Blackboxmy car BI-750 discontinued?

[pbindep]

I just noticed a reply from Blackbox my car that the BI-750 has been discontinued, is this true?

 

[DashCamUser123]

That is a surprise. I no longer see it for sale on either the USA or Canada site. It must be true. Only reason may be that they are coming out with a higher capacity replacement for the Bi-750. I purchased my Bi-750 only a couple of months ago.

 

[pbindep]

So did I. Well we'll wait and see what's up.

 

[DashCamUser123]

Confirmed. Unfortunately it is discontinued. It hadn't been around for long. Too bad, because I like the battery.

The extension battery, the BE-750 is still available BUT only works with the Bi-750. Whatever they replace the Bi-750 with, I hope it will be even higher capacity.

 

[pbindep]

I've got a 3 ch dashcam and the BI-750 couldn't keep up too long in parking mode, I think they are going for a high capacity to keep up with the 3 channels. I went ahead and bought the BE-750 before they're gone. I spoke to a support tech and she said they have a supply for any warranty concerns. BlackBoxMyCar is a good outfit, I'm confident I'll have support if I need it.

 

[SawMaster]

According to BBMC the BI-750 production ended due to a shortage of the chip it uses. And that is going to be getting worse very soon. Production has been suspended or slowed down on many items- even cars- because the needed chips can't be had and the same goes for possible alternatives. My advice is that if you've been contemplating the purchase of anything which has a chip in it (and that's almost everything these days) then it might be wise to buy now while it's still available at reasonable prices. It's going to take a long time for chip production to catch up with demand once again.

RIP BI-750, I had high hopes for you

Phil

 

[DashCamUser123]

I agree. BlackBoxMyCar has great customer service. I like how they are innovative putting together such a high capacity dashcam battery.

If I knew they were going to discontinue the Bi-750, I may have bought another one. BBMCar did tell me they have enough in stock for warranty servicing, etc. For a 3-Channel like the Viofo A139, I would go with the added BE-750.

BBMyCar also told me that they have decided to discontinue the BI-750 battery pack due to an issue in sourcing a semiconductor part. I hope they make a replacement.

 

[runtohell121]

The other option would be from Australia, YK Labs (rebrand of the same battery/concept).
4,500mah option: https://www.ebay.com/itm/193368052214
7,500mah option: https://www.elite-electronics.com.a...Bi-750_Battery_Pack_For_Dash_Cams_IOS_Android

 

[jokiin]

My advice is that if you've been contemplating the purchase of anything which has a chip in it (and that's almost everything these days) then it might be wise to buy now while it's still available at reasonable prices. It's going to take a long time for chip production to catch up with demand once again.

yep, this is going to be a problem with just about anything electronic for the foreseeable future, expect supply issues and price rises to start happening sooner rather than later, if you're interested in a purchase of anything electronic buy it while you can

 

[DashCamUser123]

I didn't know about the global chipset shortage until the discontinuation of the Bi-750 So, I Googled it. See link below to CNN. I hope BBMC will carry the Bi-750 when the chipset shortage ends. If chipsets cost more to buy, then of course the battery price will go up.

Global Chip Shortage

 

[DashCamUser123]

The other option would be from Australia, YK Labs (rebrand of the same battery/concept).
4,500mah option: https://www.ebay.com/itm/193368052214
7,500mah option: https://www.elite-electronics.com.a...Bi-750_Battery_Pack_For_Dash_Cams_IOS_Android

That is good to know. I may consider it depending on what else comes on the market (with the global chip shortage, who knows). The other question is does a model made for the Australian market meet Canadian /USA electrical standards? I'm hoping when the chipset shortage ends, BBMC will carry it again. They must have looked ahead and done the math before deciding to discontinue the model. Is there such a thing as bringing back a discontinued model? Of anything? Discontinued sounds so final.

