HK3 hard wire kit - terrible voltage regulation

Without exception all of the HK3's i tested were outside of the USB spec of -5%/+10% or >5.5v at the end of the cable under a 1 amp load.
I agree that this is a thing, but the HK3 has taken it too far.
The Viofo dashcams are not USB devices. The HK3 was made to work with Viofo dashcams and not with some other USB device. The only connection between HK3 and and the USB world is that they are using a connector which is a Mini USB connector.
A device which must comply to USB standard should be a laptop, a TV, an USB charger, etc. Viofo dashcam is not a device which is offering USB power to another device to comply some USB standards.
For example the USB standard is 500mAh. A 4K dashcam and not only Viofo will not work with such low amperes. But people like you will blame dashcam manufacturer no matter its name because their dashcam is not working with any USB power source no matter how poor it is made? Why? Because it have an USB connector?

Some people are wrong assuming that the Viofo dashcams are USB devices and are powering them from car USB, from some other (poor) USB chargers not created by Viofo and then are coming here and reporting that their dashcam stopped working. Many dashcams are killed by using another chargers instead of the Viofo original but this is another story.
 
I just registered to say thanks to OP and other posters reporting issues. I was about to buy Viofo and glad to know this issue before purchase.
Can see multiple threads multiple people reporting flat battery because of HK3.
 
The Viofo dashcams are not USB devices. The HK3 was made to work with Viofo dashcams and not with some other USB device. The only connection between HK3 and and the USB world is that they are using a connector which is a Mini USB connector.
A device which must comply to USB standard should be a laptop, a TV, an USB charger, etc. Viofo dashcam is not a device which is offering USB power to another device to comply some USB standards.
For example the USB standard is 500mAh. A 4K dashcam and not only Viofo will not work with such low amperes. But people like you will blame dashcam manufacturer no matter its name because their dashcam is not working with any USB power source no matter how poor it is made? Why? Because it have an USB connector?

Some people are wrong assuming that the Viofo dashcams are USB devices and are powering them from car USB, from some other (poor) USB chargers not created by Viofo and then are coming here and reporting that their dashcam stopped working. Many dashcams are killed by using another chargers instead of the Viofo original but this is another story.
When they decide to use a USB connector it needs to comply with USB spec, else there is too much opportunity for a mistake to occur.

This is important from both directions.
1) The camera must tolerate any reasonable voltage a USB supply may provide.
2) The supply should not apply a voltage outside of what a USB device can expect.

There are are other windscreen mounted devices that use the same port and if they all just ran around like cowboys using whatever voltage and pins they wished we'd have a hell of a mess.

Also there are several valid USB standards for current, many offering a lot more than 500mA, common accepted standard for microB are 2000mA, i'd not be surprised if miniB didn't have such an allowance.

As it happened, a USB charger actually fixed our issue, not, as you put it caused the camera to fail, so the complete opposite of what you said has happened.
The only failure was the first HK3 and the replacement that came after it.

Might do you well go gather the full picture from the beginning of the thread.
My diagnosis has unarguably pointed the finger at a couple of failed power supplies and I have provided the evidence to back these assertions.

Viofo have provided a working replacement unit which is expected and appreciated.
 
The difference between the OP and you or any other forum member which is posting in this thread compared to me is that I really have a massive feedback from the HK3 units. And I know that the overall quality of the HK3 is top. Not the OP and not you don't have at least 1% real feedback compared to me.
So again, I really know from massive experience what I am writing here. And I know very well that some stupid people don't care and use non standard chargers.
Regarding USB form factor, it was chosen because of PC connectivity. You can't connect a standard 2 pins jack to a PC. And common power jacks can have 24V, 19V, 12V, 9V, 6V, etc. So if you will have an ordinary device with such jack you consider that is correct to plug it on a 24V or 6V and expect your device to work just because you are assuming that the manufacturer of your device invested in it to be fool proof no matter what the user is doing?

If you will buy for example a 2000 USD TV with external power source you will use on it some other power source you have in the house just because the connectors seems to be the same? For sure not because you will be afraid that you will lose 2000 USD. But with a cheap Viofo dashcam just not care, Amazon will replace the product or will give the money back no matter you will do with the camera. But with the 2000 USD TV you will not do the same and also you will not complain that the TV must work with any similar power sources you have in the house just because the connectors seems to be the same.
 
