U3000 Pro voltage settings for hybrid help

rcg530 said:
I've reached out to Thinkware via my "tester" support person and asked Thinkware support to review your configuration and to provide info to help clarify this situation. He stated that I would get some info on the voltage level strategies used by the TOCK-100 OBD-II power adapter when you select "EV" and when you select "F".

Unfortunately, the question of what OBD-II voltage strategy is the correct one for the vehicle's low voltage system is not as simple as asking whether it's a hybrid/EV or fuel [gas/diesel] powered drive system. The high voltage system will, in some manner, be responsible for maintaining the charge state of the low voltage battery [if present - most of the time there is low voltage battery]. The low voltage battery type is what needs to be identified since that will directly govern the voltage levels present in the low voltage system. If the low voltage battery is a lead-acid battery or AGM battery, the voltage levels will be just like an older gas/diesel powered vehicle. If there's a lithium low voltage battery, the voltage levels may operate a level above the typical lead-acid/AGM battery type.

When I get more info from Thinkware, I'll let you know.
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Thank you! I even reached out to SafeDriveSoutions on Reddit via chat. This is what they had to say.

Hello.

The settings in the app has nothing to do with the cmaera going into parking mode while driving/engine turning on and off.

The voltage setting inside the app is strictly to tell the unit when to turn off.

If the EV setting does not work for you? switch it to gas while its unplugged.

The switch just tells the circuits inside that obd2 plug to look for different voltages.

In your crown I doubt the gas setting will work either. We have not had it work consistently on lexus/Toyota, which is why we hardwire all of them

Getting a direct answer from Thinkware as well has me eagerly awaiting what they have to say! đź‘Ť
 
rcg530 said:
I've reached out to Thinkware via my "tester" support person and asked Thinkware support to review your configuration and to provide info to help clarify this situation. He stated that I would get some info on the voltage level strategies used by the TOCK-100 OBD-II power adapter when you select "EV" and when you select "F".

Unfortunately, the question of what OBD-II voltage strategy is the correct one for the vehicle's low voltage system is not as simple as asking whether it's a hybrid/EV or fuel [gas/diesel] powered drive system. The high voltage system will, in some manner, be responsible for maintaining the charge state of the low voltage battery [if present - most of the time there is low voltage battery]. The low voltage battery type is what needs to be identified since that will directly govern the voltage levels present in the low voltage system. If the low voltage battery is a lead-acid battery or AGM battery, the voltage levels will be just like an older gas/diesel powered vehicle. If there's a lithium low voltage battery, the voltage levels may operate a level above the typical lead-acid/AGM battery type.

When I get more info from Thinkware, I'll let you know.
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Any update? Just wanted to make sure it wasn’t forgotten. 👍 Thanks!
 
FattiesGoneWild said:
Any update? Just wanted to make sure it wasn’t forgotten. 👍 Thanks!
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I'm still waiting for Thinkware to respond with the additional info on the voltage levels/thresholds for the OBD-II power adapter.
 
rcg530 said:
I'm still waiting for Thinkware to respond with the additional info on the voltage levels/thresholds for the OBD-II power adapter.
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Not the fault of your own or me just being unreasonably impatient. Disappointed they are taking this long to get back with you. That being said, managed to run into another Crown owner on Reddit. While they have the Crown Signia, I have the Crown sedan version. They are successfully using the obd 2 cable and had it professionally installed. The installer set the switch to F (gas) vehicle type regular and 12.0v cutoff all in the app. They have had no issues and it’s been working fine for them. Still interested and waiting on the Thinkware reply you are anticipating. On a side note, I thought the installers choice of selecting a 12.0v cutoff was interesting. From everything I have read online, 12.2v/12.4v cutoff is ideal being a hybrid and having the smaller 12v battery in the trunk for our cars. 🤷
 
