Thinkware IVOLT XTRA vs Blackvue B-130X Review

[Panzer Platform]

the B-130X turned off the output power to the dash camera when it reached 10.99 volts.

My test results mirror this 10.99 Voltage.

 

[Nigel]

If the VIOFO (or any brand) 12/24-to-5V hardwire kits offered a setting to disable the low voltage cutoff feature when connected to a dash camera battery pack, their dash cameras would be able to record for longer periods of time in parking mode.

This should be especially true at cold temperatures, might be very interesting to retest at temperatures below 10 degrees C... don't suppose you could retest with the battery in the fridge?

 

[safedrivesolutions]

I ran a test using a BlackVue B-130X battery pack that was initially (I explain that in a moment) powering a VIOFO A139 Pro 3CH dash camera in low bitrate parking mode. The battery pack charge level was 19% as reported by the BlackVue battery app within the main BlackVue app.

The estimated amount of remaining time was grossly inaccurate. I started the test run with an estimated run time of 2 hours 2 minutes. The B-130X was able to power the A139 Pro 3CH dash camera for 7 hours 38 minutes (Start Time 12:50 => End Time 20:37). The charge level percentage is also inaccurate especially when it gets to the lower end of the battery pack charge level. (see attached screenshot of the data collected).

At 20:37, I heard the power down chime from the A139 Pro 3CH dash camera. I had just walked out of the room, so I didn't see the exact B-130X output voltage that the VIOFO HK3-C powered off at, but it was around 11.9 volts.

To show how much unused charge there was in the B-130X, I decided to swap out the A139 Pro 3CH for Thinkware U3000 2CH. I didn't want to turn on the charging power to the B-130X to get the U3000 to boot up, so I tied the accessory power wire with the constant battery wire so it would boot. I then disconnected the accessory power wire so the U3000 would go into time-lapse parking mode after the 30 second delay for entering parking mode. The power requirements of the U3000 (0.35 mA) are about 50% of the A139 Pro 3CH (0.70 mA) in parking mode.

The U3000 was able to operate in time-lapse parking mode from 20:45 to 21:31. That would mean the A139 Pro 3CH would likely have run for an additional 23 minutes (roughly). The U3000 test started with a B-130X output voltage level 12.02 volts. When the load of the A139 Pro 3CH was turned off by the HK3-C turning off the power to the A139 Pro 3CH, the B-130X output voltage level rebounded about 0.15 volts. The U3000 2CH was configured that it was connected to an external battery pack, so the low voltage cutoff feature in the U3000 was disabled.

The U3000 2CH time-lapse parking mode test started at 12.02 volts and the B-130X turned off the output power to the dash camera when it reached 10.99 volts. The BlackVue battery app still shows the battery pack charge level of 1% after it turned off the dash camera output power.

If the VIOFO (or any brand) 12/24-to-5V hardwire kits offered a setting to disable the low voltage cutoff feature when connected to a dash camera battery pack, their dash cameras would be able to record for longer periods of time in parking mode.

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Great tests as usual. at 1% i was getting high 12's on my multimeter. I should have taken a picture. EIther way. It seems like it did not do the huge drop in voltage until 1%. WHich means it would be fine with what I said until remaining 1%.

 

[Panzer Platform]

at 1% i was getting high 12's on my multimeter

All EGEN APP battery life percentages have the accuracy of a combination Magic 8 Ball & Ouija Board.
@rcg530 and @Vortex Radar will confirm this wild claim. lol

Battery Pack Battle Royal (PC8 - B-130X - BAB-95)

@Vortex Radar It’s finally here, hooray. The companion video to @rcg530 February shootout. I’ve been waiting 5 months to tell this joke. lol My video is the worst.

dashcamtalk.com

 

[Vortex Radar]

Yeah all 3 apps show battery percentages incorrectly and differently, lol. I've learned to not trust them and instead just use the old school technique of seeing how long the dashcam runs until the battery dies. For recharging from dead I've been waiting for the "battery full" LED to light up on the battery itself. Some batteries quickly go back to recharging afterwards while they top off the battery, but either way that's been better than waiting for the app to display 100%. Voltage levels can be hit or miss too so measuring that directly with an external voltmeter is a good idea.

It's a headscratcher that not only are all the apps incorrect at times, but they're all incorrect in different ways, despite all being Egen batteries.

 

[Panzer Platform]

not only are all the apps incorrect at times, but they're all incorrect in different ways

If Doc Brown tested the B-130X with it's "Fuel Gauge Integrated Circuit" he would say;
"Do you know what this means?"

 

[safedrivesolutions]

All EGEN APP battery life percentages have the accuracy of a combination Magic 8 Ball & Ouija Board.
@rcg530 and @Vortex Radar will confirm this wild claim. lol

Battery Pack Battle Royal (PC8 - B-130X - BAB-95)

@Vortex Radar It’s finally here, hooray. The companion video to @rcg530 February shootout. I’ve been waiting 5 months to tell this joke. lol My video is the worst.

dashcamtalk.com

giving me an idea for a video. I can shake the magic 8 ball and ask will this $39 dash camera record for me and be reliable. "Your future looks promising" HA HA

 

[rcg530]

Great tests as usual. at 1% i was getting high 12's on my multimeter. I should have taken a picture. EIther way. It seems like it did not do the huge drop in voltage until 1%. WHich means it would be fine with what I said until remaining 1%.

I agree that the first time the BlackVue battery app showed a 1% charge level, the output voltage level was 12.59V. The A139 Pro 3CH which was powered by a HK3-C hardwire kit was still functional for an additional 49 minutes. During that 49 minute period, the output voltage level dropped from 12.59V to around 11.9V when the HK3-C then turned off the power to the A139 Pro 3CH.

When the HK3-C cut the power to the A139 Pro 3CH, the B-130X output voltage level rebounded to 12.05V. When I switched the dash camera to the Thinkware U3000 2CH in time-lapse parking mode, the B-130X was able to power it for an additional 46 minutes until the B-130X turned off the dash camera power. All that time, the battery app still showed 1%, but it did show a couple of warning messages about the low battery charge level.

Depending on the particular VIOFO dash camera's power draw in parking mode, it could be powered for an additional 20 minutes to well over an additional hour if the hardwire kit had a way to disable the low voltage cutoff feature when connected to a dash camera battery pack.