Cellink B or high capacity bank?

KarlBristol

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Dash Cam
None yet but hopefully a Goluk
I'm looking to buy a Goluk T3 mainly as I want park recording having had someone just hit my 2 day old car and drive off gggrrrr

Having decided on the camera (thanks to the great advice on here) the next big question for me is how to handle powering the device when the car is off. I'm hoping for a bit more advice on this topic as well....


The two big contenders for me are;

- Cellink B
- 100,000mah power bank

Both seem to have positives and negatives. The Cellink B is great in that it has a "hands-off" approach once set up. It can simply be left. However it is cost prohibitive and I'd have to think through where to route all the cables.

The power bank option is far cheaper but a lot more fiddly with regular change overs and charges. However it places zero strain on my car battery.

So....
How long could I expect out of the power bank during Park mode?
Does anyone regularly run a 100,000mah power bank?

Any pointers?
Any suggestions or ideas I hadn't thought of?
 
Any link to 100A power bank ?
 
I'm guessing the big negative of using a bank over the Cellink is that every time I turned the car off and parked I would manually have to set the camera to park mode (and actually remember to do this! Lol)
 
One member here has been using powerbanks successfully for a long time- it's a developed habit to swap over when parking and to remember to charge them, but it only takes moments to do. The Cellink is well known with a great reputation so I guess it's your choice as both methods will work.

Phil
 
Those powerbanks are fake by the way. There is no way in the world you will get 100,000mAh (100Ah) for £12.99.
 
I knew that they were fake but was hoping for something over 50,000mah put of one...
 
I was thinking there was an extra '0' added to that as my Zendure A8's are 26,000mAh and has far more power than those listed and cost approx £75 each.

My cams are hardwired to turn on with the ignition and I have USB chargers for the power banks hooked up to the fusebox. The powerbanks are used for parking mode. Quick swap over of leads, takes a few seconds. Becomes second nature after a while. I take the powerbanks out and charge them indoors at the mains.

On long journeys if the battery is low on the powerbanks, the Zendures support 'pass-through' technology and will charge while supplying power.

I chose this option as I do frequent short journeys and don't think the Cellink powerbanks would ever hold a sufficient charge for parking mode.
 
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You can use a power bank of the sort shown, or MUCH better a LIPO jump start pack, I have set a few cars up with these now, NO CABLE PLUGGING OR UNPLUGGING NEEDED, just connect charger lead into jump pack/jump starter plug cam lead plug into either usb slot or into output lead/ciggy lead, this assumes your ciggy lighter is switch off with ignition, even if not find a switched supply for jump pack, so it charges all the time engine is running but takes over when parked up, doubles up as jump starter if needed by simply unplugging, these have way more capacity, I have hidden one on top of glovebox secured with cable ties, one tucked behind trim panel one in armrest all work perfect, typically less than £10 from begay, long wait from HK though, as it's under £18 there are no import charges to pay either
 
You can use a power bank of the sort shown, or MUCH better a LIPO jump start pack, I have set a few cars up with these now, NO CABLE PLUGGING OR UNPLUGGING NEEDED, just connect charger lead into jump pack/jump starter plug cam lead plug into either usb slot or into output lead/ciggy lead, this assumes your ciggy lighter is switch off with ignition, even if not find a switched supply for jump pack, so it charges all the time engine is running but takes over when parked up, doubles up as jump starter if needed by simply unplugging, these have way more capacity, I have hidden one on top of glovebox secured with cable ties, one tucked behind trim panel one in armrest all work perfect, typically less than £10 from begay, long wait from HK though, as it's under £18 there are no import charges to pay either

Unless a power bank is specifically designed with proper circuitry for true pass through charging what you propose doing is a bad idea as it will cause significant stress to the cells. It is unwise to charge lithium cells at the same time they are discharging as it violates the electro-chemistry of how they function. What you are suggesting will shorten the lifespan of the battery bank and create a safety hazard in the longer term.

The Zendure is one of the very few brands on the market that appears to actually have pass through charging circuitry.
 
To clarify, I haven't actually used the pass-through feature as I always completely discharge the banks before recharging at home from the main power supply.

It's good to know on the odd occasion I need to use 'pass-through' it's available.

