Mobius Super Capacitor.

[russ331]

Update. I installed capacitors in my two Mobius cams 5 years 5 months & 5 years 2 months ago, respectively. Both cams start recording when the engine is started. Both hold date & time correctly, & save the last file after the engine is switched off.

 

[Noonamee]

If I only need the camera to start recording when powering up and shut down when there's no power, there's no need to use the capacitor. Is that correct?

 

[Harsh]

If you use it without a battery or capacitor, last file will be corrupted due to the abrupt shutdown. That's if it works at all, haven't tried.

 

[Harsh]

Are you a dash cam retailer?

 

[Noonamee]

Kind of. But most people rather buy directly from eBay or Amazon

 

[Dashmellow]

If I only need the camera to start recording when powering up and shut down when there's no power, there's no need to use the capacitor. Is that correct?

Not correct as @Harsh pointed out about the need for the capacitor to properly save the last file.

Also, the super-capacitor is required for keeping the correct time and date on the RTC (Real-time-clock). A charged capacitor will keep the date & time for approximately 7-10 days.

 

[Noonamee]

I didn't intend to remove both battery and capacitor but keep the original power supply of the dash cam instead of upgrading it to super capacitor. Do you mean that a bad battery cannot last long enough to save the last file and maintain the correct time?

 

[jokiin]

if the battery is failing it can still have problems closing the last file

 

[russ331]

Update. I installed capacitors in my two Mobius cams 5 years 6 months & 5 years 3 months ago, respectively. Both cams start recording when the engine is started. Both hold date & time correctly, & save the last file after the engine is switched off.

 

[Bungus]

Update. I installed capacitors in my two Mobius cams 5 years 6 months & 5 years 3 months ago, respectively. Both cams start recording when the engine is started. Both hold date & time correctly, & save the last file after the engine is switched off.

Time really flies. My 2 Mobius are about the same age. Still working great too.

 

[Dashmellow]

Same here. I have two V1 Mobius cams still in service and several later versions (V2 & V3 pcb) also still going strong. The original Mobius action cam is by far the most reliable dash/action camera out there and it manages despite some very challenging conditions such as extreme heat, cold and the shocks and vibrations of daily driving on rural dirt/gravel roads.

 

[russ331]

Update. I installed capacitors in my two Mobius cams 5 years 7 months & 5 years 4 months ago, respectively. Both cams start recording when the engine is started. Both hold date & time correctly, & save the last file after the engine is switched off.

 

[sydney2218]

. A charged capacitor will keep the date & time for approximately 7-10 days.

My observations are it holds time/date for less than 7 days , but i have not done a test . My car is unused for many days so i will reinstall the battery.When i park i dismount that Mobius 1 , off a magnetic mount & store it out of the sun.

 

[Dashmellow]

My observations are it holds time/date for less than 7 days , but i have not done a test . My car is unused for many days so i will reinstall the battery.When i park i dismount that Mobius 1 , off a magnetic mount & store it out of the sun.

I guess 7-10 days is a rule of thumb. I can get maybe around 7 days but it's very rare that I get to find out for certain since the Mobius cams in my vehicle get powered up pretty much every day. The Mobius cams I use for other purposes have batteries installed.

 

[Dashmellow]

The other day I had a near miss coming around the semi-blind hairpin turn on the road I live on and wanted to get a better look at the crazy neighbor kid who's been driving like a manic around here lately. But when I got home and checked the file it wasn't there. It was then I discovered a bunch of other seemingly random missing files. So, I engaged in a round of standard Mobius troubleshooting procedures (for any dash cam really) such as installing a new memory card and testing the old one with H2testw, checking the cable and its connections, the power supply, etc., but nothing obvious turned up.

Then when I re-examined all the files on the memory card which had accumulated over a period of several days I finally realized the various missing files where all the last file before shut-down. Don't know why I missed that initially but it could only mean one thing....the super-capacitor had failed.

A quick swap with a spare super-capacitor module I had on hand and I was back in business.

I currently have four Mobius cameras that have super-capacitors installed, a few of which have been in daily service for many years and none of them have ever failed before. This is a first. Of course, any component can fail eventually.

Edit: Just the fact you can plug a new super-capacitor into the PCB and be on your way as if nothing had ever happened is one of the reasons I prize Mobius cams so much.

 

[russ331]

Update. I installed capacitors in my two Mobius cams 5 years 8 months & 5 years 5 months ago, respectively. Both cams start recording when the engine is started. Both hold date & time correctly, & save the last file after the engine is switched off.

 

[SawMaster]

Only 5+ years without failure? I'd have expected better than that

Seriously, many thanks to @russ331 for giving us these long-term updates- your steadfast perseverance is noted and appreciated

Phil

 

[russ331]

Update. I installed capacitors in my two Mobius cams 5 years 9 months & 5 years 6 months ago, respectively. Both cams start recording when the engine is started. Both hold date & time correctly, & save the last file after the engine is switched off.

Recently I thought I might have to report the demise of the youngest Mobius. Fortunately just the memory card had expired, & a new card restored normal performance.

 

[TonyM]

ecently I thought I might have to report the demise of the youngest Mobius. Fortunately just the memory card had expired, & a new card restored normal performance.

What cards do you use in your Mobius cameras?

 

[russ331]

What cards do you use in your Mobius cameras?

Kingston Class 10. Always despatched from & sold by Amazon.