F200 PRO & MB-100 Multiplexer Testing/Review

rcg530

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Recently, @BlackboxMyCar (BBMC) sent me a Thinkware F200 PRO 2-channel 1080p 30fps dash camera and the Thinkware MB-100 multiplexer to test/review. BBMC included two of the BCFH-50SW side cameras (left = white wire is not cut / right = white wire is cut) and a BCFH-57UR interior infrared camera. The purpose of my testing / review is to test the MB-100 multiplexer more than testing the F200 PRO dash camera. I spoke with reps from Thinkware while I was at SEMA 2022 in Las Vegas. They said they would be interested to see my testing / review results. My very first dash camera installation/review video was for a Thinkware F800 Pro many years ago, so it's nice to start checking out some of Thinkware's more recent products.

The MB-100 multiplexer combines the video signals from 2-to-4 1080p cameras into a single 1080p 30fps video signal that is fed to the front video camera via its video input connection port. The front camera simply believes it has a rear camera connected to it and stores the multiplexed video image in a rear camera video file. You configure the MB-100 with a set of switches to define the number of video camera connected to it so it knows how to format the multiplexed video signal it sends to the front camera.

The MB-100 is connected to a BATT+ (constant) battery power connection and a ground connection in addition to the power connection for the front video dash camera. The MB-100 turns itself off when it sees the front video camera has been powered off. The front camera does not have the ability to command the MB-100 to power down at any other time like when it is in a power saving parking mode. If the front camera is "on" in any way, the MB-100 will be powered up and supplying power to all cameras connected to it. I'll have a power consumption spreadsheet put together in this tread in the next couple of days. I tested the power consumption of the F200 PRO by itself so I would know how much additional power was being consumed by the MB-100 and the four cameras I had connected to the MB-100.

You can select the type of cameras and number of cameras (between 2 and 4) connected to the MB-100 that best fits your requirements. Thinkware offers an interior BCFH-57UR (TWA-NIFR) interior infrared camera, BCFH-57U interior rear camera, BCFH-50SW (TWA-NEXTS) IP68 rated waterproof/dustproof exterior side view camera and the TWA-NIFRT IP68 rated waterproof/dustproof exterior infrared camera with a 126 degree field of view.

The Thinkware MB-100 is compatible with F200 PRO, F790, X800 and X700 dash cameras.

Thinkware F200 PRO 2-Channel 1080p 30fps Dash Camera

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Thinkware MB-100 (TWA-MB100) Multiplexer

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Thinkware BCFH-50SW (TWA-NEXTS) Side View Cameras (Qty 2)

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Thinkware BCFH-57UR (TWA-NIFR) Interior Infrared Camera

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Example 1080p Screen Shots

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Thinkware F200 PRO 2-Channel (Front + Rear) vs F200 PRO 5-Channel (using MB-100 Multiplexer) Power Consumption Tests

I ran a series of power consumption tests to see what the Thinkware F200 PRO 2-Channel (Front + Rear) dash camera would consume in all operational modes. I did this to get a baseline for just the dash camera installation. I then ran the same tests, but this time with the Thinkware MB-100 Multiplexer installed along with an interior infrared camera and two side-view cameras.

The power consumption testing shows that the MB-100 does remain powered in all operational modes of the F200 PRO (including the "Energy Saving" parking mode). If you plan to use the MB-100 along with any combination of cameras (2 to 4), the amount of time you can run the Thinkware dash camera installation in parking mode will be greatly reduced due to the power consumption needs of the MB-100 and the cameras connected to the MB-100.

Thinkware F200 PRO 2-Channel (Front + Rear)
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Thinkware F200 PRO 5-Channel (MB-100, Rear Camera, Interior Infrared Camera, Two Side-View Cameras)
f200_pro_5ch_power_consumption_20221122.jpg f200_pro_5ch_parking_mode_runtime_3batteries.jpg

The MB-100 multiplexer has its own 2-wire hardwired connection (BATT+ / Ground). The MB-100 will only consume power when the Thinkware front dash camera that the MB-100 is connected is powered up. It would appear that the MB-100 is seeing power being provided by the front camera's rear camera connection port and that's when the MB-100 is powered up and operational.

You can select the type of cameras and number of cameras (between 2 and 4) connected to the MB-100 that best fits your requirements. Thinkware offers an interior BCFH-57UR (TWA-NIFR) interior infrared camera, BCFH-57U interior rear camera, BCFH-50SW (TWA-NEXTS) IP68 rated waterproof/dustproof exterior side view camera and the TWA-NIFRT IP68 rated waterproof/dustproof exterior infrared camera with a 126 degree field of view. Each unique combination of cameras that you select for your installation, will cause the power consumption to be somewhat different than what I have reported unless you select the same exact cameras I used in my testing.
 
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I like some offer down the side cameras now, even if they are not my favorite side camera, then watching Tesla cam footage those cameras do capture stuff alright.
 
Thinkware BCFH-50SW (TWA-NEXTS) Side View Camera - Slight Modification Required

The two side view cameras required a slight modification to their cases to allow them to fit so the entire surface double sided tape on the bottom side of the camera body would have a chance to adhere to the body panel. The gap between the front edge of the front doors and the rear edge of the front fenders is very small. The front fenders also have a rolled lip that keeps the gap between the door and the fender quite narrow while opening/closing the front doors. That route for the flat cable would result in damage to the cable almost immediately.

