Powerbank Battery for a Dashcam

I've got a 2ch Blackvue that's hooked up via the cig lighter so it's off when I'm parked. Is there a powerbank I can use to power the cam on the infrequent trips to the mall/movie theater? I'm guessing I'd have to buy a 5v cig adapater to USB? I haven't been able to find one. Anyone have any suggestions on how to accomplish this? I don't mind charging at home and bringing the power bank to the car every time I need it.

I saw they usually bundle blackvue with the power magic pro. Blackvue has the buffering mode which enables it to record before and after the incident (if any) even when parking. So there's no need for you to record everything when parking.
 
Yeah, I don't want to hard wire yet as reaching the fuse box in my vehicle is a bit of a pain to reach. I'd rather use portable packs for the time being.
 
So these power banks are a suitable alternative to purchasing a Cellink B LiFePO4?
The Cellink B's cost about 15 times more; I wonder if the Cellink B's have any advantages over these power banks?
 
The Cellink B is a system which automatically charges it's own battery (powerbank) while you drive and also switches your cam from car battery to it's battery automatically when you park. A powerbank is just a battery pack where you have to recharge it manually and you have to plug your cam into it manually.

Phil
 
Thanks for that Phil.
I'm just starting to get this figured out.

Apparently, Omnicharge is one if the best with 90% efficiency, so that 20,000 mAH delivers 18,000 mAH.
Omnicharge also has LCD display.
However Omnicharge costs just as much as Cellink B!

Many power banks only have 60-70% efficiency, such that 10,000 mAH only delivers some 6,500 mAH.

Often, power banks cannot be charged itself, while charging another device simultaneously.

I'm still learning.
 
No powerbank can charge while in use. The few which have this feature actually split the charging power internally so that the batteries are charging separately as the charger itself is powering the device which is plugged in. There are limitations on how much power you can draw for the device plugged in while charging. For most cams using a 5V USP power input, a minimum of 1.5A (1500mA) is recommended. Larger is OK but not smaller ;)

Stay with quality brand names and watch for fakes. More than the usual reason for that; Lithium cells and batteries are relatively safe if built well and the cheap stuff often isn't. Think 'hoverboard' or'E-cig' fire videos; we've all seen them and that is what cheap powerbanks can do too :eek: The ones you'll find recommended by the folks here on DCT should do well for you.

Phil
 
Some of the claims from Omnicharge sound like marketing hype to me. Whatever the alleged capabilities of the product may or may not be, the notion anyone would spend that kind of money for the modest (claimed) extra efficiency and features available in far less expensive products (like smart USB chargers for 10 bucks each, for example) seems money poorly spent for a dash cam power supply. One could buy two or more decent quality dash cameras for the cost of a 20,400 mAh Omincharge.

If you are willing to manually charge a standard lithium-ion or lithium polymer power bank on a regular basis they will perform extraordinarily well. I have been using two 20,000 mAh generic Chinese power banks to run four dash cameras for anywhere from around two to approximately seven hours a day on a daily basis for three years now in all kinds of conditions. One of these generic Chinese banks is now exactly three years old and the other is two years old and they both have quite a lot of serviceable life left in them. A 20,000 mAh power banks can run a typical dash camera for up to 20 hours. I paid approximately 20 dollars each for these units on Amazon. All that is required is common sense in using them, the willingness to do some plugging and unplugging and good charging practices.
 
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Some generics are OK and some are junk. That's why I said to use recommended ones as somebody else will have made the discovery of which is good already ;) I don't need or use these gadgets but I do know something about them from my interests in Lithium cells and batteries used for other purposes :)

Phl
 
Yes, there are indeed crappy generics out there and one needs to use common sense in making a purchase to avoid obvious junk. There are also some good Chinese companies nowadays that have a brand presence, offer warranties and will stand behind their products and you can buy a very decent 20,000 mAh power bank from these firms for between twenty to thirty dollars. Many of these products are every bit as good if not better than heavily promoted brands like Anker at dramatically lower prices. Even if one buys one of the 20,000 mAh range Anker products you would spend only a fraction of the price of the Omnicharge. You could buy two of them and charge one while the other is in use and not spend anywhere near what the Omnicharge would cost you.

