Power source for occasional parking mode (no hardwiring)

[darkoaltosnowstorm]

Hey guys,

Was looking for advice on my situation. I'm currently driving my car around 10-15 minutes a day weekdays, and maybe 30 minutes a day on weekends. My car is parked at home normally so I don't need any recording then, but whenever heading out I'd like to have parking footage and driving footage.

Due to me not driving much, I think hardwiring wouldn't make sense, and I'm also reluctant to risk damaging my battery, so I'm interested in other options.

I've considered Cellink Neo, but it looks like I need to charge it by driving 45-60 minutes, which I wouldn't be doing. Perhaps I could use the Cellink and only switch on the parking mode when I need it? Or perhaps powerbanks would be the best option for me?

I'm looking to purchase the Viofo A129 Pro Duo but can consider others if they'll make the above possible.

 

[NARider]

I've been very happy with my Street Guardian SG9663DCPRO dual-cams and the SG customer support is outstanding (they are very active in these forums, look for @jokiin and @Street Guardian USA ). I also purchased the hardwire kit (HWK) which is required for parking mode. I have my parking mode set to record for 30 minutes after I park, recording 5 frames per second (options: 1, 3, or 5 FPS; no sound is recorded), with the low-voltage cutoff that's built in to the HWK set for 12.2 V (options: 11.8, 12.0, 12.2, 12.4 V). I don't drive a lot and the automatic low-voltage cutoff means I don't have to worry about a dead car battery. Even set at 12.2 V, it almost never cuts off so I almost always get 30 minutes of parked time-lapse recording. FYI, from this post #3 : "[Camera] current draw peaks at around 320mAh, normally around 250mAh, they draw about 30mA less in timelapse parking mode. There is a small difference in power consumption between 30fps and timelapse (30fps uses about 20mAh more than timelapse does), there is no difference in power consumption between any any of the timelapse modes."

 

[SawMaster]

A 15 minute drive every day is about the minimum to keeping your battery well charged, so you could likely use a HWK set to a reasonable voltage fior parking mode without any problems. An alternative would be to use two high-quality USB powerbanks with one charging at home as you use the other to run the cam while parked. Keep the powerbank in a shaded place with airflow when parked during the summer. Cellink-type devices simply do the power-switching and charging for you automatically and you pay a hefty price for the convenience. They won't fully charge during your short drives but there will be some charrging and it might be enough to suit your needs.

Being in Sydney you're going to need a cam which handles heat well- that would be my main concern. Some cams turn themselves off if they get too hot, others will 'freeze up' and stop recording until you restart them, and some will keep recording rather reliably, perhaps occasionally 'freezing up' on the worst days.

Phil