Mobius 12v to 5v recommendation

[ZenValo]

Hi all, first post. I've been trying to read through and search as much as possible here on the forum with no luck, so maybe somebody can help or direct me to a thread/page.

I recently got a Mobius V3 Lens C2 to mount to my motorcycle. I have a fuse tap using a 2A fuse which is wired to this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00OHHT7ZG
From there I have one usb going to my Garmin GPS and the other to the Mobius. With that set up, if I have them both plugged in when I start the motorcycle, both will receive power, but the Mobius will not start recording.

If I keep the GPS unplugged when I start the bike, the Mobius will start recording as it should. I then plug in the GPS at which point it turns on and the Mobius continues to record.

The problem arises sometime during my ride where the Mobius will stop recording (solid yellow on top). It will always complete the 5 minute clip, wherever it decides it doesn't want to record anymore. Just today it recorded 5 full clips (25 minutes out of a 35-40 min ride) in 85 degree weather. Later in the night when the temp wasn't nearly as hot, it stopped recording after 3 clips (15 minutes out of a 30 minute ride). I've swapped USB cables and no difference.

Running the current firmware as of today. (can't remember what number off-hand) I have the super capacitor installed and a Kingston 32gb class 4 microSD which was formatted with the mobius software multiple times. I previously had a Samsung 32gb class 6 card in it and it was doing the same thing, which is why I went out and bought the Kingston as is recommended. All the settings are correct using the software.

With all that said, it seems it might just be something with the 12v-5v converter. Can anyone recommend one with a full size female USB that would provide the constant power the Mobius needs? I would just run it from a separate fuse tap so there is no interference with any draw from the GPS.

Sorry for the long winded post, but I wasn't able to find any threads with my issues.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

~Zen

 

[sludgeguts]

The specs say output 3A max - can work at below 2.5A for a long time.
Which suggests that 3A is something it can put out for short bursts where an appliance might suddenly need a burst - for example, when charging a phone, you may get an incoming call which requires extra power?
Not sure offhand how much power the Mobius needs (0.5A ?) so worth checking out how much the Garmin needs.
Of course, it also depends on what circuit you tapped into - if the appliance on that circuit needs a sudden burst, that'll drop what's available for the converter.
Then again, I'm an old man & all this is just speculation

 

[ZenValo]

The specs say output 3A max - can work at below 2.5A for a long time.
Which suggests that 3A is something it can put out for short bursts where an appliance might suddenly need a burst - for example, when charging a phone, you may get an incoming call which requires extra power?
Not sure offhand how much power the Mobius needs (0.5A ?) so worth checking out how much the Garmin needs.
Of course, it also depends on what circuit you tapped into - if the appliance on that circuit needs a sudden burst, that'll drop what's available for the converter.
Then again, I'm an old man & all this is just speculation

I originally had it tapped into the signal fuse which has constant power when the ignition is on and/or running, even if the turn signals aren't flashing, so I thought what you had mentioned might be the case, whereas when I go to use the turn signals, it would draw extra power to put towards those. I switched it over the the ignition fuse figuring once the initial ignition is over, it wouldn't need to draw any extra power. Same issue. My only other fuse option is the fuel pump fuse. There is one other fuse under the seat, but that is 15A and the add-a-fuse says 10A is the max it should be tapped into.

I wouldn't think the GPS would need any additional burst once it's locked in to the satellites.

 

[dash riposki]

If you leave the GPS unplugged for the whole ride, the mobius records ok?

 

[Klippie]

I've been using cameras (latest Drift Ghost S) on my bike for a few years now and originally went down the hardwired route but it didn't seem to work too well I could never figure it out,
starting the bike for example would freeze the camera while recording...???

So I've been using a 3000mah one of these - http://www.ianker.com/product/A1105011 - for the past year with perfect reliablity, you should see minium eight hours worth of recording with the Mobius, its kept under the seat and run a UBS cable to camera...easy.

Anker sell quite a few battery packs I recently bought a 2nd Gen Astro E5 this has 16000mah capacity and two USB outputs I plan to power two rear facing Mobius cameras one on each side.

 

[ZenValo]

If you leave the GPS unplugged for the whole ride, the mobius records ok?