FattiesGoneWild said:
Not the fault of your own or me just being unreasonably impatient. Disappointed they are taking this long to get back with you. That being said, managed to run into another Crown owner on Reddit. While they have the Crown Signia, I have the Crown sedan version. They are successfully using the obd 2 cable and had it professionally installed. The installer set the switch to F (gas) vehicle type regular and 12.0v cutoff all in the app. They have had no issues and it’s been working fine for them. Still interested and waiting on the Thinkware reply you are anticipating. On a side note, I thought the installers choice of selecting a 12.0v cutoff was interesting. From everything I have read online, 12.2v/12.4v cutoff is ideal being a hybrid and having the smaller 12v battery in the trunk for our cars. 🤷
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Just to let you know, my Thinkware contact has provided some information regarding their OBD-II power adapter. I've asked for additional info to help get a full picture of how it operates in the case of switching from parking mode back to continuous recording mode.
  • TOCK-100 OBD-II Power Adapter
    • Parking Mode Entry Logic - ACC power turned off to the dash camera
      1. F Mode (Gas/Diesel): Enters parking mode only when both conditions are met simultaneously:
        1. No G-Sensor vehicle motion/impact detected for 5 minutes.
        2. Vehicle battery voltage drops to 13.0V or below.
      2. EV Mode (Hybrid/EV): Enters parking mode simply when there is no G-Sensor motion/impact detected for 10 minutes. (This accounts for hybrids and EVs where system voltage remains elevated even after the vehicle is turned off).
    • Parking Mode Exit Logic [return to continuous recording mode] - ACC power restored to dash camera
      • This was not defined in the info I received.
      • I've asked info on when the TOCK-100 decides to restore the ACC power to the dash camera.
      • I can make some educated guesses here, but I'd rather have Thinkware define what the actual logic is for this situation.
  • Dash Camera Battery Protection Settings (Hybrid / EV Presets)
    • The current voltage ranges in the app were calibrated about 4 years ago based on earlier real-vehicle test data.
    • As a result, applying the "Hybrid" preset (which defaults to 13.2V with a 12.8V floor) on hybrid vehicles using a standard 12V AGM/lead-acid battery (like the 2025 Toyota Crown) causes the dash cam to cut off almost immediately after entering parking mode.
    • In the meantime, for hybrid vehicles using a standard 12V low-voltage battery, setting the app to "Regular car" (12.1V - 12.4V) is the correct and recommended configuration to ensure proper parking recording.
Based on this feedback and the findings of the other Toyota Crown Signia owner, it is recommended to set the TOCK-100's F/EV mode switch to the "F" mode. In the DashCamLink app, select the regular car (12.1V - 12.4V) low voltage selection. I tend to set any low voltage cut-off feature for a lead acid / AGM battery to 12.2V because there can be a +/- 0.2V variance in the detected voltage level compared to the actual voltage level. You may want to do some testing to see when it actually turns off the dash camera based on the cut-off voltage level selected in the app.

Thinkware HQ has acknowledged the confusion in the voltage levels presented in the DashCamLink app. They have agreed to redesign/update the voltage preset ranges and default values in the app for hybrid and electric vehicles.

That's all of the information that I have at this time.
 
rcg530 said:
Just to let you know, my Thinkware contact has provided some information regarding their OBD-II power adapter. I've asked for additional info to help get a full picture of how it operates in the case of switching from parking mode back to continuous recording mode.
  • TOCK-100 OBD-II Power Adapter
    • Parking Mode Entry Logic - ACC power turned off to the dash camera
      1. F Mode (Gas/Diesel): Enters parking mode only when both conditions are met simultaneously:
        1. No G-Sensor vehicle motion/impact detected for 5 minutes.
        2. Vehicle battery voltage drops to 13.0V or below.
      2. EV Mode (Hybrid/EV): Enters parking mode simply when there is no G-Sensor motion/impact detected for 10 minutes. (This accounts for hybrids and EVs where system voltage remains elevated even after the vehicle is turned off).
    • Parking Mode Exit Logic [return to continuous recording mode] - ACC power restored to dash camera
      • This was not defined in the info I received.
      • I've asked info on when the TOCK-100 decides to restore the ACC power to the dash camera.
      • I can make some educated guesses here, but I'd rather have Thinkware define what the actual logic is for this situation.
  • Dash Camera Battery Protection Settings (Hybrid / EV Presets)
    • The current voltage ranges in the app were calibrated about 4 years ago based on earlier real-vehicle test data.
    • As a result, applying the "Hybrid" preset (which defaults to 13.2V with a 12.8V floor) on hybrid vehicles using a standard 12V AGM/lead-acid battery (like the 2025 Toyota Crown) causes the dash cam to cut off almost immediately after entering parking mode.
    • In the meantime, for hybrid vehicles using a standard 12V low-voltage battery, setting the app to "Regular car" (12.1V - 12.4V) is the correct and recommended configuration to ensure proper parking recording.
Based on this feedback and the findings of the other Toyota Crown Signia owner, it is recommended to set the TOCK-100's F/EV mode switch to the "F" mode. In the DashCamLink app, select the regular car (12.1V - 12.4V) low voltage selection. I tend to set any low voltage cut-off feature for a lead acid / AGM battery to 12.2V because there can be a +/- 0.2V variance in the detected voltage level compared to the actual voltage level. You may want to do some testing to see when it actually turns off the dash camera based on the cut-off voltage level selected in the app.

