Powering the 900a 2ch

I

in2ndo

Active Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2017
Messages
185
Reaction score
56
Country
United States
Hi All.

I’ve been running a 900s 2ch for a few months now. I replaced my trucks battery with an optima yellow top.
At first.. the camera connected with a power magic pro cutting off at 11.5. Was staying on all night and part of the day. Without turning on the truck.
Now. It barely makes it through the night.
Other than the portable expensive batteries that are an option. Has anyone here figured out another way to power this things up for a longer period of time?


Thanks in advanced.
 
I gave up on that months ago .. unless you go with those expensive batteries, then it is very hit and miss. Where I live .. way more important that my car will start in -30C temps than if my dashcam will run all night.
 
in2ndo said:
Hi All.

I’ve been running a 900s 2ch for a few months now. I replaced my trucks battery with an optima yellow top.
At first.. the camera connected with a power magic pro cutting off at 11.5. Was staying on all night and part of the day. Without turning on the truck.
Now. It barely makes it through the night.
Other than the portable expensive batteries that are an option. Has anyone here figured out another way to power this things up for a longer period of time?


Thanks in advanced.
Click to expand...
Have you tried giving your battery a 100% charge on a battery charger? The shorter run time could just be because it is currently winter and with you using your lights and wipers the battery is not getting charged anywhere near full...
 
I searched for a solution for this same issue, and didnt find an easy to use alternative yet. Especially for electricity n00b like myself

At one point I was thinking about adding another car battery to the engine bay, and plug it into a second alternator. This extra battery will be used for all added accessories I have

Not sure if it is a good idea though. Is it?!
 
That sounds a bit of a sledgehammer to crack a nut solution.
There is not room to get a AAA battery in my engine bay, let alone another car battery and alternator.:eek:
 
M8TJT said:
That sounds a bit of a sledgehammer to crack a nut solution.
There is not room to get a AAA battery in my engine bay, let alone another car battery and alternator.:eek:
Click to expand...

Actually Lots of people in the 4x4 community took this route to power up their big light bars, radios, portable fridges ... etc instead of putting all this load on the main car battery, but that mostly used when they are driving arround

Not sure if it will work effectively for dash cams in parking mode
 
NorthStar said:
I searched for a solution for this same issue, and didnt find an easy to use alternative yet. Especially for electricity n00b like myself

At one point I was thinking about adding another car battery to the engine bay, and plug it into a second alternator. This extra battery will be used for all added accessories I have

Not sure if it is a good idea though. Is it?!
Click to expand...
Fitting a second alternator is likely to be a nightmare! Much easier to fit a more powerful alternator.

If you drive > 4 hours a day on average then you should be fine with a standard lead acid battery and cut-off at 12.2 volts.
If you drive 2 - 4 hours a day on average then you should be fine with a long life, maintenance free, calcium battery and cut-off at 12.0 volts.
If you drive 1 - 2 hours a day on average then you should be OK with an AGM battery and cut-off at 11.8 volts, maybe get a larger AGM battery for closer to 1 hour if it will fit.
If you drive 45 minutes to 60 minutes a day on average then a Cellink Neo or similar is the answer but rather expensive.
For less than 40 minutes a day you will need to bring external power unless you have both an upgraded alternator and very large lithium battery.

A 20,000mAh USB powerbank will keep a dual dashcam running for 24 hours. With a standard one you can charge it in the house overnight, preferably somewhere where a fire is not a big problem, or if you follow the rule that charging powerbanks should always be supervised due to the risk of fire then get a quick-charge one that can charged at 45 watts and be full in around 2 hours. If you want it running the dashcam while charging then you need two and alternate them. Using a powerbank charged in the house solves the problem that lithium batteries should never be charged below freezing.

If using a lead acid battery of any type then you should ensure that it occasionally gets charged to 100.00% full, preferably once per month, either by a long drive (> 6 hours) or using a battery charger.

It is often easier to fit a larger car battery than to fit an additional battery, and one larger battery that rarely gets emptied is better than one standard car battery that rarely gets emptied plus a smaller additional battery that regularly gets very empty and thus doesn't live long. Many gasoline powered cars have space or an alternative battery mount available to fit a larger battery intended for diesel engines.