The difference between the OP and you or any other forum member which is posting in this thread compared to me is that I really have a massive feedback from the HK3 units. And I know that the overall quality of the HK3 is top. Not the OP and not you don't have at least 1% real feedback compared to me.
So again, I really know from massive experience what I am writing here. And I know very well that some stupid people don't care and use non standard chargers.
Regarding USB form factor, it was chosen because of PC connectivity. You can't connect a standard 2 pins jack to a PC. And common power jacks can have 24V, 19V, 12V, 9V, 6V, etc. So if you will have an ordinary device with such jack you consider that is correct to plug it on a 24V or 6V and expect your device to work just because you are assuming that the manufacturer of your device invested in it to be fool proof no matter what the user is doing?

If you will buy for example a 2000 USD TV with external power source you will use on it some other power source you have in the house just because the connectors seems to be the same? For sure not because you will be afraid that you will lose 2000 USD. But with a cheap Viofo dashcam just not care, Amazon will replace the product or will give the money back no matter you will do with the camera. But with the 2000 USD TV you will not do the same and also you will not complain that the TV must work with any similar power sources you have in the house just because the connectors seems to be the same.
If you have some feedback to provide then please do so.
At this point only a handful of people have posted anything useful or relevant.
I have posted oscilloscope traces sampled from 5 or 6 different units to back my claims whilst you've come in at the last minute to post nothing useful at all.
Viofo clearly seems to have had a batch issue with the HK3 as evidenced by receiving 2 faulty units in a roe and having come across 3 faulty units total out of 7 or 8 overall tested.

Regarding the use of USB and power jacks there is precedence where 5v is used in a DC barrel jack and it's quite common.
A USB power spec that provided 2000mAh to a device for power supply or charging does exist and when these devices behave properly they actually comply with the spec.... as they should.

I suggest you dismiss yourself from this thread unless you have anything of substance to contribute.
I don't see evidence, photographs, traces or charts from your end.
You're coming only to criticise and have contributed nothing useful.

Saying a problem doesn't exist just because it's not happening on your sample does not exclude a problem from existing.
A tale as old as time.
 
Regardless of any of that, they could use any voltage they want, but that regulation is the worst i have ever personally seen.

So atm my HK3 is perfect and a damn good unit well worthy

I suggest you dismiss yourself from this thread unless you have anything of substance to contribute.
You were lucky because one of the most experienced users from this forum with 7-8-9-10 (jokiin and me) years of experience regarding Dashcams wasted their time in this thread. If you will read again this thread you will see than all of them are not accepting that HK3 generally have a problem to work with Dashcams and their main target was to discover where was your problem.
All of them knows that such problem like yours are usually a local problem and not general when it is about Viofo products. Who will read the title of thread can think that all HK3 have problems and their are wrong created from the factory. Regarding factory, jokiin was producing very very similar product of HK3 and was knowing very well that he was selling a good product.

For me is strange that if Viofo knows they have a problem with some batch of their products to send a replacement from the same faulty batch. They have a very big sales experience even before creating the VIOFO brand.

For an average user this thread is wasting time because it's going in too many details. They just want to plug the dashcam and it to work. And 99.99% of Viofo HK3 are working as expected.

Also I will stop wasting my time on a dead horse, I agree with your advice. Good luck!
 
The Viofo dashcams are not USB devices.
If correct then:
Why do they supply cigarette socket dual USB adapters?

Are you saying Viofo don't care about a person plugging in their phone to their dual port adapter to charge it?
They don't post a warning saying don't.

Wrong voltage and current could destroy a mobile phone that might be many times costlier than any dash cam.
While Viofo may not be licensed (perhaps) to use the USB logo they seem to follow the USB specs.

There are many poor quality USB adapters out there that innocent people purchase thinking it will work correctly and because of that they assume it will work for their dash camera. Their not stupid but have been mislead.

