"Super Capacitor" turned out to be LiPo battery

[mariomart]

Hey all,

I've had a Sameview S200P camera, supplied by Allucam, fitted in my car the past 13 months. I actually won the camera in a Facebook competition. The documentation as well as the website claims that this camera has an "Embedded Super Capacitor" fitted, which made me feel that I had a safer camera installed.

The past week I've had a problem when turning off the ignition in that the camera immediately shuts down without saving the last file, which it used to do without issue. As it was out of warranty by 1 month I decided to open it up and see if I could identify a problem. Well I found a BIG PROBLEM. There was NO capacitor, it was just a normal everyday Lithium Polymer 3.7V 150mAH battery. Yeah, the type that hates heat and loves to catch on fire!!! This is a photo of the battery that is fitted inside.

So, what do I do? I've ordered a new one and I can fit it myself no problem. But how honest are our dashcam manufacturers? This camera is Korean made so I thought I was safe. Is this a common practice?

 

[parklawn]

That's a bummer. I remember you winning that camera. I would certainly let them know what you found and see what their explanation is.

 

[Nigel]

Maybe there is a tiny super capacitor as well as the battery so that their claim was correct? They are sometimes used to keep the clock going...

 

[mariomart]

Maybe there is a tiny super capacitor as well as the battery so that their claim was correct? They are sometimes used to keep the clock going...

That would sort of make sense, apart from the fact that there is still a LiPo battery baking in the sun, which is the whole reason super capacitors were replacing Lipo's.

 

[mariomart]

In fact it would make more sense to have a button battery or CR2016 type battery for the clock, surely a safer option.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

There should only be a small RTC button battery to hold the date/time.

 

[Mandami]

Lithium Polymer 3.7V 150mAH battery. Yeah, the type that hates heat and loves to catch on fire!!!

I think it's a little overreaction. Yes, capacitors cope better with heat (but also don't expect too much heat either; to check search for datasheets), BUT the batteries don't catch fire without reason. Don't forget that most of your electronic equipment, which is not connected to a power grid, use LiPol batteries. What about being together in the same plane with 250 people knowing that each one has a smartphone with a least 1500mAh or more battery ?
I'll be more worried about using a high capacity power bank in my car.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Here's a recent failed KDlinks battery DashCam example

 

[Mandami]

@Pier28 yes, there are numerous examples in which the batteries swelled or cached fire; probably a better example are the 787 Dreamliners.
I'm not saying that LiPol aren't dangerous in some extent, but having and using a LiPol doesn't mean automatically that it will catch fire.

 

[jokiin]

Hey all,

I've had a Sameview S200P camera, supplied by Allucam, fitted in my car the past 13 months. I actually won the camera in a Facebook competition. The documentation as well as the website claims that this camera has an "Embedded Super Capacitor" fitted, which made me feel that I had a safer camera installed.

The past week I've had a problem when turning off the ignition in that the camera immediately shuts down without saving the last file, which it used to do without issue. As it was out of warranty by 1 month I decided to open it up and see if I could identify a problem. Well I found a BIG PROBLEM. There was NO capacitor, it was just a normal everyday Lithium Polymer 3.7V 150mAH battery. Yeah, the type that hates heat and loves to catch on fire!!! This is a photo of the battery that is fitted inside.

So, what do I do? I've ordered a new one and I can fit it myself no problem. But how honest are our dashcam manufacturers? This camera is Korean made so I thought I was safe. Is this a common practice?

View attachment 14327

if the camera shuts down instantly you may be able to replace the battery with capacitors, the firmware normally means that's not an option, not hard to experiment with while you have it open

 

[mariomart]

Thanks for the feedback @Mandami , however I was more using the "catch fire" part for humour and effect rather than an over-reaction, lol.

My post was mainly to bring up the subject of trusting and believing in what suppliers and manufacturers advertise their products as. The "super capacitor" inclusion is meant to be a safer option to LiPo's and it also probably justifies a small premium that consumers are willing to pay for that safer option. But when they go and claim one thing and do another then it becomes an issue, for both safety and honesty.

Thanks @jokiin , do you have any recommendations for what sort of capacitor to replace it with? It is a very small battery and thus the space available is not significant. The actual shut down time for saving the file is probably around 30 seconds at best (probably less) . Are there any dependable resources that I could read to help me?

Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

 

[jokiin]

I must have misunderstood, if it shuts down in 30 seconds capacitors won't work for you, it needs to shutdown within a few seconds tops

 

[mariomart]

Thanks @jokiin , I've never really timed it, but now that I think about it it's probably more like 6 to 10 seconds maximum, would that still be too long for a capacitor? So is that the difference between a regular capacitor and a super capacitor, the ability to hold a charge longer and act more like a regular battery?

 

[jokiin]

you might get away with that but will probably need at least 10f caps, 2 x 2.7v 10F wired in series gives you 5.4v 5F

if you look at typical size you might have trouble fitting them in http://www.supercapacitorvina.com/product/edlc.html?ckattempt=1

 

[mariomart]

I had a look around Ebay and I came across this super capacitor battery replacement for a Mobius Action Cam. Incidentally the Mobius also uses a 3.7v LiPo, and the added benefit is that it appears to use the same plug as my dashcam, so effectively it could be a simple swap out. I might just give it a go. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/261917777167

 

[jokiin]

Won't hurt to try but capacity might be a bit small if your shutdown isn't quick enough

 

[mariomart]

Thanks @jokiin , I've bought it and I'll let you know if it works. Cheers

 

[Mandami]

"catch fire" part for humour and effect rather than an over-reaction, lol.

Then you have one of a kind humour

the subject of trusting and believing in what suppliers and manufacturers advertise their products as

Personally I find this statement funnier

On the other hand how do compare the physical dimensions of the old battery with those of the capacitor pack ?

 

[mariomart]

On the other hand how do compare the physical dimensions of the old battery with those of the capacitor pack ?

I used a digital caliper to measure the battery and compared it to the quoted capacitor pack size. It will fit quite nicely.

 

[Nigel]

Thanks @jokiin , I've never really timed it, but now that I think about it it's probably more like 6 to 10 seconds maximum, would that still be too long for a capacitor? So is that the difference between a regular capacitor and a super capacitor, the ability to hold a charge longer and act more like a regular battery?

Super capacitors work almost the same as normal electrolytic capacitors but the material they are made from can store more charge with the disadvantage of only being able to cope with very low voltage and having a lower temperature range than most electrolytic capacitors.

I suspect you will need two Mobius capacitors connected in parallel before it will work successfully.