F770 with Cellink B stopped working!

[DarkSky]

Installed it early last winter (Dec. 2016): Thinkware F770 with Cellink B, hardwire kit.

Worked perfect up until last week. Came on when truck was turned on, went into parking record mode when truck was turned off.

I noticed last week while driving that the green GPS light wasn't on. So I pushed the ON/OFF button on the F770. It came on, started continuous recording. It might have done that a few days in a row, but lately it doesn't turn on unless I push the ON/OFF button, says GPS connected, continuous recording started, then parking mode recording started.

It does that EVERY time. So obviously it's not getting the ACC signal from the Cellink B battery, since the presence of power on ACC turns it on and starts continuous recording, and the loss of ACC power makes it switch to parking mode recording.

I switched the Cellink B to the 5A charge setting, connected it to my cigarette lighter adapter, and tried powering it that way. Same thing. F770 required pushing ON/OFF button, and once on it went into parking recording.

I plugged the F770 into the cig. lighter adapter that it came with. Worked fine. (no parking mode recording of course - which is what I bought it for, and my cig. lighter is ALWAYS on, so if I forget to unplug it when I turn the truck off for the day, it's going to run my truck battery dry).

Fuse in the hardwire kit is good.

I have NOT changed any of the wiring since initial installation and heat shrinks around connections are still looking like when I first put them on.

Ideas???

 

[flip9]

Check the ACC wire fuse, its inside the chunky black plastic case near the end of the wire. Its a 2Amp 3AG glass fuse from memory.

If the fuse is okay, grab a multimeter and do a continuity test from the start of the wire to the jack. Then do a voltmeter test that the cellink is outputting 12v+ on its ACC wire (while car is ON).

 

[DarkSky]

Check the ACC wire fuse, its inside the chunky black plastic case near the end of the wire. Its a 2Amp 3AG glass fuse from memory.

Yep ^^ posted that above in my OP. Fuse is good.

If the fuse is okay, grab a multimeter and do a continuity test from the start of the wire to the jack. Then do a voltmeter test that the cellink is outputting 12v+ on its ACC wire (while car is ON).

I was going to tonight but it started to rain while I was out there. But I can guarantee it's not putting out anything (or not enough at least) on the ACC, since the F770 works fine with it's cig. lighter adapter. And when plugged in to the Cellink, it keeps switching right away to parking mode recording (which would lead me to believe there's no power on the ACC line).

Those batteries are BLOODY expensive for how many mAh they give. Hopefully the manufacturer will stand by it and mail out a replacement. I can't think of it being anything but the Cellink unit. F770 works when plugged directly to cig lighter, wiring from Cellink B to F770 is good. I'll put a volt meter onto the wiring of the ACC tomorrow after work... but right now I can only think there's a fault in the ACC electronics in my Cellink.

 

[flip9]

The fuse might look okay but you should really do a continuity test on it. The tiny fuse element used in glass fuses can crack on the mating ends which you cant really see.

If the Cellink ACC output is broken, you can return it or just bypass the ACC connection. The F770 just uses the ACC wire as a sense signal, no power goes through this wire.

So basically just connect the F770 ACC wire to where the Cellink is getting its power.

 

[Maddog1974]

I had one instance where the hardwire cable had a break in it right in the elbow joint that plugs into the camera so it had lost it's ignition supply. If you have a digital meter & paper clip you can check the power at the plug end to see whats missing. Obviously if you have ignition at the fuse end but nothing at the top this is the problem. See attached

 

[flip9]

I also recall having a power issue when the jack wasn't pushed in all the way. It was off just by a small notch.

It was hard to tell because of the very small plug compartment on the F770.

 

[DarkSky]

I absolutely HATE the 90-degree plug that goes into the F770. To pull it off each time you have to bend it in a way that it feels it's going to snap. Why it doesn't come with a straight plug I have no idea.

I tested the fuse in the ACC line of the hardwire kit and it's showing 14.3V when the truck is on. Looks like there must be a problem somewhere between the fuse and the plug. (?)

