.

Far from being an expert.. but I would want a power bank that is powered from ~12v that can be sourced from a switched circuit (radio or cigarette lighter circuit). As drawn your power bank would soon be depleted as you are drawing out far more than you can put in.
 
Not all power banks likes to be charged and discharged at the same time. Battery suitable for it is Cellink B6.
Cellink B6 is an expensive battery but is really worth if you want to install and forget about. I now have four cameras in my car. All four is then first connected to a 2x2-way cigarette lighter socket splitter (http://hiniko.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=166_169&product_id=361) and then to 3-way Switch Socket (http://www.blueride.se/way-socket-switch-p-1161.html) and Socket 3-way switch is connected to Cellink B6. Cellink is hardwired to the car battery.
You may have problems with the USB hub does not provide enough power. Would have rather gone with a Socket 3-way switch.
You must also think about power bank buying may have power pass-through, but usually takes several hours to recharge (depends on the power bank you choose).
 
Well most powerbanks i know off use lipo batteries, and those are not somthing i want to have lying in my car all year.

I would rather install a splitter charge/discharge thingie on my car battery.http://www.powerstream.com/battery-isolator-solid-state.htm,
And then have another car or MC battery to run the dashcams off, in my case it would have to be a "small" MC battery under the dashbord, or a full sized one on the back of my car.

PS. this solution still need you to drive enuff for the batteries to charge, you cant just drive 2 houres every week and then have 4 dashcams running all the time.

I would assume if your car genrator is operating 100% you will have to drive at least 1 hour every day to make up for the discharge you have in the remaining 23 houres of the day.

At least charging off your car generator you will charge extra car / MC battery much faster, charging a huge power bank off a 2 A USB charger will take a while longer.
 
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Despite the claims from certain producers of power banks that their products can handle it (pass-through charging), they should not be charged while they are under a load.

In addition, leaving a power bank in your vehicle at all times is a bad idea because lithium-ions batteries should NOT be charged or left for too long in a hot vehicle during the summer and they should NOT be charged when they are stored in sub-freezing temperatures. Never charge a frozen lithium battery.

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

In a lithium-ion rechargeable battery 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 to the cathode release energy (electrons) in the process and this is how the battery powers your device. When the battery is being charged, 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 trying to force 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 will eventually lead to lithium metal plating which is the dangerous process than can ultimately cause a thermal runaway (chemical combustion), but for the most part will simply shorten the life of the battery dramatically and reduce its capacity.

While there are some highly sophisticated and expensive "pass-through" charging solutions on the market, most power banks on the market, even the name brand ones will be damaged or compromised if you attempt to do this. Some even have circuitry that detects attempts to charge while in use that will shut them down.
 
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Yeah thats what i would do, and then just modify one of the 3 x ciggy plug extensions i have and then plug in the factory PSU for the dashcams into those.

Offcourse you needing 2 outlets you will have to split one of the 3 ports up in 2 ( there allso a 2 in 1 ciggy plug adapter.

I am using these in my car, have one in the rear so far and will get one in the front soon, i need that as i drive with 4 + dashcams in my testing and what not duties for a fjew dashcam makers.
Allso have a 5 port USB psu, but i need to be able to test/use the supplied PSU with the cameras for a real world test.

3-Way-Multi-Socket-Car-Cigarette-Lighter-Splitter-USB-Plug-Charger-DC-12V-24V-Triple-Adapter.jpg_640x640.jpg


Konnwei-2-IN-1-Vehicle-Cigarette-Lighter-Dual-Car-Cigar-Lighter-Charger-Socket-Splitter-12V-Xmas.jpg_640x640.jpg

e27a36_639c68b547da42088e19d4c13926076e.jpg_srz_218_269_85_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz


You could allso use 2 of this dual sockets.

SKU117577%20(3).JPG

I have had a PSU come loose a fjew times in the 3 way splittes i use, i have overcome this by securing each PSU with a rubber band, this is due to splitter lying in glove box or things sliding around in the back of my car where the other 3 way splitter is.

I have no isulators or extra battert myself, but its the route i want to go if it came down to it, my car is small and so is the battery needed to crank the 1000 ccm engine.

power_split.jpg
 
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This is how i did it.

carsetup.png
 
Hi Guys,

Thanks a lot for your help and suggestions, you are helping a lot! I am still thinking about it and the motorcycle battery is tempting me, apparently I could even go for a gel battery and put it under a seat. Such as something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B00LFMP89K
How about a set up like this:

1. Plug a Y splitter on the cigarette lighter
2. On one of the 2 plugs, link to the battery to charge it. On the other plug, link to a the cameras directly
3. Add cables between the battery and the cameras, with a switch and a 12v to 5v converter in the middle.



As a result:

When the car drives (ignition on), the battery charges and the cameras are operating (I could even remove the batteries in the mobius)

When the car is parked the ignition is off so no current going out of the cigarette lighter, hower I can activate the switch and the gel battery would power the cameras.

What do you think? Any risk doing so?

