[lxskllr]

Originally Posted by sanchari

I have sunfilm installed on my windscreen. Not sure if it will take weight of the dashcam. So have a few questions to get around it.

1. Has anyone used good Mirror dash cams? Any pros/cons ?
2. If regular dashcams, are there any mirror mounts to mount the dash cam if I don't want to mount it on the windscreen?
3. Are there dash cams where it can be fixed on the dashboard instead? Will it work right too or will vibrations due to potholes etc cause it to get dislodged?

I can't help you with the other questions. But, in my vehicle I've mounted DDPAI X2S pro on 3M CR 70. Had to let the film settle for a week before pasting the dashcam. So far no issues.

[adisan]

Originally Posted by sanchari

3. Are there dash cams where it can be fixed on the dashboard instead? Will it work right too or will vibrations due to potholes etc cause it to get dislodged?

I have a DDPai Mini mounted on the center of the dashboard using the 3M adhesive tape that came with it. No issues till now - after more than 2 years.

[sanchari]

Originally Posted by adisan

I have a DDPai Mini mounted on the center of the dashboard using the 3M adhesive tape that came with it. No issues till now - after more than 2 years.

Thanks, was looking for something like this. Do you mind sharing photo if possible? Also is the field of view good for the camera when it is mounted on the dashboard instead of on the windscreen?

[raksrules]

I was checking the nexdigitron website and saw some sort of battery pack for dashcam. It says "Dashcam battery pack with hardwire". I am unable to understand the hardwire part.
Here is the link..

https://www.nexdigitron.com/products...m-battery-pack

From the installation steps shown there, It appears that the way this thing works is..

Dashcam <----> Battery Pack <----> 12v charging port.

There is no actual hardwire into the fusebox and such right? Also this method I guess works in a way wherein when car is being driven, the battery pack is being charged as well the dashcam is powered but once you shut off the car, the battery pack takes over the duties of recording upto stipulated hours.
Right?

[adisan]

Originally Posted by sanchari

Also is the field of view good for the camera when it is mounted on the dashboard instead of on the windscreen?

The below pic is from the dashcam footage.

[UPS_Guru]

Originally Posted by raksrules

I was checking the nexdigitron website and saw some sort of battery pack for dashcam. It says "Dashcam battery pack with hardwire". I am unable to understand the hardwire part...
Also this method I guess works in a way wherein when car is being driven, the battery pack is being charged as well the dashcam is powered but once you shut off the car, the battery pack takes over the duties of recording up to stipulated hours. Right?

You got it right. The battery pack achieves the same thing as a hardwire kit. However, there are no hardwire connections and no use of the car battery. This is a solution for those who want to monitor 24/7 without draining the car battery through hardwiring/fuse-taping.

If a Router UPS is a power bank modified and made safer for routers, a Dashcam Battery Pack is a power bank modified and made safer for dashcams.

[raksrules]

Originally Posted by UPS_Guru

You got it right. The battery pack achieves the same thing as a hardwire kit. However, there are no hardwire connections and no use of the car battery. This is a solution for those who want to monitor 24/7 without draining the car battery through hardwiring/fuse-taping.

If a Router UPS is a power bank modified and made safer for routers, a Dashcam Battery Pack is a power bank modified and made safer for dashcams.

Yes I read more about it and see that the composition inside is not the regular Li-Ion that we use in cell phone batteries and such and instead it is some Li-Phosporus something. The battery pack is definitely pricey at 4.5K. For Now I won't consider taking it but may be in future, not sure. Nevertheless, a good option for people who don't want to do hardwiring and stuff.


On a related note, checking posts in last 6-8 pages, it appears that best option seems to be the 70mai Pro Plus+ A500S (for those who want 2 cameras).

[TSEA]

There is an alternative to "Hardwiring via Fuse Box" using an OBD Charger.

[sridhu]

I have a Street Guardian SG9665GC. The company says the super capacitor has failed. (Excellent customer support, by the way)

I am ordering a new one.