 
You were lucky because one of the most experienced users from this forum with 7-8-9-10 (jokiin and me) years of experience regarding Dashcams wasted their time in this thread. If you will read again this thread you will see than all of them are not accepting that HK3 generally have a problem to work with Dashcams and their main target was to discover where was your problem.
Well maybe I should be honoured by your presence.
But as I have found all too often those which a high post count to not always post quality content.
Nothing you have posted here has reflected that you have read the thread, nor that you understand it.
Ultimately you just sound like a lonely Viofo fanboy that wants to be heard and wants to argue.
All of them knows that such problem like yours are usually a local problem and not general when it is about Viofo products. Who will read the title of thread can think that all HK3 have problems and their are wrong created from the factory. Regarding factory, jokiin was producing very very similar product of HK3 and was knowing very well that he was selling a good product.
Whilst i do agree that the common cause for dashcam issues is poor choice of power supply that is clearly not the case here, we are discuccing the Viofo provided power supply, so any discussion of poor power supply choice whilst valid elswhere can be discounted immediately.
For me is strange that if Viofo knows they have a problem with some batch of their products to send a replacement from the same faulty batch. They have a very big sales experience even before creating the VIOFO brand.
Not strange at all, my sample size is small but I'd say 20% of these supplies have an issue.
I agree and accept that now these units are in the wild there is little Viofo can do about it, and all they can do is replace units as people request.
They have been doing a good job of this and once users with faulty units get a good unit all is well.
For an average user this thread is wasting time because it's going in too many details. They just want to plug the dashcam and it to work. And 99.99% of Viofo HK3 are working as expected.

Also I will stop wasting my time on a dead horse, I agree with your advice. Good luck!
No one is forcing anyone to read this thread, I'm simply sharing the issues i found with a number of units.
And there are issues, with evidence that can not be denied.
Additionally there continue to be issues with the HK3, I've just come from another thread where Viovo replaced a faulty HK3 unit.
This evidence quite clearly shows the failure rate to be orders of magnitude above the 0.01% you claim.
The bulk of users and issues will also not show here as most people would not come here to post.

I would encourage you to stop wasting you precious time, because once again you've padded your post count with useless information, buy go ahead and claim that post count as 'experience' whilst the rest of us actually engage meaningfully.
 
Nobody is claiming that there wasn't a problem with a batch (or a few batches) of Viofo-supplied PS's. That did happen, and was supposedly rectified, after which the reports of that issue ceased.

I have long complained myself about the near-industry-wide use of USB connectors in dashcams as that was not their intended use by design, and that does incur problems. AFAIK every dashcam manufacturer tells you to use their supplied PS's, even if they do not tell you to use nothing else, and that is generally good advice. If you choose to do something else then you can't rightfully blame the dashcam manufacturer for problems that brings you.

Few non-computer USB PS's meant for automotive use are 'clean' in their power output; they aren't high-spec or high-cost, but they do not need to be in order to function well with dashcams, and in the end it's functionality which matters most IMHO.

Phil
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mtz
While Viofo may not be licensed (perhaps) to use the USB logo they seem to follow the USB specs.
I have a Parkside screwdriver from Lidl with an USB charger, will this mean that my screwdriver is an USB device? They sold me also the USB charger and manufacturer and I expect the screwdriver to be charger from its charger and not from my laptop.
I really don't understand why on this dashcam forum some people are advicing to use the dashcam with any USB charger even on the dashcam there is no USB official logo.
 
Who’s advising that?

Most people state to use the adapter that came with the cam or hardwire kit made by the manufacturer.
 
I would like to point out that USB is a standard, unlike any other low voltage power connector.

In the US at least, people are required to display on their devices the voltage, current requirement/capability, and polarity of the power connector when they use a barrel connector (unfortunately they are not required to specify the dimensions of the connector used). There are some common voltages and connector size combinations 5V 2A being one, but I have seen the same connector used for 12V.

For USB connectors, there are standards, and unlike many other standards for electronics, the USB specification is published on line and available for anyone to read for free. All of the USB specifications are available here:https://www.usb.org/ (if you want a quick overview see this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB ).

In the EU, they are requiring the use of USB power supplies and connectors for things like cell phones. Apple may finally be forced to use a USB connector on their phones for charging (but more likely, they will go wireless charging only).
USB is a standard for charging and powering devices. With the USB type C chargers, the device can negotiate a higher voltage than 5V, up to 48V at 5A.

Anyone building a device using USB connectors that does not follow the standard is asking for lawsuits. Not because the USB group is litigious, but because they will break customers equipment.
 
