VIOFO Prototype Hardwire Kit - Test & Review

[safedrivesolutions]

I agree with you 100%
Adding a 5th setting was my first choice, but it will most likely add considerable manufacturing cost / complexity so I’m willing to swap 12.4V with OFF.

11.8v should disappear and be off. 12.4 should remain

 

[Nigel]

11.8v should disappear and be off. 12.4 should remain

11.8V is a good voltage for AGM batteries, which will still easily start an engine at that voltage.
If you want to keep 12.4 then the intermediate values need to be spread out more.
What is your reason for wanting to keep 12.4V ? I've had lead acid batteries that drop to 12.4V within minutes when there is a bit of load on them.

 

[kamkar]

In Danish egen mean Own, so Min egen bil = My own car.

I think a setting for letting battery pack deside is fine, but it should be at the expence of the 11.8 voltage cut off as no one should use that.
I would personally use 12.4 Volt in testing parking guard in a system that did not give me a timer to cut parking guard short.

 

[safedrivesolutions]

11.8V is a good voltage for AGM batteries, which will still easily start an engine at that voltage.
If you want to keep 12.4 then the intermediate values need to be spread out more.
What is your reason for wanting to keep 12.4V ? I've had lead acid batteries that drop to 12.4V within minutes when there is a bit of load on them.

BATTERY VOLTAGES

https://www.optimabatteries.com/experience/blog/what-is-the-main-disadvantage-of-an-agm-battery

https://www.optimabatteries.com/experience/blog/normal-voltage-for-car-battery

https://www.optimabatteries.com/experience/blog/basic-information-on-battery-voltage

Battery cell voltages are min 2.12V x 6 Cells = 12.72V to be fully charged

AGM – 13-13.2V fully charged

LEAD-ACID – 12.7 fully charged

Anything below 12.4V is considered discharged, and below 12.4 volts, sulfation will begin to form, which diminishes both capacity and lifespan.

AGM CONS– costs, weight

AGM PROS - handle extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, more tolerant of deep-discharge cycles, higher voltage YELLOWTOP are fully-charged at about 13.0-13.2 volts

U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)

https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/975252

BATTERY PERFORMANCE

https://www.monolithicpower.com/en/...te of Health provides,is still in the battery.

State of charge – raw voltage with basic multimeter or basic tester.

Battery voltage is GOOD

Battery can have perfect state of charge (also known as surface charge) but no ability to start a vehicle

BATTERY HEALTH
https://sunonbattery.com/agm-battery-voltage-capacity/

Ideal battery brand new not connected to anything

SOC(State of Charge)	OCV(Open-Circuit Voltage)
100%	12.85V
75%	12.55V
50%	12.25V
25%	11.95V
0%	11.65V

From the above table, it is recommended to set the end voltage to 11.95V for 50% DOD. DEPTH OF DISCHARGE

SOC(State of Charge)	AGM Battery Voltage
100%	12.50V
80%	12.25V
60%	12.05V
50%	11.95V
40%	11.75V
20%	11.35V
0%	10.80V

With load connected, the voltage does change

 

[Panzer Platform]

11.8v should disappear and be off. 12.4 should remain

OK, I change my answer.
We need a redesigned from the ground up Viofo hardwire kit.
We need settings;
12.4V
12.3V
12.2V
12.1V
12.0V
11.9V
11.8V
LCV OFF

This gives me another idea.
1.) Why can’t they upgrade the included Dual USB CLA charger with LVC settings.
This would give folks the ability to use the dash cam in normal recording mode with a constant hot 12V CLA power point?
2.) Or, they could “try” to use parking mode by waiting for 5 minutes of “no activity” and hope it goes back to normal recording mode when the GPS Module reports 5MPH of speed.
3.) This will provide a "plug & play" method for consumers that are unwilling / unable / prohibited from tapping into the fuse box.
4.) Where the heck is the Viofo Brand OBD2 power cable BTW? lol
(I was told 5/1/24, or later, or never. lol)

@Karagandinez Would that work for you?

 

[Ted@SafeDriveSolutions]

Majority of the population has no clue what type of battery is under the hood, so having something less than 12v for the one off AGM battery isn't worth the headache. I would prefer the kit to have the following options:

12v
12.1
12.2
12.3
Bypass for battery pack

Changes that should be implemented:
- Flush the selector switch with the case.ato make changes you'd use a pick or small flat head. This prevents accidental changes while hiding the wiring.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Majority of the population has no clue what type of battery is under the hood, so having something less than 12v for the one off AGM battery isn't worth the headache. I would prefer the kit to have the following options:

12v
12.1
12.2
12.3
Bypass for battery pack

Changes that should be implemented:
- Flush the selector switch with the case.ato make changes you'd use a pick or small flat head. This prevents accidental changes while hiding the wiring.

