hardwired mobius - occasionally not staying on

[petesamprs]

I have a Mobius v3 with supercapacitor. It is hardwired to my car using an add-a-fuse, and then this 12v-->5v adapter from ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/221886479893
The fuse it is attached to powers on with the ignition, and turns off when the car turns off. The same fuse also powers my hardwired radar detector (valentine 1).

My car is a 2014 BMW 535i. It has the engine auto start/stop "feature", but I've turned it off so the engine is always running.

Here is my problem: about 10-20% of the time, after a few minutes of driving I'll notice that the Mobius isn't on and i'll need to manually turn it on. I'm not sure if it either never fully turned on initially, or powered off sometime while I was driving.

The rest of the time the Mobius works fine. I'm not sure if the problem is:
- my car somehow momentarily cutting power to that circuit, causing the Mobius to power down (note that my radar detector on the same circuit does not lose power at all)
- a faulty 12v-5v adapter where power is interrupted for some reason
- a faulty Mobius

Ideally there would be a simple setting on the Mobius where if it has power, it is on, and if it loses power it is off. Right now it seems like a momentary loss of power causes it to turn off (or not turn on fully), and it doesn't try again.

Appreciate your help.

thanks

 

[Dashmellow]

Those cheap 12V-5V converters on eBay are notoriously problematic and have even been known to fry cameras, so it is potentially where the problem lies.
Also, I've had a similar experience that turned out to be a problem with the mini-B plug and socket on the back of the camera causing intermittent connection problems, so checking that all your connections are secure would probably be the first troubleshooting to perform, especially if you are driving on bumpy roads.

 

[petesamprs]

Those cheap 12V-5V converters on eBay are notoriously problematic and have even been known to fry cameras, so it is potentially where the problem lies.
Also, I've had a similar experience that turned out to be a problem with the mini-B plug and socket on the back of the camera causing intermittent connection problems, so checking that all your connections are secure would probably be the first troubleshooting to perform, especially if you are driving on bumpy roads.

Thanks, that's a good point about a possibly loose USB connection going into the camera. I'll secure it with a zip tie and see if I have the same issue. If I still do, then I'll replace the converter.

I just wish the camera was smarter - ie, if there's power, be ON!

 

[Dashmellow]

Thanks, that's a good point about a possibly loose USB connection going into the camera. I'll secure it with a zip tie and see if I have the same issue. If I still do, then I'll replace the converter.

I just wish the camera was smarter - ie, if there's power, be ON!

The camera is pretty smart actually compared to many others on the market. It uses the various colored LEDs to telegraph many of the problems it may be experiencing. If you haven't read the Mobius Manual (PDF) yet you will surely find it helpful, especially the troubleshooting section.

 

[petesamprs]

The camera is pretty smart actually compared to many others on the market. It uses the various colored LEDs to telegraph many of the problems it may be experiencing. If you haven't read the Mobius Manual (PDF) yet you will surely find it helpful, especially the troubleshooting section.

Yes, I read the pdf front to back when i first bought the camera and set it up. But couldn't find an option that just says "if there's power, be on". Will check again.

 

[petesamprs]

Also, can you recommend a higher quality 12v-->5v converter in case that is the cause of the intermittent power loss?

 

[Dashmellow]

Yes, I read the pdf front to back when i first bought the camera and set it up. But couldn't find an option that just says "if there's power, be on". Will check again.

The V3 Mobius has an over-voltage protection IC at the USB port which will immediately disconnect external power if the applied voltage is between 5.6V and 28V. This will protect the camera from any situation where greater than typical 5V USB power has been connected to the camera. This protection IC is ahead of all other camera circuitry, so there will be no indication from the camera when this circuit cuts power. The problem with those cheap 12v-5v converters is that they tend to create voltage surges that can cause issues or fry cameras so I am guessing that the converter you are using is manifesting random voltage spikes that exceed the required voltage, thereby shutting down the camera. Things can sometimes not be quite as simple as, "if there's power, be on". I know this experience may seem like a PITA but consider that you could be dealing with a fried camera instead of intermittent shutdowns if not for the V3 Mobius having the capability to protect itself from overvoltage.

Also, can you recommend a higher quality 12v-->5v converter in case that is the cause of the intermittent power loss?

I would recommend something like the voltage regulated/noise filtered one from Mobius ActionCam but I see you said several months ago that you had already ordered one of those in your other thread on this subject. Apparently, you ended up going with one of these low priced budget units instead, so it appears that this may well be the likely cause of the problem. Then again, maybe try running your Mobius from an alternative power source for a period of time (like an AC powered 5 volt USB charger at home) and see if it shuts off after a while to confirm that the converter is in fact the cause of your woes.

According to your other thread about hardwiring your Mobius it seems that you've already looked into the subject of which 12v-5 v USB converter to buy and so any of the ones you've linked to in your other thread should work fine. Basically, you want something with decent voltage regulation.

BTW, what is it like driving a BMW 535i in Afghanistan? Are there so many radar speed traps there that you need a detector?