 

[jokiin]

The other question is does a model made for the Australian market meet Canadian /USA electrical standards?

it's just a product sold in Australia, it's not made specifically for our market, that said we don't have our own standards as such, they're based on international standards anyway

 

[SawMaster]

does a model made for the Australian market meet Canadian /USA electrical standards?

If you understood how the 'standards' are applied and met you might get worried. But suffice it to say that almost everything is generally safe enough if used as intended.

Is there such a thing as bringing back a discontinued model? Of anything? Discontinued sounds so final.

It does sound and seem rather 'final' but you never know. My guess (and it's only a guess) is that by the time the chip shortage is resolved, either the BI-750 will be re-introduced or a better product will take it's place. There's certainly enough demand for something like the BI-750 to make it's manufacture worthwhile in more normal times. We also need to understand that these devices are rarely made by the company whose brand is on them, but by someone like EGEN who makes various similar products for lots of other folks. To me it's more a question of who can survive through the chip shortage. This could be the demise of many brands if they aren't positioned well to get through the problem. The only certainty is that if there is enough demand for something then someone will fill that demand, leaving only the cost in question.

Phil

 

[DashCamUser123]

it's just a product sold in Australia, it's not made specifically for our market, that said we don't have our own standards as such, they're based on international standards anyway

I found this page on Safe Electronic Australia Products.
Safe Electronic Products Australia (SAA Approvals)

The seller doesn't ship to Canada. It does ship to the USA. Currently there is no cross-border travel (Canada to USA and vice versa) except for essential services. It's been in place for over a year now (for land / ground crossings) due to the worldwide pandemic. I use a ship-to-border service into the USA and drive across to pick it up. The ship-to-border service I use is only 80 kilometers away (50 minute drive or less). I use this service a lot when purchasing from Amazon USA.

The Australian Dollar exchange rate is close to the Canadian Dollar based on a rate conversion I Googled.

For now, I have many months of warranty left on the Bi-750 so hopefully by early next year, the chip shortage will be sorted out. If not, I can always get a lower capacity Cellink Neo (although I much prefer more capacity and the recharging options available to the Bi-750 such as the 2 ACC tap-a-fuse for faster charging).

 

[DashCamUser123]

I am hearing that a new battery is in the works, similar to the Bi-750. To be introduced this year (within 2 to 4 months, I was told. So, hopefully by end of September). I don't think any company makes a duplicate model under a new name. I think the new model will be an improved model and hopefully, have even more capacity (this part is wishful thinking but may come true). If the capacity does improve, I may get the Viofo A139 3-chanhnel dashcam.

So, I am hanging onto my Bi-750 and BE-750 and wait to see what the new battery looks like. The two batteries chained together is showing me 66+ hours of run time in Parking Mode with the Viofo A129 Duo (original model). The longer run-time may be due to the warmer temps here right now.

I want two sets anyways because I expect the capacity to drop in our cold winters. I'll have a second set charged and kept in a warm place.

 

[SawMaster]

I'll have a second set charged and kept in a warm place.

I'd recommend Tahiti as being warmer and you'd have to be there too to use them

Heard the replacement rumors too but no specs and I wouldn't count on any time predictions- we're just beginning the chip problem and nothing is safe from shortages.

Phil

 

[BlackboxMyCar]

Thanks for all the interest and support!

Yes, our BI-750 is discontinued but waranty is not affected for those who run into issues with their batteries. We also reserve a healthy amount for such claims.

Indeed, we're working on a new battery project but with a loose ETA of 2-4 months from now.

 

[SawMaster]

Indeed, we're working on a new battery project but with a loose ETA of 2-4 months from now.

Any sneak-preview info such as capacity?

Phil

 

[BlackboxMyCar]

Any sneak-preview info such as capacity?

Phil

As it currently stands, capacity will be more or less the same. Any higher and we come across some prohibitions in shipping regulations. But nothing is yet finalized so we're working to see what can be done. An upgrade would be nice, that's for sure.

 

[kzystylin]

following for when updates are posted