Welcome to the club Ted.
Looking forward to more of your posts.

What if the Hardwire Kit had Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and you could change the LVC settings with the Viofo APP?
Then you would be able to change the settings as the starter battery ages, and degrades without removing paneling from a professional / hidden install.
-Chuck

 

[GPak]

There is no need to argue here, Viofo can leave the original HK as is, so everyone is happy.
Viofo can and should offer/provide a dedicated HK for dedicated battery packs, same as the original one, but without the voltage switch/selector.
Since this HK box is nothing more than ordinary buck converter that typically requires about 2V difference between the input and output voltage to operate, the low voltage cut-ff should be around 7V clean.
So it will work even for my 4S LTO battery currently in work

 

[Panzer Platform]

There is no need to argue here

Healthy, and respectful debate / discourse is 90% of the fun of this forum. lol

Viofo can and should offer/provide a dedicated HK for dedicated battery packs, same as the original one, but without the voltage switch/selector.

I disagree.
This is a logistical nightmare to manufacture, distribute, stock yet another variant of the existing line up of hardwire kits.
We already have 5 different ones based on USB Micro, USB Type-C, 90 degree angle, straight, VS1 only, and it's already too complicated for the average consumer to tell the difference.
We need one modular unit to rule them all. lol

 

[Karagandinez]

Majority of the population has no clue what type of battery is under the hood, so having something less than 12v for the one off AGM battery isn't worth the headache. I would prefer the kit to have the following options:

12v
12.1
12.2
12.3
Bypass for battery pack

Changes that should be implemented:
- Flush the selector switch with the case.ato make changes you'd use a pick or small flat head. This prevents accidental changes while hiding the wiring.

Personally, I am satisfied with the current values. Enough for me:
12.2V
12.0V
11.8V
And there is no need to remove any of them from the Hardwire Kit.
You have the right to ask to add new values, but you do not need to remove old ones.
Everyone has the right to choose what settings to use the Hardwire Kit.

 

[Nigel]

Anything below 12.4V is considered discharged, and below 12.4 volts, sulfation will begin to form, which diminishes both capacity and lifespan.

So anything from 12.4V upwards is considered fully charged, thus 12.4 is not necessary as it is effectively the same as turning parking mode off! Experience says that 12.4 is usable for parking mode on a brand new battery, but I don't think many people use it for long.

As for the sulfation, that is normal on any standard lead acid battery, part of use, and it normally gets de-sulfated by a full charge, so not an issue. AGM batteries do not have a problem with sulfation in normal use due to their construction.

With load connected, the voltage does change

Yes, it will drop a little, even just the car alarm system will reduce it a little, so the values used should be lower than shown in the tables of no-load voltages.

Majority of the population has no clue what type of battery is under the hood, so having something less than 12v for the one off AGM battery isn't worth the headache.

Most AGM batteries say "AGM" on the top, so most people can easily find out, and if they can't manage that then they will be using a professional to install and configure the hardwire kit.


11.8V should stay.
12.4V is not being used except with new dashcam installs with brand new car batteries, it is not necessary.
The disable setting should be 11.0 V so that if it is used with a battery that does not have an internal cutoff then 1. it will not destroy the battery and 2. it will turn the power off and keep it off instead of repeatedly trying to power up the camera on a battery with insufficient power to complete a power up.

 

[Panzer Platform]

The disable setting should be 11.0 V

No, weed need it off.
This is how BlackVue, Thinkware, and all the other Korean brands that use the 12 Volt barrel connector for the power cable connection do it.

What if the Hardwire Kit had Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and you could change the LVC settings with the Viofo APP?
Then you would be able to change the settings as the starter battery ages, and degrades without removing paneling from a professional / hidden install.

 

[Karagandinez]

What if the Hardwire Kit had Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and you could change the LVC settings with the Viofo APP?
Then you would be able to change the settings as the starter battery ages, and degrades without removing paneling from a professional / hidden install.

How often do you change settings in the Hardwire Kit?
The more innovations, the worse the work.
The Hardwire Kit gets the job done. Why force him to make coffee?

 

[GPak]

...... The disable setting should be 11.0 V so that if it is used with a battery that does not have an internal cutoff then 1. it will not destroy the battery and 2. it will turn the power off and keep it off instead of repeatedly trying to power up the camera on a battery with insufficient power to complete a power up.

