Battery pack with 12v socket plug in?

[flip9]

Never ever heard of a super-capacitor blowing up or "melting" in a dash cam. The very worse that could happen would be that a capacitor might fail and stop working but I haven't heard any reports of that either.

Electrolytic caps rarely fail in spectacular fashion. Its basically just paper and an electrolyte inside. They just swell up till their tops open up and vents out.

Li-ion does a similar thing except it has the chemistry to go into a thermal runaway and self-destruct.

 

[TonyM]

I understand nobody is likely to make a cheap power bank which charges and outputs simultaneously and so I will drop my quest for one, and for power when parked up I think. I really don't want to spend £170 on a proper pack, or have a hulking great battery pack in a small car, or worry about it overheating, etc...

Following @Dashmellow's example, I keep a fairly slim 15000mAh battery in the car. Most days I don't use it, but I plug the front camera in whenever I park in a public place. I don't need to record when I'm parked on the drive or even at the office car park.

Having a permanent power source without requiring user intervention between driving and parking conditions sounds nice, but it's not a cheap option.

 

[DavidUK]

Which pack do you use Tony?

I guess I could swap a power pack in when I'm (rarely) parked somewhere dodgy.

The only issue is that the cable from the camera will have its 12v plug attached so I'll need to unplug this at the cam and attach a 5v cable with mini USB male in its place. Getting fiddly!

That's where the Nextbase 12v in to 12v cigarette socket out wins for me. I wonder how long its 6000mAh would power an A119 for, in 1FPS "parking" mode?

 

[TonyM]

I have an Aukey 15000mAh battery that I keep in the centre storage console between the front seats, where I also have a 12v socket with a 12v-to-usb adapter to power my camera.

I note that this battery can output 12v@1.25A. Is that any good to you? It must be possible to buy or make a USB-to-12v socket adapter.

Regarding the potential recording duration, I don't think my current camera draws more than 1A, so 15Ah gives me a potential 15hrs (assuming 100% efficiency for simplicity). I've run it for 10hrs and it still had some charge left, but I've not done any proper tests on it.

 

[DavidUK]

@TonyM - So, assuming your camera takes input of 5v, I take it you pull the camera cable's USB connector from its 12v-to-USB adapter in your car's 12v socket and simply plug this same USB connector into the Aukey 1500mAh outlet, yes?

I think it may be unnecessary to use the Aukey's 12v output to a DIY 12v cigarette lighter socket-to-USB adapter. This is because I just realised the Viofo A119 I'm considering doesn't have an attached 12v-to 5v adapter plug but instead, perhaps like yours, it has a USB connector at the end of its cable which plugs into a 12v-to-USB adapter.

The A119 requires 5v 1A input per @viofo as here: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/power-consumption-requirements-for-the-a119.21516/#post-282691 and has been measured at around 0.45mAh in the same thread.

The Viofo 12v-to-USB adapter has an output of 3.1mAh...



...and has two USB outputs...


(Thanks to Car Cam Central for photos, from:

)

So, I could keep the Aukey in the glovebox where I have a 12v socket with the Viofo twin outlet 12v-to-USB adapter plugged in. The Aukey charges from one Viofo adapter USB outlet whilst the A119 is powered from the other. Then, when I feel the need to power the A119 in 1FPS mode when parked up, I pull the camera cable's USB connector from its Viofo adapter as above, pull the Aukey's charging cable from the same adapter too (I've learned it's not a good idea to charge and output simultaneously) and push the camera cable's USB connector into the Aukey's USB output...


(From: http://www.aukey.com/product/PB-T3)

I note there are two 5v outputs, from the Amazon ad here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B014J84234 ...



One is 1A the other 2A. I wonder which I should plug into? Which do you you use Tony?
Oh... and do you charge your Aukey in the same way, from the dual output 12v-to-USB adapter which came with your camera? If not, how do you charge yours?

What I could do with now is for Viofo, @jokiin @Mtz or @Gibson99 to confirm what I am suggesting is a safe way of powering the A119 and that the Viofo 12v dual output connector will do the job of powering both the A119 in use AND charging the Aukey simultaneously, and that the Aukey's 1A/2A output will be OK to power the A119 when the car's 12v power socket is off.