Since I'm installing this for review purposes only, I don't necessarily want to create some elaborate installation plan to get this installed for the review. I install/remove dash cameras all of the time from my car for review purposes, but this if the first time I had to figure out a side camera installation.

You can see in this picture the flat cable that comes out of the camera housing does not sit flush against the bottom edge of the camera housing. There's no recess cut into the camera body to allow the flat cable to fit into. When I tried to install on the first side camera (before modification), the double sided tape only made contact with the body panel on the end opposite of the flat cable.

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I used a dremel tool to remove a small amount of the camera body on the bottom side to allow the flat cable to fit in the recess I created. I had to be careful not to cut the flat cable while making the adjustment to the camera body (yes I slipped up one time - see the scratch on the outside of the camera case :)). I did not compromise the water/dust proof features of the side camera with this modification.

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My car's installation situation

I used an alternative route for the flat cable since there's a nearby plastic trim panel that I ran the wire out to the side view camera. I used a thin strip of black double sided tape to keep the flat cable from flapping in the wind since it is partially exposed in this particular installation. The default/normal install would route the flat cable between the door/fender gap. I would suggest you make sure the flat cable would not be damaged by the movement of the front door as it would have in my situation.

Is the installation pretty, no. Is it functional, yes.

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Okay thats a ???? install to me.
I think the norm for these is to be placed on the back part of the front fender just in front of the door gap, so the wire can go into that gap at once.

Something like this might necessitate a thicker sticky pad, maybe one that harden after a while, you really want a helluva good grip on something like a down the side camera, at least if you like me run your car thru the car wash at least 4 times a week.

If you dont use a car wash, or at least for the duration of the test, your setup might be fine.
 
BTW the cable though, it do also look a bit thick, then again any thinner and you probably end up with something like the ribbon connectors used inside out dashcams for the sensor board ASO
And i am not sure if something like that are durable enough, or can be had in durable enough versions.

The same gap on my Suzuki car i recon are .177 inch or 4.5 mm, aint no riddler award worthy fit on my cheap ass car.
 
Okay thats a ???? install to me.
I think the norm for these is to be placed on the back part of the front fender just in front of the door gap, so the wire can go into that gap at once.
I understand that Thinkware intends on the flat cable running through the gap between the front door and the front fender. As I stated, my car does not have a sufficient gap to allow the flat cable to be installed in that manner. If I did install the flat cable to run through the fender/door gap, it would be stressed with each door open/close action. I had to find a way to get the double sided tape to fully contact the body panel while still accounting for the fact that the flat cable will not go through the fender/door gap.

From Thinkware installation video. That fender/door gap is quite large so of course it easily fits into that fender/door gap.
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If you dont use a car wash, or at least for the duration of the test, your setup might be fine.
The double sided tape now makes full contact with the body panel and the camera body is very secure .
 
well i have also seen that in the US you have those oscillating "drape" kind of car washes, car washes here are all the turbo rotating brush kind, so probably harder on exterior things on the car.

As i wash my car so often and dont listen to the radio, my roof antenna have not been installed in 4 years.
but yeah i can see you have very little gap in the intended place of mounting / routing, at least you was able to jerry rig something so you can test the stuff. (y)
 
I added my initial power consumption data to post #2
 
The MB-100 multiplexer combines the video signals from 2-to-4 1080p cameras into a single 1080p 30fps video signal that is fed to the front video camera via its video input connection port. The front camera simply believes it has a rear camera connected to it and stores the multiplexed video image in a rear camera video file. You configure the MB-100 with a set of switches to define the number of video camera connected to it so it knows how to format the multiplexed video signal it sends to the front camera.
You can select the type of cameras and number of cameras (between 2 and 4) connected to the MB-100 that best fits your requirements. Thinkware offers an interior BCFH-57UR (TWA-NIFR) interior infrared camera, BCFH-57U interior rear camera, BCFH-50SW (TWA-NEXTS) IP68 rated waterproof/dustproof exterior side view camera and the TWA-NIFRT IP68 rated waterproof/dustproof exterior infrared camera with a 126 degree field of view.
So, you have 2, 3 or 4 1080p remote cameras combined into a single 1080p channel, resulting in an array of 960x540 videos. That's a lower resolution than most 2Ch or 3CH cameras, however there is convenience in having all those video streams in a single file.

I think it's a good option for city driving where there's activity all around the vehicle, and I expect those down-the-side cameras will have better coverage for long vehicles than side-facing wide angle cameras. Due to the high power consumption I think it's less useful for all-around video in a parking situation.
 
I finally completed my review and power consumption testing video for the Thinkware MB-100 Multiplexer. I'll be making that video public on my YouTube channel around 12:00 PM PST today.
 
My Thinkware MB-100 Multiplexer review video is now available on my channel.

Some on this site have already questioned my installation of the side view cameras. The assumed amount of a door/fender gap doesn't exist on my car. I'm not drilling any holes for a test installation of a product, so I chose an unconventional installation approach which brought to light another assumption by Thinkware. That assumption being that the flat cable coming out of the side view camera body would always be able to be fed directly into the door/fender gap. The side view cameras have produced the best overall image quality of the cameras tested (F200 PRO rear and interior infrared).

The MB-100 works as described by combining from two to four 1080p 30fps video feeds into one 1080p 30fps video feed that is sent to the front dash camera as if it were simply a rear camera plugged into the front dash camera.

 
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