I would like to point out that USB is a standard, unlike any other low voltage power connector.
Because some old USB standard is requiring just 500mAh some people will want to power a dashcam with just 500mAh even this is not enough. Just because they see an USB port.
In my car I have two USB slots, one is standard USB with 500mAh and the other is with more than 2000mAh. On the USB slot with 2000mAh there is drawed a Phone which means that the manufacturer is expecting the driver to use that slot if he wants to connect the phone to the car. But stupid people which see the other USB slot can think to connect the smartphone to that slot just because it is an USB slot. For them doesn't matter their 2022 smartphone needs much more power than an 2010 smartphone. And if the smartphone will not work correctly to the connected USB people will start blaming on reseller, manufacturer, forums that his smartphone is not charging. For such people any USB slot must support any USB device. Even a screwdriver.

All of you, you need to know that after a longer time (maybe 1 year) of using a dashcam with an underpowered source the dashcam will die. If your country law is forcing the manufacturer to replace the dead camera even is your fault, it is OK, the law is protecting your stupidity, you can return to the seller how many dashcams you want in the warranty period. And this is only because the stupid buyer just doesn't want to use the original charger, just because it is considering that is more simple to use some underpowered USB slot from the car or some cheap chinese charger with 3-4-5 USB slots.

Regarding the HK3 problems, just few people will waste their time to look to some table with values from some forum. Most of them want to have a good hardwire kit and their dashcam to work flawlessly. Even Viofo had some poor batch like OP is claiming, their HK3 doesn't have a ``terrible voltage regulation`` it is a very good piece of hardware for the money spent on it.
 
Nobody is claiming that there wasn't a problem with a batch (or a few batches) of Viofo-supplied PS's. That did happen, and was supposedly rectified, after which the reports of that issue ceased.
Mtz is implying strongly that no problem exists and by saying and i quote "And 99.99% of Viofo HK3 are working as expected."

I have long complained myself about the near-industry-wide use of USB connectors in dashcams as that was not their intended use by design, and that does incur problems. AFAIK every dashcam manufacturer tells you to use their supplied PS's, even if they do not tell you to use nothing else, and that is generally good advice. If you choose to do something else then you can't rightfully blame the dashcam manufacturer for problems that brings you.
I actually don't have an issue with Dashcams using a USB connector as long as the voltage, current and pin assignments are USB friendly.
There might be better choices but for practicality and affordability i can live with it.
And the good news is that all i have seen DO comply with the basics to they point where they will not be harmed or will not harm another device.
Few non-computer USB PS's meant for automotive use are 'clean' in their power output; they aren't high-spec or high-cost, but they do not need to be in order to function well with dashcams, and in the end it's functionality which matters most IMHO.
When working as expected i haven't found one that is dirty. They are all actually pretty clean.
I know i might have appeared critical earlier in this thread, but that was after receiving 2 faulty units in a row and coming across a third later in a total sample size of 10 units.
But this is not the standard across the industry, they are all pretty clean.

I have a Parkside screwdriver from Lidl with an USB charger, will this mean that my screwdriver is an USB device?
If it uses a connector that has the possibility of plugging into USB peripherals then it should comply with some basics so as not to receive harm or cause harm.
Aside from that I don't care what device has a USB connector, they are handy and ubiquitous because they offer a convenient source of 5v at up to 2A in power delivery applications.
No one is suggesting your screwdriver is a USB device (though it might be, Miniware TS80P soldering irons are for firmware update and settings purposes) but if it uses a USB connector it should do the right thing and be USB PD compliant so as not to harm or be harmed by other USB things.
They sold me also the USB charger and manufacturer and I expect the screwdriver to be charger from its charger and not from my laptop.
All good and well, but it is reasonable to expect that measures are taken that if the 2 were connected they would not harm each other, and I'd very much bet that is the case.
USB is chosen because it is UBIQUITOUS and UNIVERSAL, designating that thing a cannot be allowed to connect to thing B breaks all that we achieved with USB and defeats its purpose.
I really don't understand why on this dashcam forum some people are advicing to use the dashcam with any USB charger even on the dashcam there is no USB official logo.
Outside of diagnosing issues in this thread no one in this thread has given that advice at any scale.
The camera needs a 5v at up to 1.5A so there is no harm in using a known working supply for testing when the supply provided for the dashcam has failed.
Quite plainly nothing wrong at all as the camera worked perfectly.

