70mai Dash Cam Battery Pack - Test & Review PP

[Panzer Platform]

In this post I will perform the fourth charge cycle with hardwire cable.
This time I will increase the connected loads to 15 Watts.
1st Load: A229 Duo 4.6 Watts connected to Hardwire Output Cable
2nd Load: DROK load tester adjusted to 10.4 Watts connected to USB Output
Specifications for charge time:
Hardwire Cable: 60 Minutes (up to 11 Amps)
Cigarette Lighter Cable: 90 minutes (up to 7 Amps)

0% Start
25% 18 Minutes
50% 17 Minutes
75% 17 Minutes
100% 17 Minutes
Total: 1 Hour 9 Minutes

Previously it only took 58 minutes to charge the pack with no loads attached.
With a 15 Watt load connected it added 9 minutes to the charge cycle.
The maximum amperage draw was 8.6 Amps @ 14.2 Volts (123 Watts).
Same high pitched whine during charging.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Why are there 3 pins for DC input unlike 2 pins for the Powercell 8?

The BBMC PowerCell 8, and BlackVue B-130X use a 2-Pin XT60 connector for power, and ground.
The power cable is connected to an ACC “switched” fuse.
When the switched fuse is energized current flows to the pack to begin charging.

The Thinkware BAB-95, and IROAD Power Pack Pro use a 3-Wire strategy.
The power cable is connected to constant battery voltage.
The 3rd ACC switched wire is connected to an ACC switched source.
Basically the Thinkware BAB-95, IROAD, and 70mai have a built-in relay inside the pack, and it only allows current flow when it gets “signal” from the 3rd wire even though the main power wire is connected to constant battery voltage.
This is part of the reason the 70mai is able to delay charging for 20 seconds, after getting an ignition signal.
I have a feeling I did a poor job explaining this.
@rcg530 @safedrivesolutions
Can you provide a better explanation?

 

[Panzer Platform]

My Viofo A229 Plus, 2ch, in normal recording consumes about 4.1W using viofo's CL adapter + UBC-A/C cable, and about 4.3W with HK4 hardwire cable.
The about 0.2W higher consumption with HK4 is due to voltage regulator.
If the same is true for the A229 Duo, then there should be about 0.2W difference in dash cam power consumption between HK4 and USBA/C, could you please check and verify this?
If so, your figures will need to be adjusted a little, but this does not change the conclusion that the battery provides a full 96Wh capacity.

So are you basically asking me to measure the difference between using the HK4, and Viofo CLA charger with Viofo 12ft USB power cable?
If so, added to shopping list.
Oh yeah, the HK4 hardwire kit I’m using for this testing is the prototype version where the 12.4V setting disables all low voltage protection shut off.
However, I’m not using it in 3-wire configuration.
Since I need to run the camera in normal recording mode I have the red & yellow wires connected so the camera is incapable of switching over to parking mode.

 

[kamkar]

I have not noticed a whine on my power pack, will take a listen on my drive very soon, been a day with my car sitting idle so should need charge.

 

[GPak]

The BBMC PowerCell 8, and BlackVue B-130X use a 2-Pin XT60 connector for power, and ground.
The power cable is connected to an ACC “switched” fuse.
When the switched fuse is energized current flows to the pack to begin charging.

The Thinkware BAB-95, and IROAD Power Pack Pro use a 3-Wire strategy.
The power cable is connected to constant battery voltage.
The 3rd ACC switched wire is connected to an ACC switched source.
Basically the Thinkware BAB-95, IROAD, and 70mai have a built-in relay inside the pack, and it only allows current flow when it gets “signal” from the 3rd wire even though the main power wire is connected to constant battery voltage.
This is part of the reason the 70mai is able to delay charging for 20 seconds, after getting an ignition signal.
I have a feeling I did a poor job explaining this.
@rcg530 @safedrivesolutions
Can you provide a better explanation?

View attachment 74253
View attachment 74254

That is very good explanation.
Instead of conventional relay, the Iroad is likely using the electronic switch, which works like relay.

 

[GPak]

So are you basically asking me to measure the difference between using the HK4, and Viofo CLA charger with Viofo 12ft USB power cable?
If so, added to shopping list.
Oh yeah, the HK4 hardwire kit I’m using for this testing is the prototype version where the 12.4V setting disables all low voltage protection shut off.
However, I’m not using it in 3-wire configuration.
Since I need to run the camera in normal recording mode I have the red & yellow wires connected so the camera is incapable of switching over to parking mode.

Yes, total dashcam power consumption includes the losses in cables, but the most contribution is due to voltage regulator on HK4 cable.
Connecting red and yellow is basically the same as running 3 wire for the normal recording.

 

[GPak]

Google to help:

A high-pitched sound from a power supply, also known as coil whine, is usually caused by vibrations in the electrical wiring inside a computer. This can be caused by a number of issues, including:

Inductors: A change in the current through an inductor causes a change in the magnetic field around it, which can cause the inductor's coils to vibrate and make a sound.

 

[kamkar]

Just had head in my glove box while power pack charging, i heard nothing.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Google to help:

A high-pitched sound from a power supply, also known as coil whine, is usually caused by vibrations in the electrical wiring inside a computer. This can be caused by a number of issues, including:

Inductors: A change in the current through an inductor causes a change in the magnetic field around it, which can cause the inductor's coils to vibrate and make a sound.

