Is there such thing as a side view dashcam? (For your car doors)

[Dashmellow]

Yes I plan to leave enough slack in the power cords to be able to unplug them and simply lift the camera of its mount. I figure it'll take me about 30-45 minutes per side to install them, including wire. Will probably have to label which one is left and right for when I take em out.

And yes cards are cheap but I'm just using parts I already have to keep it "free". I think I have a couple 32gb cards so may use those, and have a 64 in the a119 in front.

Definitely have to check if the 118 can do 720p60 but I don't remember seeing it. Course I haven't updated the firmware on them so maybe it's there in a newer one? Not that important, esp if I put in a 32gb card and just run 1080.

With three Mobius cameras facing left, right and rear I definitely know what you mean about labeling them. I use small round white adhesive dots from the stationary store that are about the diameter of a pencil eraser and just write a number on the dot after applying them to an inconspicuous place on the camera. One of the really cool and unique features of the Mobius is the capability to designate the first 4 characters of the video file name prefix. So rather than having files that use the default "REC_0001.MOV" for example, I can have the files names designated as LEFT, RIGT, or REAR0001.MOV. This makes things SO much easier when dealing with multiple cards once you get them back to your computer. Often though, I just remove the whole camera in a similar manner to what @kamkar1 is describing. With the Mobius, it's very easy to put the camera back exactly the way it was before without having to do any heroic aiming.

 

[DT MI]

...
Definitely have to check if the 118 can do 720p60 but I don't remember seeing it.....

Just checked my SpyTek A118-C and it does 720p60.

Edit: F/W 20150403

 

[GTA Driver]

First unofficial long summer long weekend in Canada. Doing gardening as there is no threat of frost now. Going from Garden centre to Garden centre got to experiment with my Mobius. I got a Rear view Mirror Mount for a G1W which was delivered and I may be able to but the handles above the passenger windows but will probably do velcro. Haven't put in the capacitor yet.

Will have some interesting video.

 

[sshazam]

Can anyone suggest ways of powering a side facing camera ?
I have sg9665gc hard wired front and rear and considering adding a mobius for the side windows but i'm unsure whats the best way to power it ?

 

[Dashmellow]

Can anyone suggest ways of powering a side facing camera ?
I have sg9665gc hard wired front and rear and considering adding a mobius for the side windows but i'm unsure whats the best way to power it ?

Um, how about hard wiring just like your other cameras? You could probably use the same connections.

 

[sshazam]

Um, how about hard wiring just like your other cameras? You could probably use the same connections.

Haha well I'm not sure how many cameras you can hard wire in. I'm concerned about battery life with hard wiring 4 cameras in.
Ideally i'd like to go with 2 in the front, 2 in the rear and then 2 facing left and right.

 

[Dashmellow]

Haha well I'm not sure how many cameras you can hard wire in. I'm concerned about battery life with hard wiring 4 cameras in.
Ideally i'd like to go with 2 in the front, 2 in the rear and then 2 facing left and right.

I'm not sure about the eight camera scenario but if you have four cameras in use with a decent battery discharge prevention device I think you would be OK. Each Mobius should be fed with a minimum of 1 amp but they really only consume half an amp of current each. The SG9665GCs require about the same. Also, I guess you could upgrade your vehicle's battery if you wanted to.

Personally, I use two 20,000 mAh power banks to run 4 cameras and while it is slightly inconvenient compared with hard wiring, it works just fine to run the cameras for many, many hours at a time.

 

[Gibson99]

I'm starting to think the bdp in my wife's car has gone bad. Where do you mount your USB power bank? Under seat, console glovebox, somewhere it might be insulated from the heat?

The alternative I'm looking at is just getting a simple timer relay that runs the camera for a couple hours and doesn't monitor battery voltage. These seem to be about $15 (+/- $5) on amazon and eBay.

 

[sshazam]

I'm not sure about the eight camera scenario but if you have four cameras in use with a decent battery discharge prevention device I think you would be OK. Each Mobius should be fed with a minimum of 1 amp but they really only consume half an amp of current each. The SG9665GCs require about the same. Also, I guess you could upgrade your vehicle's battery if you wanted to.

Personally, I use two 20,000 mAh power banks to run 4 cameras and while it is slightly inconvenient compared with hard wiring, it works just fine to run the cameras for many, many hours at a time.

I'm not super concerned about the battery being dead more concerned about getting decent run time in parking mode. Ideally I would like the cameras to record for 10 hours which I can currently get. I don't know how much shorter the battery would last with the extra cameras. I don't know if I would be able to get a bigger battery but i'll look into that.

I wouldn't mind powering the mobius camera from a battery pack but I live in Australia and have the car parked outside all day so I'd imagine the heat wouldn't make it safe.

 

[jokiin]

even with a bigger battery running that sort of load for that many hours every day is going to take a toll, car batteries aren't suited to constant discharge on a regular basis, you can get deep cycle batteries which are more forgiving but they still won't last

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Personally, I use two 20,000 mAh power banks to run 4 cameras and while it is slightly inconvenient compared with hard wiring, it works just fine to run the cameras for many, many hours at a time.

No worries about car batteries. Nice solution.

 

[Dashmellow]

I'm starting to think the bdp in my wife's car has gone bad. Where do you mount your USB power bank? Under seat, console glovebox, somewhere it might be insulated from the heat?

The alternative I'm looking at is just getting a simple timer relay that runs the camera for a couple hours and doesn't monitor battery voltage. These seem to be about $15 (+/- $5) on amazon and eBay.

