SGZC12RC power consumption

wumpyr99

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I asked this in another thread, but no answers yet. I'm very keen to understand what the power consumption figures are for the SGZC12RC-V2?

e.g. any or all of these
- Consumption while recording (screen off)
- Consumption while recording (screen on)
- Consumption when no motion/no recording (screen off)

Want to figure out what size auxiliary car battery I will need so trying to get a gauge for these units as there will be four cams running 24x7.

thanks
 
screen on or off will make a bit of difference, I don't have the spec sheet for the LCD on hand but about 40mAh is typical, recording or not would be too small a difference to measure, it pre buffers so it's doing almost the same job all the time anyway
 
Power consumption should be similar ( +/- very little difference ) as on SGZC12SS

Below are figures from SGZC12SS predecessor Panorama S provided by @Lielap in THIS thread

Power consumption values fluctuate +-3mA.
These are the mean readings:
recording 1920x1080 30FPS with LCD off: 150 mA
recording 1920x1080 30FPS with LCD on: 170 mA
recording 1280x720 30FPS with LCD off: 110 mA
recording 1280x720 30FPS with LCD on: 132 mA
recording 1280x720 60FPS with LCD off: 140 mA
recording 1280x720 60FPS with LCD on: 162 mA
not recording with LCD on: 88 mA
 
According to my Charger Doctor, consumption when recording 1080p/30 in motion detect mode, powered by a USB battery bank, is 0.5A screen on & 0.4A screen off.
 
According to my Charger Doctor, consumption when recording 1080p/30 in motion detect mode, powered by a USB battery bank, is 0.5A screen on & 0.4A screen off.

Thanks guys. @russ331 Seems about the same as the info from @niko (yours at 5V, the others at 12V). Essentially about 2W. Seems pretty efficient/low. Excellent.
 
According to my Charger Doctor, consumption when recording 1080p/30 in motion detect mode, powered by a USB battery bank, is 0.5A screen on & 0.4A screen off.
Thanks russ331 and thanks too wumpy,and of course thanks Niko

Russ, I see you are using a USB power bank.
5V correct?
Is it your post from awhile ago that I recall?
It was about powering the Motion Detect Mode (PArking Mode?) of the SGZ12RC via the micro USB service port providing 5V.
And then switching to 12 V car power for full operation
 
Russ, I see you are using a USB power bank...
My SGZC12RC is set to function in buffered motion sensing mode when driving & when parked. The use of motion detection while driving is not advisable for most cameras, however, it's entirely reliable with the SGZC12RC.

The camera is plugged into the 12v accessory socket. At the same time it's also plugged into my 5v Anker 13000mAH power bank.

With the SGZC12RC, sited next to it's 12v power socket is a Micro USB socket. It's primary purpose is as a factory service port. It's secondary use is as a 5v power input, as documented by @niko in several videos.

While driving, the camera is powered by the car's 12v supply. When I park & switch off the engine, I simultaneously press the power switch on the power bank, & the camera seamlessly continues recording. I've been doing this since June 2015 with no problems.
 
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My SGZC12RC is set to function in buffered motion sensing mode when driving & when parked. The use of motion detection while driving is not advisable for most cameras, however, it's entirely reliable with the SGZC12RC.

The camera is plugged into the 12v accessory socket. At the same time it's also plugged into my 5v Anker 13000mAH power bank.

With the SGZC12RC, sited next to it's 12v power socket is a Micro USB socket. It's primary purpose is as a factory service port. It's secondary use is as a 5v power input, as documented by @niko in several videos.

While driving, the camera is powered by the car's 12v supply. When I park & switch off the engine, I simultaneously press the power switch on the power bank, & the camera seamlessly continues recording.

Yes indeed!
Exactly the post I remember.
Thank you, I searched in vain for it
I assume then that the 5v power banks is charged as you drive, correct?
Have you ever figured out (by experience) how much buffered parking mode time you get before running the 5V supply dry?

Also if you ( or another member ) could check my arithmetic versus reality please.

It seems to me if a camera (or other device) draws 500 mA then in 1 hour it uses 500 mAH.
Therefore a 1000 mAH battery would provide power for 2 hours.
10,000 mAH battery =20 hours
and so on.

What could be wrong with this picture?
 
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I assume then that the 5v power banks is charged as you drive, correct?

No. I think that Power Bank manufacturers, including Anker, have disabled passthrough charging capability (if that's what you're referring to) as it shortens the lifespan of the product, & generates unwelcome warranty claims for them.

I have 3 power banks. When one is flat I plug in another, then charge the flat one using a wall plug charger. Takes about 7 hours to fully charge. The third power bank is a spare, which comes in handy when away from home for a few days, & access to mains power is limited.

Have you ever figured ut (by experience) how much buffered parking mode time you get before running the 5V supply dry?

The 10000mAh PowerAdd gives around 12 hours. The 13000mAh Anker around 16 hours, though it's 2 years old so is past it's prime. The 15600mAh Anker is only 2 months old, & gives over 20 hours with less than 25% capacity left as indicated by it's LEDs. Power Banks don't seem to deliver as much capacity as they claim.
 
