Time lapse ( Video ? )

[jokiin]

Parking mode or motion detect (?).

in general I mean, the idea of having a camera running constantly is overkill

 

[Dashmellow]

One way or another motion detection is essentially useless and impractical in dash cams unless the camera is being used in a static environment such as an underground parking garage where for the most part the motion that triggers the camera is the object you wish to capture. The same applies to motion detection in CCTV cameras which tends to be far more technically sophisticated than in dash cams but is generally never deployed other than in a static indoor environment such as a warehouse, retail or office location at night where the only movement that triggers the camera will be the target of the surveillance.

When you attempt to use motion detection outdoors, especially with a dash cam, the camera will constantly get falsely triggered by all kinds of unwanted events such as passing clouds, tree branches blowing in the wind, birds flying through the field of view or random animals and pedestrians walking by, cars entering and leaving the scene, etc., etc., etc.

 

[jokiin]

One way or another motion detection is essentially useless and impractical in dash cams unless the camera is being used in a static environment such as an underground parking garage where for the most part the motion that triggers the camera is the object you wish to capture. The same applies to motion detection in CCTV cameras which tends to be far more technically sophisticated than in dash cams but is generally never deployed other than in a static indoor environment such as a warehouse, retail or office location at night where the only movement that triggers the camera will be the target of the surveillance.

When you attempt to use motion detection outdoors, especially with a dash cam, the camera will constantly get falsely triggered by all kinds of unwanted events such as passing clouds, trees branches blowing in the wind, birds flying through the field of view or random animals and pedestrians walking by, cars entering and leaving the scene, etc., etc., etc.

well said

 

[ddnut]

Yeah , that 4GB thing ...
Hmmm , 30 seconds per second , or 30 minutes per minute or 1 hour per 2 minutes / 24 hours per 48minutes @ 1 FPs ( Video plays @ 30FPs )
And according to the mobius web site 33min into 4GB , so not quite 24 hours @ 1 FPs

I agree 4GB is not enough for 24 hours. It depends on what the developers mean by "the Mobius does not loop when recording time lapse video." Does that mean that all recording stops after 4GB or does it mean that the camera just does not automatically erase old videos when the card gets full? In the latter case, a 32GB or 64GB card might work, but you would have to erase/format every few days.

The problem is that dashboard cameras are not designed to "just leave a cam running 24/7/365", so before long you will need to replace your looping, time lapser when it burns itself out.

Someone mentioned that the Mobius ran cooler in time lapse mode(s). With less heat overall and fewer data transfers to the card it seems possible for a camera to support 24/7 operation. But as you and @jokiin mentioned, whether or not such operation is practical is a different matter.

 

[Dashmellow]

I agree 4GB is not enough for 24 hours. It depends on what the developers mean by "the Mobius does not loop when recording time lapse video." Does that mean that all recording stops after 4GB or does it mean that the camera just does not automatically erase old videos when the card gets full? In the latter case, a 32GB or 64GB card might work, but you would have to erase/format every few days.


Someone mentioned that the Mobius ran cooler in time lapse mode(s). With less heat overall and fewer data transfers to the card it seems possible for a camera to support 24/7 operation. But as you and @jokiin mentioned, whether or not such operation is practical is a different matter.

I've run a Mobius as a temporary portable surveillance camera on my property for hours on end using a power bank with no problems but I wouldn't ever consider running a Mobius or any other dash cam 24/7.

 

[old4570]

If it works Motion Detect and Time lapse together , than I dont know that it would be a horrendous strain on the cam or the SD card ..
Certainly the battery would get a workout , but then they can be replaced with a little careful soldering ...

The cam would sit inside the car , ( back window ) looking forward . So false captures from Wind related incidents ( ? ) ...
One would need to try and see .. ( My biggest concern is the power consumption )
Even a Powerbank is only good for so long , and if the power consumption goes beyond a certain point , then it;s all a waste of time .
I must test the G90 some more , because if it pulls 360 to 450mAh , then this is all a waste of time ( Stand bye - motion detect ) . Power demands would need to be far less than that to make it even half way viable ...
Anyhow , its all fun ..