The question is, has any one opened one of these units and replaced the capacitor? What kind of a capacitor does it use? Is it easy to replace?

[UPS_Guru]

Originally Posted by TSEA

There is an alternative to "Hardwiring via Fuse Box" using an OBD Charger.

The problem with both hardwiring and the OBD charger is the chances of it draining your car battery. Some OBD chargers have a button to turn off the charger, but you have to remember to do it every time. The safest alternative is 12V charger or the USB port if you do not want any recording when the engine is off. Otherwise, a dashcam battery pack is the safest option.

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by sridhu

The question is, has any one opened one of these units and replaced the capacitor? What kind of a capacitor does it use? Is it easy to replace?

Even I am looking for someone who can replace the capacitor of my G1W-H. I had checked with neighborhood TV repair guy and he flatly refused to touch the cam. There are some videos on YT showing how to open the dashcam.

[TSEA]

Originally Posted by UPS_Guru

The problem with both hardwiring and the OBD charger is the chances of it draining your car battery. Some OBD chargers have a button to turn off the charger, but you have to remember to do it every time. The safest alternative is 12V charger or the USB port if you do not want any recording when the engine is off. Otherwise, a dashcam battery pack is the safest option.

I was under the impression that Hardwiring/OBD chargers, cut off power to the dashcam, once they detect that the input voltage has fallen below a certain amount, to prevent battery drain. Isn't that so?

The switch on the OBD Charger was supposed to be to toggle between the accessories mode (on/off). With accessories mode on, power will be supplied only for 5 mins after ignition off.

[airbus]

Originally Posted by sridhu

The question is, has any one opened one of these units and replaced the capacitor? What kind of a capacitor does it use? Is it easy to replace?

I am just curious if the camera will not work when capacitors are bad?

I think during boot capacitors may not have a role as camera is getting power.

When power supply is cut, my camera will shutdown after few seconds. If capacitors are bad, it will shutdown instantly. Will that impact camera OS as I am not sure capacitors are giving enough time for a graceful shutdown.

[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by sridhu

I have a Street Guardian SG9665GC. The company says the super capacitor has failed. (Excellent customer support, by the way)

I am ordering a new one.

The question is, has any one opened one of these units and replaced the capacitor? What kind of a capacitor does it use? Is it easy to replace?

Originally Posted by airbus

I am just curious if the camera will not work when capacitors are bad?

I think during boot capacitors may not have a role as camera is getting power.

When power supply is cut, my camera will shutdown after few seconds. If capacitors are bad, it will shutdown instantly. Will that impact camera OS as I am not sure capacitors are giving enough time for a graceful shutdown.

Typically all these electronics use small embedded micro-controllers with in built flash memories. Super Caps are large capacitors (in Capacitance) which are added to the Power rails of the micro controller and if the power is lost abruptly, they will provide a quick back up for gracious shut down (electronics will be available to detect the power loss at the source) of the controller by backing up the last state in the flash memory. Essentially they deliver high current in quick time unlike a battery which is for small current for long period of time.

This prevents the memory corruption which sometimes will result in micro controller being latched up in unknown state in worse case or lose previous settings in best case. Some times, SuperCaps are also used for supporting separate Real Time Clock (RTC) chips.

They are easily machine solderable in the assembly line but little expensive. Panasonic and NEC used to be market leaders some years ago.

Electronics will work if the Super Cap has become open circuited but just memory back up won't be possible which is the usual failure mode. If it is short circuited, it will prevent micro controller from starting up which is rare.

[UPS_Guru]

Originally Posted by TSEA

I was under the impression that Hardwiring/OBD chargers, cut off power to the dashcam, once they detect that the input voltage has fallen below a certain amount, to prevent battery drain. Isn't that so?

The switch on the OBD Charger was supposed to be to toggle between the accessories mode (on/off). With accessories mode on, power will be supplied only for 5 mins after ignition off.

Hardwire: Dashcam is On or off when the engine is off depending on what you have tapped into.
OBD: Dashcam is either on or off, the switch/position doesn't make a difference.