But the PC8, and B-130X are silent during charging even at up to 13 Amps.
Hats off to 70mai for configuring internal components to produce audible notification of charging without added expense of a speaker. Lol
Btw, I added a photo of one of the 70mai’s cells to the first post, (IFR26650 3800mAh 3.2V 12.16Wh).
12.16Wh x 8 = 97.28Wh

 

[Panzer Platform]

Just had head in my glove box while power pack charging, i heard nothing.

When's the last time you had your ears calibrated?
Would you mind swing by the GP to have your hearing tested to make sure?
Just kidding. lol

 

[GPak]

Forgot to ask, when using the USB cable, did you disable the parking for A229 Duo, so it will not auto-switch to parking recording after 5 min of inactivity?

 

[rcg530]

The two charging cycles that I've done with my 70mai battery pack have not resulted in any noises from the battery pack.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Forgot to ask, when using the USB cable, did you disable the parking for A229 Duo, so it will not auto-switch to parking recording after 5 min of inactivity?

Yes.

 

[EricSan]

Since I need to run the camera in normal recording mode I have the red & yellow wires connected so the camera is incapable of switching over to parking mode.

You might want to confirm that functionality as I'm thinking it is dashcam dependent. My A139 Pro switches from drive mode to parking mode after a pre-defined period of time (maybe 15-20 mins) of either 1) no visual change in what the camera sees, or 2) no change in GPS location data. I was unable to do accurate long-term battery life testing while building my LTO battery because it changed record mode each time.

 

[kamkar]

funny enough after several years with 3 X 12 " subwoofers each on a 500 W AMP in my car in the 90ties, my ears are just fine, it is the eyes that is lagging now,but in the 90ties shop officers would call me Hawkeye as i saw ships they did not yet see on their radar.
And as per the rules i as a lookout must report all ships i see of curse that far out it was night and all i saw was their lights that also indicate their direction of travel if installed / run properly

So in the ferries i worked 30 minutes after leaving port, i was seeing ships 30 minutes or so from the destiny port, and it was a 3 hour crossing.

 

[Agie]

When's the last time you had your ears calibrated?
Would you mind swing by the GP to have your hearing tested to make sure?
Just kidding. lol

Not the ears we should be worried about, it's the random rambling off-topic lol

 

[Hack_man]

The BBMC PowerCell 8, and BlackVue B-130X use a 2-Pin XT60 connector for power, and ground.
The power cable is connected to an ACC “switched” fuse.
When the switched fuse is energized current flows to the pack to begin charging.

The Thinkware BAB-95, and IROAD Power Pack Pro use a 3-Wire strategy.
The power cable is connected to constant battery voltage.
The 3rd ACC switched wire is connected to an ACC switched source.
Basically the Thinkware BAB-95, IROAD, and 70mai have a built-in relay inside the pack, and it only allows current flow when it gets “signal” from the 3rd wire even though the main power wire is connected to constant battery voltage.
This is part of the reason the 70mai is able to delay charging for 20 seconds, after getting an ignition signal.
I have a feeling I did a poor job explaining this.
@rcg530 @safedrivesolutions
Can you provide a better explanation?

Excellent summary. I figured the third pin was adding constant +12V with respect to the Powercell 8.
It would be interesting to understand the benefits of constant +12V that make it worthy of adding that extra external wire.
If it was just the delayed charging function, they could have done it with a simple counter.

Sorry if I missed it in an earlier post, did you measure current draw on the +12V Constant wire?
The Powercell 8 reports approx. 7- 9 mA discharge current when the dashcam is powered off as a reference point, which it would need for Bluetooth operation at the very least.

 

[Panzer Platform]

You might want to confirm that functionality as I'm thinking it is dashcam dependent. My A139 Pro switches from drive mode to parking mode after a pre-defined period of time (maybe 15-20 mins) of either 1) no visual change in what the camera sees, or 2) no change in GPS location data. I was unable to do accurate long-term battery life testing while building my LTO battery because it changed record mode each time.

Yes, I checked the recorded files on the SD Card.
All files were in the normal recording folder.
There was no parking mode folder, or any parking mode files.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I figured the third pin was adding constant +12V with respect to the Powercell 8.

What 3rd pin on the PC8?

It would be interesting to understand the benefits of constant +12V that make it worthy of adding that extra external wire.

Minimum Two Benefits;
1.) Pulling 11-14 Amps through the fuse box either “piggybacking” on a circuit already being used for vehicle operations, or on a “vacant” circuit not being used is borderline dangerous because that amount of current may damage existing vehicle wiring, or start a fire.
That’s why @rcg530, and myself recommend installing an external relay for packs like the PowerCell 8, and B-130X.
See the chapter at 12:24 in tis video;

2.) Running the 11-14 Amp power wire directly to positive battery terminal, or dedicated junction will always be safer than “tapping” into the fuse box to pull high current loads.
Have you ever installed an aftermarket car audio amplifier for a sound system?
You would NEVER run power wire from an amplifier to the fuse box, ALWAYS directly to the positive battery terminal, or dedicated junction.

Sorry if I missed it in an earlier post, did you measure current draw on the +12V Constant wire?

Yes, I measured with an Amp Clamp.
The current draw on the high power wire was identical to the measurement on my Variable Power Supply.
The current draw on the 3rd pin signal wire was 15mAh.

The Powercell 8 reports approx. 7- 9 mA discharge current when the dashcam is powered off as a reference point, which it would need for Bluetooth operation at the very least.

Can you provide a link to this specification?

 

[GPak]

This diagram needs to be added to the PC8 and B-130X manuals as the preferred wiring method.
Honestly, it should have been an integral part of the battery.