Who’s advising that?
No one did, they're making it up.
Most people state to use the adapter that came with the cam or hardwire kit made by the manufacturer.
That is the best advice.

I would like to point out that USB is a standard, unlike any other low voltage power connector.

In the US at least, people are required to display on their devices the voltage, current requirement/capability, and polarity of the power connector when they use a barrel connector (unfortunately they are not required to specify the dimensions of the connector used). There are some common voltages and connector size combinations 5V 2A being one, but I have seen the same connector used for 12V.

For USB connectors, there are standards, and unlike many other standards for electronics, the USB specification is published on line and available for anyone to read for free. All of the USB specifications are available here:https://www.usb.org/ (if you want a quick overview see this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB ).

In the EU, they are requiring the use of USB power supplies and connectors for things like cell phones. Apple may finally be forced to use a USB connector on their phones for charging (but more likely, they will go wireless charging only).
USB is a standard for charging and powering devices. With the USB type C chargers, the device can negotiate a higher voltage than 5V, up to 48V at 5A.
This i totally agree with.
Once it was discovered in the 90's how handy USB could be for powering small devices the idea snowballed from there.
I just had a quick look at USB PD Rev3.1 and it has a standard capable of delivering 240watts by running 48v @ 5A !
If we wish to keep USB being convenient and ubiquitous we need to play by the rules, and that isn't just for a USB keyboard, but also for the plethora of consumer electronics that can be charged or powered by USB.

As you say....
Anyone building a device using USB connectors that does not follow the standard is asking for lawsuits. Not because the USB group is litigious, but because they will break customers equipment.
And i totally agree. As soon as we mess with USB and break it we loose the usefulness of it.
 
Because some old USB standard is requiring just 500mAh some people will want to power a dashcam with just 500mAh even this is not enough. Just because they see an USB port.
This is fine, i have no issue with people trying this, as long as it does not break either device.
In my car I have two USB slots, one is standard USB with 500mAh and the other is with more than 2000mAh. On the USB slot with 2000mAh there is drawed a Phone which means that the manufacturer is expecting the driver to use that slot if he wants to connect the phone to the car. But stupid people which see the other USB slot can think to connect the smartphone to that slot just because it is an USB slot. For them doesn't matter their 2022 smartphone needs much more power than an 2010 smartphone. And if the smartphone will not work correctly to the connected USB people will start blaming on reseller, manufacturer, forums that his smartphone is not charging. For such people any USB slot must support any USB device. Even a screwdriver.
You almost had a point there, and then you used a bad example.
Any USB port will charge a phone, even if at a slower rate, even if the phone is screen on and in navigation mode drawing more power than it is receiving.
It's not a great outcome, but nothing is being broken.

It would be ideal if people were better educated on power deliver, but that cannot be immediately helped.
All of you, you need to know that after a longer time (maybe 1 year) of using a dashcam with an underpowered source the dashcam will die. If your country law is forcing the manufacturer to replace the dead camera even is your fault, it is OK, the law is protecting your stupidity, you can return to the seller how many dashcams you want in the warranty period. And this is only because the stupid buyer just doesn't want to use the original charger, just because it is considering that is more simple to use some underpowered USB slot from the car or some cheap chinese charger with 3-4-5 USB slots.
Here you've gone off on a whole new direction.
No one here is condoning using an inadequate power supply so why are you defending against it in a thread where this is not relevant?
The 129 Pro Duo is a hungry boy, I've done the measurements on my bench and I'm well aware of this.
Again I invite you to go back to the beginning of the thread and see the measurements.
Regarding the HK3 problems, just few people will waste their time to look to some table with values from some forum. Most of them want to have a good hardwire kit and their dashcam to work flawlessly. Even Viofo had some poor batch like OP is claiming, their HK3 doesn't have a ``terrible voltage regulation`` it is a very good piece of hardware for the money spent on it.
The thread title is in the context of the thread and valid.
3 out of 8 units tested in the end had failed and were delivering voltages likely outside the safe upper limit for the cameras internal regulator (likely vmax of 5.5v).
That's a significant number of faulty units for one ordinary person to run into, and they came from 6 different sources.
The thread title is not misleading, it is concise, and sums up the topic and issue succinctly.
With the number of failed units in the wild i hope people who are having issue find this thread, it might give them some insight on what to look for, or that the power supply might be at fault instead of the camera.

