What is the Power Draw from a Hardwired A129 Duo in Parking Mode?

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What is the Power Draw from a Hardwired A129 Duo in Parking Mode?

Ex. Curious to know how many mili amps or amps the camera uses from the battery while the vehicle is in parking mode.
 
You can use 2.5 watts for your calculations, camera uses a bit less but some is lost in the h/w kit and the battery.

(The amps of course increase as the battery voltage drops, so better to use watts, which stays consistent.)
 
You can use 2.5 watts for your calculations, camera uses a bit less but some is lost in the h/w kit and the battery.

(The amps of course increase as the battery voltage drops, so better to use watts, which stays consistent.)

So give or take about 1 AMP in parking mode?
 
2.5 / 12 = 0.208 Amper or 2.5 / 5 = 0.500 A
 
Leonauto is correct in his maths, unless he should have used 12.4 volts, but you didn't tell us what voltage you are measuring at, hence me giving watts!

A 20,000 mAh powerbank will last about 26 hours, but remember that is measured at 3.7 volts, an 80Ah 12 volt car battery with a 12.2 volt cutoff voltage should last around the same, which doesn't match the maths, but there are other things to take into account to get the maths accurate, such as a car battery needing to be charged for many hours to get it 100% full, if you are using parking mode off the car battery then the car battery will almost never be full.
 
Leonauto is correct in his maths, unless he should have used 12.4 volts, but you didn't tell us what voltage you are measuring at, hence me giving watts!

A 20,000 mAh powerbank will last about 26 hours, but remember that is measured at 3.7 volts, an 80Ah 12 volt car battery with a 12.2 volt cutoff voltage should last around the same, which doesn't match the maths, but there are other things to take into account to get the maths accurate, such as a car battery needing to be charged for many hours to get it 100% full, if you are using parking mode off the car battery then the car battery will almost never be full.

This is where my knowledge fails. I have cutoff set to 12.4 Volts (50%) for car battery. Hardwired to 20 AMP fuse for Battery and 15 AMP fuse for ACC. Not sure if this is relevant.

So when my car shuts off, how do I calculate the amount of mili amps or amps the A129 Duo utilizes other than a voltage meter. It appears there is some conversion formula being applied here. Explain the difference between these two formulas please.

2.5 / 12 = 0.208 Amper

or 2.5 / 5 = 0.500 A
 
This is where my knowledge fails. I have cutoff set to 12.4 Volts (50%) for car battery. Hardwired to 20 AMP fuse for Battery and 15 AMP fuse for ACC. Not sure if this is relevant.

So when my car shuts off, how do I calculate the amount of mili amps or amps the A129 Duo utilizes other than a voltage meter. It appears there is some conversion formula being applied here. Explain the difference between these two formulas please.

2.5 / 12 = 0.208 Amper

or 2.5 / 5 = 0.500 A
The camera uses 2.5 watts of power.

The milliamps is not really a very useful figure, except that it tells you how thick the cable needs to be.
amps = watts/volts
(current = power/pressure)
milliamps = amps * 1000

While your battery is at 13 volts the milliamps will be 2.5 / 13 * 1000 = 192 milliamps
When your battery drops to 12.4 volts the milliamps will be 2.5 / 12.4 * 1000 = 201 milliamps

Why do you want to know this figure? Like I said, it is not the most useful figure, the useful one is the power used, the watts.

When you buy a light bulb for your house, you don't buy a 41 milliamp LED light bulb, you buy a 10W one, but it is the same thing. Actually, I guess that in USA you buy a 100W high inefficiency light bulb that takes 10x the power, and 20x the amps a UK light bulb does since your domestic electricity is half the voltage!
 
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@HonestReview you have it here:

 
According to my Celling Neo 6, it's drawing a little over 0.2 Amps at 13 V using HK3 parking kit. That's around 2.5 - 2.6 W
 
2.5 / 12 = 0.208 Amper or 2.5 / 5 = 0.500 A

The camera uses 2.5 watts of power.

The milliamps is not really a very useful figure, except that it tells you how thick the cable needs to be.
amps = watts/volts
(current = power/pressure)
milliamps = amps * 1000

While your battery is at 13 volts the milliamps will be 2.5 / 13 * 1000 = 192 milliamps
When your battery drops to 12.4 volts the milliamps will be 2.5 / 12.4 * 1000 = 201 milliamps

Why do you want to know this figure? Like I said, it is not the most useful figure, the useful one is the power used, the watts.

