BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 vs BlackVue B-130X vs Thinkware BAB-95 Battery Pack Testing

[@RetroCarGuy530]

This is a long video, but I hope you find some of the video chapters contain the information you are looking for to make an informed purchase decision! 😀

[@seta5731]

@5:39 ...i know your video and comment were 5 months ago (feb)... wondering if new released u3000 (june 2023) takes advantage of those two communication wires you mentioned @5:39

[@RetroCarGuy530]

Yes, the U3000 does have a connection port for the plug from the BAB-95 battery pack. I'm currently testing the U3000 with the BAB-95. The U3000 will announce the charge level of the BAB-95 when the U3000 first powers up, enters parking mode and exits parking mode.

[@RedBull.RedBull]

Such a lengthy video.. In short, may I know which one is good?

[@RetroCarGuy530]

All three are manufactured by EGEN in South Korea and have the same 7500 mAh battery capacity. The Thinkware iVolt Xtra BAB-95 has a slightly different cabling setup than the other two. The BAB-95's charging cable is connected to constant charging power and then there's a green wire in the other connector that accepts switched/accessory power which is the way the BAB-95 knows when to charge itself (basically it has an internal relay). The PowerCell 8 and the BlackVue B-130X have their charging cable connected to switched/accessory power. They all have a similar price point, but there may be Black Friday sales taking place to drop their price a bit. If you have a Thinkware U3000 dash camera, you can take advantage of the U3000's iVolt battery charge level notifications by connecting the extra charge level cable from the iVolt Xtra BAB-95 to the "Bat" port on the U3000. They'll all work with any dash camera on the market as far as delivering 12V power to the dash camera or the dash camera hardwire kit. It boils down to price and if the charging cable requirements are suitable for the vehicle you're going to install it into.

[@RedBull.RedBull]

@@RetroCarGuy530 Thanks for your brief and immediate response. Subscribed.

[@rp1268]

Did I just search for a comparison a few minutes after you uploaded this video? Amazing timing!

[@lc8134]

I don't usually comment, but your videos are very thorough and I truly appreciate that. It answers all my concerns, ones that I didn't even know about. Thanks.

[@PanzerPlatform]

Yo Robert, Fantastic job. This was like the Super Bowl for the 96Wh heavy weights. Lol 0:01 That turn table is awesome. 2:39 Great screenshot. 8:01 Nice side by side demo. 20:29 I love the Q&A section. 36:21 Yes! Great points. Do you prefer the “simplified” ON/OFF switch on the B-130X, or the “flexibility” of the (LOW / OFF / HIGH) switch on the PC8 & BAB-95? -Chuck

[@RetroCarGuy530]

I prefer the “On/Off” switch because it feels more robust than the low/off/high switch. I wish the B-130X/BAB-95 had the amp configuration option like the PC8 and then that combination would be best of both worlds (IMO). I'm sure there's a more robust version of the three position switch (low/off/high), so that would be a nice improvement. The current three position switch has a vague feel to it when you're trying to locate the "off" position. Having the ability to select the charging mode from the switch can be useful too.

[@PanzerPlatform]

@@RetroCarGuy530 I agree, I really like the capability to select the appropriate charging amperage (4.5A - 9.0A) of the PC8 using the smartphone APP. I wish the B-130X had that too. I like the flexibility of the LOW / OFF / HIGH stitch because without it on the B-130X you must use the “specialized” 3-Pin XT60 connector to utilize the “low” 5 Amp charge profile.

[@843idfa]

My BlackView B-130X keeps breaking and doesn't switch on anymore. First time it happened after 2 weeks of use, second time after 9 months. I figured you need to have 2, one for back up when the other one breaks.

[@RetroCarGuy530]

I'm still using the B-130X that I used in this comparison video. I've not had any problems with it.

[@843idfa]

@@RetroCarGuy530 That's strange. First time it broke it was under warranty so they replaced it for me, second time I sent it for repair. But I'll also buy a new one as back up.

[@bobg1315]

Since it's been a while since you posted this video, do you know if Blackbox fixed their inverter overload issue? Thanks in advance.

[@RetroCarGuy530]

BlackboxMyCar now offers two different inverters to charge battery packs. A 6-amp unit and an 8-amp unit. I tested the 8-amp unit back in April 2023. That unit seemed to work well. I posted my findings in a DashCamTalk thread. dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/7500-mah-96-wh-blackboxmycar-powercell-8-blackvue-b-130x-thinkware-ivolt-xtra-bab-95.48162/post-592288

[@VinceR-o6n]

As always your videos are very informative and very well explained. Using your great advice, I'm installing a relay to power my B-130X. With the fuse tap I'm using the 10A Trailer Module IGN because this particular tap is only powered when the engine is on. You mentioned in another video the fuse for the fuse tap that gets the relay's control circuit power is 2.5A or even a 1A. If I pull out the 10A from the fuse panel and insert it on the lower position on the tap, what am I going to use in the upper position? Thanks in advance

[@RetroCarGuy530]

The upper fuse socket in the fuse tap is what protects the power sent to the new device/accessory. In this case, the power is the control power to the relay. The control circuit of the relay only requires about 100 to 150 mA operate, so a 1 amp, 2.5 amp or 3 amp fuse would be sufficient for the fuse in the upper fuse socket of the fuse tap.

