Low power consumption 24/7 video recorder? - Page 3

richardgohth · 06-10-2009, 08:16 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by nobb

On the eBay page, I didnt see any mention of it being able to automatically erase old footage to make room for new stuff. That was an important feature for me. Also, you might want to take into account how much time you are in the car each day and whether that will be enough to keep the batteries charged. You dont want to be drawing more power than can be replenished.

is this the same one?

http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/DVR-SD-CARD-C...QQcmdZViewItem

HiJackZX1 · 06-11-2009, 08:26 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by richardgohth

is this the same one?

http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/DVR-SD-CARD-C...QQcmdZViewItem

OMG, I actually like this unit. Most that I have seen have a screen which I did not need. This is a nice cheap solution, thanx so much!

Only thing is, its limited to 2GB of RAM. If I read correctly it records every 10 seconds.

asplodzor · 06-11-2009, 12:09 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by HiJackZX1

OMG, I actually like this unit. Most that I have seen have a screen which I did not need. This is a nice cheap solution, thanx so much!

Only thing is, its limited to 2GB of RAM. If I read correctly it records every 10 seconds.

This is the cheapest I've ever seen a DVR of any type that accepts external inputs! Quite a good deal! Never mind... forgot about the currency conversion. 24.99 GBP (41.3572 USD) for both the item and the shipping means this thing's about $82.72.

I assume the 2GB limit means that it only supports older SD cards, and not SDHC. The 10 second thing seems like it's a buffer issue... It probably records for 10 seconds every time there's motion, writes the video to the card, then waits for more motion. I suppose it might allow for unbroken video if one were to combine the clips later on. Assuming the 400 videos number is accurate for 10 second clips on a 128MB card, a 2GB card would hold about 17½ hours of video. I'd like to see what type of quality you'd be looking at with that much compression

nobb · 06-11-2009, 12:16 PM

^Yup, that is the DVR I used in my system. I think I paid about $50 canadian for mine. I uploaded a sample video a while back in the previous page of this thread. It's not the best, but considering how low the power consumption is with this unit, I cant complain much. I am using the video mode at 5 fps. Video is not 100% continuous, since it only records for 10 second intervals, then pauses and waits for motion to record again. So durign the brief 3 sec pause, it is possible it may miss some "action." But even with the 2GB card, that is about 1 week of stuff (for me atleast). Practically 100% maintenance free and worked just fine here in Alberta's -40C winters.

One other thing to pay attention to is to not run this off the straight unregulated power from your car. After a few months, an internal fuse within the DVR blew and I was worried I killed it. Definately invest in a votlage regulator. I paid $20 for a high efficiency switch mode one off eBay.

asplodzor · 06-11-2009, 01:00 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by nobb

^Yup, that is the DVR I used in my system.

o.O In that case, here's a picture of it for posterity. (Well, actually because I know I won't get around to purchasing one until loooong after the listing's expired.

HiJackZX1 · 06-11-2009, 01:04 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by nobb

^Yup, that is the DVR I used in my system. I think I paid about $50 canadian for mine. I uploaded a sample video a while back in the previous page of this thread. It's not the best, but considering how low the power consumption is with this unit, I cant complain much. I am using the video mode at 5 fps. Video is not 100% continuous, since it only records for 10 second intervals, then pauses and waits for motion to record again. So durign the brief 3 sec pause, it is possible it may miss some "action." But even with the 2GB card, that is about 1 week of stuff (for me atleast). Practically 100% maintenance free and worked just fine here in Alberta's -40C winters.

One other thing to pay attention to is to not run this off the straight unregulated power from your car. After a few months, an internal fuse within the DVR blew and I was worried I killed it. Definitely invest in a votlage regulator. I paid $20 for a high efficiency switch mode one off eBay.

See, I cant deal with stop gaps, it has to be continuous. As the other user said it comes out to about $82.00 but in my opinion even that is cheap. i will say though spending the extra $40.00 for a unit that has 4GB and has battery and can most likely be charged 24/7 off of 5V power is worth it. I think id rather pay alittle more for the unit I linked too. The one I linked to has a 48 hour record time, and I think thats continuous.

nobb · 06-11-2009, 01:16 PM

For this kind of equipment, I personally wouldnt worry too much about price. Spending more for a better quality unit is defintely preferable. If you do end up buying the unit in your link, let us know how it goes.