 

[TonyM]

So, assuming your camera takes input of 5v, I take it you pull the camera cable's USB connector from its 12v-to-USB adapter in your car's 12v socket and simply plug this same USB connector into the Aukey 1500mAh outlet, yes?

Yes, that's what I do.

The A119 requires 5v 1A input per @viofo as here: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/power-consumption-requirements-for-the-a119.21516/#post-282691 and has been measured at around 0.45mAh in the same thread.

I note there are two 5v outputs.. One is 1A the other 2A. I wonder which I should plug into? Which do you you use Tony?

I use the 1A as it's more than adequate for my camera. I don't know if one mode is more efficient than the other, and thus will run for longer. The 2A output is useful for also charging my wife's phone on long journeys.

Oh... and do you charge your Aukey in the same way, from the dual output 12v-to-USB adapter which came with your camera? If not, how do you charge yours?

Well, there was no 12v adaptor supplied with my Mobius I'm actually using a twin USB output TomTom adaptor - the other output powers my phone when used as a satnav. I just charge the Aukey by bringing it inside once in a while, as I don't use it a lot, although I could charge it in-car if I wanted to.

What I could do with now is for Viofo, @jokiin @Mtz or @Gibson99 to confirm what I am suggesting is a safe way of powering the A119 and that the Viofo 12v dual output connector will do the job of powering both the A119 in use AND charging the Aukey simultaneously, and that the Aukey's 1A/2A output will be OK to power the A119 when the car's 12v power socket is off.

If the Aukey (or any similar power bank) provides a stable 5V/1A output then it should be fine. I don't have the knowledge or resources to test the Aukey's actual output myself.
No reason why the power bank could not be charged by the A119's 12v-USB adapter.

 

[DavidUK]

Thanks @TonyM, that's very useful.

But tell me... does simply bringing the Aukey inside once in a while charge it up... or do you have to plug it into something?

My Samsung S7 wall charger has micro USB connector, and 5v 2A output so should do nicely, yes?...

 

[Sunny]

I have 10000mah battery in each vehicle but don't use it unless I park in not so safe areas.
USB switch like this, if it works, is much more convenient than unplugging and plugging every time.

It works for both, charging battery and using battery.
When the switch is on car's power, camera and battery both get power from the car.
When car is off, switch to battery power that is not charging anymore after car is off.

 

[DavidUK]

Not sure how that switch would work? What, from where, gets plugged into which input/output?

 

[Sunny]

Not sure how that switch would work? What, from where, gets plugged into which input/output?

Two cables from 12v cigarette lighter outlet go into the switch's 1st input and battery's charging port.
One USB goes from battery's output to switch's 2nd input
One USB cable goes from the switch's single output to the camera and power source is switchable via the switch.

The switch is made for sharing HD or printer with two computers but should work for power as I assume it has power pins, not just the data pins as there's an LED light that shows which switch is on.

 

[DavidUK]

I'd just be switching from one 12v cigarette outlet to the other 12v cigarette outlet!

Do you mean...
One cable from cigarette lighter 5v outlet goes to switch.
One cable from Aukey 5v outlet goes to switch.
One cable from other cigarette lighter 5v outlet goes to Aukey input.
Won't work, as Aukey is still charging directly from cigarette lighter output when switch allows Aukey power to camera.
So... I'd still have to manually unplug the Aukey charging cable when "simply" switching from car to battery power.
Not so convenient?

 

[Sunny]

No, read my post again.

 

[TonyM]

Thanks @TonyM, that's very useful.

But tell me... does simply bringing the Aukey inside once in a while charge it up... or do you have to plug it into something?

My Samsung S7 wall charger has micro USB connector, and 5v 2A output so should do nicely, yes?...

View attachment 26801

Yes, I charge it with my Samsung USB charger. Simply bringing it inside won't do a lot! Any 5v source with a micro USB plug will do, whether that's a wall charger, PC USB socket, or in car 12v adapter.

