Mobius with 2.1 amp car charger

In theory it should be OK if the voltage regulator is within the range of 5 volts +/- 0.25 volts, 4.72 --> 5.25 volts.

I did a series of tests on AC to USB and 12 volts to USB adapters. All seem to fall within the range of 5.1 volts --> 5.2 volts. One adapter did come out high at 5.3 volts. That was my 2.1A 12 volt adapter. The range allows for +/- 5%, but this is +6% over the ideal specification. It could be just a quirk for this one unit OR maybe it's a design flaw; I have no idea.
 
Yes, that will be fine. It meets all the required specs and your Mobius will only draw the current it requires- so the higher rating will make no difference.
 
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^ thanks for the replies guys! Will likely pick that charger up and a 3m mini USB cable to hard wire the möbius into my car's fuse box.
 
Will the Mobius work in the car with any mini USB cable? I am hoping to get an angled one to mount it higher on the windshield
 
GJHS said:
Will the Mobius work in the car with any mini USB cable? I am hoping to get an angled one to mount it higher on the windshield
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Mini USB is mini USB. Get whichever cable you want. I'm looking for a long right angle one myself. Link it here if you found one!
 
I'm using an up angle Mini USB extender that connects to a regular USB A to Mini B, all hidden away in headliner.
 
Isoprop said this a while ago...

"The developer also found that a weak external power supply can drastically increase the internal heat because the charger IC will constantly be charging/not charging the battery. These fast on/off cycles are poison to the battery and will destroy it in no time and could also lead of the premature death of the DSP. A stable 5V and a 1A supply current is essential when using external power."

So no you cannot use just any cable, it needs to be of sufficient quality to supply the required current. The Mobius-approved 3m cable should be fine, but a cheapo cable off eBay ... who knows?
 
Yeah I didn't take any chances, using the vendor supplied USB adapter and 3M cable. Just the 8" up angle extender is added.
 
Gurkha9 said:
Yeah I didn't take any chances, using the vendor supplied USB adapter and 3M cable. Just the 8" up angle extender is added.
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I'm running the same set up on three Mobius (Mobii? :) ) and no failures yet.
 
FYI:

I am working on an issue with power. My camera will be in time lapse mode & stop. I'm thinking a spike is getting past the regulator when I start the truck. Anyone else see this?

Nerd note: There are 2 species of power/supply regulators: shunt & switched. Most of the 12v-5v adapters are switcher supplies which are more efficient [less waste heat] but are NOT as good at handling spikes.
 
Usually Unfocused said:
FYI:

I am working on an issue with power. My camera will be in time lapse mode & stop. I'm thinking a spike is getting past the regulator when I start the truck. Anyone else see this?

Nerd note: There are 2 species of power/supply regulators: shunt & switched. Most of the 12v-5v adapters are switcher supplies which are more efficient [less waste heat] but are NOT as good at handling spikes.
Click to expand...

Hi, how have you got it wired into the vehicle? I assume you've got wired permanently to the vehicle's battery? The vehicle's battery voltage will drop significantly when the engine is cranked over. The healthier/ higher capacity battery your vehicle has got the less the voltage drop should be. Wiring the Mobius directly to the battery on it's own wiring loom (fused of course and running both positive and negative wires to the battery terminals) will also help negate voltage drops on the factory loom. (These drops are caused by the high current demand when cranking the engine and could be affecting the Mobius power supply.)
 
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Find a fuse which is not affected by the engine start, but also which is working only when the car is running. At my car I have a fuse like this which is for the Engine Check circuit. I discovered it when looking to my dashboard I saw the Engine Check light was never interrupted when starting the engine compared to other circuits.

My 5V charger is 2.5A but I think because of length of the wires (3m) some power is lost during the cables.

enjoy,
Mtz
 
murcod said:
Hi, how have you got it wired into the vehicle? I assume you've got wired permanently to the vehicle's battery?
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Hardly, it was a rented Penske 22 ft Diesel truck's cigarette lighter plug.
The vehicle's battery voltage will drop significantly when the engine is cranked over. The healthier/ higher capacity battery your vehicle has got the less the voltage drop should be.
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But why should that be an issue? The camera has an internal battery that the external power floats.

After 3200 miles, it seems there's two issues that may be one. First, the camera shuts off randomly. Secondly, whenever there is no external power, the camera stops after a minute or so unless in time lapse mode. This despite

Code: 
Auto Off with External Power disconnected=[2],0:Immediately,1:delay 10s;2:record to low battery power off,
.

There must be something I'm not understanding in the setup.
 
Usually Unfocused said:
$5 is an OK price; not earthshaking but OK.
That list price is a joke.....
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I originally purchased a similar one on eBay (non-branded) from China for $1. But after reading this thread, I decided it wasn't worth the risk of destroying the internal battery so I opted for a more trustworthy solution.

I am using the official 3 meter cable supplied by the eBay seller, so this should be a reliable setup.
 
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