Battery died

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Steve999

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Hi all

I've had a Mobius that I've been using as a dash cam for about 3 weeks. Hour and a half of use maybe 5 days a week. Had been using the LiPo battery with intention to change to capacitor soon.
Camera now starts with one LED flash after a full charge, lasts about 30mins. Seller reckons this is normal wear and tear used how I've been using it.

Thoughts ? ?
 
Steve999 said:
Hi all

I've had a Mobius that I've been using as a dash cam for about 3 weeks. Hour and a half of use maybe 5 days a week. Had been using the LiPo battery with intention to change to capacitor soon.
Camera now starts with one LED flash after a full charge, lasts about 30mins. Seller reckons this is normal wear and tear used how I've been using it.

Thoughts ? ?
Click to expand...
I can't tell you if this is normal or not, but recently I did some long-term card testing, maybe a month or so, with continuous 24/7 loop recording with a short interruption every 24 hours to check the card status. None of the batteries survived. They were all puffed and wouldn't record. My power supplies were all 2A and the cameras had different HW versions. The tests were all done at room temperature. A capacitor is definitely the better option if you want to charge and record at the same time.
 
Steve999 said:
Hi all

I've had a Mobius that I've been using as a dash cam for about 3 weeks. Hour and a half of use maybe 5 days a week. Had been using the LiPo battery with intention to change to capacitor soon.
Camera now starts with one LED flash after a full charge, lasts about 30mins. Seller reckons this is normal wear and tear used how I've been using it.

Thoughts ? ?
Click to expand...
Who was the seller? I would see if he is willing to send you the caps for free or at least another battery. Normal wear and tear isn't 3 weeks of light use.
 
This was there reply.......

This for a small 500mAh battery can be quite tough as:
1) It is constantly being charged and the battery continuously being charged whilst the engine is on - never allowing the charge to run down and thus damaging the battery.

2) With the constant power the heating issues will also degrade the battery quality

This is just the feedback we get from the developer.
 
Steve999 said:
This was there reply.......

This for a small 500mAh battery can be quite tough as:
1) It is constantly being charged and the battery continuously being charged whilst the engine is on - never allowing the charge to run down and thus damaging the battery.

2) With the constant power the heating issues will also degrade the battery quality

This is just the feedback we get from the developer.
Click to expand...
Who was the seller? I have heard authorized sellers exchange cameras that people broke without issue, so I'm surprised for a $5 battery
 
I'll hold off for the minute before naming and shaming as I'm awaiting a reply from them
 
Steve999 said:
I'll hold off for the minute before naming and shaming as I'm awaiting a reply from them
Click to expand...
Something to also consider is if your power supply is of low quality and can't supply a constant 5V @ 1A the battery will be destroyed very quickly. A high quality 5V power supply is essential, also with the new V3 hardware.
 
Use a 12v usb from company called portapow, never had any issue from their kit. Just checked the battery to, no signs of any puffing at all
 
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Steve999 said:
Use a 12v usb from company called portapow, never had any issue from their kit. Just checked the battery to, no signs of any puffing at all
Click to expand...
Once the battery starts to puff you'll only get a few seconds of recording, so your battery isn't there yet! I don't know you portapow battery charger, but I do know there are many low-quality USB power supplies that shouldn't be used. The developer has received Mobius 'returns' where the batteries were damaged by these types of chargers. You haven't mentioned the specifications printed on your charger, but I assume it can supply a steady 5V and is specified for at least 1A. If it's specified for less than 1A (1000mA) then it is more than likely your charger is responsible for your battery's early deterioration.
 
Hi
Charger is rated at 2500mA, it holds 5 volts under a good load.
 
Steve999 said:
Hi
Charger is rated at 2500mA, it holds 5 volts under a good load.
Click to expand...
Well, the specs are perfect.
I'm not ruling out that your battery or even your camera may have a fault, but does 5V actually reach the camera? Internal resistance in low-quality cables can drastically decrease the voltage.
 
I have a usb volt / ammeter from the same company, figures all look good when inline next to camera, plus I have being using the cable supplied with the camera
 
OK, replacement battery received. Charged until green LED extinguishes, switch on and one red LED flash. 15 to 20 min use still before camera switches off.

Ideas ? Charging circuit fault ? ?
 
Steve999 said:
OK, replacement battery received. Charged until green LED extinguishes, switch on and one red LED flash. 15 to 20 min use still before camera switches off.

Ideas ? Charging circuit fault ? ?
Click to expand...
Are you always using the same charger?
If you don't have another charger (mobile phone charger, for example) try charging directly from your PC's USB port but make sure the camera is off while charging.
Something is weird. Why does the green LED turn off but then you only get 1 red flash when starting to record? How long does it take to charge the battery when it's depleted? It should take at least 2 hours.
 
Hi Iso

OK, I've used several chargers, charging now - again, timing how long it takes green led to go out, I'm pretty sure its under n hour. It's currently charging at 5.1v 0.06 A.
As I understand when I switch on with a ful battery I should get three quick flashes of the red led ?

HAve emailed the supplier back, I've had the camera since end of september and told them it wasn't working just under 30 days from receiving. I'm hoping they'll just supply a new camera !

Green led out on charging in under an hour :-(
 
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Steve999 said:
Hi Iso

OK, I've used several chargers, charging now - again, timing how long it takes green led to go out, I'm pretty sure its under n hour. It's currently charging at 5.1v 0.06 A.
As I understand when I switch on with a ful battery I should get three quick flashes of the red led ?

HAve emailed the supplier back, I've had the camera since end of september and told them it wasn't working just under 30 days from receiving. I'm hoping they'll just supply a new camera !

Green led out on charging in under an hour :-(
Click to expand...
Yes, you should get three blinks of the rear red LED if the battery is fully charged. If the battery is depleted and only needs one hour of charge then it sounds as if the charger IC is defective. I've heard of the charger IC being defective but never of one that under-charges. Now, if you belonged to the RC crowd you'd have a 1S LiPo charger at hand....;)
What happens if you leave the charger on all night? Pretty much wishful thinking, I know.
 
Awaiting reply from seller, REALLY disappointed at their customer service, all done online and they are slow to reply.
 
Camera replaced, new one all works fine :-)
 
You should share the seller and your experience so we all learn. Sounds is if it could have been better. Keeping silent about who just protects the sellers not the potential buyers.
 
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