No. I think that Power Bank manufacturers, including Anker, have disabled passthrough charging capability (if that's what you're referring to) as it shortens the lifespan of the product, & generates unwelcome warranty claims for them.

I have 3 power banks. When one is flat I plug in another, then charge the flat one using a wall plug charger. Takes about 7 hours to fully charge. The third power bank is a spare, which comes in handy when away from home for a few days, & access to mains power is limited.



The 10000mAh PowerAdd gives around 12 hours. The 13000mAh Anker around 16 hours, though it's 2 years old so is past it's prime. The 15600mAh Anker is only 2 months old, & gives over 20 hours with less than 25% capacity left as indicated by it's LEDs. Power Banks don't seem to deliver as much capacity as they claim.

Excellent info
Thank you
 
No. I think that Power Bank manufacturers, including Anker, have disabled passthrough charging capability (if that's what you're referring to) as it shortens the lifespan of the product, & generates unwelcome warranty claims for them.

I have 3 power banks. When one is flat I plug in another, then charge the flat one using a wall plug charger. Takes about 7 hours to fully charge. The third power bank is a spare, which comes in handy when away from home for a few days, & access to mains power is limited.



The 10000mAh PowerAdd gives around 12 hours. The 13000mAh Anker around 16 hours, though it's 2 years old so is past it's prime. The 15600mAh Anker is only 2 months old, & gives over 20 hours with less than 25% capacity left as indicated by it's LEDs. Power Banks don't seem to deliver as much capacity as they claim.

2nd thoughts
That's a shame if the manufacturers have eliminated micro or mini USB charging from a 12v to 5V source.
It is not really pass through the way you are using the batteries.
They are not in use when the engine is running thus it seems no "pass thru" is involved
 
2nd thoughts
That's a shame if the manufacturers have eliminated micro or mini USB charging from a 12v to 5V source.
It is not really pass through the way you are using the batteries.
They are not in use when the engine is running thus it seems no "pass thru" is involved
External power banks can be charged while driving, but it's constant plug-unplug which is not convenient and within 1h of charging ( 30min + 30min driving ) it will not provide you 8 + 14h use. So the best is to buy few power banks and charge them at home overnight. After 1-2 weeks you will get used to recharging at home procedure.
 
Another thing to consider about the capacity of the power banks: most of time they report the capacity at the battery level, but the battery is rated at 3.7V. So to get up to 5 volts you have to account for a loss in milliamps.
A direct conversion from 3.7V to 5V means that you lose 35% capacity without accounting for conversion losses.
As was mentioned earlier, you only get around 12 hours from a 10000 mAh battery bank, which means you get 60% of the capacity at 5V.
 
In laymans terms, will it hurt your car battery if you leave it on while parked being powered by your cigarette lighter? I have yet to hardwire any of my cams and when I go somewhere, say dinner, I always back in and leave the cam on continuously recording. Hopefully a burglar will not notice the cam and I will have footage of them breaking in. Will the cam draw enough power to drain my car battery after say, 8 hrs of recording? Last summer I went on a road trip and my cams recorded non-stop for 2 straight weeks withno problems. Just wondering if over the long run that can damage my car battery. Of course thats not my normal routine, perhaps once a year I do that though.
 
In laymans terms, will it hurt your car battery if you leave it on while parked being powered by your cigarette lighter? I have yet to hardwire any of my cams and when I go somewhere, say dinner, I always back in and leave the cam on continuously recording. Hopefully a burglar will not notice the cam and I will have footage of them breaking in. Will the cam draw enough power to drain my car battery after say, 8 hrs of recording? Last summer I went on a road trip and my cams recorded non-stop for 2 straight weeks withno problems. Just wondering if over the long run that can damage my car battery. Of course thats not my normal routine, perhaps once a year I do that though.

If you have a huge battery. (Large Truck) there is less risk, but still risky. I would get a Vico-Power Plus (VICOPWRPLUS) or MotoPark Multi Safer (PANOBDP) so you're not sorry some day
 
Just using the battery at small loads will not damage the battery.
 
I have a pair of SGZC12RC (one windshield and other rear window) on both my daughter's 2013 Chevrolet Equinox, and on my wifes 2013 Chevy Traverse. Both cars have the original battery. Both cars have the cams hardwired to fuse box (tap a fuse). The cams are on (powered) all the time (day & night) in motion detect mode. No battery protect device. Longest the cars sit unstarted is about 1.5 days. Never a problem with vehicle battery charge being low. I am very happy with these cams. Excellent video quality, motion detect, and discreet appearance. My daughter's car is parked in an apartment lot, and the video caught a thief stealing from an apartment on opposite side of the parking lot. The thief waked back close to her car (at night) to leave, providing a close-up image of his face. Major surprise to the apartment management to have her provide video of the theft and the crook. The only maintenance we have experienced is to reformat the memory card 2-3 times per month, and a power off & back on the control box. They just run great. In service for 3+ months so far.
As commented many places in this forum, battery protection is recommend to reduce risk of draining too far. I just wanted to share my experience with these cams.
 
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