I have not tried just leaving the GPS unplugged for a whole ride because I mainly use it for the purpose of a speedometer. My bike is a brand new 2015, but the factory speedometer isn't accurate. The battery in the GPS doesn't hold a charge either. That's why I would just run a separate fuse tap. One for the cam, one for the GPS in hopes that will solve the problem. I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a quality 12-5 usb converter.

I've been using cameras (latest Drift Ghost S) on my bike for a few years now and originally went down the hardwired route but it didn't seem to work too well I could never figure it out,
starting the bike for example would freeze the camera while recording...???

So I've been using a 3000mah one of these - http://www.ianker.com/product/A1105011 - for the past year with perfect reliablity, you should see minium eight hours worth of recording with the Mobius, its kept under the seat and run a UBS cable to camera...easy.

Anker sell quite a few battery packs I recently bought a 2nd Gen Astro E5 this has 16000mah capacity and two USB outputs I plan to power two rear facing Mobius cameras one on each side.

I have an e-prance mini 0803 tapped into the radio fuse in my truck and it's worked flawlessly for a year and a half or more, so I'm confident in the installation I did, aside from the possibility of the dual USB on one fuse causing the problem. Strange thing is, I have generally the same set-up in my truck, but I did that one with the add-a-fuse wired to an aftermarket 12v cigarette lighter and then just plugged in a dual-port USB plug. That starts up my e-prance and GPS at the same time and both work continuously.

Anyway, there is hardly any room under my seat to fit anything that didn't come with the bike, so I don't know if a battery bank would work for me. Trying to reduce the extra gadgets I need to carry with me.

 

[dash riposki]

Where is the GPS mounted? A battery pack in a tank bag seems to be an easy solution.
The adventure rider/BMW types probably have some sort of USB/power port accessory set up.
It seems I remember helping my brother put one into a new DL1000 a few years ago that fit under the seat snugly. Not sure it had USB ports, but was used for heated vests and other stuff. Wasn't cheap.

Knowing what kind of bike it is will offer better solutions, also.

Here's a simple handlebar USB thing.

http://www.touratech-usa.com/Store/2205/PN-030-0029/Dual-USB-Power-Outlet-w-Handlebar-Clamp

 

[russ331]

The problem arises sometime during my ride where the Mobius will stop recording (solid yellow on top). It will always complete the 5 minute clip, wherever it decides it doesn't want to record anymore. Just today it recorded 5 full clips (25 minutes out of a 35-40 min ride) in 85 degree weather. Later in the night when the temp wasn't nearly as hot, it stopped recording after 3 clips (15 minutes out of a 30 minute ride). I've swapped USB cables and no difference.

Try removing Mobius from the bike & powering it via a battery bank or wall plug USB adapter or smartphone or tablet charger. If it fills the card with 5 minute clips & overwrites the oldest clips, then you'll know that the Mobius is ok, & that the problem is definitely within the motorcycle power supply.

 

[ZenValo]

I didn't had a chance to mess with it over the past few days, but I'm going to try running it by itself without the GPS connected. I have a general idea of how much my speedo is off, so I can go without that on for a while I think. If that's still a no go, I'll try a wall plug usb and just let it run.

 

[DrB]

I am having the same problem: My capacitor Mobius, drawing constant power through a USB cable wired to the motorcycle battery, stops recording randomly and requires restarting.

I have two guesses why this happens, but still need to test/confirm:
1) The connection where the USB cable plugs into the cam is worn out/loose and interrupts the power due to the vibration or bumps in the road.
2) The voltage drops/surges upon hard acceleration or when using accessories, which stops the cam. I will test this by using a battery bank as suggested by Klippie.

Has anyone else found a solution to this problem?

 

[Pretired]

The flaky USB connection problem sounds reasonable, and voltage drops/surges is possible, many motorcycles have barely enough power for their own accessories let alone extras. You could also be having electrical noise issues when connected to a circuit. Have you tried a direct connection to the battery? Perhaps you won't get as much power drop or surging at the battery as well as a more quiet connection, you might consider hooking up a 12 volt capacitor to help smooth the power supplied as well, if it works better connected directly then you could do a direct connection through a relay and use a switched power wire in the vicinity of the relay to switch the relay on and off.