Started testing Cam failure ( Voltage levels )

[old4570]

My test subject is a Viofo A118c ( capacitor cam )

I feed the cam 5v down to just over 4v ( failure to run )
Anything above 4.7v and the cam ran smoothly , no flickering on the screen etc
Once we came down to 4.5v , flickering was noticeable on the LCD , and there was video noise ..
Around 3.35v flickering on the LCD was very pronounced and there was serious noise in the video
Failure to run ( Shut down - restart ) seemed to be triggered around 4.1 volt ( 4.1 - 4.14 volt region )

Also .. As a side note !
The USB cable may affect voltage ...
I have a rather long cable as it was modded from a sig lighter source ( wanted a USB cable with red and black wires ) and the length / quality of such may also be responsible for voltage levels .
This looks like something else to check out ..


My recommendation to everyone out there :

Buy a USB charge doctor , and check the voltage and current that is getting to your cam if you are having cam issues ..
A flickering screen , noisy video , could all be symptoms of low voltage reaching your cam ..

 

[jokiin]

A flickering screen , noisy video , could all be symptoms of low voltage reaching your cam ..

power supply and memory card are the two most common causes of problems for any camera

 

[old4570]

Another is a bad USB cable ...
I just threw another USB cable in the rubbish bin ...
Cam was flickering and would not run properly .. ( USB cable )

 

[flip9]

I suggest you pick up one of these USB Load testers, these are pretty good to have for testing power supplies and cables.

It just needs to be calibrated with a multimeter to increase the readout accuracy.

 

[old4570]

Oooooh , Looks sweet ...

I already have 3 different types of USB Dummy Loads for testing Power banks and stuff ...
One is switchable between 1A and 2A .. Great to see how much current a PS can supply ...
This small PS I am using was never intended for more than voltage testing , but should be rated to 2A I think ( seller recommends 1.5A )
I ordered another today , rated 150Watt ( ? )
150Watt ?????????? Yeah .... Anyhow ...
I plan on testing more 12v to 5v Dash cam power supplies .. Especially the safety cut off ones ... ( There is another in the mail (?) )

 

[SawMaster]

Those "charger doctor" gadgets aren't all created equally- I recall reading a test some where which showed a gross inaccuracy with a few of the cheapest ones and inconsistent results with a few of the more expensive ones. I can't recall where I saw that info but I do remember I considered the source trustworthy. Another consideration is losses at the connections- no electrical connection is without some inherent electrical resistance and you're adding one more connection when you use it.

I'm being nit-picky here but all in the interest of you getting the most accurate results from your tests It's going to be good to see which cams do what when the voltage drops which will help diagnose problems people have- a big thumbs-up to you

Phil

 

[old4570]

Those "charger doctor" gadgets aren't all created equally- I recall reading a test some where which showed a gross inaccuracy with a few of the cheapest ones and inconsistent results with a few of the more expensive ones. I can't recall where I saw that info but I do remember I considered the source trustworthy. Another consideration is losses at the connections- no electrical connection is without some inherent electrical resistance and you're adding one more connection when you use it.

I'm being nit-picky here but all in the interest of you getting the most accurate results from your tests It's going to be good to see which cams do what when the voltage drops which will help diagnose problems people have- a big thumbs-up to you

Phil

Absolutely and definitely !
I can put a MM at the power source , unfortunately that does not matter ...
Its at the cam end that it matters .. And I would love to get my MM in there so to speak .. Unfortunately its USB , no where to poke with a MM ..
The charge doctors are another factor , they are not equal , and they do add to the result ..
So rather than as an absolute , it becomes ball park ..
And ball park is better than nothing !
+ I have a more accurate USB Charge Doctor in the mail ( I hope )
And hopefully I can poke it with a MM ( Open design )