Reviewing and Testing the Vantrue S1 Pro Max

[TonyM]

Here are some power consumption figures from the S1 Pro Max.

That pair of 4K IMX678's is rather power-hungry at 8.7W when driving, despite the 24+24Mbps data rate. Maybe that's one reason Vantrue now provide a 3A charger - the previous model supplied with the E360 and E1 Pro was rated at 2.4A which may not be enough for the S1 Pro Max with pass-through via the LTE module.

Comparing to power consumption data from @rcg530, the 3CH A329S (IMX678 + IMX675 + IMX675) runs at about 8.1W when recording, and that's at Viofo's higher bitrates (65+27+27Mbps)

Thankfully the low bitrate parking mode drops to 4.2W.

 

[Hack_man]

Ok I'm being a little brain dense here. I assume the Utility Port Power Adapter is the 12 V Cig cable/adapter which gets plugged into the DC IN port of the GPS module on one end and the +12V cig socket at the other end.

Is the USB-A port measured at the spare (unused) port on the adapter at the +12V end?
What is confusing me is the USB-A Port with Both Cameras is lower (4.77 V) at the source end than the load USB-C end (5.20 V)

 

[EricSan]

@TonyM - I thought the 8.7w figure was a bit high, too. I just remeasured it and came up with the very same 8.7w figure. That's an interesting difference in the power draw between the N4S and the 3ch A329S. I'm assuming it's the 2x IMX687 and resulting encoding algorithms that soak up the extra power. I'm not too concerned about the drive mode power figures, as that draw happens only when the car is on. There is a secondary issue of heat generation from the power consumption, but that, too happens while the car is on and there is either an open window or air conditioning running.

Ok I'm being a little brain dense here. I assume the Utility Port Power Adapter is the 12 V Cig cable/adapter which gets plugged into the DC IN port of the GPS module on one end and the +12V cig socket at the other end.

Yes, you are correct! Sorry for the confusion.

Is the USB-A port measured at the spare (unused) port on the adapter at the +12V end?

Yes, the USB-A port voltage is measured directly at the orange connector on the utility plug you see in my earlier image.

What is confusing me is the USB-A Port with Both Cameras is lower (4.77 V) at the source end than the load USB-C end (5.20 V)

The utility/cigarette port adapter plugs into the 12v port in the car and contains two independent 5v regulators.

The first regulator is directly connected to the cable with the USB-C plug on the end and has a 3A rating. The voltage output from the USB-C plug rises slightly under load, indicating it is pretty well designed.

The second regulator is connected to the orange USB-A port and is rated at 2A. The voltage output from the USB-A port sags under load - this is pretty typical for USB-A ports, they tend to have fairly minimal power delivery expectations.

I understand redesigning the utility/cigarette port adapter to provide 3A (up from 2.4A on the previous version) at 5v. My guess is that Vantrue redesigned it to be future compatible with a wider range of upcoming cameras that will have higher power demands. The surprising part is that the VP03 (II) hardwire kit is only rated to 2A (and its voltage sags under load). I suppose this means that the VP03 (II) is also a somewhat older design.

The VP05 (II) that Wendy sent to me with the E360 camera is rated to 2.5A and provide 5.15v without a load and drops to 4.95v when powering the S1 Pro Max camera. I'm curious why both versions of the utility/cigarette adapter power supply INCREASE their output voltage under load on the USB-C connector, while both hardwire kits exhibit voltage sag under load. I would expect the opposite behavior...

EDIT: I just updated my power consumption table in post #19 to add some voltage output data from each of the four different Vantrue power supplies that I have.

 

[EricSan]

That pair of 4K IMX678's is rather power-hungry at 8.7W when driving

I just measured the S1 Pro Max camera by itself (1ch mode) vs with both cameras connected. It looks like the rear camera draws 3.8w, so that's likely the power consumption of the IMX687 sensor by itself. I don't think any processing is going on in the rear camera.

 

[Hack_man]

The utility/cigarette port adapter plugs into the 12v port in the car and contains two independent 5v regulators.

The first regulator is directly connected to the cable with the USB-C plug on the end and has a 3A rating. The voltage output from the USB-C plug rises slightly under load, indicating it is pretty well designed.

The second regulator is connected to the orange USB-A port and is rated at 2A. The voltage output from the USB-A port sags under load - this is pretty typical for USB-A ports, they tend to have fairly minimal power delivery expectations.

