I just F'ed up my car while harwiring my F750

[egonvdv]

I installed a NEW F770 in the front of my car (2015 Mercedes E CLass).

Brought my OLD F750 to the back and hardwired in rear fusebox in the
EXACT same way as I did in the past with my blackvue+ powermagic pro.

(FYI The front F770 uses the cable which was already installed for the F750, which is hardwired in the
engine bay )

Both cameras worked as they should, going in and out of parking mode as I switched contact on and off.

What did not work was the engine after I finished the install..:
It won't start.
All lights come on, but engine won't turn.
Tried jumper cables; no use.

So somehow the installation f'ed up the electronics, but I don't understand how ?
(again: I installed the same way as the power magic pro in the past)

I have not read an particular problems with Mercedes regarding hardwiring a cam.
(unlike BMW for instance)

Does anybody have any thoughts on this, cos i'm pretty afraid now to try to hardwire again...

Pleased to hear..

in the meantime.. I'll wait here for the tow truck (no joke...)

 

[egonvdv]

Tow truck came and hooked up his starter... started immediately.

battery was indeed flat he said.

it mut be because of the installing of the 2 cameras but not sure why or how
as they have a security...?

 

[dash riposki]

You didn't do any driving after you installed the two cams?
There's a slight chance you just discharged the batteries enough while installing/testing over a prolonged period....and the battery may be not real healthy.
Maybe get the battery tested?

 

[Sunny]

Good thing that it was not the electronics.
If you don't drive too long and too often, battery level maybe at the threshold and as soon as you use it little bit, it's below what's needed to start the car.

 

[egonvdv]

you guys are right it seems.

every day I drive 50km/40 min to work where the car is parked
outside and records almost continuously (lot of traffic movement)

in the evening 40mns back and I park in a underground carpark.
less movement there, but still in parking mode...

I guess the 40mn drive doesn't get the battery back to a 100pct each day
and by installing the 2 cams (several start ups, tests etc) I must have used up
that extra bit of juice which was needed to start the car...
(On top of that it's a bit chilly here recently: 9°c)

So that brings me to the question: at what voltage should I set the cameras to shut down?
Right now I'm at the lowest setting which I think is 11.6v ?(can't check now)

Cleary this too low, although this is the 1st time I have a problem in almost a year
(of course till now I only had 1 camera hooked up)

Also maybe important to note: both cameras are DUAL, and each rear cam
is used as a SIDE cam in order to get a 360° view.
(although today I had not gotten to hooking up both rear/side cams yet)

 

[jokiin]

when your battery is at 12v it is considered 50% discharged, 11.6v is way too low, particularly in winter

 

[Hillbilly]

Read this about discharge levels

http://www.energymatters.com.au/components/battery-voltage-discharge/

 

[egonvdv]

So I should be at 12.2 at least? - And how many hours of parkmode will this give me approx.?

 

[jokiin]

So I should be at 12.2 at least? - And how many hours of parkmode will this give me approx.?

you'd have to try it and see, there's no definitive answer

 

[flip9]

To be safe, set it to 12.4v if you have a lead acid battery. If its an AGM/deep cycle type set it to 12.2v. The deeper you discharge a car battery the less cycle life it will have.

I suggest upgrading the primary battery to the biggest size that fits in the tray. Preferably a deep cycle/starter battery like an Optima Yellow Top. Otherwise get a Cellink-B or a secondary battery.

 

[egonvdv]

I'm thinking of buying 1 Cellink B for one camera and let the other one run on the car battery.
cos if I have to set it to cut off at 12.4v, I imagine it won't last very long with 2 cameras

 

[Dippy]

The open circuit potential of a 6 cell lead-acid battery is 12.6V. With the engine off and ancillaries connected (but idle) there will be enough draw to reduce this by a tenth or two. However it is common, especially in cars with start/stop technology, for batteries to be in a permanent state of partial discharge. So with an AGM battery expect to measure around 12.3 to 12.4V if the car has not been used enough to fully charge it.