 

[old4570]

Ok , looks like the power consumption is just too high for this to be viable ...
Its still pulling 400mAh to 500mAh even when just idling .. Its just too high a current to make this a viable proposition .

 

[old4570]

So the G90 will record Motion detect and time lapse , Motion detect is some what sensitive ( Might be ok inside of a car )
Unfortunately it consumes power at great rates even when idling ... 400mAh to 500mAh
Might ok on a USB wall adapter , ( ? ) if so inclined ..

Im going to see how much power the cheap cam gobbles !

 

[jokiin]

Unfortunately it consumes power at great rates even when idling ... 400mAh to 500mAh

that seems quite heavy, how were you measuring?

 

[old4570]

I currently own two USB current - power meters ( USB doctor ( ? ) ) , and I have ordered a 3rd ( There cheap enough )
My Skytronic pulls 100mAh or less at idle .. ( fully charged internal battery ) , so it looks like I will order a Solar Powerbank and try the Skytronic on the car as a security cam ..

I also ordered some USB wall chargers / adapters , and will do a review on them for my website ( they are interesting ) ..
The two I have ( one 1A and one 2A ) both deliver half the power stated on their labels .. ( I guess that's Chinese Amps , much like Chinese batteries ... They just print what they like in their labels )
Just researching Solar powerbanks ATM , Id like something that works rather than something to throw in the rubbish bin . ( hehehehe - Not funny ! )

I did hope the G90 might pull 200mAh or less , but no joy .. The little skytronic cam is the only one to dip under 100mAh ...

 

[jokiin]

Quite power hungry if that's accurate

 

[Dashmellow]

Just researching Solar powerbanks ATM , Id like something that works rather than something to throw in the rubbish bin .

 

[old4570]

Quite power hungry if that's accurate

Cant vouch for accuracy , hopefully ballpark at the worst ...
Need some sort of USB interface , to interface with a MM

 

[reverend]

I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago that is a nice upgrade to my USB doctor:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B00S4FHKMY
It does running totals so you can see how many milliamps a powerbank actually supplies from full and so on and also supports higher voltages than most USB power doctors that top out at 7V (Qualcomm Quick Charge goes higher)

 

[Mikk36]

My choice for the power meter was this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/201397906943
As for the clouds triggering the motion detect, it's clearly too sensitive then or you really have extremely fast clouds. I only noticed that occasionally falling snow managed to trigger it (heavy snowfall). That didn't last long though because the windsceen was covered completely in about an hour.
I myself park in a closed parking lot which is surrounded by a building, so there's no passing traffic which would constantly trigger it.
It's interesting to see though that the camera sensor produces enough heat to make the snow melt onto the windscreen on top of it (luckily not in front of it).

 

[Dashmellow]

My choice for the power meter was this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/201397906943
As for the clouds triggering the motion detect, it's clearly too sensitive then or you really have extremely fast clouds. I only noticed that occasionally falling snow managed to trigger it (heavy snowfall). That didn't last long though because the windsceen was covered completely in about an hour.
I myself park in a closed parking lot which is surrounded by a building, so there's no passing traffic which would constantly trigger it.
It's interesting to see though that the camera sensor produces enough heat to make the snow melt onto the windscreen on top of it (luckily not in front of it).

It depends on the particular clouds, usually their contrast against the sky, not their speed so much. Clouds were not really the general point of the post, at any rate. I think you are right to mention the sensitivity however.

 

[old4570]

One of my USB power meters does the total , the other is the USB Doctor ...
3rd one is like the Doc but a little different .. ( will see when it gets here )
I need a USB cable I can splice my MM into to read Amps , that way I can check accuracy .

 

[jokiin]

It depends on the particular clouds, usually their contrast against the sky, not their speed so much. Clouds were not really the general point of the post, at any rate. I think you are right to mention the sensitivity however.

yeah it's the change in lighting not the actual cloud that sets it off

 

[old4570]

Camera is not nearly wide enough on the lens angle ...
Camera is in the right hand corner of the rear window .

Set up:
Powerbank + Small solar cell feeding powerbank ..

Hmmmmm

 

[jokiin]

should something come crashing through the roof you should get a pretty good view of it