Vortex Radar
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So I'm starting to work on some testing with the Viofo BP-100 battery pack and the EP-100 expansion battery.
I've just done one full charge/discharge cycle with the BP-100 by itself and with the A229 Pro 3CH connected in low bitrate parking mode with the IR LED off. Here's some numbers and findings as I test.
Starting off with a full recharge cycle from dead, the charge curve looks pretty linear as it recharges. The app shows it getting to 100% after about 63 min, but I don't think that's entirely accurate, as with most other dashcam battery pack apps.
If you look at the power draw on the power supply, I start seeing the power draw start to drop off closer to the 70 min mark which is what Viofo advertises for recharge times for a hardwired install. It sat pretty constant between 112-115W the whole time, usually around 113W while charging. I didn't start logging power draw numbers until after 1h which is why the curve looks perfectly flat until then. It sat pretty consistently at right around 113W so that's what I used.
Most other battery packs start to progressively dial back the input current as they approach 100% capacity, but if the Viofo battery app is to be trusted, this one looks to charge at full speed right up until the battery is fully charged.
Now as for the parking mode record times which are one of the most important metrics. Viofo advertises 32 hours of parking mode record time at 3W, but that varies greatly based on dashcam model, how many cameras you're running, and what parking mode you choose. According to their site, they listed 15h and 38min for an A229 Pro 3CH in low bitrate mode. I tested and I got 15h and 26min, so their estimates are virtually spot on.
Gonna try another full cycle with the BP-100 and EP-100 expansion next.
The battery itself otherwise seems pretty good. I like the 3-wire input cable so you can connect it directly to your battery for high current power draw and use a low current ACC trigger.
I also like the variety of output cables including a traditional 3-wire cable for any dashcam and a USB cable to go straight into a modern Viofo.
The output USB port unfortunately doesn't work for parking mode so it's mostly for things like charging a phone or something I guess.
The battery is silent so long as it has power inside, but if it's fully depleted, it does a double beep next time you start your car and it starts recharging. Also when the battery fully dies, it does another beep. I wish there was a way to disable that double beep at startup, but I haven't seen an option in the app or in the manual. Hopefully it exists.
Voltage info isn't passed over without the HK6, but that's fine given that I don't use that as a trigger for hybrid parking mode as to when to switch between regular and low power parking recording when connected to a dedicated dashcam battery pack.
I also like that the app has an option for OTA FW updates too which is convenient.
I've just done one full charge/discharge cycle with the BP-100 by itself and with the A229 Pro 3CH connected in low bitrate parking mode with the IR LED off. Here's some numbers and findings as I test.
Starting off with a full recharge cycle from dead, the charge curve looks pretty linear as it recharges. The app shows it getting to 100% after about 63 min, but I don't think that's entirely accurate, as with most other dashcam battery pack apps.
If you look at the power draw on the power supply, I start seeing the power draw start to drop off closer to the 70 min mark which is what Viofo advertises for recharge times for a hardwired install. It sat pretty constant between 112-115W the whole time, usually around 113W while charging. I didn't start logging power draw numbers until after 1h which is why the curve looks perfectly flat until then. It sat pretty consistently at right around 113W so that's what I used.
Most other battery packs start to progressively dial back the input current as they approach 100% capacity, but if the Viofo battery app is to be trusted, this one looks to charge at full speed right up until the battery is fully charged.
Now as for the parking mode record times which are one of the most important metrics. Viofo advertises 32 hours of parking mode record time at 3W, but that varies greatly based on dashcam model, how many cameras you're running, and what parking mode you choose. According to their site, they listed 15h and 38min for an A229 Pro 3CH in low bitrate mode. I tested and I got 15h and 26min, so their estimates are virtually spot on.
Gonna try another full cycle with the BP-100 and EP-100 expansion next.
The battery itself otherwise seems pretty good. I like the 3-wire input cable so you can connect it directly to your battery for high current power draw and use a low current ACC trigger.
I also like the variety of output cables including a traditional 3-wire cable for any dashcam and a USB cable to go straight into a modern Viofo.
The output USB port unfortunately doesn't work for parking mode so it's mostly for things like charging a phone or something I guess.
The battery is silent so long as it has power inside, but if it's fully depleted, it does a double beep next time you start your car and it starts recharging. Also when the battery fully dies, it does another beep. I wish there was a way to disable that double beep at startup, but I haven't seen an option in the app or in the manual. Hopefully it exists.
Voltage info isn't passed over without the HK6, but that's fine given that I don't use that as a trigger for hybrid parking mode as to when to switch between regular and low power parking recording when connected to a dedicated dashcam battery pack.
I also like that the app has an option for OTA FW updates too which is convenient.
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