Usually, I just place the battery banks in the cubby hole in the center console but when it gets very hot out I'll put them on the floor, nearly under the front seats propped up a bit so that some air can flow over them (one under each seat due to how I have the cameras wired). It is important to keep them out of direct sunlight. They can indeed get a bit warm on occasion but I do my best to keep them from actually getting hot. According to Battery University "a battery (lithium) dwelling above 30°C (86°F) is considered elevated temperature", so I do my best to keep them as cool as possible. Generally, in hot weather I avoid running them for extremely long periods of time and sometimes leave the window open a crack. Modern USB power banks usually have a thermister controlled overheating protection circuit and I've not ever seen that triggered. I have no idea what settings are used though.

Both of the 20,000 mAh battery banks I've had in use for quite some time have been through all kinds of challenging conditions at both ends of the temperature spectrum along with vibrations from driving around on country roads but they are still performing quite well.

My oldest power bank is now slightly over two years old and it seems to be performing as well as when it was new for practical purposes, although I imagine it must have lost some percentage of its capacity by now. The other identical one I've had for slightly over one year now and it is still performing like new as well. Both banks are generics from Amazon that cost twenty dollars each.

 

[jokiin]

I'm no powerbank expert but I think more heat is generated when charging than what you get from the reasonably slow discharge rates you would cause with the cameras attached, if you were charging them in the heat of a locked car that could be more of a problem, keeping them down low and out of the sun is no doubt a good idea regardless

by far the dumbest product I think I ever saw was a dashcam that had a detachable 5000 mAh powerbank built into it that one supplier had wasted money developing, imagine having that stuck to your window for any length of time

 

[Dashmellow]

NEVER charge a hot battery!!!

Charging lithium-ions properly shouldn't really cause much heat at all. When I charge battery banks or individual li-ion 18650s they do not even get warm.

Edit: Here is a quote I just came across from Isador Buchmann over at Battery University. - "Lithium-based should always stay cool on charge. Discontinue using the battery and/or charger if the battery heats up on charge."

 

[Dashmellow]

by far the dumbest product I think I ever saw was a dashcam that had a detachable 5000 mAh powerbank built into it that one supplier had wasted money developing, imagine having that stuck to your window for any length of time

This is the same whacky logic I don't understand about those solar charged USB power banks. Sticking a large lithium-ion battery pack in the hot sun for several hours seems to be one of the dumbest things one can do.

 

[sshazam]

even with a bigger battery running that sort of load for that many hours every day is going to take a toll, car batteries aren't suited to constant discharge on a regular basis, you can get deep cycle batteries which are more forgiving but they still won't last

That was my fear as well.
I don't need to run it for 10 hours every day. Just a couple of days a week it will run for those extended periods.
I'm thinking I might just have to get a bigger battery and just hard wire the two side cams and only use the extra front and rear camera when the car is on.

I just don't want to have an incident and then find out my camera doesn't work etc.

 

[kamkar]

but i'm unsure whats the best way to power it ?

I have expanded my 12 V powergrid with a extension 3 port ciggy socket in the boot, that then power my Left side mounted mobius and the rear mounted x camera.
I have more or less done the same in the front + i have 5 X 2.4 A USB ports and 3 x 1 A and one 2 A USB ports, and one of those 1 A ports power the innovv C3 i have in the right side of my car.
In the front i have the same 3 port ciggy socket extension, ATM 2 of the ports is used to power the 2 X cams i am testing in my windscreen, and my primary SG9665GC camera is powered off one of the 2.4 A USB ports.

All power stuff in the front is in my glove box, i have even freed up the original car ciggy socket as i was tired of wires on my center console.

I am allmost where my little Suzuki could jumpstart a tesla

 

[Dashmellow]

I have expanded my 12 V powergrid with a extension 3 port ciggy socket in the boot, that then power my Left side mounted mobius and the rear mounted x camera.
I have more or less done the same in the front + i have 5 X 2.4 A USB ports and 3 x 1 A and one 2 A USB ports, and one of those 1 A ports power the innovv C3 i have in the right side of my car.
In the front i have the same 3 port ciggy socket extension, ATM 2 of the ports is used to power the 2 X cams i am testing in my windscreen, and my primary SG9665GC camera is powered off one of the 2.4 A USB ports.

All power stuff in the front is in my glove box, i have even freed up the original car ciggy socket as i was tired of wires on my center console.

I am allmost where my little Suzuki could jumpstart a tesla

I think you need solar panels on your roof and a much bigger battery!

 

[Dashmellow]

Here's an example video from a right side facing camera view while parked using a Mobius with C2 lens running on a 20,000 mAh power bank. Street views and people watching can sometimes be pretty entertaining while at the same time providing good security while away from your vehicle, especially with four cameras running in your absence.

Also, here's a screen shot out the left side rear window taken at the same time, also Mobius C2. The coverage of the C2 lens has proved itself to be the ideal side camera FOV in my experimentation and testing of side cams.

 

[GTA Driver]

Tied some Velcro into the sleeve mounting and attached to ceiling. It worked, but needs some refinement. Tried on the drivers side and can the catch entire length of short cars such as Mazda 3's or Rav 4. And with that, can see people eating, but didn't encounter any distracted drivers. Its like I got transported to another city or time, something ain't right.

I encountered some silliness at a red light, caught on the side dash cam which will be posted in a few days