Best Dash Cam for Taco

my old cheap chinese dash cam finally crapped out after 5 years

just got a dual card mini0806 front only, thing is baller for the price. running 64gb and 128gb in it, in cinema mode.

 

This is one of the wonderful reasons to NOT buy a dash camera with a battery in it. Frankly, there isn't a good reason for them to have a battery to begin with, since the car has its own battery which is PLENTY big for running a camera. If you are in a crash that disables your main battery, you don't actually need to keep recording past the moment of impact, since that data won't have any important data -- which is only what CAUSED the crash.

Of course, you could potentially have a few layers of buffering before the data is actually written to the flash card, BUT, it isn't so much that you wouldn't be able to flush the data in a few milliseconds while still powered by a small capacitor.

These batteries that may be installed in cameras -- they are high density, but CHEAP batteries. Lithium Ion, and everybody has heard of all the apple and samsung cell phones that have caught themselves on FIRE due to battery failure. Cheaper and crappier battery and that only increases the chance of catastrophic failure, and the potential for actually burning your car down. Is that something that is worth the risk? I'd say no. Not without a serious benefit, which doesn't exist.

 

I got my

$150 Rexing V1P 4K Car Dash Cam 2.4" LCD 2160p Front + 1080p Rear Wi-Fi 170° Wide Angle Dual Channel with Rear Cam, G-Sensor, WDR, Loop Recording Mobile App Supercapacitor

Rexing V1P on Amazon prime day, front and rear for $88. I haven't had a problem with it and frequently pull video from it for fun.

 

The spec says that the sensors are IMX323, which is a MIPI CSI sensor. Its hard to tell what is going on with the wire, but assuming that its carrying the MIPI signal and not a USB signal, then the wire length could very well be very limited, and in fact the existing wire length may already be WAY longer than MIPI specifications allow.

For a while, I was using a MIPI sensor with an extended length wire of about 3-4 feet -- it ran from a camera mounted on my back window to a raspberry pi zero mounted in the overhead console. Initially, it did not work well at all, so I worked around the issue by shielding the MIPI wire using aluminum duct tape. This was way outside of spec, but because of the added shielding, worked quite well until I had constructed my first prototype custom radio, at which point I switched from the MIPI camera on the back, to a USB camera -- the custom radio would be just way too far from the camera to make the MIPI work well, so I couldn't justify the work to adapt the MIPI port of the new SBC to the camera.

I am using 2 UVC cameras. They are "exposed board" cameras, 1080p, onboard H264 encoders. I record from those cameras with ffmpeg and controlled by a custom daemon. My front camera is screwed into the front surface of the rear view mirror, its USB wire runs up into the headliner, right to the pillar, and down into the dashboard. The rear camera is mounted on the driver's side of the center panel at the top, its wire runs above the headliner to the same point as the wire from the front camera, and follows the same path across and down.

$63 ELP Sony IMX323 Sensor Mini Wide Angle USB Camera Module with Microphone 170degree Fisheye Lens HD 1080P 0.01Lux Low Light Video Audio PC Camera UVC H.264 USB2.0 Embedded Webcam Board for Computer

https://www.amazon.com/ELP-IMX322-Sensor-Camera-Module/dp/B071DD9YQD
(note: DO NOT get the 180 degree lens. They are not compatible with the large sensor on these cameras. The 170 degree lens is great though.)

Now of course, those are just cameras, no facility to record without adding something extra. I'm using, as I mentioned, a completely custom built radio (I'm a computer engineer), but you could, with a little work, use a more dedicated system for recording, like a raspberry pi SBC. I was using a raspberry pi zero, but it only has 1 USB port available (one of the reasons I was using a MIPI camera for the back). Any of the "standard" raspberry pi's would do the job, and since you would be just storing data (not processing the video in any way), you wouldn't need a pi3. Even a pi1 would do the job.

 

I've had an issue with my dashcam draining my battery. Should I upgrade my battery with something nice, like a Northstar? Or get one of those external battery packs just for the dashcam? Or is there another option I'm not thinking of?

 

I did the same thing, bought the V1P on Prime Day and I am really impressed with it. Only thing that I had to alter was the mounting tape, the tape provided was not nearly strong enough for some reason and frequently fell from the windshield. I changed it out for heavy duty tape and haven't had a problem since.