A lot of research was done before choosing the Zendure A8. Let's face it they ain't cheap!
 
I do things the way I do because people want it that way, I don't charge for anything, things seem to be working well, copied from a mate in Tucson who is electronics engineer using the exact same packs
 
I do things the way I do because people want it that way, I don't charge for anything, things seem to be working well, copied from a mate in Tucson who is electronics engineer using the exact same packs

It strikes me as peculiar logic that you rationalize doing something ill advised because "people want it that way" and you "don't charge for anything" as if that makes it all OK. As for your "electronics engineer" mate, it sounds like he doesn't really understand how li-ion batteries work despite his credentials. Just because "things seem to be working well" doesn't make it so either. Yes, you can charge a power bank while it is discharging and get away with it for a period of time but it will shorten the life of the cells and will eventually lead to a significant safety issue.

It is been fascinating to observe how many people here on this form rationalize the whole concept of "pass-through charging" despite the all the evidence against it as if wishful thinking is all that is required. It happens so often that we really should have a sticky on the subject.

What "is" required is the proper battery management circuitry of the type that exists in many if not most laptop computers, smartphones and tablets so they can be operated when plugged in but that very rarely exists in lithium-ion power banks because that is not what they are designed to do. They also cost nowhere near what a laptop or smartphone costs and this is another reason power banks generally don't have such circuitry. One reason Zendure power banks are so expensive is that they do have more sophisticated circuitry than other more typical banks.

The reason lithium-ion battery banks should not be charged while power is simultaneously being drawn from them is because it violates the electro-chemisty of how lithium-ion batteries function.

In a lithium-ion rechargeable battery as used in these types of power banks (typically 18650 cells) both the positive electrode (cathode) and the negative electrode (anode) bind lithium ions from lithium oxide in the electrolyte that migrate back and forth between the cathode and anode during the charging and discharging process. When the battery is discharging, the lithium ions moving back towards the cathode release energy (electrons) in the process and this is how the battery powers your device. When the battery is charging, the lithium ions migrate back through the electrolyte in the other direction towards the anode.

So, if you charge the battery while it is simultaneously discharging, then you are forcing the lithium ions to move in opposite directions through the electrolyte at the same time which will cause a lot of stress to the cells and this will eventually lead to a build-up of lithium metal plating which is the dangerous process that can ultimately cause a thermal runaway (chemical combustion), but for the most part will simply shorten the lifespan of the bank's cells and prematurely reduce its charging capacity. Lithium metal plating happens when lithium-ions in the electrolyte precipitate out into actual lithium metal which is highly reactive and flammable and burns fast and hot. This metal plating can cause a short circuit that will initiate a fire within the cell electrolyte if damage is caused to the extremely thin separators that keep the elements of the battery apart. A damaged battery cell will slowly start to swell and when it finally bursts hot chemical gases very suddenly come into contact with air (oxygen) and you have a vigorous fire or explosion on your hands, especially if this happens inside an enclosed space like a battery bank housing.

It is bad enough that we subject high powered lithium-ion power banks to temperature extremes, vibration and shocks when using them in our vehicles to run dash cams but stressing them further by charging during discharge is really asking for trouble.

Some manufacturers falsely claim that their products (especially generics) accommodate pass-through-charging knowing that you are unlikely to notice any problems or loss of capacity until long after purchase but this practice should simply be avoided.
 
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Sorry couldn't be bothered to read it, at the end of the day it is up to each individual to make a choice about how they do things, just because something is a good correct or bad incorrect way does not mean it doesn't get done that way.
It is stupid and illegal to drink and drive but people do that too
 
Sorry couldn't be bothered to read it, at the end of the day it is up to each individual to make a choice about how they do things, just because something is a good correct or bad incorrect way does not mean it doesn't get done that way.
It is stupid and illegal to drink and drive but people do that too

Absolutely not surprised to hear that a guy like you couldn't be bothered to read it. Ignorance is bliss, as they say. :rolleyes: Interesting too that you would equate and rationalize improper use of high capacity battery banks with drinking and driving of all things. It's quite an astonishing attitude really. Good luck in your endeavors; just hope you don't harm others in the process.
 
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