Supercap=extra lithium batt?

[IEATV8S]

Hi, I’m going back-and-forth between a BlackVue and Nextbase dash camera with parking mode. It appears like they could drain a significant amount of current over time and I was thinking a super capacitor could be run in place of an added lithium battery, and help to supplement the car battery parasitic loss from the parking mode.

Has anyone run a super capacitor in place of a lithium battery pack intended to supplement for parking mode?

 

[Dashmellow]

I doubt that this would work properly.

Cameras that run on super-capacitors require different firmware than cameras that operate on batteries and I believe you would also need specialized circuitry to connect an auxiliary super-capacitor to a battery operated camera.

Super-capacitors are similar to batteries but they are not batteries and have different charging requirements. How do you propose charging this super-cap? I don't believe you can just hook it up to your battery in parallel and expect it to charge properly or safely.

 

[IEATV8S]

I just remember them being used in high power car audio systems, and it made me think if it has such a high storage capacity that it would act as a stopgap and replace an external lithium battery for parking mode. I believe some supercaps have voltage regulators built-in and the schematic looks like it would be the batt positive wire, tapping into a block and off of the block would be the positive to the camera and the positive to the supercap. The super cap charges quickly while driving, and has some sort of capacity based on the draw amperage on the connected circuit. I’m almost conceiving it like an oil accumulator for an engine, that stores extra oil in the sump for use when the engine drops pressure.

 

[kamkar]

The big CAPS in car audio are there as they can deliver huge power instantly, something a battery have problems with, i am not sure how much power one would be able to house, i suppose some as otherwise it would not matter if it could deliver super fast if there only was a tiny bit of it.
of course if you only nibble at it with a 1A dashcam, it would last even longer.

 

[Dashmellow]

I just remember them being used in high power car audio systems, and it made me think if it has such a high storage capacity that it would act as a stopgap and replace an external lithium battery for parking mode. I believe some supercaps have voltage regulators built-in and the schematic looks like it would be the batt positive wire, tapping into a block and off of the block would be the positive to the camera and the positive to the supercap. The super cap charges quickly while driving, and has some sort of capacity based on the draw amperage on the connected circuit. I’m almost conceiving it like an oil accumulator for an engine, that stores extra oil in the sump for use when the engine drops pressure.

You could try it and see what happens. These big auto caps do have quite a kick and most of them are for 12V systems or higher so you would need to make sure you don't fry your camera. Perhaps talk to someone with more expertise in these things.

Edit: I notice upon closer inspection that the super-capacitor in the photo you attached to your original post is 24 volts!

 

[IEATV8S]

Yes thanks. The supercap in the pic has a surge volt max of 24v but it runs 12v continuous. I believe there are others but i literally just started looking into it yesterday. I’ll check into it

 

[kamkar]

As someone that have peed on a electrical fence, and also blacked out a whole ship triggering a huge 440 V auto fuse, be careful.

 

[Dashmellow]

As someone that have peed on a electrical fence, and also blacked out a whole ship triggering a huge 440 V auto fuse, be careful.

Yeah. When I was 18 years old I found an old neon sign transformer sitting on top of a pile of garbage in front of a restaurant in Chinatown in New York City. I took it home and built a Jacob's Ladder like in a Frankenstein movie. It was fun and entertaining and it probably destroyed everyone'e TV reception for miles around. These transformers range from 5-15 kV. One day, I went to move the thing when it was not plugged in not realizing that it would still hold a lot of voltage and got the zap of my life. The thing nearly killed me!

 

[IEATV8S]

Good to know. You must have a few stories to tell!

 

[kamkar]

well in the old days, you had to get creative, we kids did not have cap guns we had a stick or our fingers, and our hand grenades was lumps of dry dirt that did make a nice puff when thrown into bushes or when it hit the lawn. It only became interesting when we discovered slingshots and blowpipes, but that was the age where American kids get BB guns, which have never been a thing here.

I remember when i was 10 or 11 YO wiring a 3 V bulb from a bicycle headlight, and then connecting it to 220 V mains voltage.
I dont know how it happened but we had to call the superintendent as my antics took out the power in 3 floors of apartments below me.
Me being in " my room " which back then was a loft storage room of 4 X 4 meters that each apartment had, fortunately not on the same fuse set as our apartment, so no one found out of my amateur electricians endeavours.

When we moved out, well lets just say my knife throwing practice that left holes in the drywall that i covered with posters, well suddenly they was seen.
Also as we moved out when i was 12-13 YO, well the beers we gotten and drunk and hidden the bottles behind books in a bookshelf they also saw the light of day, though not really a problem as Danish kids learn to drink early and by 16 - 17 are usually seasoned drinkers.

 

[Dashmellow]

Yes thanks. The supercap in the pic has a surge volt max of 24v but it runs 12v continuous. I believe there are others but i literally just started looking into it yesterday. I’ll check into it

I’m going back-and-forth between a BlackVue and Nextbase dash camera with parking mode.

BTW, keep in mind that while Blackvue cameras operate at 12 volts, Nextbase cameras (like most other dash cams) operate at 5 volts.

 

[IEATV8S]

Thanks

 

[kuoh]

Capacitors store their charge at whatever voltage they were initially charged with. You can feed a 20V or even 100V rated cap at 12V, but all you'll ever get back out of it is 12V. To store more charge or operate at higher voltage, the cap has to be physically bigger and cost more to manufacture, hence why most circuits use caps at just above the necessary voltage. When charged at higher than rated voltage, they tend to overheat and eventually leak or burst.

As others have mentioned, a capacitor is designed to deliver relatively instantaneous current to smooth out the supply voltage during peak loads, such as when a bass note hits. It can deliver a high current, but only for a very short period of time. Regardless of the size of the capacitor, they generally only contain a fraction of the storage capacity of a typical battery of the same volume. This is why it's generally not ideal for use as a long term power source for a dashcam.

KuoH

 

[speedingcheetah]

My dash cams powered by 12v cig power port. But that turns off with my cars ignition (which is what i like). Which triggers the cams to shutdown due to power loss.
I would like to delay cam shutdown, by a bit, so that it will continue to record for maybe 30 secs, or 1 min.

Was thinking it would be ideal to have a super cap usb power bank connected in line. When power comes on, it charges up the cap bank, and also powers the cams, then power off, the caps bank provide power for a short time. Like a UPS on a desktop computer....

However, super capacitor style usb power banks, do not seem to be a thing?
I have a jump starter that is super cap, no batt, but it has not USB output.

My car already has a mild parasitic drain due to the now older aftermarket Remote Starter system, so, a hardwired (direct to battery/always on power circuit) dash cam is not an option, also, i do not care about Parking Detection/Recording.

Edit: Well, there is this 5V EMI filter, that uses super cap, but, don't think it provides power for very long after it loses power...