If this thread saves someone from returning a camera and has them second guess the power supply instead (which we know now many PSUs have issues) then it's serving it purpose.
An in no way is this thread critical of Viofo, they have both in this case and several other on and off forum cases i know of sent replacement supplies no questions asked.

I really don't see your issue Mtz. Everything was fine and done here until you came along.
 
I have a Parkside screwdriver from Lidl with an USB charger, will this mean that my screwdriver is an USB device? They sold me also the USB charger and manufacturer and I expect the screwdriver to be charger from its charger and not from my laptop.
I really don't understand why on this dashcam forum some people are advicing to use the dashcam with any USB charger even on the dashcam there is no USB official logo.

Why do you get so angry/passionate?

I don't understand what your screwdriver has got to do with this thread.

I haven't read anywhere where "some people" advise to use any USB.

You don't understand the USB standards and are just repeating what I wrote.

Are you a reseller of Viofo and feel you have an obligation to attack anyone who thinks there might be a product issue?

I have already worked out you either don't understand English well enough and/or electronics. !
 
Any USB port will charge a phone, even if at a slower rate, even if the phone is screen on and in navigation mode drawing more power than it is receiving.
It's not a great outcome, but nothing is being broken.
This is not quite true.
What is supposed to happen (USB 2.1 is the last specification I have used designed anything) is that a device is allowed to draw 100 mA from a USB port, then it can request that be increased to 500mA. If the port acknowledges that request, the device can draw up to 500 mA. This is for standard USB devices, NOT charging. If a device draws more current than it is supposed to, the port is supposed to turn off power.
For charging, the charger has some resistors on the data lines that tell the device how much current it can draw. The device is supposed to measure the resistors and not draw more power than it is told it is allowed to.

What actually happens is that often on laptops, to save money, there is no current monitoring, so devices can draw as much as they want. This can lead to damage to the laptop.
Many cheap devices are designed with no electronics at all, and just expect that they can draw 2A from a USB port. Usually what happens is the device just does not work when it is plugged into a port that can't supply 2A.
In none of these situations will the device plugged into the USB port be damaged. But the fact that it does not work in a port that is not capable of 2A will make it appear that the device is broken, and perhaps get returned for a refund. This can happen even if the port can supply 2A, but the cable has enough resistance to drop the voltage to the point that the device can not function.
 
This is not quite true.
This is true in an overwhelming majority of cases.
The chances of a port denying 500mA is a near unheard of scenario.
Here is a picture of it happening here an now.

SlowCharge.jpgSlowCharge2.jpg

Disregard the power meter erroneously showing DCP mode.
Phone is aware that the port is limited and in case the user has inadvertently used the wrong port / cable displays a message, not the case with all phones, some just silently charge slowly.
My phone prefers USB PD 2.1 over a type C cable but as with the vast and overwhelming majority of phones it will happily take what it can get at the cost of charge speed.
What is supposed to happen (USB 2.1 is the last specification I have used designed anything) is that a device is allowed to draw 100 mA from a USB port, then it can request that be increased to 500mA. If the port acknowledges that request, the device can draw up to 500 mA. This is for standard USB devices, NOT charging.
This is for both standard devices and charging... power is power. Again refer to the photographic evidence of my phone charging.

If a device draws more current than it is supposed to, the port is supposed to turn off power.
For charging, the charger has some resistors on the data lines that tell the device how much current it can draw. The device is supposed to measure the resistors and not draw more power than it is told it is allowed to.
Here you are referring to other methods used by dedicated chargers to achieve even higher currents on a port.
It's partially covered here.. https://curioussystem.com/2010/08/18/the-dirty-truth-about-usb-device-charging/

What actually happens is that often on laptops, to save money, there is no current monitoring, so devices can draw as much as they want. This can lead to damage to the laptop.
I can't speak for all laptops but this has been wrong in the vast majority.
Usually the minimum protection is a polyfuse, a compact, surface mounted device that costs only a few cents.
Same is present on desktop boards too, though sometimes ports are protected in pairs and not individually for simplification / cost saving.
1654144165065.png
Not a great picture, but here is a laptop board with a polyfuse circled in the background.
Not uncommon to find, yes it is crude, but it is some protection.