My concerns would be that it does not automatically rewrite over old footage, but if you are ok with that, then this seems like a good unit for you. It probably wont be feasible to run off the internal battery, so if you wire it up to the main electrical system, I am curious as to what your power consumption numbers will be. I did a quick reverse calculation from the numbers listed in the ad, and the unit draws slightly above 2 watts from 5V, which is very good. Also, the included CMOS camera is crap, you might want to invest in a good CCD.

asplodzor · 06-11-2009, 01:37 PM

Hmm... does the camera get its power from the DVR? If so, that might make up for its poor quality. After all, what good is a DVR with battery backup if the good camera you've attached to it dies if the car's battery is unhooked?

soundman98 · 06-11-2009, 04:06 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by asplodzor

Hmm... does the camera get its power from the DVR? If so, that might make up for its poor quality. After all, what good is a DVR with battery backup if the good camera you've attached to it dies if the car's battery is unhooked?

yes those other models that were linked get power from the recorder(made for personal serveilance).

on the good side, most can be adapted to get power from the car, but, it must be regulated 12v.

I would like to do a project like this, but it needs to record at least 7 days, motion recording, at 15-30fps, min of 320x240 res., low power, non-hdd based unit, and auto recycles.

I found this dvr on ebay(link from another company), but the ebay seller seems shady(web address doesn't work, found mutiple listings under diff. companies, with simmilar contact info)
http://www.dvrwatchdog.com/dvst-gn-704jlc.html on this site--$223

though it doesn't include any memory, which would be another $80-389 for a 32gb or 48 gb models.

HiJackZX1 · 06-11-2009, 06:47 PM

Thats why I think its better if we find a 5V regulated device. That way you can buy a cheap PSU, like the OPUS 15W PSU and connect it to the main battery line. Not sure if that would kill the battery though.

nobb · 06-12-2009, 10:23 AM

In regards to soundman98's link http://www.dvrwatchdog.com/dvst-gn-704jlc.html.
The power consumption seems to be a bit high (12V at 3.5amp max), but otherwise seems like a perfect unit. It seems that the more features you try to pack into these units, the more power they consume, such that it wont be feasible to run this in your car all day, so there are trade offs. I would say for the majority of people, keeping it under 5 watts is ideal. 10 watts may be pushing it a bit and you will probably kill your battery.

What would be the benefit of a 5v device? Wouldnt 12v be more efficient to regulate, and also it seems most cameras run on 12v.

HiJackZX1 · 06-12-2009, 10:45 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by nobb

In regards to soundman98's link http://www.dvrwatchdog.com/dvst-gn-704jlc.html.
The power consumption seems to be a bit high (12V at 3.5amp max), but otherwise seems like a perfect unit. It seems that the more features you try to pack into these units, the more power they consume, such that it wont be feasible to run this in your car all day, so there are trade offs. I would say for the majority of people, keeping it under 5 watts is ideal. 10 watts may be pushing it a bit and you will probably kill your battery.

What would be the benefit of a 5v device? Wouldnt 12v be more efficient to regulate, and also it seems most cameras run on 12v.

No a 5V device is easier to regulate. Reason being is that when you convert something from unregulated to regulated, it has to be 1 volt higher. So say for example you want to convert to regulated 12V, your battery would have to put out 13V unregulated. I dont think anyones battery can put out 13V when the car is off and sustain it. Now if its 5V, then you would need 6V unregulated, thats much lower power draw. Also, yes cameras do need 12V, but most run on unregulated 12V, or at least the automotive cameras.

nobb · 06-12-2009, 10:57 AM

Oh, that makes sense. That would be why my home made 12v linear regulator didnt work too well. But in terms of a linear regulator, going from ~12V to 5V would be horribly inefficient since the excess voltage (at a certain current) is basically dissipated as heat. Definately would have to go with a switch mode regulator for 5V.

HiJackZX1 · 06-12-2009, 11:36 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by nobb

Oh, that makes sense. That would be why my home made 12v linear regulator didnt work too well. But in terms of a linear regulator, going from ~12V to 5V would be horribly inefficient since the excess voltage (at a certain current) is basically dissipated as heat. Definately would have to go with a switch mode regulator for 5V.

On my setup I have a USB hub with alot of devices on it, and a echo cancel card. Both are connected to a OPUS 15W PSU thats set at 5V output. I was concerned about heat also, so I added a fan to the case. The fan drove me crazy (it was loud, but the size of a dime) and every so often I would check it for heat. It honestly wasnt even close to warm.

nobb · 06-27-2009, 12:17 PM

I am considering buying a new Secumate DVR. It is more expensive, but I figure the extra piece of mind and quality is worth it.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/NY-P0122-Portable...3%3A1|294%3A50

I noticed this is appears to the be same one lacning74 is using in his setup. What I really like about this unit is that it has all the features of my old one, except this one supports continuous recording, up to a 32GB SD card, much better video quality, and very low power consumption at 5V. Does anyone have opinions? This appears to be the best DVR that is suited for automotive use at this point.

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