Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Asked on February 25, 2021
My car has a 55D23R battery rated for 356 cold cranking amps (CCA) as recommended by the manufacturer. I installed a Blackvue DR750S-2CH dashcam which has a parking mode. The parking mode allows the camera to stay on and record video based on motion or vibration. The camera will shut itself off once the battery voltage drops below 12.0V. After a few weeks of using this camera, I’ve noticed that the battery can’t keep the camera on for more than a few minutes after parking (initially it could go for approximately 12 hours).
Will replacing the battery with a deep-cycle battery help? Will a higher CCA rating help? I’m looking for a battery that will keep my camera running without degrading the battery quickly.
Edit: My battery’s charge capacity is 48Ah. Average power consumption of the camera in parking mode is 300mA (3.6W at 12V).
I’d like to clarify the timeline since my original post was a bit vague. I installed the camera in July 2018 (2 years ago). In the first 2-3 months, the battery slowly degraded until the camera couldn’t be powered for more than a few minutes while parked. I stopped using the parking feature and the battery has lasted fine until this month when I’ve noticed it’s not holding a charge well. I plan to replace the battery very soon and would like to start using my dashcam in parking mode again.
After a lot of internet research, I've learned that this problem is typical of dashcam owners who use parking mode. There are three main options of addressing the issue.
There are battery packs specifically designed to power dashcams which fit under front seats or in glove compartments. However, these battery packs typically cost $200-$300.
Here's a list of some dedicated battery packs from u/random12356622 on a similar reddit post:
- Cellink Battery B 2nd Generation ($219.99 USD)
- Cellink Battery NEO ($309.99 USD)
- BlackVue Power Magic B-112 Battery Pack ($154.99 USD)
Since my battery is regularly drained to 12.0V, it is best to use a deep cycle automotive battery. A common deep cycle battery is the Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) type [1]. Use an AGM battery with the highest possible capacity to allow for longer use of the camera parking mode. Here are a few example AGM batteries that would fit on my vehicle:
As an alternative to the other choices, I can increase the voltage cutoff on my dashcam in parking mode. By changing it to a higher voltage (such as 12.4V), it would no longer cycle the battery as deep. For a standard flooded lead-acid battery type, this would greatly increase the battery life. The downside is that the battery would drain to 12.4V quicker than 12.0V, thus decreasing camera recording time.
[1]: I've seen some sources online claiming AGM doesn't actually qualify as a "deep cycle" battery.
Correct answer by Joe on February 25, 2021
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