 

I am going to get the Lukas Dual Lens Dash Camera LK-7950 It is big, but I plan to put it behind my rear view mirror. It doesn't have a screen, you use your cell phone for that, so putting it behind the mirror won't matter. I like the fact it handles heat better than most other units. The sun is a big deal here in the summer.
https://dashboardcamerareviews.com/lukas-lk-7950-wd/

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LUKAS-LK-7...h=item3f6e0da5ff:g:Gs4AAOSwal5YErWo:rk:1:pf:0

 

Connect it to the ACCESSORY power, so when you turn off your key, it is powered off.

 

Good idea, but I want to use the parking mode feature and the dashcam's battery is not nearly long enough to leave it over night.

 

Then you're pretty well stuck. Its either going to drain your battery, or you won't be able to record right through the night.
I suggest that "parking mode" is probably intended for brief stops at stores and so on, rather than perpetual recording. For overnight, it might be a better idea to install a stationary security camera plugged into the mains.

 

you just need a battery protection device.

top of the line version

VicoVation Vico-Power Plus Battery Discharge Prevention (BDP) Device for Parking Mode

https://www.amazon.com/VicoVation-Vico-Power-Battery-Discharge-Prevention/dp/B00ZPLSITE

cheaper version

CELLPOWER CPUSB01 12V to 5V MiniUSB Power Adapter with BDP (Battery Discharge Prevention) Low Voltage Cut-Off for Street Guardian SG9665GC (and Other Mini-USB Powered) DashCam Products

https://www.amazon.com/CELLPOWER-CPUSB01-Discharge-Prevention-Guardian/dp/B00VLAEPJ0

they allow the dash cam to work until the car battery voltage gets too low then it powers off the dash cam

 

The card that was recommended to be used with my Rexing V1P started giving me problems about a week ago, on a road trip no less. Tried to format the card a couple times and also tried to update firmware. Towards the end of it the card stopped reading, not sure what caused it to fail never had a micro SD fail.

Just in case anyone else has a similar issue, seems pretty common when I googled it. Lots of different causes though. I ended up putting in a temporary one but it's not the right grade for dash cams. Thinking about this one, they are so cheap now! And I think 64gb would be more than enough on the Rexing:

$13 Kingston Canvas Go! 64GB microSDXC Class 10 microSD Memory Card UHS-I 90MB/s R Flash Memory Card with Adapter (SDCG2/64GB)

https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-128...8-3&keywords=kingston+canvas+go+micro+sd&th=1

 

So I've got good news and bad news. I broke down and bought a cellink neo battery pack. I wanted longer life than the voltage shut off for the battery would give me. The bad news, I found this after the fact...worth a look if anyone is looking for an external battery. I copied the post from a BMW forum Google brought up. seems to be a cheaper option than the cellink neo...

RAVPower 57.6Wh Element Car Jump Starter. It has 50% more battery capacity at less than half the cost and as a bonus, the battery pack has additional functionality. Unlike virtually all other battery packs which are LiPo, this one is LiFePO4 (same as F8x) so its operating and storage temperatures are much higher and vehicle appropriate. It comes with an 18mo warranty.

Original post link
https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23043410


On a separate note: Is there a good ACC fuse I can tap into under the driver's side kick panel for my dashcam battery? Cellink recommends a 15a fuse. I don't see too may 15a fuses there and I'm not sure if any of them are ACC.

 

For those of you looking for a basic dashcam, I installed the Aukey in my daughter’s car (new driver) and hardwired it with a kit that runs along the headliner, down the A pillar, and into the fuse box. It loops and overwrites on the micro SD cars when it’s full. Less than $100 for camera and wiring kit.

Video quality is pretty good, and it is so small that it isn’t really even visible from the outside. Has a windshield mount that allows the camera to be removed easily.

 

I bought an Aukey, too, due to the capacitor instead of a battery. From what I read it handles the heat very well, which is key since I live in Tucson.

And thanks to everyone in the forum who posted tips and pictures of their installations. I was able to get it set up and wired in about 15 minutes, and it looks great - the wires are completely hidden. Thanks again!

 

Any updates on cams, batteries or SD card failure? looking at a few of the options mentioned in here.

 

It's been over 100 degrees all week and mine is still humming. I'll pull the card this weekend, if I can remember, and make sure it's still working as well.

 

Could you point me in the direction of tips and pictures for this camera? Anything you found particularly helpful would be greatly appreciated. I almost got in an accident recently due to another driver not paying attention and want to pull the trigger on a camera now.

 

I just ordered the Viofo A129 Duo after being hit in my 2nd parking lot hit and run. It's got good reviews. Hope it's a good pick.

 

Cool! Hope it works well! Make sure it has power all the time and your battery is OK to keep it running(or sensor mode w/e it's called) especially if you are using it for hit & runs