[@SafeDriveSolutions]

Great video. i was curious about this and was even debating on buying all of these to do a video.

[@jxncz5588]

Which one would work to turn on the dash cam for vantrue e1 lite

[@RetroCarGuy530]

All three of these battery packs have the same total capacity (96 Wh). Any of them will work for the E1 Lite which consumes very little power while in parking mode. I listed the projected parking mode times for the 96 Wh battery packs in the E1/E1 Lite video at 18 minutes 7 seconds in the video. There are older/smaller capacity battery packs that may still be available which have a slightly reduced amount parking mode recording times. Those projected parking mode recording time estimates (76.8 Wh) are also in the other video at the same time mark in the video.

[@gk9417]

Fantastic finally a video I can trust Thanks I’m looking for one of these thanks 👍✌️🇨🇦

[@gk9417]

Lol I’m still trying to figure which one to get Leaning to the power cell 8 because of the quick connection for extra cost But I do like the Blackvue 130 🤷✌️thanks

[@hedge8888]

Really like your videos, lots of detailed info. I want to have a battery pack but these dedicated packs seem so expensive for what they are. I'm considering a DIY solution using a power station/solar generator. They have 12v constant output and I'm thinking I can add an acc output by using the car acc to as a trigger wire for a relay. Any reason that you can think of that this would be a bad idea?

[@chefgav1]

Yes they are expensive for some reason. U.S pricing is 30% more than Australian pricing for some reason

[@Riceboy369]

For B-130X, is there anyway to connect to a Blackvue dashcam (DR970X-2CH LTE) but NOT power on the camera when hooked up? I find that even with parking mode turned off (or even normal parking mode for that matter) there is still 12V constant power draw to the B-130X battery. Quite annoying that the battery pack drains to 0% in instances when you do not need to record overnight with car parked in garage. Short of unplugging the power cord each time or turning off the B-130x power switch which are both pretty inconvenient I'm considering just running a 2nd cable to hardwire the Blackvue dashcam to the fuse box. And plug in the power cord connected to B-130X when I need parking mode.

[@RetroCarGuy530]

I just tested the DR970X-2CH (not the LTE version) with parking mode off and the ACC+ power turned off the DR970X-2CH shuts down and continues to draw 4 mA (0.05 Watts). I tested with and without the CM100GLTE connectivity module and both tests were the same. I don't have a DR970X-2CH LTE unit to test. In my car that I install all of the dash cameras for testing, I've added a dual pole single through (DPST) switch in the 3-wire harness. When I arrive home, I turn the DPST switch to the off position and the dash camera powers down and it can no longer draw power from the dash camera battery pack. You could add a DPST switch (one part of the switch for BATT+ power and the other part of the switch for ACC+ power). You should be able to get away with using a SPST switch and place it into the wiring on the BATT+ wire. I prefer to isolate both power feeds from the dash camera, but you should be able to turn off the BATT+ power. I'm curious how much power the DR970X-2CH LTE is drawing when the ACC+ is turned off and parking mode is turned off?

[@843idfa]

Depends where уоu place the battery, mine is below my seat so I can easily reach and turn it off and on as needed.

[@SafeDriveSolutions]

Are all these cables for hardwire using copper or are they CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum)?

[@RetroCarGuy530]

All of the hardwire charging cables have tinned copper stranded wire. PowerCell 8: AWM 1015 16 AWG VW-1 105°C 600V E214500 B-130X/BAB-95: AWM 2468 14 AWG VW-1 80°C 300V E358766 XIONGXIN

[@SafeDriveSolutions]

@@RetroCarGuy530 when i have installed b-124x, bbmc powercell 8 and original thinkware powercell. I find that none of the wiring is 100% ofc copper and therefore a little bit harder to solder. Most people will probably not be soldering like I do to wiring under the dash or even soldering to a fuse tap. I do agree it would be nice if wiring was a little bit thicker. Copper has gotten so expensive i understand that a lot of companies even in car audio industry have gone to CCA or a tinned copper to keep costs down. If you want copper the price typically doubles. I notice you coil the cords up when testing. Do most people not cut the wiring to length?

[@RetroCarGuy530]

I did coiled and uncoiled testing. For the uncoiled testing, I ran the cable back and forth on a peg board to keep the cable runs away from each other. I would imagine most installers would cut to length during the install. The 12 AWG cable that I created for testing was 30 AWG strand, 67 strands, 99.99% Oxygen Free Copper. The 12 AWG wire performed the best (which is to be expected). I also like to solder anything carrying more than a couple of amps.

