The fundamental reason for NOT powering a 10 Amp device through a fuse box is safety. It’s the reason we have building safety codes, and entire licensed trades like electricians. 10 Amps is a lot of current that can generate a lot of heat in wiring. Generally speaking anyone with formal education, training, and experience in automotive repair & maintenance, or consumer electronics might agree running more than 1 Amp through a fuse box is not a good idea.thanks for that but don’t understand the separate ignaitom relay? What’s the benefit of that and is that a custom install ?
It's understandable why they make this recommendation. They want their device to be as easy as possible to install. Running a wire to a fuse box in the passenger compartment is a lot easier than running a wire outside the passenger compartment, and under the hood directly to the battery. A proper install is not a big deal. It's basically like installing a car amplifier for an aftermarket audio system.Thank you, that’s very interesting. Is quite bad for these manufacturers then to suggest hardwiring into fuse box without relay if it’s a safety concern?
It's understandable why they make this recommendation. They want their device to be as easy as possible to install. Running a wire to a fuse box in the passenger compartment is a lot easier than running a wire outside the passenger compartment, and under the hood directly to the battery. A proper install is not a big deal. It's basically like installing a car amplifier for an aftermarket audio system.
Google search "Automotive 12AWG Relay".funny you should say that, i had an an amp installed in my car. my car is a bmw and the battery is in the boot/trunk so that should make it a lot easier.
how much is the relay? i.e. how much additional costs in terms of material and where can i source from UK? what exactly would i need to buy?
thanks again for all your advice.
Hey @Panzer Platform , id like you're opinion here. I'm deciding between the bbmc powercell 8 and the b-130x. I have a 2ch a139 pro. I live in Canada so we do see a wide range of temperatures, including well below freezing. What would be your recommendation? I see I can get the pc8 refurbished for 288, or the b-130x for 327. Reliability is of course a big deal for me, and I heard the b-130x may have better cold weather reliability?I only have the B-130X, and the BBMC PowerCell 8.
The PC8 also does not have any "lag start up time".
Yes, you can either turn off the dash cam, or turn off the battery pack.
The B-130X & PC8 have their pros & cons.
What dash cam you're using might make a difference which one will work better for your application.
What dash cam do you have?
Everyone knows what my opinion is worth, and where I can stick it. lolopinion
Guaranteed to be wildly inaccurate, correct? lolthey can report battery capacity via the cloud
For what it's worth, your opinion definitely matters! You're somewhat of an expert on here! I like the powerpack but it's definitely on the too pricy for me side unfortunately, otherwise I'd totally go for that. The reason I was looking at the pc8 and the b130x was the refurb pricing from bbmc, but I liked the b130x, even though the slightly higher price, more because of the thicker gauge wires.Everyone knows what my opinion is worth, and where I can stick it. lol
The BBMC PC8 & BlackVue B-130X are 99% identical.
Technically the B-130X is slightly more “advanced” because it’s cold weather charge protection works better.
It can also accommodate 24 Volts systems if you have a commercial vehicle, or if you’re a tinkerer, and want to hook up a solar panel with raw power (no charge controller) because those can operate in the 24 Volt range.
I tried it with a 50 Watt panel and it did not have enough current, (you will need 100 Watt panel or bigger);
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/blackvue-b-130x-test-review-pp.48114/post-586771
The downside of the B-130X is no expansion port to link additional packs.
Another downside is the APP requires you to make an account just to access the B-130X settings, (this may have changed since I last tested it).
It all comes down to your specific use application.
Maybe @rcg530 @safedrivesolutions @BlackboxMyCar or @Vortex Radar can shed light on the things I missed.
I just remembered, since your in Canada I recommend the IROAD Power Pack Pro 12.
It has 153Wh capacity compared to 96Wh capacity of the PC8 & B-130X.
Call Ben in Vancouver 1-604-299-7758, or Ted in Toronto 1-647-968-7233 to see what they say.![]()
IROAD Powerpack Pro 12 Battery Pack
Stay safe with IROAD's Powerpack Pro 12 Battery Pack for extended parking mode recordings. Rated at 12,000 mah, drive to charge and you're set!safedrivesolutions.com
-Chuck
I’m only an expert at screwing things up. Lolexpert
The B-130X only has 14AWG charge wire, and its tinned copper, or CCA copper clad aluminum.because of the thicker gauge wires
I would send an email to 70mai and ask them what’s taking so long to release their dash cam battery pack.What would your suggestion be
If price is concern, consider the EcoFlow River 2, Power Station, 256Wh, new on Amazon for $168 with a 5-year warranty. It's a simple plug-and-play solution that requires minor cable work......................
EDIT: Ted got back to me and that pricing definitely isn't going to work for me. What would your suggestion be, if any?