Battery Discharge Prevention: Lukas LK-290 vs BlackVue Power Magic Pro -- be aware before buying!

Lielap

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Dash Cam
Prestigio RoadRunner 530, Powerucc Panorama II S
I have tested "Lukas LK-290" and "BlackVue Power Magic Pro" battery discharge prevention devices. While they both are boxes with 5 wires, there are significant circuit design differences which must be taken into account when deploying them.

It turns out that "Lukas LK-290" output voltage is smaller than input voltage. The difference can be as large as 0.9V (observed with input voltage 12.5V). In this picture you see 0.4V difference in output when the input voltage is 13.70V:

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As you see "BlackVue Power Magic Pro" does not decrease output voltage.
Use of "Lukas LK-290" might be problematic if your dashcam has problems operating on ~11 volt current (when your battery actually will have ~12 volt current).


Both devices have "off" switch. The idea is that when device is in "off" state, the dashcam will receive power only when ignition is on.

For "BlackVue Power Magic Pro" the current for output is drawn always from B+ wire. ACC wire is never used for supplying current and is used just to detect whether ignition is switched on.

However, "Lukas LK-290" in "off" state will not use B+ wire at all and the current will be drawn from ACC wire. In "on" state "Lukas LK-290" will use both B+ and ACC wires equally (current will be split ~1:1).


Both devices have indicator diode which draw current itself (might not be too important).
"Lukas LK-290" fast blinking diode draws 13.7 mA.
"BlackVue Power Magic Pro" still diode draws 7.6 mA.


I have attached "Lukas LK-290" user manual (which is not available in digital format) which reveals that "time" mode is activated only when the battery voltage decreases to 12.5 volts.


P.S. Nobody responds to e-mails sent to lukas@ address specified in the user manual.
 

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  • lukas_lk-290-12.pdf
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Use of "Lukas LK-290" might be problematic if your dashcam has problems operating on ~11 volt current (when your battery actually will have ~12 volt current).

power in a 12v vehicle will generally be around 14.5v when running and will sit at around 12.5v or so at key off, the power supply in most decent cameras you'll find will be fine from about 8v through to around 36v
 
Nice.

But i think its safe to say the battery will get so low it cant start the car, before the voltage get so low a 12 V cam stop working.

I am not quite sure if the same is the case with cameras operating on USB voltage and have a step down transformer.
 
But i think its safe to say the battery will get so low it cant start the car, before the voltage get so low a 12 V cam stop working.
.

yep, car will give up before the camera will

I am not quite sure if the same is the case with cameras operating on USB voltage and have a step down transformer.

The USB adapters are the same, good from about 8v to 36v, even the cheap rubbish ones will manage this
 
I use the Lukas 290 model with a pano g and a dome a70. The Lukas model is type c which means it has two cigar ports. I have it set to record for the max time which is 48 hours. Have had zero issues with this setup. The Lukas model has a small footprint and is a quality product as far as I'm concerned.
 
I use BlackVue Power Magic Pro for past 2 years also zero issues.
Setup
Power ON Timer: 3 days
Voltage to cut-off of power: 12v

Also how can it drawn power from B+ wire all the time and when in OFF position?
In my case when in OFF position, power is drawn from ACC+ wire only when ignition switched on.
I test that by disconnecting B+ wire from fuse box and using only ACC+ with ignition switched on.
 
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Also how can it drawn power from B+ wire all the time and when in OFF position?
In my case when in OFF position, power is drawn from ACC+ wire only when ignition switched on.
I test that by disconnecting B+ wire from fuse box and using only ACC+ with ignition switched on.

Nope. If B+ is disconnected you get nothing in the outputs. No matter whether the device is in "on" or "off" state.

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I use the Lukas LK350 myself and I have no problems using it with any of the dash cams I've tried. Although there is that change in voltage, it does not seem to affect normal usage.

If you need to get in contact with someone at Lukas, try emailing jokim@qrontech.com.

Kelvin
 
Nope. If B+ is disconnected you get nothing in the outputs. No matter whether the device is in "on" or "off" state.

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With PowerMagicPro in OFF position -> ACC+ connected inside fuse box -> ignition switched in position ACC ON / engine running and B+ disconnected from fuse box
my unit is working. In this case it's just acting as regular Cigarette Lighter port.
Try to test it with two different power sources or with different unit or may be my unit is just different.

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So which one is better and safer to use in parking mode and which on in ignition on?
 
It has no acc/ignition-off detection, thus no timer, only works as low voltage protection?
 
Ok. Personally i don't need timer, but some protection against draining battery accidentally would be nice.
 
What?

They both do the same thing. Get the one that is easier on your pocketbook and/or has the features you need in your environment.

The main reason I picked Lukas was because of the recommendation from this site. Had it not been for that recommendation, I would have picked the device that had the features I needed. Luckily the Lukas covered all bases for me. :)
 
They both work well for what they do. You won't notice any difference while using them.

Kelvin
 
I'm using PowerMagicPro for past two years.
The reason why I'm asking this question because I need second unit and I what to know winch method is better for the car battery.
Lukas LK-290" in "OFF" state will not use B+ (battery)wire at all and the current will be drawn from ACC wire power when engine running.
When PowerMagicPro is using B+ always and ACC wire is never used for supplying current as stated above by Lielap.
 
Why not just wire a second ciggy socket off your PM will cost about $3 at Radioshack.

I have a front and a back camera and one PM the front one doesnt record park mode and is wired off the ACC feed wire TO the PM. The rear runs for an hour in park mode and is wired through the PM

Has been working for 2 years OK
 
There is power on the ACC wire of a PM when the ign is turned on.

I know because I run my front camera off that wire BEFORE it enters the PM. I dont have the Pro but have wired a switch into the circuit for the rear camera so I can turn it off when I am home and in the garage and dont need it on.
 
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