Thinkware HQ has acknowledged the confusion in the voltage levels presented in the DashCamLink app. They have agreed to redesign/update the voltage preset ranges and default values in the app for hybrid and electric vehicles.

That's all of the information that I have at this time.
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Wonderful! This is great information and going to help a lot people out. I can’t help but wonder though, how many people are sending these back? Thinking they are faulty or something wrong with them? Users that are not tech savvy enough and completely dependent on Thinkware specific instructions. Being totally dependent on literally plug and play. I must also wonder, with them agreeing to improve the app. If one has this direct setup working now, how does that affect them when they make the changes in the app?


Do they have to switch the obd 2 from F to E and select hybrid in the app? Another thing, with the provided obd 2 cable. They don’t tell you how to reset it. Per Thinkware rep, there is a way. You unplug it 3 times in a row while the vehicle is on. That’s not documented any where. I mention that because when they improve the app making said changes discussed in here. Would imagine the obd 2 cable would need a “reset” when making the changes. 🤷 I mean, I get it to a degree. With so many makes and models, it’s impossible for a one size fits all instructions.

But setting this up with a hybrid vehicle is way to tricky for a non tech savvy person. I don’t know how Thinkware can get this out to Toyota hybrid owners out there. Because their current instructions are not correct. That makes the company and product look bad imo. 🤷 This also explains why some owners have complained parking mode shuts off immediately or enters parking mode while on. You covered that any ways though.
 
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FattiesGoneWild said:
Wonderful! This is great information and going to help a lot people out. I can’t help but wonder though, how many people are sending these back? Thinking they are faulty or something wrong with them? Users that are not tech savvy enough and completely dependent on Thinkware specific instructions. Being totally dependent on literally plug and play. I must also wonder, with them agreeing to improve the app. If one has this direct setup working now, how does that affect them when they make the changes in the app?


Do they have to switch the obd 2 from F to E and select hybrid in the app? Another thing, with the provided obd 2 cable. They don’t tell you how to reset it. Per Thinkware rep, there is a way. You unplug it 3 times in a row while the vehicle is on. That’s not documented any where. I mention that because when they improve the app making said changes discussed in here. Would imagine the obd 2 cable would need a “reset” when making the changes. 🤷 I mean, I get it to a degree. With so many makes and models, it’s impossible for a one size fits all instructions.

But setting this up with a hybrid vehicle is way to tricky for a non tech savvy person. I don’t know how Thinkware can get this out to Toyota hybrid owners out there. Because their current instructions are not correct. That makes the company and product look bad imo. 🤷 This also explains why some owners have complained parking mode shuts off immediately or enters parking mode while on. You covered that any ways though.
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The Thinkware OBD-II power adapter does not take/receive any settings from the app settings for the dash camera. The only settings for the OBD-II power adapter are the slide switches on the unit itself. There might be a firmware logic change in future OBD-II power adapters, but the F/EV logic will remain the same for all previously sold/installed units. If there's a reset procedure for the OBD-II power adapter, it would be limited to the internal info/data it may have collected while in operation.

The changes in the app, which only impact the low voltage cut-off feature implemented in the dash camera, will likely be a regrouping of the voltage levels presented to the user. The previously selected low voltage cut-off voltage value should still appear in the app, but it may show up in a different vehicle type/grouping. I'm not exactly sure what exact approach they're going to use to revamp the app settings.

The term "hybrid" for a vehicle really only states the vehicle's powertrain is comprised of more than one power source. It does not define the low voltage power system voltage levels used to power the traditional 12V accessories present in the vehicle. All manufacturers of OBD-II power adapters need to do a better job identifying how their unit(s) behave. That means fully documenting the voltage level expectations of the OBD-II power adapter used in making parking mode decisions.

This is why I'm not a fan of OBD-II power adapters since they make "educated" guesses on how the vehicle's low voltage [12V] system will behave. Sometimes those guesses work with the vehicle and sometimes they don't.
 
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