[@BrianOlmsted]

Has any of the companies offered 12AWG wiring options? Perhaps may make it too thick to route in most cars. With BBMC being out of Vancouver may be more likely to fix than the dash cam companies

[@monti409]

Maybe it’s wiser to avoid direct connection to the on board fuse box, instead setup a relay switch with its own 20 Amp fuse to the battery pack. Utilizing the piggy backed fuse modification to the fuse block may lead to an unfortunate problem.

[@RetroCarGuy530]

In the video, I outline the use of a relay as my suggested wiring configuration for the charging power source for the dash camera battery packs.

[@mrosiens]

Do you have a video or other resource that helps explain the relay hardwire setup some more? 34:42 Edit: Nevermind, I found it! Please consider adding your Amazon link to the relay you use in the description. It made a lot more sense to me once I saw that. Here it is for anyone else who is curious: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKDEYZmfgL-MY9E

[@RetroCarGuy530]

I added the relay and fuse holder links to this video. One for the 14 AWG load wire relays and another for a 12 AWG load wire relay. The time marker 34:42 is where I discuss the Thinkware iVolt Xtra BAB-95 battery pack wiring. That battery pack has an internal relay for the charging power. The charging cable's positive wire is connected to a constant battery power source and the "ACC IN" (green) wire in the "output" connector is what triggers the charging of the battery pack (along with being passed along to the dash camera via the "ACC OUT" wire). The Thinkware documentation suggests you connect the charging cable's positive wire to a constant power fuse socket via a fuse tap. The "ACC IN" wire is connected to an accessory (switched) power fuse socket via a fuse tap. The only change I suggest with this setup is to source the charging power from the vehicle's battery directly (with an inline fuse). The fuse tap for the "ACC IN" wire is still used since it is a very low power draw and is perfectly fine to get that power from a fuse tap source. The use of an external relay (34:03) is only necessary for the other two battery packs (PowerCell 8 / BlackVue B-130X or other similar battery packs). The documentation for those battery packs suggest obtaining the charging power from an accessory (switched) power source using a fuse tap. My suggested change is to insert a 4-terminal relay in the charging power wire and control the relay using a fuse tap to obtain accessory (switched) power. You're still using a fuse tap in this configuration, but the accessory power from the fuse tap is only used to control the 4-terminal relay. When accessory power is present (on), the magnetically controlled switch in the relay is turned on and which allows power from terminal 30 to go out terminal 87 (the load side - in this case the dash camera battery pack). When the accessory power is not present (off), the magnetically control switch opens (turns off) and the connection between terminal 30 and 87 is broken which prevents power going to the load (battery pack). The amp rating for the fuse that provides power to the battery pack charging cable (or terminal 30 of the relay) should be no more than 15 amps. In my testing, you should be able to get away using a 10 amp fuse. The objective is to size the fuse large enough to handle expected/normal loads for that circuit, but nothing larger than that. The amp rating for the fuse used in the fuse tap for the control circuit of the relay could be as low as 1 amp. Most relay control circuits consume around 100 mA (0.1 amps). 4-Terminal Relay Terminal 30 - This is connected to a power source - connect to the vehicle's battery with an inline fuse Terminal 87 - This is connected to the load - The load in this case is the battery packs charging cable's positive wire Terminal 86 - Control circuit accessory (switched) power - Use fuse tap to obtain accessory (switched) power Terminal 85 - Control circuit ground - Connect to a grounding location The external 4-terminal relay is performing the same function the Thinkware iVolt Xtra BAB-95's internal relay is performing - controlling when power is available/used to charge the battery pack. The terminal 30/87 wires should be of sufficient wire gauge (AWG) to carry the current necessary to charge the battery pack. I would suggest the terminal 30/87 wires be at least 14 AWG wires or better yet 12 AWG wires. The terminal 85/86 wires can be a smaller wire gauge (higher AWG value) since there is a very minimal load created by the control circuit of the relay.

[@mrosiens]

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to explain in such detail. I plan to purchase the Blackvue so the relay setup sounds like the way to go. It’s nice that the relay has integrated fuse inputs if going the 14 AWG route. Though per your suggestion I’ll go for the 12 AWG.

[@mrosiens]

I just wanted to follow up and say I successfully got my BlackVue B-130X installed in my GR Corolla with relay, in-line fuse, 12 AWG wire and all! I’m very happy with this setup and all the safeguards in place give me peace of mind for my vehicle and equipment. Thank you so much for your videos and comments. I couldn’t have done it without your help!

[@sensorhub7127]

Thank you for your video! Is the relay needed if I plug the fuse tap (with 10A fuse) into a spare unused slot in the fuse panel?

[@RetroCarGuy530]

If you're reasonably sure the wiring providing power to the unused fuse socket can sustain a constant 10 amp load, then you should be able to use it for the power source to charge a dash camera battery pack. It can be difficult to know what gauge wire is providing power to a fuse box fuse socket unless you have wiring diagrams that lists that info for the fuse box.

[@loc107]

I wish anker made a battery for DashCam. I bought that Blackvue and so for I feel like the price doesn’t match the battery 🪫