I understand redesigning the utility/cigarette port adapter to provide 3A (up from 2.4A on the previous version) at 5v. My guess is that Vantrue redesigned it to be future compatible with a wider range of upcoming cameras that will have higher power demands. The surprising part is that the VP03 (II) hardwire kit is only rated to 2A (and its voltage sags under load). I suppose this means that the VP03 (II) is also a somewhat older design.

The VP05 (II) that Wendy sent to me with the E360 camera is rated to 2.5A and provide 5.15v without a load and drops to 4.95v when powering the S1 Pro Max camera. I'm curious why both versions of the utility/cigarette adapter power supply INCREASE their output voltage under load on the USB-C connector, while both hardwire kits exhibit voltage sag under load. I would expect the opposite behavior...

EDIT: I just updated my power consumption table in post #19 to add some voltage output data from each of the four different Vantrue power supplies that I have.

I make no claim to understand USB technology but I have to ask:
Why is the USB-A port output voltage sagging (4.77 V ) if there are two independent regulators in the 12V adapter and the USB-A port is UNLOADED ? My understanding is the camera load is on the USB-C port and the USB-A port is connected to the input of the unloaded power meter.

When you say "The voltage output from the USB-A port sags under load", what is the load on the USB-A port?

 

[EricSan]

@Hack_man, I think you are misinterpreting my data presentation. Sorry that I wasn't more clear.

The USB-A port provides 5.18v with no load attached. Once I connect the USB-A port to the S1 Pro Max with the USB-A to USB-C cord that Vantrue provides in the kit, the output of the USB-A port sags to 4.77v indicating that it's not a very robust port. This is kind of to be expected as USB-A ports typically provide a maximum of about 4w. Thus, the USB-A port is sufficient to power *other* devices while also powering the dashcam through the USB-C plug at the end of the wire.

I was testing the voltage delivery capability of each USB port independently, not together.

 

[Hack_man]

@Hack_man, I think you are misinterpreting my data presentation. Sorry that I wasn't more clear.

The USB-A port provides 5.18v with no load attached. Once I connect the USB-A port to the S1 Pro Max with the USB-A to USB-C cord that Vantrue provides in the kit, the output of the USB-A port sags to 4.77v indicating that it's not a very robust port. This is kind of to be expected as USB-A ports typically provide a maximum of about 4w. Thus, the USB-A port is sufficient to power *other* devices while also powering the dashcam through the USB-C plug at the end of the wire.

I was testing the voltage delivery capability of each USB port independently, not together.

You were clear, I just think better with a Schematic Diagrams to help me along 🙂
I didn't understand that you were connecting the USB-A port to the S1 Pro Max with the USB-A to USB-C cord provided by Vantrue.

The USB C plug (at the end of the 12 V Cig. cable) essentially remained at a constant voltage (5.20 V to 5.22 V), even under load, unlike the USB-A port which sagged.
I'm thinking they included a low current "sense" line in the 12 V adapter cable from the regulator to the USB-C plug which monitors load voltage, boosts output at the regulator thereby keeping load voltage constant. We need to open up a cable!

Curious, I would have expected the camera to power cycle due to the low voltage from the USB-A port if you left it there for at least a minute.
Thanks for the clarification.

 

[EricSan]

We need to open up a cable!

The USB-C regulator might function something like the way Apple chargers do: they don't provide much voltage at all until there is a load. This prevents problems with the male lightning end that has exposed terminals.

I haven't opened the VP03 (II) hard wire kit (there doesn't appear to be any screws unless they are under the adhesive pad), but I have opened a Viofo hardwire regulator. You can find images and some description here:

https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...options-extra-functionality.49972/post-611283

I'm also surprised that the camera didn't shut down at 4.77v. I would have thought that was too low for sure...

 

[TonyM]

I just measured the S1 Pro Max camera by itself (1ch mode) vs with both cameras connected. It looks like the rear camera draws 3.8w, so that's likely the power consumption of the IMX687 sensor by itself. I don't think any processing is going on in the rear camera.

Is there an option to have just the front camera recording in parking mode?

 

[Hack_man]

EricSan said:
I don't think any processing is going on in the rear camera.

I suppose that means there won't be Firmware for the rear camera. I updated F/W yesterday on S1 Pro Max and there was only one file.

 

[EricSan]

Is there an option to have just the front camera recording in parking mode?

Yes! I haven't gone back to look at the E360, but the N4S and the S1 Pro Max BOTH allow you to choose which cameras are active for drive mode and both have a DIFFERENT setting that determines which cameras are active for parking mode. This is an excellent feature!

