through 24hrs. of videos to find any thing around my boat. Don’t want it on the boat’s electrical. Any one have any ideas?
: Do radar units heat up or get warm when in use? 🐢👍🐢😀
I am just waiting for a solution where you can hardwire the battery too the car with a voltage monitor in the battery pack. The dashcam is powered by the 12V car battery and when the voltage of the battery drops to a predefined value, the battery pack cuts the power to the car battery and powers the camera from there on.
So a 12v dash cam will run on the 3.7v cell charge battery?? What's your view on the Roypow 30w batt.
Electronics can adjust their voltages as needed. For example cars run at 12v, but USB normally runs at 5v. That said, some faster charing USB implementations run somewhere in between like 9v. So devices will step their voltages up and down as appropriate.
@Vortex Radar Thanks for making this video. I am looking for an external power supply for my Ring Dash Cam. It is draining my car battery completely. I had to jumpstart my car multiple times. Ring doesn't give a damn about it. Do you have any suggestion for external power that I can charge while driving and leave it there when parked fo continuous monitoring?
Oh yikes. I figured they'd be handling the voltage cutoff properly. What car do you drive?
External battery packs aren't officially supported, but IIRC, I have heard of someone having good luck trying one out. I haven't tested it myself to see if it works though.
If you wanna test it out, I'd say pick up a Powercell 8 and use a USB A to C cable to plug the Ring cam into the battery's USB port. amzn.to/3Gkfo4R
Alternatively if that doesn't work and you need to use the OBD connector for the parking mode stuff to switch properly, you can try a USB to OBD2 adapter like this and see if it works better. amzn.to/47STW2z
@@VortexRadar Thank you so much for your reply. I will try those options. I drive Rav 4 2020.
Are there 12v batteries for motorcycle dashcam? charge in 12v and have 12v or USB output with pass through and small dimensions.
So they’re not motorcycle-specific, but some of the most compact batteries you can check out are the Blackvue B-112 amzn.to/4cFNQGh or the Thinkware iVolt Mini: amzn.to/49HobKF
What really concerns me is the temperature range - indicates -10-30C. In Wisconsin where I live my car stays in this range only late summer/only spring. 8 month it gets hotter or colder.
Why not just hardwire into a 12v, ACC, and ground wires? Most dash cams with parking mode are either motion activated or gravity activated (g-force). If it's hardwired to the vehicle, like mine is, it'll use the car battery to power it. I don't see the point in having separate batteries for parking mode....
It's a great question. I covered this in quite a bit of detail in the original video. ua-cam.com/video/5jwbHfT-7Co/v-deo.html For a lot of people using their starter battery is perfect and I think they should do that and save their money. For others a dashcam battery has some important benefits and may even be necessary.
You stacked Li ion vs Lifepo.
Of course they are dofferent.
People do not be fooled. You can buy a lifepo battery for $100 @ the
Yes there are other battery options, of course. There are a number of discussions on the topic.
dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/lfp-lifepo4-battery-for-parking-192wh-diy.51355/
dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/parking-battery-power-station-3x-capacity-and-3x-cheaper-than-dedicated-options-extra-functionality.49972/
Do you have recommendations on how, exactly, to do the wiring? There's certainly cheaper options if you're more comfortable with DIY approaches, but that's true of most anything, you know?
No need for batteries, Been using the OBD2 port on the car computer with a OBD2 Cable adapter with on/off switch to Mini USB Cable to power the dashcam for a year now with no problems, when car is shut down just flip the on switch when you leave the car and turn off when returning to car.
I’ve covered this in other videos, but just because an OBD solution works for some people doesn’t mean it’s the only/best solution for everyone in every car and in every situation.
I don't want litium-ion and lithium-phosphate is way too expensive. Also, I am driving an electric car and live in hot, hot Florida. Can you recommend anything both safe and affordable for my circumstances?
If you want to DIY a solution: dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/parking-battery-power-station-3x-capacity-and-3x-cheaper-than-dedicated-options-extra-functionality.49972/
Can i use phones power bank to give power for dash cams ????
Sorry are you asking before or after watching the video?
I hate how BlackboxMyCar got rid of the 2 USB charger points from their first battery pack
Yeah that was a great feature on the BI-750. It also has an option for 14A charging which is blazing fast compared to the current options. It’s expansion battery was also the same size and didn’t drop to 6000 mAh like the Cellink Neo expansion. Too bad it’s gone.
I think using the solar panel is a good idea, my only concern would be that people may see it and then make you a target to have someone break in.
Electronics and battery power is just getting too complicated. I need a battery isolator too? No way. That Thinkware battery is now $250 not $209. Non-car battery power is looking too expensive and too complicated. I'll just dispense with it. Hardwiring to a fuse panel also looks dangerous (despite the YTs).
Fyi, I am looking for a cheap, practical dashcam overnight battery - solar is completely out of the question. What good is solar for overnight powering the dashcam security?
And I've seen some cheap LiFePo4 battery power stations that are about $100. Why not?😂
ELECAENTA EM200 Power Station LiFePO4
Looks like that one is not available. However there’s a ton of similar batteries. Here’s a long thread experimenting with those options. dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/parking-battery-power-station-3x-capacity-and-3x-cheaper-than-dedicated-options-extra-functionality.49972/
I have an electronically simple DIY schematic which I've used with my multiple-camera setup to conserve backup battery power. I'd like to share however, while this geezer is smart enough to design and build said circuit, he can't figure out how to post an image in the comments. Can anyone enlighten me?
You can upload the picture to imgur (or other similar site) and post the link here in the comment
Just use a Halo Bolt. Problem solved!
So what your saying with solar power, a person just needs to come towards your car looking like a spooky ghost and just lay the blanket over the solar to kill the feed.
lol
Why is there no dash cam that charges while driving and then uses battery reserve for parking mode...seems obvious
There have been some, but you get very limited parking recording with tiny batteries and perhaps more importantly, it’s a serious fire hazard which is why I only run and recommend batteries that use a supercapacitor instead of a battery.
@VortexRadar My main concern with getting a battery pack is that I only drive about 20KMs per day(if that) and that may not be enough to recharge the battery pack. Whats your thoughts on connecting through OBD port? They have wires that help manage voltage output as well as to not drain the car battery, though there are stories of them not being very reliable.
Depends on how you wire it. Use only power pins (so it’s the same as going into the fuse box), not any of the data pins. I’ll have a video coming about this.
I wonder whyyyyyy a dash cam doesn’t bring a rechargeable battery like a phone or a regular camera!!!!
Look up what happens to Li-Ion batteries in the heat, specifically how they expand and explode.
Too much bla bla