Long term I can weld the cables directly on the 12v somewhere in the car to make it clean and stealth.

Thanks for your feedback!

The question is if the car alternator can charge both batteries?
 
Despite the claims from certain producers of power banks that their products can handle it (pass-through charging), they should not be charged while they are under a load.

In addition, leaving a power bank in your vehicle at all times is a bad idea because lithium-ions batteries should NOT be charged or left for too long in a hot vehicle during the summer and they should NOT be charged when they are stored in sub-freezing temperatures.

Cards on the table, I know next to nothing about battery technology. However, I would note that the Cellink B is advertised as only re-charging once the battery has been discharged (unlike the T-Power). Also, lithium-phosphate batteries are said to be stable at very high temperatures?
 
Cards on the table, I know next to nothing about battery technology. However, I would note that the Cellink B is advertised as only re-charging once the battery has been discharged (unlike the T-Power). Also, lithium-phosphate batteries are said to be stable at very high temperatures?

Why quote me saying that, "leaving a power bank in your vehicle at all times is a bad idea because lithium-ion batteries should NOT be charged or left for too long in a hot vehicle" and then go into a spiel about alternative chemistry LiFePO4 batteries being stable at very high temperatures? I even went on to mention in my post that there are indeed some "expensive solutions on the market" (like the Cellink) , pass through charging should be avoided with most power banks on the market.

My entire post was in reference to the standard lithium-ion battery banks such as the OP appeared to be initially considering when he said, "Any comment or advise on this?"

So, now that you've got your "Cards on the table", what point are you attempting to make here?
 
Cards on the table, I know next to nothing about battery technology. However, I would note that the Cellink B is advertised as only re-charging once the battery has been discharged (unlike the T-Power). Also, lithium-phosphate batteries are said to be stable at very high temperatures?

Cellink B6 does not wait to become fully discharged to start charging it's charging, in my case, as soon as the car starts.
 
Why quote me saying that, "leaving a power bank in your vehicle at all times is a bad idea because lithium-ion batteries should NOT be charged or left for too long in a hot vehicle" and then go into a spiel about alternative chemistry LiFePO4 batteries being stable at very high temperatures? I even went on to mention in my post that there are indeed some "expensive solutions on the market" (like the Cellink) , pass through charging should be avoided with most power banks on the market.

My entire post was in reference to the standard lithium-ion battery banks such as the OP appeared to be initially considering when he said, "Any comment or advise on this?"

So, now that you've got your "Cards on the table", what point are you attempting to make here?

Bejesus, where did all that come from fella? I was simply noting a couple of things should others not be aware or hadn't fully digested your very knowledgeable post.
 
Bejesus, where did all that come from fella? I was simply noting a couple of things should others not be aware or hadn't fully digested your very knowledgeable post.

I can appreciate your adding to the discussion but quoting what I had to say and using phrases like "cards on the table" seemed like a challenge to my remarks so I questioned what point you were trying to make. Perhaps you didn't need to quote me?
In any event, my apologies if I misunderstood the motivation behind your post.
 
@Dashmellow, equally apologies for any upset, sincerely wasn't my intention. The cards on the table bit was squarely aimed at me, holding my hands up! What I know about any type of battery would take up the same number of lines as my first reply! I struggle with Ohms Law as it is :)
 
Hi All;

I currently have 2 dash cams in my car, one at the front (transcend drive pro 220) and one at the rear (transcend drive pro 100). I am about to add 2 mobius on the sides and a power bank to keep the 4 cameras for a few hours (with a switch).

The power bank will have a "pass-through" feature, so that it can charge and still give energy to the 4 cameras at the same time. Once the ignition is off, the power bank will still be able to keep the 4 cameras running (I will have a switch to keep it on only when I want, on a car park for example).

Here is what I was thinking of doing:



My concern is that the usb hub will not relay enough power via each port to keep each camera running. I noticed that usb hubs can be powered with a plug into the wall to make sure it has enough but I won't be able to do this here.

Any comment or advise on this? I would like to avoid silly mistake so I am seeking for your expertise.

Many Thanks!

@Roger123 - Aside from battery chemistry, capabilities, and safety issues, what is your ultimate goal? Is it your intention to have the cameras run for X hours after you leave your vehicle?

I ask because, from my perspective (as someone who had the same desire), I think there may be a simpler approach. First, the 2nd battery you intend on using will likely be depleted within a day of leaving four cameras connected. And, depending on how long it takes for said battery to fully recharge, if you use your vehicle for predominantly short trips, you may never be able to get it charged to a useful state.

In my case, my trips are short, and I rarely leave my car parked for more than 30 minutes. Using a higher capacity voltage converter/power supply (from 12V to 5V), I hard wired power to all four cameras. The power supply is fed through a timed relay that turns off 12V after a predetermined interval (in my case, 30 minutes).

Either way, keep in mind that 5V is already pretty low, so whatever cables you're using from your splitter, make sure they're as thick (heavy gauge) and short as possible. Voltage drop, especially under load, can be enough to cause camera instability.
 
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