I can also confirm that the 2.5K rear camera that comes with the N4S works with the S1 Pro Max, but not vice-versa. I did notice that the S1 Pro Max tends to get a little upset at swapping rear cameras with the main camera powered off. It caused a problem where each time the camera booted, it would record for 4s and then just freeze up. I had to go through multiple gyrations of using the reset button, formatting the card, and disconnecting the rear camera before it would boot normally again. I actually thought I had fried the rear camera at one point because it took me longer than I thought it would to get things working properly again.

Edit: I just saw this in the manual, they recommend making sure the main camera is ON before connecting the rear camera. Guess I’ll call this one a case of “user error.”

 

[EricSan]

Curious, I would have expected the camera to power cycle due to the low voltage from the USB-A port if you left it there for at least a minute.

I can use my bench top power supply and decrease voltage over time to determine the lower voltage threshold at which the S1 Pro Max shuts down. This is pretty easy. I'm reluctant to explore in the opposite direction, though, by increasing the voltage to determine an upper voltage shut down point. There's too much potential for circuit damage that way...

Last year, I did learn that my Viofo A139 Pro can (temporarily, at least) resist getting a direct 12v power input. It just refused to boot up, which was a great relief to discover! I suspect this varies from brand to brand quite a bit and I'm not eager to experiment in this manner.

 

[EricSan]

I'm really eager to mount the 4k rear camera externally near my license plate, but I can't find a good place to run the cable. I removed a few trim pieces to explore the feasibility of tucking the wire through existing body panel holes. The USB cable is sufficiently thick that this is not a viable way to wire up the rear camera. I looked at drilling a hole in the trunk release handle, but there isn't enough room to make a hole and avoid hitting other critical elements (rubber seals and the rear camera from the car's safety systems).

So, it looks like I'll be mounting this camera on the inside of the rear window next to the others... Bummer, I was looking forward to ditching the window reflections and eating half of the camera image with back dash and trunk lid. Oh well. I presume this might be easier with different car models.

 

[Hack_man]

I can use my bench top power supply and decrease voltage over time to determine the lower voltage threshold at which the S1 Pro Max shuts down. This is pretty easy. I'm reluctant to explore in the opposite direction, though, by increasing the voltage to determine an upper voltage shut down point. There's too much potential for circuit damage that way...

Last year, I did learn that my Viofo A139 Pro can (temporarily, at least) resist getting a direct 12v power input. It just refused to boot up, which was a great relief to discover! I suspect this varies from brand to brand quite a bit and I'm not eager to experiment in this manner.

Agreed on not exploring the higher voltages, although Vantrue suggested my iPhone charger was causing the reboot due to a HIGHER voltage since it stopped power cycling when Wifi was turned on which required nearly 90 mA of
additional current. I plan to get a USB power meter (oh boy another toy!) and test the setup which caused my issue. I know there are those that disagree, but I dont see why we should not expect to be able to power the camera to full operation using a standard quality 5V charger. The spec on the camera is 5 V at 2.4 A which the iPhone charger should be able to deliver so something ain't right with my camera being operated in one channel mode or with the spec of the camera or the short cable has much higher drop than expected. Call me stubborn but I just gotta know.

I think when you use the bench supply and decrease voltage over time, you have to let it settle at each lower voltage increment for at least 12 seconds, rather than slowly decrease voltage linearly until it re-boots.
In other words, go to 5 V, leave for 12+ seconds, go to 4.9 V for 12+ seconds, repeat.
That's probably what you were thinking anyway.

 

[EricSan]

but I dont see why we should not expect to be able to power the camera to full operation using a standard quality 5V charger.

Fundamentally, I agree with you, but this is all about "specsmanship." The camera (and every other device) has specific voltage and current needs, that's the easy part. The power supply design, though, is the harder part. Sure, a third party power supply might be rated as "5v 2A," but can it do both simultaneously? When it provides an honest 2A of output current, does the voltage hold firm at 5.0v, or does it sag to unacceptable levels? Perhaps it is really only capable of providing 0.7A while still maintaining 5.0v, and increasing the current draw further causes the voltage to drop to 4.5v. I'm just making up arbitrary numbers here for example purposes, but you get the idea.