Many cheap devices are designed with no electronics at all, and just expect that they can draw 2A from a USB port. Usually what happens is the device just does not work when it is plugged into a port that can't supply 2A.
In none of these situations will the device plugged into the USB port be damaged. But the fact that it does not work in a port that is not capable of 2A will make it appear that the device is broken, and perhaps get returned for a refund. This can happen even if the port can supply 2A, but the cable has enough resistance to drop the voltage to the point that the device can not function.
This part i have no problem with, and agree.
Crappy devices exist as do crappy cables, and a lack of consumer awareness is also an issue.
Hence the importance of devices being well designed and advertising their needs clearly.
That said, no matter how well a device states it's requirements on the device itself or in the documentation there will always be bad users, this applies in every case and cannot be avoided.
 
Last edited:
This is for both standard devices and charging... power is power. Again refer to the photographic evidence of my phone charging.
Your phone has a proper USB port on it (you can transfer data over that port), so it requested the 500 mA, was granted permission from the device and started drawing 500 mA. This is not at all surprising, and behaving exactly as the specification requires.

The condition where a port would deny the request for 500 mA is usually an un-powered hub where the hub is drawing all of its power from a single up stream USB port, and providing two or more down stream ports. This can usually handle a mouse & keyboard and another device or two each drawing 100 mA or less, but would refuse any device that requested 500 mA.
 
Your phone has a proper USB port on it (you can transfer data over that port), so it requested the 500 mA, was granted permission from the device and started drawing 500 mA. This is not at all surprising, and behaving exactly as the specification requires.

The condition where a port would deny the request for 500 mA is usually an un-powered hub where the hub is drawing all of its power from a single up stream USB port, and providing two or more down stream ports. This can usually handle a mouse & keyboard and another device or two each drawing 100 mA or less, but would refuse any device that requested 500 mA.
Are you actually reading these posts?

I said...
Any USB port will charge a phone, even if at a slower rate
bold and italics for emphasis added now

To which you replied
This is not quite true.

and then...
This is true in an overwhelming majority of cases.

then...
Your phone has a proper USB port on it... This is not at all surprising

Refer above, where i said a phone... did you miss that part?

You're being so argumentative you have no idea what you're talking about now, making twists and turns everywhere you can to make a point... and then still failing.


This all started with you misquoting me to suggest i said...
and now you come here telling us
that Viofo uses unsuitable / faulty or fake ICs in these converters as it is clearly a fail caused by the logic malfunction and a poor design choice!
It was a possibility and still is possible some of these IC's are fake, faulty or counterfeit.
But let's be clear, i never straight up made such a sure and plain accusation as you imply.
Simply put - this is a thing that did not happen -, that is the basis for everything you've said since.

Also in the same post you said
I will look at that thread to see how many people will report the same problem as you.
For the record this is a faulty way of ascertaining number of failed units, and you either know it or are stupid.
The vast majority of users with faults will not post here, they will go back to their point of sale, or use other forms.
This place only captures a small subset. Interestingly though, there are actually quite a few reports of failures anyway that are outside of this thread.
Viofo has also agreed in a DM that a batch fault is likley and has been replacing units no questions asked.
Also the fault found in the HK3 does not stop a lower current device from working (short term) so there are many faulty units that in a particular install appear to work, even though they are feeding 7+v into a camera and probably slowly killing it.

But by your logic everyone with a faulty HK3 has to test is and appear in only this thread to count, and you'll only count 1 per user.
What about my 3 failed units? Count that as one?

You've said enough and every reply you make discredits you more.

The facts remain...
1) There IS and issue
2) We have evidence of it
3) We have some theories as to causes
4) No one is making straight up accusations
5) Viofo is dealing with it in a good and honest way...

But ignore all you like, but you...
1) Seem to have an agenda
2) Misquote and mis represent facts
3) Redirect and obfscucate the discussion when you lose an argument
4) Provide no evidence
5) Contribute nothing that ads to the conversation

I'm not doing this any more, i'm done with your rubbish.
You are ignored from this point on.
Nothing will be achieved by continuing this, feel free to have the last word.. I won't see it.
 
Back
Top