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Hey guys, I’ve seen many posts about dash cams shutting off in parking mode when connected to hardwiring kit (no back up battery).
Many users here seem to use Blackvue dash cams. Some use Power Magic Pro hardwiring kit and I have seen complaints on flat batteries and parking mode shutting down.
This seems to happen when backup battery is not installed (Blackvue backup battery costs as much as $360).
Dash cams can take up loads of power from the starter battery so the hardwiring kit will cut power when battery goes below voltage setting.
Any ideas or recommendations on setting up proper parking mode on dash cam with a hardwiring kit? Interested in hearing experiences from Thinkware, Garmin, Viofo users too.
I have the Thinkware U1000 dual camera hardwired to the rear fuse panel and have parking mode always enabled. Nowadays due to covid, I really only drive on weekends but have no battery drain issues and the camera runs in parking mode for the entire week with no issues. I went with Thinkware instead of Blackvue because of its power efficiency. I also have the optional radar module which helps save power while in parking mode so that is probably why I'm able to get 5-6 days with minimal battery drain and no external battery pack.
I went for the Thinkware U1000 too. Thinkware app has settings to enable battery protection and voltage cutoff thresholds. I set mine to 12.2V and the dash cam shuts off before car battery reaches that limit. I’ve never had a problem with batteries running dead.
In winter you can setup winter time battery protection and this will configure the voltage meter to power off 0.2 volts above the voltage cutoff point. This is useful because electronics can strain your battery in cold days. Check out this post by blackboxmycar.
Link: https://www.blackboxmycar.ca/blogs/n...r-winter-drive
As @another_geek mentioned, power consumption is great on U1000 dual channel. Motion detection mode is 208.8 mA and energy saving mode is 8 mA.
When you put Thinkware on energy saving mode, power consumption is only a small fraction of Blackvue DR900X dual channel's power consumption 365mA.
Just got the Blackvue DR900x-2CH dashcam installed on the 2020 GLE. Ended up using the backup battery though (B124X) and I'll probably end up getting expanded battery (B124E) once I figure out where I am going to place it.
There are differences between the parking mode of the Blackvue and Thinkware.
For Blackvue, there are 2 options. Regular parking mode (video on, but only record with 5-10 seconds buffer before event) or time lapse mode which record 24/7 with 1 frame per second. Both requires the camera to be on 24/7 in order to record/detect event with buffering.
For Thinkware, the new Energy Saving Parking Mode 2.0 keep dashcam on standby mode, and only record the second an impact is detected. This means that only the accelerometer is active during standby. You can pair it with the radar module which could provide you with up to 10 seconds before an impact (with motion sensor)
Here is the current draw chart from Thinkware:
I uses a Blackvue DR900S-2CH with 2 Blackvue batteries, and on full change, it can last up to 2 days depend on the amount of events detected.
Also, do keep in mind that the new Blackvue DR900X has built in parking mode support, so you don't need to have a power magic pro. All settings can be set in the app (according to their website) if you choose to hardware it to the always on power.
I've had several Blackvue cams and maybe it is just me being unlucky, but all of them have failed after 2 years. I suspect it might be due to the heat during the summers. I have purchased a Thinkware U1000 for my GLS and I like it better. I also do have a battery hooked up to charge when the car is on and I don't regret spending the money on it at all (already caught a parking lot hit and run on it). IMO, the Thinkware software is faster than the Blackvue (when downloading videos over wifi, etc). There are downsides to the Thinkware though as it does look a lot more clunkier and the Blackvue looks much more sleek. Overall I don't think you can go wrong with both and using a hardware kit as mentioned above should prevent your battery from going flat if set up properly. I do recommend at least getting one battery though, as I did have Blackvue dashcams without them before and they honestly didn't record much during parking mode due to low battery voltage.
Hello all. I joined the club with a new Mercedes GLE and I am opting for a setup with two Blackvue 900x cameras with rear modules and two battery extensions in order to attempt a 360 parking mode recording (4 cameras in total). I am not sure which fuses in the rear fuse box to use, in order to hardwire the batteries. From your setups and experience which fuses did you use?
Hello all. I joined the club with a new Mercedes GLE and I am opting for a setup with two Blackvue 900x cameras with rear modules and two battery extensions in order to attempt a 360 parking mode recording (4 cameras in total). I am not sure which fuses in the rear fuse box to use, in order to hardwire the batteries. From your setups and experience which fuses did you use?
Thank you in advance
I used the fuse for the 12v outlet in the trunk area, that way it minimize the chance of affecting other system.
I used the fuse for the 12v outlet in the trunk area, that way it minimize the chance of affecting other system.
Thank you very much that's what I was thinking too after reading the fuse diagram in the booklet. It's the one with the 20A fuse. I plan to use 2 batteries simultaneously and there are 2 20A fuses next to each other. Out of curiosity where did you put the ground ring? There is a bolt which I unscrewed but it is too big to fit the ground ring inside it. And there are also some metal pins that are protruding left of the fuse box, which seem to have patches for a nut and washer. Did you use those and bought a nut from somewhere and if yes what thickness?
Thank you very much that's what I was thinking too after reading the fuse diagram in the booklet. It's the one with the 20A fuse. I plan to use 2 batteries simultaneously and there are 2 20A fuses next to each other. Out of curiosity where did you put the ground ring? There is a bolt which I unscrewed but it is too big to fit the ground ring inside it. And there are also some metal pins that are protruding left of the fuse box, which seem to have patches for a nut and washer. Did you use those and bought a nut from somewhere and if yes what thickness?
Kind regards
See https://mbworld.org/forums/gle-class...ml#post7924525
I use the bolt at the top of the fuse box (second picture, the red wire at the top). I did not use anything else as the ring fit the bolt.
As for the fuse, I use the 20A one third down (in my picture) on the right side. I don't have the fuse diagram with me at the moment so I don't remember what the other 20A is for.
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