All in all, I own four such "generic" banks, all well made with good features and performance and am very pleased with all of them.
 
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Yes, there are indeed crappy generics out there and one needs to use common sense in making a purchase to avoid obvious junk. There are also some good Chinese companies nowadays that have a brand presence, offer warranties and will stand behind their products and you can buy a very decent 20,000 mAh power bank from these firms for between twenty to thirty dollars. Many of these products are every bit as good if not better than heavily promoted brands like Anker at dramatically lower prices. Even if one buys one of the 20,000 mAh range Anker products you would spend only a fraction of the price of the Omnicharge. You could buy two of them and charge one while the other is in use and not spend anywhere near what the Omnicharge would cost you.

All in all, I own four such "generic" banks, all well made with good features and performance and am very pleased with all of them.

Any links? Can I charge with the car while powering the cams?
 
Any links? Can I charge with the car while powering the cams?

Right now you can buy an excellent lithium-polymer 20,000mAh power banks from PowerADD (Power Add Pilot Plus with 24 month warranty for $16.99 USD on Amazon. I own one and can personally recommend it.

https://www.ipoweradd.com/collectio...ne-ipad-samsung-galaxy-note-and-tablets-white

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00NGJK6NIhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...iveASIN=B00NGJK6NI&linkCode=as2&tag=dacata-20
RAVpower may be worth looking into. They are having a special this month (Check Amazon)
 
Any links? Can I charge with the car while powering the cams?

No, you cannot and should not charge a power bank at the same time it is discharging.
(Note: some battery banks automatically prevent you from doing this anyway.)

Here is my standard "speil" on "pass through charging" which I drag out now and then when somebody asks this question.

The reason lithium-ion battery banks should not be charged while power is at the same time simultaneously being drawn from them is because it violates the electro-chemisty of how batteries function.

In a lithium-ion rechargeable battery as used in these types of power banks both the positive electrode (cathode) and the negative electrode (anode) bind lithium ions from lithium oxide in the electrolyte that migrate back and forth between the cathode and anode during the charging and discharging process. When the battery is discharging, the lithium ions moving back through the electrolyte to the cathode release energy (electrons) in the process and this is how the battery powers your device. When the battery is later charged after being used, the lithium ions migrate through the electrolyte back in the other direction towards the anode.

So, if you charge the battery while it is simultaneously discharging, then you are trying to force the lithium ions to move in opposite directions through the electrolyte at the same time which will cause a lot of stress to the cells and this will eventually lead to damage in the form of lithium metal plating which is the dangerous process than can ultimately cause a thermal runaway (chemical combustion), but for the most part will likely tend to just shorten the operating lifespan of the bank's cells prematurely, reduce its charging capacity and can also lead to battery swelling.

Also, as the battery bank is charging and is almost fully charged and is hovering near the cut-off threshold when the circuitry would ordinarily shut off the voltage charging but the battery is at the same time also discharging from a parasitic load, it confuses the charging circuitry and this causes a lot of additional stress to the electronics as well as the battery cells.

Note: Many smartphones, tablets and laptop computers have special battery management circuitry that allows them to be safely plugged in and charging during use because these devices are temporarily shutting off the battery power behind the scenes while they are being charged. Of course, smartphones, tablets and laptop computers cost quite a lot more than typical power banks and this is one reason they can include these more sophisticated features. Only a very few power banks feature such circuitry.
 
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What's the best way to power cams 24/7 without manual switching of battery packs?
 
Any links?...

Right now you can buy an excellent lithium-polymer 20,000mAh power banks from PowerADD (Power Add Pilot Plus with 24 month warranty for $16.99 USD on Amazon. I own one and can personally recommend it....
To give you an idea of how long you can power a dash cam with one of these external power packs I once ran 2 SG9665GC cameras off a 12,000 mAh pack for nearly 6 hours and used less than 1/2 it's capacity. Simple math shows it should easily run 1 camera for 24 hours so a 20,000 mAh pack should power the average dash cam for close to 40 hours.
 
