Mobius Super Capacitor.

[jokiin]

Constantly powering a battery stuck up in the window is nowhere near as suitable as capacitors are for the same task

 

[GJHS]

Dear All, in that case I apologise. I clearly thought that a capacitor was like a super battery, in as much that when charged it would last longer than the 80 minutes of the battery.

I also thought that when charged (because I thought it lasted longer than a normal battery) I could do away with the power source.

Excuse my naiviety why then use one?

Safety is the answer. Super hot car interior and a Lipo battery aren't a great combination. The super Caps fix the heat worry, though I still prefer to remove my Mobius when when baking in the hot direct sun. The second answer is life span. Those small batteries don't have a long life span, some saying it only lasted 7 months.

Don't worry about being confused on this forum, we're just glad we can help.

 

[russ331]

...I thought it lasted longer than a normal battery) I could do away with the power source.

Whereas the battery can power Mobius for around 80 minutes, the capacitor only holds enough charge for a few seconds so, via the GUI, you must ensure that 'Power Off Disconnect' is set to 'Immediate'.

The capacitor's job is to save the last file being recorded when external power is cut, & to hold correct date / time for up to 10 to 12 days.

The capacitor's main advantage over the LiPo battery is that it's much less likely to overheat / swell / catch fire. Plus it should be more durable.

If you intend to use the Mobius as an ActionCam as well as a DashCam, then the capacitor may be impractical for you, & you may want to reinstall the battery.

 

[Sam K]

Whereas the battery can power Mobius for around 80 minutes, the capacitor only holds enough charge for a few seconds so, via the GUI, you must ensure that 'Power Off Disconnect' is set to 'Immediate'.

The capacitor's job is to save the last file being recorded when external power is cut, & to hold correct date / time for up to 10 to 12 days.

The capacitor's main advantage over the LiPo battery is that it's much less likely to overheat / swell / catch fire. Plus it should be more durable.

If you intend to use the Mobius as an ActionCam as well as a DashCam, then the capacitor may be impractical for you, & you may want to reinstall the battery.

Thanks Russ, no my only use will be as a Dash Cam.

 

[Isoprop]

Can you update to the latest firmware via the Windows GUI program with the super capacitor installed or do you need to remove the capacitor and reinstall the battery.

You can update the firmware with the capacitor installed, but the instructions are a little different.
When asked to disconnect the camera, press the power button for max. 1 second and wait until the red LED blinks 3 times. Wait a second or two and now BRIEFLY press the power button again. The blue LED should blink, showing the firmware is being updated. Wait until mSetup tells you the firmware is installed.
FWIW, this is my preferred method of updating the firmware. It works equally well with the internal battery and doesn't stress the USB connector. It is not documented because it's more complicated than connecting/disconnecting the USB cable.

 

[fatpanda]

You can update the firmware with the capacitor installed, but the instructions are a little different.
When asked to disconnect the camera, press the power button for max. 1 second and wait until the red LED blinks 3 times. Wait a second or two and now BRIEFLY press the power button again. The blue LED should blink, showing the firmware is being updated. Wait until mSetup tells you the firmware is installed.
FWIW, this is my preferred method of updating the firmware. It works equally well with the internal battery and doesn't stress the USB connector. It is not documented because it's more complicated than connecting/disconnecting the USB cable.

Thanks Isoprop, a good instruction to print off and put in my Mobius box of goodies.

 

[russ331]

Update. I installed capacitors in my two Mobius cams 6 months & 3 months ago, respectively. Both cams start recording every time the engine is started. Both hold date & time correctly, & save the last file after the engine is switched off. No problems to report.

 

[Rickardo]

Update. I installed capacitors in my two Mobius cams 6 months & 3 months ago, respectively. Both cams start recording every time the engine is started. Both hold date & time correctly, & save the last file after the engine is switched off. No problems to report.

Here you go again. You are a broken record.

Must be 50th time you tell us all its works good for you. We know!

For every time you say, 10 other peoples have issue.

 

[russ331]

Here you go again. You are a broken record.

Must be 50th time you tell us all its works good for you. We know!

For every time you say, 10 other peoples have issue.

You've been posting on this site for over 4 months, so you should've worked out by now that DCT is in no way representative of the typical owner experience.

Almost every Mobius owner in the world with a dashcam - related problem will find their way here to report it & seek solutions. Conversely, most of the remaining >99% of owners do not participate here, as they have no problems & no reason to find this site.

I'm one of the >99% of owners with no problems. I'm here mainly to keep up-to-date with dashcam developments, so I'll be well informed as to what to buy when the time comes to replace my Mobius cams. As of today, there's nothing available that I would rather own.

