Can I use any Li-ion battery with Mobius Mini 2?

[mp0011]

Hi everyone.

My battery just died, and I want to replace it. However, I want to change case as well, so i am not restricted by it's size... Can I use any battery with this camera?
Is the charging circuit on this camera integrated with mainboard (and do it support larger capacities), or with the battery? If it is on the battery, can I use any "off the shelf" charging circuits?

 

[Dashmellow]

Any 5V lithium-ion foil pack battery with the correct plug to fit the receptacle on the circuit board will work regardlesss of the capacity (mAh). The camera will only draw the amount of current it needs to operate. The camera's charging circuitry is built into the PCB and it will shut off if the voltage exceeds 5V.

I would suggest powering the camera using a small external power bank rather than changing to a different case. Then again, this will depend upon how you intend to use the camera.

 

[mp0011]

I will use powerbank anyway, but i want to fit camera it in weatherproof and waterproof aluminum case (old, cheap torchlight; also working as radiator), so I have lot of place for new battery (18350 fits perfectly)... So why not use it?

I am also considering adding supercap (parallel to battery) with some switch, to cut the battery off, if not needed.

 

[Dashmellow]

OK, I see.

I'm not sure about which higher capacity 5V battery you can find that will fit inside a flashlight tube that takes a 3.7V 18350 battery though.

 

[mp0011]

Wait a minute... By 5v You mean really 5V, or "industry standard" 3.6V Li-ion?

If 3.6, any 18350 with 900mah will be enough for me (it's 3x more than original).
But, what's more important, it will be not on the heat near the CPU, not as tightly packed between case as it was originally, and good branded.

 

[Dashmellow]

Your Mobius mini (as with any dash cam or action cam) requires 5V DC to operate. The 18350 battery is 3.7V and is not suitable.

Voltage and current (mAh) are not the same thing, so a 3.7V 18350 battery may indeed have a current capacity of 900 mAh but it still won't have enough voltage to operate the mini.

 

[mp0011]

I have original battery in hand, and it's 3.7V/300mah. Was it overcharged to 5V...? Or the circuit on battery (there is small board) is step-up converter to 5V?

 

[Dashmellow]

I have original battery in hand, and it's 3.7V/300mah. Was it overcharged to 5V...? Or the circuit on battery (there is small board) is step-up converter to 5V?

Oh, maybe the mini is only 3.7V. I don't own one. Sorry if I was incorrect. Most action and dash cams are 5V. @TonyM can confirm as he has a lot of experience with this camera.

If indeed the Mobius mini is 3.7V then you should be good to go with the 18350.

 

[TonyM]

I don't have any experience with the Mobius Mini. However, looking at the text printed on official spare batteries:

Mobius Mini : 300mAh 3.7V
Mobius 1 and 2 : 820mAh 3.7V
Mobius Maxi : 950mAh 3.7V

 

[Dashmellow]

I don't have any experience with the Mobius Mini. However, looking at the text printed on official spare batteries:

Mobius Mini : 300mAh 3.7V
Mobius 1 and 2 : 820mAh 3.7V
Mobius Maxi : 950mAh 3.7V

Yeah, that's right now that I think about it. I guess I was thinking of the charging requirement.