Alternative battery pack

[SawMaster]

When designing for automotive use I always oversize my wires because in time individual wire strands can break from vibration and bumps leaving you less capacity than you started with. One gauge size larger is enough for road use and 2 gauge sizes larger for off-road use. This has always worked well for me. Maintain planned fuse ratings to protect the device(s) involved.

Phil

 

[Carloz]

Any updates on this pal (Nearthestore)? Is it all still working as it should?

Did you use a resistor between your alt and battery pack to limit the current?

Thanks

 

[nearthestore]

Any updates on this pal (Nearthestore)? Is it all still working as it should?

Did you use a resistor between your alt and battery pack to limit the current?

Thanks

Hi, I was just reading my posts again. Yes it works well. My only issue.. is the battery is not holding the charge long now. It stays on for 2 minutes now but was for a good 12 hours I think initially. I think if I invested in a much better battery or even ran two in parallel it would be coolio but that would increase the inrush current also and not help me. $300 for Cellink NEO is pricey but I may for a newer car.

No resistor was needed. I am an electronics engineer although I dont do that now. A resistor will lower the voltage and not help the situation really. I picked up the accessory feed so I did not runa new wire from the panel under the hood. Now If I did then I would put an inline fuse to protect the wire. The battery being small did not take a lot of inrush current but as I posted I had to increase the fuse size a bit. This works fine but the battery is big and not best for all cars. Lithium better deal but dont want a fire so a home brew not safe as much. I think its all possible to do. My solution works fine less not being lithium and i have a low cost battery it does not last. I also let it run down to as far as the thinkware unit will let it. Maybe not helping the battery any.

Hope this helps.

 

[DroMike]

By looking at the prices for Battery Packs I thought that it has to be an alternative solution.
How about using a Portable Sealed AGM Battery to run a Dashcam on Parking Mode ?
Has anyone tried this ?

Yes, I do have an alternate solution:

I'm going to make dual-use out of my Jump 'n Carry 770R emergency jump starter for parking only mode. And why not? It has a 12v outlet for whatever you'd like to insert there, and the thing almost always has a nice charge (and is easily recharged in the home). Plus, I've had it for almost two years and have yet to use it to start my car as I've not been stranded everywhere. I'm going to plug my dashcam (a BlackSys CH-200 that I'll be receiving tomorrow) into a switched 12v outlet behind my seat, and just below it will be the JnC 770R. During those rare times I'll want to use parking mode I'll just remove the plug and place it in the JnC's outlet. Voila! As for placement, it IS a tad on the large size, but 3/4 of it will fit under the seat. The 12V outlet is on the top end just to the right of the digital readout (you can't see it well in the pic) so I'll cover that with a dark cloth that blends into the carpet. Best thing is, the JnC only cost me around $150, so I avoid paying $300 for, say, a Cellink Neo. I'm thinking it will be the perfect solution and of course, no hardwiring anywhere whatsoever. Best of luck!