Using the A139 2-ch + HK3-C hardwire kit with a battery pack

timeshock6

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I recently installed the A139 2-ch + HK3-C hardwire kit with a new Thinkware iVolt BAB-50 battery pack.

About the battery pack:
  • The Thinkware iVolt BAB-50 has a battery capacity of 57.6Wh (4,500mAh @12.8V)
  • The battery pack is supposed to last up to 20 hours for 1-ch dashcams and 15 hours for 2-ch dashcams.
  • Since I'm using a battery pack, I don't need to set a cutoff voltage and just let the battery cut itself off when the voltage gets low. The HK3-C does not have a mode to disable the cutoff voltage so I selected the lowest value which is 11.8V.

I set the resolution to 1440p 60fps front and 1080p rear, and use the low bitrate mode for parking. I found that on a full charge, the parking mode lasts about 10+ hours on a full charge, which tells me that either the dashcam uses quite a lot of power in parking mode (5+ watts) or that I have a defective battery that has a reduced capacity. The A129 pro duo uses about 3.8W of power in low bitrate parking mode, so I'm surprised if the A139 2-ch uses a lot more power.

Has anyone tried measuring the A139 2ch's power consumption in low bitrate parking mode? Maybe even in normal operations too?
 
If you have both dashcams try to use the same Parking Mode feature for both because Parking Modes are using different power. For A129 Pro are more tests maybe you can compare with other tests.
Maybe your power bank needs 2-3 full chargers until it will offer the correct values. I don't think your power bank is damaged.

I set the resolution to 1440p 60fps
No need for 60FPS for dashcam usage, 30FPS is enough. 60FPS is good for marketing, for sales purposes, I consider it is just wasted power and space on the card.

the parking mode lasts about 10+ hours on a full charge
I have a question regarding this, think before reply. If your power-bank will offer 10 or 12 or 14 hours and you consider it is not enough for your parking duration will be a good solution for you that after the power bank is empty the dashcam to use for the rest of the needed hours, the car battery? For example for more 3-4 hours? This will mean that the dashcam will not use for 15-18 hours the car battery, but only 2-3-4 hours and such short time will not affect your car battery life.
 
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