Cellink Neo + Problems

[steadynco]

We recently purchased a Cellink Neo+ external battery to power a VIOFO dash camera in our RAV4 hybrid vehicle.

There have been problems since the mechanic did the installation. Initially there was something wrong with the connection between the camera and the external battery, so they ended up using the USB cable to power the dash cam.

They didn’t address the issue of the battery not charging (see attached image). I think because there was always a voltage reading when the car was running that they assumed it was charging the battery pack (although the 0 mA suggested to me that it’s not doing anything at all). The red and green lights on the external battery flash with the engine on. The low voltage message is also concerning.

Unfortunately I wasn’t there in person to ask more questions. Just wondering if anyone here can assist me in figuring out what might be wrong? Thanks!

 

[rcg530]

The battery pack's charging system monitor [BMS] won't allow the battery pack to be charged unless there's a minimum voltage level of v12.x volts. Your screenshot shows an input voltage level of 6.9V which suggests there's a wiring problem causing the reduced charging voltage or the location where they're sourcing the charging power is not providing sufficient voltage.

It's hard to see the dash camera power cable where it plugs into the battery pack [blurry image]. There should be three wires connected out of the four possible in that connector. The left most is constant battery power [yellow wire], the second one is ACC+ power [red wire] and the third is the ground [black wire]. I can't tell for sure if the black ground wire is present in that connector with the blurriness of the picture.

The thing to keep in mind with VIOFO hardwire kits is the wire color is for the constant and ACC+ wires is reversed from the battery pack's cable wire colors. The left most battery pack yellow wire should end up connecting to the red wire of the VIOFO hardwire kit. The second battery pack wire [red] ends up connecting with the yellow wire of the VIOFO hardwire kit. The wire colors in your picture is typical of the wiring pigtail harness provided with the battery pack. The battery pack's harness must be spliced together with the VIOFO hardwire kit wires. That's where you'll see the battery pack's yellow wire connect to the VIOFO kit's red wire, the battery pack's red wire connect with the VIOFO kit's yellow wire, and finally the battery pack's black wire connect to the VIOFO kit's black wire.

 

[steadynco]

The battery pack's charging system monitor [BMS] won't allow the battery pack to be charged unless there's a minimum voltage level of v12.x volts. Your screenshot shows an input voltage level of 6.9V which suggests there's a wiring problem causing the reduced charging voltage or the location where they're sourcing the charging power is not providing sufficient voltage.

It's hard to see the dash camera power cable where it plugs into the battery pack [blurry image]. There should be three wires connected out of the four possible in that connector. The left most is constant battery power [yellow wire], the second one is ACC+ power [red wire] and the third is the ground [black wire]. I can't tell for sure if the black ground wire is present in that connector with the blurriness of the picture.

The thing to keep in mind with VIOFO hardwire kits is the wire color is for the constant and ACC+ wires is reversed from the battery pack's cable wire colors. The left most battery pack yellow wire should end up connecting to the red wire of the VIOFO hardwire kit. The second battery pack wire [red] ends up connecting with the yellow wire of the VIOFO hardwire kit. The wire colors in your picture is typical of the wiring pigtail harness provided with the battery pack. The battery pack's harness must be spliced together with the VIOFO hardwire kit wires. That's where you'll see the battery pack's yellow wire connect to the VIOFO kit's red wire, the battery pack's red wire connect with the VIOFO kit's yellow wire, and finally the battery pack's black wire connect to the VIOFO kit's black wire.

Thank you for your help! I’ve attached clearer photos of the external battery and its attachments.

I’ll get back to the mechanic about checking the colour combination of the cables for the dash cam, as well as checking the source of the external battery power (ensuring that there’s sufficient voltage and it only charges when the car is running).

 

[rcg530]

Thank you for your help! I’ve attached clearer photos of the external battery and its attachments.

I’ll get back to the mechanic about checking the colour combination of the cables for the dash cam, as well as checking the source of the external battery power (ensuring that there’s sufficient voltage and it only charges when the car is running).

The new pictures show what I would expect for those cables plugging into the battery pack. For the charging power issue, I would have the mechanic check both of the wires in the charging cable for good connectivity. The ground [black] wire could be connected to a poor ground location [might not have a clean metal surface - for example paint is preventing a good connection].