 

[TonyM]

I think Sunny's switch idea assumes you use the A119 's twin USB adapter. One adapter output goes to input 1 on the switch. The other adapter output goes to the the power bank input to charge it. The power bank output goes to input 2 on the switch.

Driving:
Switch at input 1. Direct power to camera from 12v-to-usb adapter. Power bank is being charged.
Parked:
Switch at input 2. Power to camera from power bank. The power bank is not being charged.

Some power banks will turn on automatically on demand, when something is plugged in. Mine does not, so would need to be turned on manually.

This arrangement also charges the power bank all the time you are driving, which might not be ideal.

 

[DavidUK]

The other adapter output goes to the the power bank input to charge it.
The power bank is not being charged.

If the other adapter output goes directly to the power bank input, the power bank will ALWAYS be on charge, no matter where the switch is.

See: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/battery-pack-with-12v-socket-plug-in.21939/#post-288552

So... I'd still have to manually unplug the Aukey charging cable when "simply" switching from car to battery power.
Not so convenient?

Groundhog day???

 

[Dashmellow]

Switch or no switch, keep in mind that lithium-ion power banks should not be subject to temperature extremes on both ends of the spectrum and vibration and shock should be kept to a minimum. While some of this can't be avoided and can certainly be tolerated up to a point, leaving a lithium battery pack in one's vehicle at all times is not a wise idea. Either way, charging a lithium-ion battery pack when it is hot is a very bad idea and it should NEVER be charged when frozen.

For these reasons, for battery longevity and safety reasons best practice is to bring the power bank inside where it can return to room temperature and be charged in a stable environment free of shock and vibration.

Again, charging in the vehicle is fine now and again but permanently installing a typical portable lithium power bank in a vehicle and thinking you can leave it there hooked up to a switch and a camera is asking for eventual trouble.

A Cellink B set-up would be a better option if one wants to do something like this because it uses lithium-iron phosphate batteries (LiFePO4) which as more tolerant of the conditions one finds in a vehicle and are inherently safer.

 

[Sunny]

@DavidUK
No.
My post was assuming you are using dual USB out.
It'll still work with that battery with 12v outlet but you either have to split 12v cigarette lighter outlet to plug in two chargers or use two separate 12v outlets if your car has them, one for camera charger and another for battery's charger.
The only difference would be 12v outlet to your charger and 12v out from charger to switch.

This is just another way of using power packs.
You can still unplug the battery and take it out when not needed.

For better option, how about a 2nd car battery like they use when car has too many subwoofers? That'll last days for a dashcam and will charge same as the original car battery.

 

[DavidUK]

@DavidUK
No.
My post was assuming you are using dual USB out.
It'll still work with that battery with 12v outlet but you either have to split 12v cigarette lighter outlet to plug in two chargers or use two separate 12v outlets if your car has them, one for camera charger and another for battery's charger.
The only difference would be 12v outlet to your charger and 12v out from charger to switch.

This is just another way of using power packs.
You can still unplug the battery and take it out when not needed.

For better option, how about a 2nd car battery like they use when car has too many subwoofers?

Yes, dual USB out of 12v socket.
Read post #36.
Your idea charges the power bank whilst outputting from it. Not a safe plan.

 

[Sunny]

Yes, dual USB out of 12v socket.
Read post #36.
Your idea charges the power bank whilst outputting from it. Not a safe plan.

No, the switch is there to switch power source.
You are not getting the concept.
When switch is on car's power, battery's connection to camera is disconnected so it only charges and when switch is on battery's power, it only discharges as vehicle is off and no power going into the battery from the vehicle.

 

[DavidUK]

Two cables from 12v cigarette lighter outlet go into the switch's 1st input and battery's charging port.
One USB goes from battery's output to switch's 2nd input
One USB cable goes from the switch's single output to the camera and power source is switchable via the switch.

The switch is made for sharing HD or printer with two computers but should work for power as I assume it has power pins, not just the data pins as there's an LED light that shows which switch is on.

I get it BUT you are charging the power bank whilst using its power!!!!!
I WILL not do this, it's unsafe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!