While I'm here, I post about my experience of owning two Mobius cams. Collectively, I've had around 13 months of daily use from them, with no problems at all, which is pretty typical of the vast majority of owners, i.e. no problems.

If you don't like my contributions, well tough. Frankly, I couldn't care less about your opinion. The 21 messages you've posted since April have contributed sod all to the collective sum of Mobius knowledge. You're becoming a 'whiner'.

If you're not happy with your Mobius, then sell it & move on. Buy a G1W, A118, Mini 0803, G90 ... anything else.

 

[Rickardo]

You've been posting on this site for over 4 months, so you should've worked out by now that DCT is in no way representative of the typical owner experience.

Almost every Mobius owner in the world with a dashcam - related problem will find their way here to report it & seek solutions. Conversely, most of the remaining >99% of owners do not participate here, as they have no problems & no reason to find this site.

I'm one of the >99% of owners with no problems. I'm here mainly to keep up-to-date with dashcam developments, so I'll be well informed as to what to buy when the time comes to replace my Mobius cams. As of today, there's nothing available that I would rather own.

While I'm here, I post about my experience of owning two Mobius cams. Collectively, I've had around 13 months of daily use from them, with no problems at all, which is pretty typical of the vast majority of owners, i.e. no problems.

If you don't like my contributions, well tough. Frankly, I couldn't care less about your opinion. The 21 messages you've posted since April have contributed sod all to the collective sum of Mobius knowledge. You're becoming a 'whiner'.

If you're not happy with your Mobius, then sell it & move on. Buy a G1W, A118, Mini 0803, G90 ... anything else.

Just because you are having no of the problems other are does not give you the right to belittle those that are.

You need to control the temper. Peeple all wont agree with your opinion. I can be dealing with that. You seem not to.

 

[zinm]

You can update the firmware with the capacitor installed, but the instructions are a little different.
When asked to disconnect the camera, press the power button for max. 1 second and wait until the red LED blinks 3 times. Wait a second or two and now BRIEFLY press the power button again. The blue LED should blink, showing the firmware is being updated. Wait until mSetup tells you the firmware is installed.
FWIW, this is my preferred method of updating the firmware. It works equally well with the internal battery and doesn't stress the USB connector. It is not documented because it's more complicated than connecting/disconnecting the USB cable.

Thanks. I followed that instruction and it worked like a charm.

 

[jokiin]

I suspect that some of the people that do have this boot failure with the Mobius using caps is as much to do with the type of vehicle as anything else, some vehicles power surge when cranking, some don't, other cameras can have issue with this also

 

[reverend]

Yeah my 3H2F-D had a similar problem and they added a 10 second startup delay to work around that issue with starting - not sure if that sort of thing is an option with caps as there may not be enough power for the timer to run?

Mine's a diesel and so sometimes it takes longer for the coil packs to warm up - I think I only ever had the starting issue twice with my car and never once they changed the firmware.

 

[jokiin]

Our old camera we had to a a startup delay menu option for this reason, some diesel vehicles in particular were a problem without this

 

[murcod]

When you first got your Cap and fitted it, how long did you charge it for via the USB to your PC?
I'd left mine for a good 10-15 mins after the Green LED had gone out to ensure it was fully charged before first use.

So, I've finally fitted a supercap (courtesy of a battery failure), but I'm just wondering how long does the green charging LED normally stay on for with the cap fitted? I realise it would depend on the state of charge of the capacitors, but I fitted a brand new cap pair I bought around 6 mths ago- the green LED didn't stay on long at all. Probably a minute max?

(I've still got it on charge with the LED off.)

 

[jokiin]

Caps charge within about 10 seconds or so, that's it

 

[murcod]

Okay thanks. I'll test it out and see how it goes.

 

[jokiin]

don't forget to change your settings to instant shutdown when power off

 

[murcod]

Yes all done thanks.

A quick power disconnect test run on the wall charger came up good, so it's back in the wife's car. (I've stolen the battery to fix my other Mobius.)

The cap sounds like a good solution for people who do short trips? (Judging by the time it's taking the removed battery to charge- on a wall charger - it wasn't getting much charge. That was with the near daily local trips and the camera recording.)

 

[Hilts]

So, I've finally fitted a supercap (courtesy of a battery failure), but I'm just wondering how long does the green charging LED normally stay on for with the cap fitted? I realise it would depend on the state of charge of the capacitors, but I fitted a brand new cap pair I bought around 6 mths ago- the green LED didn't stay on long at all. Probably a minute max?

(I've still got it on charge with the LED off.)

Caps charge within about 10 seconds or so, that's it

jokiin's spot on with his reply - it is next to no time at all. I was being extra cautious when I used mine for the first time!
5 months on the little Mobius c/w supercap is still doing a grand job in the rear window of my hatchback.