I've spent a lot of time with home audio and audio/video receiver amplifiers. You'll see familiar bragging from many companies about their product having 100w output power. That sounds nice, but it's horribly non-specific. Into what speaker load is that 100w of output being measured? 4R speakers? 6R speakers? 8R speakers? 4R speakers are WAY harder to drive than 8R speakers are. Is the 100w of output power measured at a single frequency, typically 1kHz (a really lame way to measure output)? Or is that 100w of output power measured across the entire audio spectrum of 20Hz to 20kHz (a more robust measure)? Is that 100w of output power measured with only a single channel driven (also a lame measurement)? At 100w of output, is the amplifier exhibiting clipping behavior in its waveform output, or is it delivering 100w of clean, undistorted output? Or is that 100w measured with ALL 5 or 7 (or 9 or 11) channels being driven simultaneously from 20Hz to 20kHz into a 4R speaker load? This is why a GOOD A/V receiver weighs more than 50lbs and a cheap, crappy one with similar specs weighs only 17lbs. (Here, I'm assuming both receivers use Class A/B amplification circuitry, I'm ignoring Class D stuff...)

Years ago, I found a website that did a side-by-side tear down of a genuine Apple 5v white charger block and a cheap, generic 5v plug in charger block. The differences in engineering, construction, parts selection, and performance were wildly different. This is stuff that the average consumer isn't really aware of, but us gear heads know the difference...

when you use the bench supply and decrease voltage over time, you have to let it settle at each lower voltage

Agreed. When I was testing the accuracy of the battery protection voltage level for the switch positions on the hardwire kit, I needed to let it sit for more than a full minute each time I adjusted the output voltage down. There seems to be some kind of a "timer" circuit inside one of the ICs that uses logic something like "when the input voltage drops below XYZ level for more than 60 seconds, turn the camera off." It's definitely not an immediate voltage threshold kind of thing.

 

[EricSan]

OK, I'm ready to make some comparisons now 😉

Left to right: Vantrue N4S, Viofo A139 Pro (both hardwired to a dedicated parking battery), and Vantrue S1 Pro Max (powered by cigarette lighter adapter):

Left to right on the rear window: Viofo A139 Pro, Vantrue 2.5k camera from N4S, Vantrue 4k camera from S1 Pro Max:

 

[EricSan]

Here is my first set of comparison images, all three from the rear cameras this time. This might not be an ideal comparison as I neglected to align the vertical aim of each camera. The N4S shows a bit more sky than the A139 Pro does, and the S1 Pro Max shows yet more sky.

The A139 Pro seems to have the most realistic color and lighting (most true to what the eye sees), it also has about the same horizontal angle as the S1 Pro Max.
The S1 Pro Max has the greatest amount of contrast and the lowest level of overall brightness in the foreground. It also exhibits the least amount of window reflections. Enabling HDR might show some positive impact on this image.
The N4S shows the brightest overall rear image, the greatest amount of color, the least contrast in the image, but the greatest level of window reflections.

Viofo A139 Pro rear camera, no HDR function, 1920x1080P, 30fps, 16.4Mb/s:

Vantrue N4S, rear camera, HDR off, PlatePix on (not sure if this impacts the rear camera), 2560x1440P, 30fps, 14.3Mb/s:

S1 Pro Max, rear camera, HDR off, PlatePix on (not sure if this impacts the rear camera), 3840x2160P, 30fps, 23.8Mb/s:

 

[EricSan]

It looks like there is a firmware update for both the front and rear cameras (two separate files):

Vantrue S1 Pro Max | Product Manuals, Firmware Upgrades, and FAQs

Explore comprehensive product manuals, firmware upgrades, and frequently asked questions (FAQs) for Vantrue S1 Pro Max dash cam. Access detailed instructions, troubleshooting tips, and the latest firmware updates to enhance your experience. Find answers to common queries and optimize your use of...

www.vantrue.com

 

[Hack_man]

I agree with your descriptions of the video footage.
Interesting the S1 Pro Max has a F/W update, I'm curious if the HDR and PlatePix timers are now properly synchronized, the current version is not.

There seems to be two different links to obtain F/W

The @EricSan link gets me F/W from June 11 2025 shown below

But this link for Vantrue F/W gets me newer F/W today June 27 (There is only an update for the Front Camera )

 

[EricSan]

@Hack_man - Ha, just updated firmware this afternoon. Thanks for the link. I wonder why that one isn’t listed on the “regular” firmware page for the S1PM camera? Guess I’ll do another update tomorrow. Funny that they list RC-09 rear camera support with this update. I got that rear camera to work without any updates at all. When I did the firmware update today, I did the rear camera first, then reformatted the card and put the front update file on the card. I didn’t want the camera to get confused with which one it wanted to do first. I’ve been burned trying to apply too many updates all at once to other devices.