If your typical starting point is 12.3 to 12.4V then a dashcam setting of 12.2V isn't going to last long in parking mode, and two definitely won't. To find out what you can set it to does require experimentation because of course the minimum charge level needed to start the engine varies from car to car. Mine started happily after my F750 shut itself down with the threshold at 12.0V. I didn't want to try less than 12V because as is noted that is definitely in the discharged zone for lead acid batteries. Mine is currently set to 12.1V, however I usually cancel parking mode when my car is parked in my garage so that it doesn't regularly discharge the battery to 12.1V.

Before I got my own dashcam I had the naïve expectation that it could record whilst the car is parked at the airport when I'm on a 2 week holiday. Now I realise that a realistic expectation is that at best it will last around 18 hours in parking mode. Any longer definitely requires a dedicated battery. Please remember that lithium/ion batteries have their own problems, as evident in the issues around certain Apple and Samsung mobile phones and some laptop/notebook computers. If you have such a battery installed in your car be careful about its exposure to heat. It might also be a good idea to check on insurance liability. It varies by country, but many insurers require that policyholders inform them of all modifications to the car. A hardwired dashcam is a modification. If a lithium/ion battery sets fire to your car then you'll probably want to ensure that your insurance is valid.

Finally I have to ask, since both the F750 and F770 are dual camera units, presumably you have a total of 4 cameras in your car?

 

[egonvdv]

yes I have 4 camera and just finished installing everything.

Have set the cameras to 12.1v now, but they shut down almost immediately due to "low battery".

I did not have this problem before with only 1 camera set to 11.6v; it could easily stay in parkmode for over 2 days.
So guess the car battery is getting old due to the above...

when I watch the voltage in the live feed it's arnd 14.8v with engine on. as soon as I switch off it drops to 11.8 in no
time, so basically with this battery I no longer have parkmode as the cameras shut off immediately.

And the whole reason for the 2 sidecams was to especially use them as park cams! - LOL... here I was all happy
with me brilliant 360° setup... sh*t!

So what to do now? - I guess I have only 2 options:

A) buy a new battery and make sure I don't drain it like I did before (ie voltage cut off at 12.1 instead 11.6)
or
2) get two (very expensive) cellink B's..

btw, if I go with two cellinks could I put one in the engine bay (the other in trunk) or is that not wise
due temp changes and/or moist?

 

[Dippy]

I think you need a new battery anyway. Have a look into if your car can accommodate a bigger battery. This will hold more charge and so the voltage will stay up for longer.
I'd say the decision to got with additional batteries depends on how long you need parking mode to last. If you need days then yes that's your only choice.

 

[Dippy]

BTW my comment about Li-ion battery safety was generic. Quality of manufacture is key. I know nothing about Cellink.

 

[Sunny]

yes I have 4 camera and just finished installing everything.

Have set the cameras to 12.1v now, but they shut down almost immediately due to "low battery".

I did not have this problem before with only 1 camera set to 11.6v; it could easily stay in parkmode for over 2 days.
So guess the car battery is getting old due to the above...

when I watch the voltage in the live feed it's arnd 14.8v with engine on. as soon as I switch off it drops to 11.8 in no
time, so basically with this battery I no longer have parkmode as the cameras shut off immediately.

And the whole reason for the 2 sidecams was to especially use them as park cams! - LOL... here I was all happy
with me brilliant 360° setup... sh*t!

So what to do now? - I guess I have only 2 options:

A) buy a new battery and make sure I don't drain it like I did before (ie voltage cut off at 12.1 instead 11.6)
or
2) get two (very expensive) cellink B's..

btw, if I go with two cellinks could I put one in the engine bay (the other in trunk) or is that not wise
due temp changes and/or moist?

Do what audio nuts do.
Install a 2nd battery that powers the accessories and also gets charged when car is on.
Or get Optima battery as your primary if that size fits and it should provide much better power.

 

[egonvdv]

Wow.. next I'll change the whole car LOL
Thanks for your input guys.
I'll try to get battery replaced under warranty or as normal service via the lease company.

Still...; I'm happy with the install itself. look at my lovely side cams.. not recording :

 

[egonvdv]

Got a new battery and all is well again in dashcam land.
the 2 cameras easily keep filming overnight.

However, would it be a good idea to get at least ONE cellink
and hook up ONE camera, while the other camara stays on the car battery,
so I don't tax the car batter too much?