When you buy a light bulb for your house, you don't buy a 41 milliamp LED light bulb, you buy a 10W one, but it is the same thing. Actually, I guess that in USA you buy a 100W high inefficiency light bulb that takes 10x the power, and 20x the amps a UK light bulb does since your domestic electricity is half the voltage!

Leonauto is correct in his maths, unless he should have used 12.4 volts, but you didn't tell us what voltage you are measuring at, hence me giving watts!

Let me clarify:

2.5 / 12 = 0.208 Amper or 2.5 / 5 = 0.500 A

What amperage is the camera drawing from my battery? You said to Leoauto unless he should have used 12.4 volts? Where are you drawing the number 12.4 from? Or Leonauto getting 12V's from?

Basically my intentions are to figure out how many amps camera draws from battery when in parking mode... To see how quickly it'll wear down battery over and above regular usage.

2.5/12.6 = 0.198 amper ? or 2.5/ 5 (camera uses 5 watts?) = .5 amps?
A fully charged car battery is 12.6 Volts. My cutoff is set to 12.2 Volts (50%). So how do I figure what amperage the camera is taking from my battery.
 
Let me clarify:



What amperage is the camera drawing from my battery? You said to Leoauto unless he should have used 12.4 volts? Where are you drawing the number 12.4 from? Or Leonauto getting 12V's from?

2.5/12.6 = 0.198 amper ? or 2.5/ 5 (camera uses 5 watts?) = .5 amps?
A fully charged car battery is 12.6 Volts. My cutoff is set to 12.2 Volts (50%). So how do I figure what amperage the camera is taking from my battery.
  • Earlier you said "I have cutoff set to 12.4 Volts", that is where my 12.4 comes from, now you say it is "12.2 Volts"!
  • Leonauto used 12 because it is a 12 volt battery, and 12 is close enough, at least it is for most people.
  • The amperage taken from your battery will vary with voltage, so we can't give an exact figure, we can however give an exact wattage - 2.5 watts, you can calculate everything else from that.
 
For rough figures and a bit of 'leeway' on the safe side, just figure a dashcam uses 1/2A (or 500mA which is the same thing) current and you'll land pretty close to average real-world conditions for the average cam.

As I've found through my own usage and non-specific testing, most cars can run a cam 8+ hours and still start the engine afterward. It will shorten battery life somewhat, how bad being based on battery size. Listen to how fast your starter normally turns, and if after parking you can tell it's turning considerably slower then you're probably abusing the battery badly with your cam habits.

Phil
 
For rough figures and a bit of 'leeway' on the safe side, just figure a dashcam uses 1/2A (or 500mA which is the same thing) current and you'll land pretty close to average real-world conditions for the average cam.

As I've found through my own usage and non-specific testing, most cars can run a cam 8+ hours and still start the engine afterward. It will shorten battery life somewhat, how bad being based on battery size. Listen to how fast your starter normally turns, and if after parking you can tell it's turning considerably slower then you're probably abusing the battery badly with your cam habits.

Phil

Thanks. That's what I was shooting for. My battery is aging, going on 6 years. I had it tested last year and it was running at a little over 12.4 volts (75%).. However, I have now wired camera with a 12.2 Volt Cutoff (seeing how my battery was at 75%) and setting to 12.2 Volts would allow the camera to run until battery hit 50%.

My Camera seems to be timing out more frequently, so I am going to get battery tested soon. Either I'm not driving enough to charge it full after the camera runs or the battery is simply aging. I'm guessing the almost 6 yrs old it's just aging and getting closer to the 55-60% mark, causing camera to shut off sooner.
 
  • Earlier you said "I have cutoff set to 12.4 Volts", that is where my 12.4 comes from, now you say it is "12.2 Volts"!
  • Leonauto used 12 because it is a 12 volt battery, and 12 is close enough, at least it is for most people.
  • The amperage taken from your battery will vary with voltage, so we can't give an exact figure, we can however give an exact wattage - 2.5 watts, you can calculate everything else from that.

