Dash Cam USB cable length issues

[Deleted member 85187]

My dashcam has been connected with a 15 foot long, charge only, USB cable for a couple of years. Last week the dashcam turned on and went into data transfer mode. So, I plugged the camera into a short cable and it worked. I assumed at this point the camera was fine, and ordered a new charge only cable. It worked, but it was only 11 1/2 feet long and didn't reach where it needed to go. So, I bought a new 15 ft charge only cable and it goes into data mode. I swapped out the cigarette lighter/USB plug. Bought a USB charge only dongle and still nothing works. I was going to buy a new camera, but I noticed that online, nearly all new dashcams have 11 1/2 foot cables, which won't work for me. I'm not sure how mine worked for a couple of years if there is some kind of cable length restriction going on. Thanks in advance if anyone has an idea what might have changed.

 

[Dashmellow]

I am not sure why a cable that worked previously would suddenly stop functioning. It is possible that your cable developed some oxidation on the plugs and ports that has increased resistance between your power supply and the camera.
This can be remedied with the use of a quality contact cleaner/deoxidizer such as Caig's DeOxit D5 which I can highly recommend. It is not cheap but I find it worth the money and always keep some on hand. You can find it in Amazon.

The other significant issue with cable length is the wire thickness. The longer the cable run the greater the electrical resistance. If the AWG of the wires inside the cable are too thin you will experience problems. Close inspection of the cable sheathing will reveal the wire gauge specs of your cable and you'll find it printed about every foot or so along the length of your cables.

It can be difficult to find thicker aftermarket AWG (American Wire Gauge) USB cables in longer lengths but this 22AWG one which is 20 feet long may work for you.

 

[Deleted member 85187]

Interesting Dashmellow, thanks for the reply. I'll try the cleaner on both ends of the original cable. Possibly I have several issues going on. Maybe the original cable is corroded and the new 15 foot cable wire is too thin. I swapped out the cigarette lighter adaptor, so it shouldn't be that. You're right, it's bizarre. I would have thought that a corroded cable would just not work, as opposed to suddenly looking like a data cable. That makes me wonder if the camera is the real problem. i.e. how could it think there was data when there isn't even a data wire in the cable.

 

[DT MI]

...i.e. how could it think there was data when there isn't even a data wire in the cable.

Check the cable socket on the camera to see if there might be corrosion or debris causing an intermittent connection across the pins. (Just thinking out loud here.)

 

[DAP]

If you can, build your own cable using a heavy gauge lamp cord. (smaller gauge numbers are larger lower resistance wires).
Also check the voltage output of your USB plug. They are all nominally 5V, but some output 5.2V. The slightly higher voltage will compensate somewhat for the voltage drop in the wire.

 

[Deleted member 85187]

Thanks DT MI and DAP. I'll make sure the contacts are clean. I don't have a way to check the voltage out of the USB Plug, but I tried two different ones with the same effect. I still find it odd how it could think it was a data cable when it doesn't even have data wires. Does a low voltage signify its a data cable even without data wires present?

 

[Dashmellow]

Thanks DT MI and DAP. I'll make sure the contacts are clean.

If you decide to get some DeoxIT D5, it should fix that. @DT MI called it corrosion and I called it oxidation but we're essentially talking about the same thing. DeOxit dissolves and flushes out corrosion/oxidation. Best product on the market for this sort of thing.

 

[DAP]

Thanks DT MI and DAP. I'll make sure the contacts are clean. I don't have a way to check the voltage out of the USB Plug, but I tried two different ones with the same effect. I still find it odd how it could think it was a data cable when it doesn't even have data wires. Does a low voltage signify its a data cable even without data wires present?