Larger batteries will charge faster, although it may take longer for them to reach 100% full, lithium batteries are happier if they never reach 100% so a large lithium battery doesn't need filling and will have a longer lifetime so is likely a good investment.
 
Nigel said:
Fitting a second alternator is likely to be a nightmare! Much easier to fit a more powerful alternator.

If you drive > 4 hours a day on average then you should be fine with a standard lead acid battery and cut-off at 12.2 volts.
If you drive 2 - 4 hours a day on average then you should be fine with a long life, maintenance free, calcium battery and cut-off at 12.0 volts.
If you drive 1 - 2 hours a day on average then you should be OK with an AGM battery and cut-off at 11.8 volts, maybe get a larger AGM battery for closer to 1 hour if it will fit.
If you drive 45 minutes to 60 minutes a day on average then a Cellink Neo or similar is the answer but rather expensive.
For less than 40 minutes a day you will need to bring external power unless you have both an upgraded alternator and very large lithium battery.

A 20,000mAh USB powerbank will keep a dual dashcam running for 24 hours. With a standard one you can charge it in the house overnight, preferably somewhere where a fire is not a big problem, or if you follow the rule that charging powerbanks should always be supervised due to the risk of fire then get a quick-charge one that can charged at 45 watts and be full in around 2 hours. If you want it running the dashcam while charging then you need two and alternate them. Using a powerbank charged in the house solves the problem that lithium batteries should never be charged below freezing.

If using a lead acid battery of any type then you should ensure that it occasionally gets charged to 100.00% full, preferably once per month, either by a long drive (> 6 hours) or using a battery charger.

It is often easier to fit a larger car battery than to fit an additional battery, and one larger battery that rarely gets emptied is better than one standard car battery that rarely gets emptied plus a smaller additional battery that regularly gets very empty and thus doesn't live long. Many gasoline powered cars have space or an alternative battery mount available to fit a larger battery intended for diesel engines.

Larger batteries will charge faster, although it may take longer for them to reach 100% full, lithium batteries are happier if they never reach 100% so a large lithium battery doesn't need filling and will have a longer lifetime so is likely a good investment.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the detailed and super useful info. Power banks are out of the game for me since I live in a very hot area and its not good to leave them in the car in such condition.

The question is that if I get a larger battery as an ultimate solution, as you suggested, instead of my current car battery, will this have any possible negative effect on my car? Its a new Lexus
 
NorthStar said:
Thanks a lot for the detailed and super useful info. Power banks are out of the game for me since I live in a very hot area and its not good to leave them in the car in such condition.

The question is that if I get a larger battery as an ultimate solution, as you suggested, instead of my current car battery, will this have any possible negative effect on my car? Its a new Lexus
Click to expand...
Powerbanks can be discharged between -40C and +60C, as long as you position it near the floor then it is unlikely to get too hot in most of the world, and maybe you can remove it during the day for a few weeks in the summer. Also, going above 60C is not dangerous, just not good for lifespan. The safety issues only come if you charge below freezing. Maximum charging temperature is 40C.

Some cars such as BMW are a problem since they may use special batteries, BMW fit explosives to theirs to disconnect them in crashes to avoid their magnesium engines catching fire and being impossible to put out! As far as I know Lexus is OK, but being a new car you might want to ask Lexus about options. For most cars the only disadvantage is the extra weight which is detrimental to performance, although it must be possible to fit it securely so that it doesn't go flying in an impact.
 
Nigel said:
Powerbanks can be discharged between -40C and +60C, as long as you position it near the floor then it is unlikely to get too hot in most of the world, and maybe you can remove it during the day for a few weeks in the summer. Also, going above 60C is not dangerous, just not good for lifespan. The safety issues only come if you charge below freezing. Maximum charging temperature is 40C.

Some cars such as BMW are a problem since they may use special batteries, BMW fit explosives to theirs to disconnect them in crashes to avoid their magnesium engines catching fire and being impossible to put out! As far as I know Lexus is OK, but being a new car you might want to ask Lexus about options. For most cars the only disadvantage is the extra weight which is detrimental to performance, although it must be possible to fit it securely so that it doesn't go flying in an impact.
Click to expand...

Aha I see! Good points. I need to check with the dealer then

Thanks a lot for your time sir. Much appreciated
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top