Why 11V, where this number come from? What kind of Battery will 11V protect?
The only batteries with no protection are the lead-acid varieties, and for that we already have 4 existing settings.
All power stations, power banks, etc. have built-in protections including low voltage cut-off.
All dash cam dedicated battery packs are 4S*P configuration LFP, with recommended cut-off voltage 2.5V per cell or 10V for Battery pack.
LTO 6S*P Battery pack can be happily discharged down to 9V
If Viofo adds "No Cut-off" setting, than the buck converter should be utilized to the full capacity which is 7-8V cut-off for 5.5V output.
And yes it should be a clean cut-off, all the buck converters I've worked with have this and they power back a volt or two above the cut-off voltage.

 

[GPak]

........
What if the Hardwire Kit had Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and you could change the LVC settings with the Viofo APP?
Then you would be able to change the settings as the starter battery ages, and degrades without removing paneling from a professional / hidden install.

HK4 Hardwire Kit Wires?

Hey guys, I'm not too experienced with wires and wire quality... however after some research I've figured that as the gauging number of the wire is lower, the more current it can handle. Currently, pretty much all of the fuse taps I've come across are 16 AWG wires, which on the box it says...

dashcamtalk.com

 

[Nigel]

Why 11V, where this number come from? What kind of Battery will 11V protect?

It is less than the 11.2 cutoff given above for the battery pack, and it is more than the point where we will get random attempts to reboot the camera when there is too little power to succeed. It is also a good figure for if someone wants to use an unprotected lithium 4S battery.

If Viofo adds "No Cut-off" setting, than the buck converter should be utilized to the full capacity which is 7-8V cut-off for 5.5V output.

The last time I tested a Viofo converter, it did run on 9V, failed at about 8.5V, which meant that I could run the dashcam on the 9V output of a USB-C PD powerbank, which was probably a little more efficient than running it at 18V. That powerbank didn't give a 12V output option.

So I can see that it can be useful to have a complete disable, for when I want to run a Viofo dashcam that doesn't accept 5V USB and I am using a USB powerbank that refuses to provide 12V, but I have only met one Viofo dashcam that doesn't accept 5V.
(The MT1 if you were wondering, I still have that on my bicycle powered at 9V from a USB-C PD powerbank.)

The question is, what is the most useful cutoff voltage?
And is that voltage more useful than 0V? 0V seems completely useless to me!

 

[Panzer Platform]

HK4 Hardwire Kit Wires?

Hey guys, I'm not too experienced with wires and wire quality... however after some research I've figured that as the gauging number of the wire is lower, the more current it can handle. Currently, pretty much all of the fuse taps I've come across are 16 AWG wires, which on the box it says...

dashcamtalk.com

No, the dash cam must remain USB Type-C.

 

[Panzer Platform]

It is less than the 11.2 cutoff given above for the battery pack, and it is more than the point where we will get random attempts to reboot the camera when there is too little power to succeed. It is also a good figure for if someone wants to use an unprotected lithium 4S battery.


The last time I tested a Viofo converter, it did run on 9V, failed at about 8.5V, which meant that I could run the dashcam on the 9V output of a USB-C PD powerbank, which was probably a little more efficient than running it at 18V. That powerbank didn't give a 12V output option.

So I can see that it can be useful to have a complete disable, for when I want to run a Viofo dashcam that doesn't accept 5V USB and I am using a USB powerbank that refuses to provide 12V, but I have only met one Viofo dashcam that doesn't accept 5V.
(The MT1 if you were wondering, I still have that on my bicycle powered at 9V from a USB-C PD powerbank.)

The question is, what is the most useful cutoff voltage?
And is that voltage more useful than 0V? 0V seems completely useless to me!

Do you have a dash cam battery pack in your possession?
Have you ever tested, or used a dash cam battery pack?
EGEN, PowerCore, etc.
I’m not talking about USB power banks.

 

[Panzer Platform]

How often do you change settings in the Hardwire Kit?
The more innovations, the worse the work.
The Hardwire Kit gets the job done. Why force him to make coffee?

OK, how do you suggest they add a setting to disable low voltage cutoff for use with dash cam battery packs?

 

[Nigel]

Have you ever tested, or used a dash cam battery pack?

Not sure what your point is?
Dashcam battery packs were tested in post #2:

I found that the PowerCell 8 did not turn off the output constant battery power until the voltage level reached 10.29V, which is well below the believed 10.9V minimum output voltage level for the PowerCell 8.

Which is not quite as simple as I thought/remembered!

Maybe the cut off should be 10.8V, or 10.0V, as I suggested in post #6 ?

But it is not going to make much difference, there is virtually no power left in the cells by the time you get to 11.0V. The current problem is that there is still some useful power at 11.8V.

No, the dash cam must remain USB Type-C.

USB Type-C at which voltage?
It could be 12V USB PD Type C!