No. Usually there are pull up/pull down resistors on the data lines that tell the device if it is connected to a data device, or a power device, and different resistor combinations indicate how much power the device is allowed to draw.
Most likely if the voltage was too low, the processor malfunctioned and misread the data lines.
The problem with the long cable is the resistance in the cable and the high current required by dashcams. Dashcams typically draw about 1A of current. If you have a long enough cable, the resistance could be about 0.5 Ohms. One amp through half an ohm will drop the voltage by 0.5V which could easily be enough to cause the camera to malfunction.
Chart of resistance/1000' vs wire gauge for copper wire: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/copper-wire-d_1429.html

 

[Dashmellow]

Anyone happen to know what happened to the OP who has suddenly become a deleted member?

 

[DT MI]

Anyone happen to know what happened to the OP who has suddenly become a deleted member?

Noticed that myself and thought it a bit strange. Abduction?

 

[Dashmellow]

Noticed that myself and thought it a bit strange. Abduction?

Usually, someone has to seriously misbehave on multiple occasions or specifically ask @DashCamMan to delete their account for reasons of their own but to suddenly disappear in the midst of a perfectly mundane thread like this seems kind of odd.

 

[DT MI]

...but to suddenly disappear in the midst of perfectly mundane thread like this seems kind of odd.

That's exactly what came across as a bit 'curious' to me.

 

[DashCamMan]

That member sent me an email to delete his account yesterday and I obliged. No reason was provided.

 

[Robertm]

Hi, I'm back. Sorry I disappeared so quickly. I had email issues, and also realized I had two accounts on here. As far as the answer to the cable problem I thought I had, it wasn't that at all. Here is what happened and the solution.

The dashcam was a Papago gosafe 350 mini which had been working since new in January 2015.
It suddenly stopped working and went into data mode.
I bought a shorter 11.5 ft cable to replace the original 15 ft cable and it worked., but the cable was too short.
Cleaned all the connectors, and made sure I only had charge only cables.
I plugged the 15 ft cable into my computer and it worked, so it looked like the cigarette lighter adaptor.
Bought a new more powerful adapter and a new 15 foot cable. It seemed to work.
Hid all the wires, turned it on, and again it didn't work.
Borrowed a different GPS, and it worked flawlessly.
Bought a new Viofo A119 V3 and it works perfectly no matter which cable I use. It was the almost 9 year old Papago all along. I guess I really should have known that from the beginning. It works on a short cable, so I may try to get power to it from the lift gate on my van and put it on the back window.
.
Thanks for the suggestions and comments and again sorry for disappearing so quickly.

 

[Dashmellow]

Hi, I'm back. Sorry I disappeared so quickly. I had email issues, and also realized I had two accounts on here. As far as the answer to the cable problem I thought I had, it wasn't that at all. Here is what happened and the solution.

The dashcam was a Papago gosafe 350 mini which had been working since new in January 2015.
It suddenly stopped working and went into data mode.
I bought a shorter 11.5 ft cable to replace the original 15 ft cable and it worked., but the cable was too short.
Cleaned all the connectors, and made sure I only had charge only cables.
I plugged the 15 ft cable into my computer and it worked, so it looked like the cigarette lighter adaptor.
Bought a new more powerful adapter and a new 15 foot cable. It seemed to work.
Hid all the wires, turned it on, and again it didn't work.
Borrowed a different GPS, and it worked flawlessly.
Bought a new Viofo A119 V3 and it works perfectly no matter which cable I use. It was the almost 9 year old Papago all along. I guess I really should have known that from the beginning. It works on a short cable, so I may try to get power to it from the lift gate on my van and put it on the back window.
.
Thanks for the suggestions and comments and again sorry for disappearing so quickly.

Welcome back! And thanks for the explanation. Glad you got it worked out.

I think I'll tag @DashCamMan 'cause he might want to know why you deleted your other account too. Actually, you might have thought to let everyone know you were going to delete your other account before doing so.

 

[Robertm]

I'll send him a message and let him know what happened. Thanks

 

[Dashmellow]

I'll send him a message and let him know what happened. Thanks

DCM will see that I tagged him and will read your post, so there's really no need to message him.