mx5cartalk.com

I've been pondering running a permanent camera or two in my people mover.

An idea I had was to buy an [url="http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Anker-Astro-Pro2-20000mAh-External-Battery-Pack-Laptop-Smartphone-/191093626475?pt=US_Cell_Phone_PDA_Batteries&hash=item2c7e11566b&_uhb=1"]external battery pack designed for usb devices like this[/url], and wire it in to only charge when the ignition is on.

That way the camera will only drain its own battery and not the cars and the camera would still record when the car's battery has been disconnected.

Don't want to do a full on dual battery system.

Don't care if the external battery pack is bigger but needs to be small enough to fit under the dash or a seat etc.

I want it to work automatically, not have to press it on/off etc, this might be the biggest hurdle as most of these seem to have a power button.

I guess i'd need to be driving around long enough for this battery to recharge.

I know a lot of camera have their own built in batteries but I want a longer lasting solution.

I know that there are solutions for camp fridges that would last for ages powering cameras but those all seem too bulky.

Keen to know if anyone else is doing something similar and what solutions they've come up with.

How much power draw does the camera have?
How often would you drive the car? (I'm assuming daily?)

I'd expect it to be pretty low draw, since the cameras can be charged from a USB normally. Which is 5v and low amp.
You can usually leave on parking lamps all night without issue, and they draw 12v and about 5 amps (5wx2 front, and 20wx2 taillights)

If you're concerned though, I'd probably look into one of the solar trickle chargers.

I think there are also devices available that will allow power to be drawn to a certain point, then cut it (ie: before the battery loses enough power to not crank)

What sort of people mover is it?
I have installed a dual battery on my VW Transporter and then added USB sockets for the families devices.

hks_kansei wrote:...I think there are also devices available that will allow power to be drawn to a certain point, then cut it (ie: before the battery loses enough power to not crank)

Yeah i'd ponder one of these to make use the usb battery got enough charge.

Snowmotion wrote:What sort of people mover is it? ...

WRX

I have one of these on my leisure battery
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BAINTECH-LOW-VOLTAGE-DISCONNECT-CUT-OUT-DEEP-CYCLE-AGM-DUAL-BATTERY-12V-24V-/290871671492?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43b94d7ac4

This would stop the flat battery problem.

Looks like they left it out in the sun