 

[DarkSky]

Does anyone know where I can find a diagram showing the power distribution block (located behind/left of the brake pedal) for a 2007 Chevy Avalanche LTZ? I had one before but it's long gone, and for the life of me I cannot find it online again.

But I'm pretty sure it's not the blade post in that block (that the ACC is connected to to power the Cellink) - I unplugged that and plugged in my cig. lighter adapter: so the Cellink was powered directly off the cig. lighter, and the same problem occurred. No auto-on, and manually turning the F770 on just went "GPS -> continuous recording -> parking recording".

 

[DarkSky]

What I'd *REALLY* love to see is a direct Cellink <> F770 cord. A cord that runs straight from the Cellink output to the plug that goes into the F770. All inside one nice single sturdy cable.

 

[flip9]

I absolutely HATE the 90-degree plug that goes into the F770. To pull it off each time you have to bend it in a way that it feels it's going to snap. Why it doesn't come with a straight plug I have no idea.

I use a small pry bar to push the plug outwards so i dont bend anything. A straight plug wouldnt fit in that small compartment.

Its probably a break in the elbow like Maddog said. It doesnt sound like you were gentle with it.

If your getting voltage from the ACC wire fuse then the problem will be down the track. Do a continuity test from the fuse to the ACC/ignition pole (shown in Maddog's pic).

 

[DarkSky]

I use a small pry bar to push the plug outwards so i dont bend anything. A straight plug wouldnt fit in that small compartment.

I'd be perfectly happy leaving the little flap open, or just taking it off altogether

Its probably a break in the elbow like Maddog said. It doesnt sound like you were gentle with it.

If your getting voltage from the ACC wire fuse then the problem will be down the track. Do a continuity test from the fuse to the ACC/ignition pole (shown in Maddog's pic).[/QUOTE]

But also, the Cellink doesn't beep at all. When I start the truck up, there's the -faintest- little ding that you can only hear if you put your ear right up to the Cellink after the truck is turned on. And nothing when the truck is turned off. From what I recall, up until last week when it was all working fine, it would beep (audibly loud enough to easily hear) when the truck was turned both off and on. It's not beeping now.

 

[DarkSky]

I had one instance where the hardwire cable had a break in it right in the elbow joint that plugs into the camera so it had lost it's ignition supply. If you have a digital meter & paper clip you can check the power at the plug end to see whats missing. Obviously if you have ignition at the fuse end but nothing at the top this is the problem. See attached

I touched the ground pin on my voltmeter to the long part of the plug, and put the 'live' pin of the voltmeter at the end where the little ridge is, and tried inside the hole too. Nothing.

On my cig. lighter adapter plug, I touch ground to the long part of the plug, and when I put the live pin of the voltmeter into the hole of the plug, it shows 14V.

So broken plug?

But what is causing my Cellink to no longer beep when the vehicle is turned on and off?

I just double-checked the blade on the power distribution block that it gets ACC from. Zero when truck off, 14.6/7 when it's on. So that part is still fine. (picture of the distribution block is in this thread: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...eps-twice-goes-off-repeats.25972/#post-306044 )

 

[flip9]

Better be careful you don't short out the ACC and Ground together if your sticking the probes on the poles!

Thats why I suggested doing a continuity test on your meter instead, to test for breaks in the wire.

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-use-a-multimeter/continuity

 

[Maddog1974]

You haven't got a poor earth to the Cellink / Camera have you? Are they earthed at the same point?

 

[DarkSky]

You haven't got a poor earth to the Cellink / Camera have you? Are they earthed at the same point?

No - they use the same single ground. The ground from the F770 hardwire kit goes to the Cellink molex connector and the Cellink is grounded. Any electrical problems would have shown up when I installed it - The Cellink B / F770 combo worked fine for 6 months without any problems. It was only a couple weeks ago it stopped.

 

[flip9]

Id still double check the ground and test it on another bare metal point.

The most common issue in auto electrics is poor ground.

 

[DarkSky]

I sent it back and they tested it. Turns out it won't hold a charge, and they are shipping back a replacement. Fingers crossed...