RavenManiac's Mini 0806 Programmable Timer Project

There are differences between the memory card slots, but if you are only using one then I don't think you will have any issue. If you try to use a backup card in the second then I suspect you need to stick to B (Bottom when normal way up) as your main card.
 
Nigel, I just tried powering on both of my Mini 0806's. One new, the other a replacement. The replacement, which doesn't have a GPS, didn't power on at all. Is that a red flag or is it typical for them to arrive with no charge?
 
RavenManiac said:
Nigel, I just tried powering on both of my Mini 0806's. One new, the other a replacement. The replacement, which doesn't have a GPS, didn't power on at all. Is that a red flag or is it typical for them to arrive with no charge?
Click to expand...
Well try it connected to your computer and give it a chance to charge.

Then test the battery, a very good one will record for about 15 minutes on battery power alone, if it only records for 5 minutes then you might consider getting it replaced, or change the battery yourself if return costs are more than replacement battery costs. If it doesn't power on and wont connect to your computer then obviously it is dead.
 
Until the blue charging light goes out.
 
Is that one of the three lights near the display? If so, I currently have it plugged in and nothing is lit. BTW, what do these lights mean?

[UPDATE]
Oops! My bad. I didn't have the Micro USB plugged in far enough. The blue light is now on. Still would like to know what the lights mean? :)
 
Blue = charging
Green = GPS
Red = recording

The green light is dynamic - the menus allow you to define the green light to be either OFF, GPS signal, or mic recording. I think by default it's GPS.
 
I dunno. I never even looked at the manual. It's so intuitive in the menu structure.
 
Nigel said:
Then test the battery, a very good one will record for about 15 minutes on battery power alone, if it only records for 5 minutes then you might consider getting it replaced, or change the battery yourself if return costs are more than replacement battery costs.
Click to expand...

So how do I get it to record for as long as possible on battery power without automatically shutting down?
 
One of the menu options is to power down after x minutes. Set that to off. Also, turn it on manually, and hit the center button (record).
 
Okay, good news. My Front Mini 0806 battery lasted for 13 minutes and 15 seconds. I guess this one is relatively fresh.

[UPDATE]
Silly me. When I attempted this test the camera was on, but not recording. A second test revealed that the battery only lasted about 5 minutes before shutting down.
 
Last edited:
hey RavenManiac, with that programmable timer, what mode function and timings do you have set up to make it come on with ignition set to on and remain on when ignition is off for a set amount of time and not come back on again once that time is up?? I cant work it out.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
wozzzzza, thanks for your post. Unfortunately, I've been so busy with life that I haven't started this project. According to erkme73, who was my inspiration behind it, you need to use Mode 10. He has timer set to run for 1-hour after the ignition is turned off. He's monitoring this thread, so I'm sure he'll respond to offer his advice when he has a chance. In the meantime, I can email you a copy of the updated manual if that'll help. Just start a conversation with me and include your email address.
 
This looks like a great idea. Might give this a go myself. One change I might make is to include a honking great supercapacitor in line to reduce power interruptions when starting the engine. But that's more of an annoyance than a problem, I suppose.
That timer looks very nice. I might have been tempted to build a simple 555 circuit. But it would be less tidy, less functional and not much cheaper.
 
That is correct - mode 10 is what you need. So long as 12V is on the 'trigger' channel input (which it is when the acc power is on) the timer is in 'wait' mode. Once power on the trigger drops, the timer countdown starts.

I initially had mine set for an hour, but dropped that to 30 min. I found most of my trips to the store were for far less than 30 min anyway - so it made no sense to keep the cameras on and recording (creating excess write cycles on the µSD card) when it's parked in my driveway or garage.
 
Rajagra said:
This looks like a great idea. Might give this a go myself. One change I might make is to include a honking great supercapacitor in line to reduce power interruptions when starting the engine. But that's more of an annoyance than a problem, I suppose.
That timer looks very nice. I might have been tempted to build a simple 555 circuit. But it would be less tidy, less functional and not much cheaper.
Click to expand...

You might try to find a circuit in your fuse box that doesn't go dark during cranking. Maybe an EFI fuse or some other critical circuit that is required while the engine is cranking. I just got lucky and picked one that happens to stay on even as the starter is going. Of course, the timer would rectify that too, since the short drop in trigger voltage would be shorter than your timer sequence.
 
I think the problem is more that the starter motor draws so much current that the voltage drops drastically. The radio goes off. The sat nav and dash cam both (start to) shut down.
But you could be right, they might be intentionally powered off during starting.
Or maybe my regular slow journeys in London traffic mean the battery is never fully charged?
 
Until you test a few more circuits, I wouldn't assume that to be the case. All of the things you listed are peripheral and are likely set to sag or shut off when cranking. My radio/acc circuit actually shuts off for the duration of the cranking. The constant stays on, but the acc turns off. Hence, my radio (android head unit) stays powered, but shows "powering off" - but before it can, the power returns. My EFI circuit stays on during the crank, but is only on when the engine is on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top