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I flush mounted some new sockets on my center console with constant power direct to the secondary battery. It does have a small rocker switch (not visible) as the USB socket has a small parasitic draw due to the LED (26mA).

At the moment my SG cam is plugged into the 3 port hub, now i can move it over if i need manual parking mode. I probably could have placed it closer, but i wanted the new sockets to be accessible by the rear passengers too.

I've ordered some better quality sockets, im hoping it doesnt have a parasitic draw.

9n7ly3V.jpg
 
I am a flashlight expert.
I have many AW 18650 lithium ion batteries @ 3.6 volts & roughly 3000 mAH each.

DSC_0324.jpg


I just purchased this DoSHIN battery bank from eBay pictured below.
It seems to be made from 3x 18650 batteries similar to the picture above, ie 3x 3000 mAH at 3.6 volts each mounted in parallel, ie 3.6 volts and 9000 mAH.
My question is how this DoSHIN battery pack claims that it is rated at 5 volts and 50,000 mAH????????????
Is this nonsense?


There is a micro USB for charging.
There is only one operational button.
It has a grey LCD output display with white backlighting by single clicking, with display for both % battery capacity, voltage and amperage at either 1.0 or 2.1 Amps.
It has a very weak built-in flashlight by double clicking.
There are 3x USB outputs altogether @ 2x 2.1 Amps, and 1x 1.0 Amp.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/401219226248

11.jpg
 
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I am a flashlight expert.
I have many AW 18650 lithium ion batteries @ 3.6 volts & roughly 3000 mAH each.

View attachment 30431


I just purchased this DoSHIN battery bank from eBay pictured below.
It seems to be made from 3x 18650 batteries similar to the picture above, ie 3x 3000 mAH at 3.6 volts each mounted in parallel, ie 3.6 volts and 9000 mAH.
My question is how this DoSHIN battery pack claims that it is rated at 5 volts and 50,000 mAH????????????
Is this nonsense?


There is a micro USB for charging.
There is only one operational button.
It has a grey LCD output display with white backlighting by single clicking, with display for both % battery capacity, voltage and amperage at either 1.0 or 2.1 Amps.
It has a very weak built-in flashlight by double clicking.
There are 3x USB outputs altogether @ 2x 2.1 Amps, and 1x 1.0 Amp.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/401219226248

View attachment 30432

It is just a generic Chinese power bank making a bogus claim about the capacity of the bank. Unfortunately that is very common.
Peter, but if you are such an expert and are very familiar with 18650 batteries I wonder why you would buy a power bank like this one and expect that it might be anywhere near 50,0000 mAh?

As it happens I too purchased a power bank that claimed to be 50,000 mAh (two of them actually). I posted about it almost three years ago in the 4th post to this thread back in 2014. I knew when I purchased it that the 50,000 mAh claim was bogus but I decided to take a chance and see what would show up. Since then I have determined that it uses 8 - 18650 cells that are either 2500 mAh each or perhaps 3000 mAh each yielding a power bank that has a capacity of around 20,0000 mAh or 24,000 mAh.

FWIW, those two generic 50,000 mAh Chinese power banks (manufactured by Epteck Corp in Shenzen) I purchased on Amazon for approximately 20 dollars each have been in daily hard service for two and three years each and have provided extraordinarily reliable excellent service and appear to have much life left in them.

Some of these cheap power banks are total crap made with cheap cells and some are actually pretty good. Hopefully the one you bought will last a good long time and provide reliable safe service for you.
 
I'm like you Dashmellow.
I don't believe that it has a 50,000 mAH capacity.
However, I'll give it a go - it must be some good, and it cost peanuts...
 
I'm like you Dashmellow.
I don't believe that it has a 50,000 mAH capacity.
However, I'll give it a go - it must be some good, and it cost peanuts...

Worth a shot, why not? My purchases worked out great!

I was just about to buy an Anker for much more money when I stumbled on these. Since that time many excellent power banks have appeared on the market at excellent prices from growing companies offering good support and outstanding warranty policies.

By the way, those generic banks I ordered three years ago were also claimed to be lithium-polymer but when I got them, examined them and measured them it became clear that they housed eight 18650 cells.
 
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