I typed wrong, sorry. 12.6 = 100% battery. 12.4 = 75%. Mine is set to 12.2 = 50% cutoff. My apologies i typed wrong or had a brain fart.
 
What amperage is the camera drawing from my battery? You said to Leoauto unless he should have used 12.4 volts? Where are you drawing the number 12.4 from? Or Leonauto getting 12V's from?

Basically my intentions are to figure out how many amps camera draws from battery when in parking mode... To see how quickly it'll wear down battery over and above regular usage.

2.5/ 5 (camera uses 5 watts?) = .5 amps?
I took the calculated voltage values. You did not indicate which circuit you need indicators for, so I indicated for the circuit 12 Volts and 5 Volts (2.5 Watts / 5 Volts = 0.5 Amperes).
All these calculations are averaged and you will never calculate it to the tenth decimal place. :nailbiting:
Just plug it in and check.
The average estimated current consumption of these dashcam has already been given to you. ;)
 
My battery is aging, going on 6 years.

I haven't heard of a battery lasting that long in decades :eek: Today's cars are chock-full of 'parasitic' draws like key fob receivers, alarms, clocks, and computers that only 'go to sleep' to retain their memory, and that's not good for a lead-acid battery :(

I'd be thinking more of replacement than testing, and I'd be looking to get that exact same battery again as good as it has done ;)

Phil
 
I haven't heard of a battery lasting that long in decades :eek: Today's cars are chock-full of 'parasitic' draws like key fob receivers, alarms, clocks, and computers that only 'go to sleep' to retain their memory, and that's not good for a lead-acid battery :(

I'd be thinking more of replacement than testing, and I'd be looking to get that exact same battery again as good as it has done ;)

Phil

Battery manufactured June 2014 along with vehicle. Car put into service June 2015 as a Demo. I purchased with 2000 miles / 3200 KM June 2016. So it had light use for first 2 years.
 
The EverStart Maxx series is Walmart's premium in-house brand car battery. It's a fantastic value at 94 bucks. They even come with a 5 year warranty (three year full replacement - two year pro-rated). I've had a 24FN in my truck that lasted a full seven years! (same battery HonestReview is talking about) It was still going strong when I replaced it this last December out of an abundance of caution because I live in a very harsh winter climate and the last thing I need is to get stranded up here on my mountain out in the middle of nowhere. Seven years of completely trouble free, zero maintenance service is pretty outstanding in my book so I felt happy to quit while I'm ahead and I went out and purchased another EverStart Maxx Group 24F to replace the older one.

Walmart uses various manufacturing vendors for their batteries and I don't know who made the first one that lasted seven years. Currently they are manufactured by Johnson Controls who also produces Interstate and Optima automotive batteries so the EverStart Maxx has a respectable pedigree. It will be interesting to see how well it holds up compared to the older one. It might be a whole different animal but based on my previous experience and the attractive price I had no qualms about buying another one.

Previously, the 24F Maxx was available as Group 24FN (north) or 24FS (south). The N version was optimized for cold climates, S for warmer climates. Now you can only get the 24F.
One curious thing about the new Maxx 24F I bought was that it is about 1/8 inch taller than my old Maxx battery and when I went to do the install it wouldn't fit the hold down clamp in my truck, so I had to buy an aftermarket adjustable one for a couple of bucks. Before I bought the new hold down bracket I went back to Walmart and asked if they were aware of the taller battery and whether they'd had any returns but they had no idea what I was talking about. One of the guys there took a standard duty EverStart 24F off the rack as well as a 24F Maxx and put them side by side on the counter and sure enough the Maxx is 1/8 inch taller.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Maxx-Lead-Acid-Automotive-Battery-Group-Size-24F/28275657
 
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The Everstart did well in a ProjectFarm video - not sure if you're familiar with him but he does some fantastic videos. I think CostCo have a variant made by Johnsons too according to this video:


Here in the UK I buy the Yuasa Silver batteries with 5 year warranty but saying that none have made it that long and every one needed replacing around 2 years in.

I've just refreshed 15 12v batteries in some UPS battery boxes at home (we have really poor power quality where I live) and I went with CSB batteries (Hitachi) for those and I'll be happy if I get 5 years.
 
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