Parking Mode With Independent Battery

[mrted]

I've seen the Blackvue Power Magic Pro Battery Discharge prevention and from a technical perspective, I just don't like it. It just seems there are too many situations where I could end up stranded with a bad battery. When I get a dash cam, I'm planning to plug it into it's own battery that acts kind of like a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply).

I was thinking of mounting something like this in my glove compartment:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/280946815795
For a larger battery, I *could* potentially mount it in the engine bay area. I was thinking of something about 1/3 of the size of a regular car battery.

I figure you could even go further and put a solar panel on the dashboard to extend the battery life like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00E3OL5U8
Does anyone have a setup like this? I would be interested in hearing how long you have been running it, how long your unit runs on battery and if there have been any problems.

mrted

 

[GJHS]

Hi mrted, Which camera do you have? The problem with separate dedicated batteries is keeping them charged and remembering to plug them in. That extra step might prove too much daily. Solar would be great, except that you would need a regulator to keep the voltage steady. Unregulated Solar panels could destroy a battery and/or dash cam.

 

[mrted]

I don't have a dashcam yet. I've been looking at dual cams lately, but it's hard to pick since none of them seem to have all of the features I am looking for.

mrted

 

[fieldofview]

I was thinking of mounting something like this in my glove compartment: https://www.ebay.com/itm/280946815795Does anyone have a setup like this? I would be interested in hearing how long you have been running it, how long your unit runs on battery and if there have been any problems.
mrted

I also have looked at a battery pack, there are some with capacities up to 26,000 mAh. See this discussion Anker makes them up to 20,000 and 26,000 mAh. Factor in you don't get the full charge, maybe only up to 80% of the available charge. Others have done discharge tests and the batteries may keep your camera going for maybe 3 days. Is that long enough? I was looking for, but haven't found, an option to run the camera for say a week when parked at the airport, but not drawing from the car's battery.

Some cameras have motion detection mode and g-sensors which record only when motion is detected or the camera senses the car being bumped. Motion detection means the camera is on all the time testing if the image has changed.

 

[mrted]

Thanks for the link. I would be more than happy to have just 24 hours of coverage. My main concern would be damage to the vehicle that happened while I have it parked in a public place.

mrted

 

[albertson]

If you think your dashcam will drain your battery too much and you have the space and budget, you can add an automotive or a motorcycle spare battery and dedicate it to dashcam use only. This could supply power to several dash cams for days without risk of lowering the main battery. Motor homes and camper trailers use this method for the cabin accessories. The engine alternator will recharge the spare battery through a battery isolator. (example: https://www.amazon.com/gp/B004BTSG2K
You could use a deep cycle battery that better recovers from heavy discharge. The 12.4 volt threshold would not risk a poor start, because it is not drawing power from the main battery. My son has the spare battery mounted in his trunk and powers his custom music system and the car alarm. He can run the music till it is near dead, and still easily start the car. Your extra power socket for the dashcam would be wired to the spare battery (with fuse) for an always-on motion detecting. The effect is this isolates the spare battery from the rest of the car, except the alternator can recharge both batteries.

I do not recommend a solar charger, but if you want one, a solar charger for cars needs a voltage controller. Some have this built in. Example: https://www.amazon.com/gp/B005LR9IOG Many different brands and capacities available. Obviously, the solar output depends on the weather (clouds), shadows and daylight hours. If you expect to have a very long storage time (maybe weeks) there is a risk the looping of the motion detect may over write the important file, or exhaust the storage capacity with protected files.

Disclaimer: There could be local laws limiting what is allowed. Just like a custom music system, this could impact your warranty if your car is new, so not for everyone. You need to know what you are doing. The battery needs to be mounted securely. The wires need to be protected from damage to insulation, or various hazards. Consider risks to this equipment from a car wreck. Most stereo shops could install the extra battery, isolator and wiring if you did not want to DIY.