Posts made by papini.l_57664155809

Hi, the battery-powered camera will go to standby mode (sleep mode) to save the battery power and when the PIR detected the motion to wake up. So there is a delay (about 0.8s) since the motion trigger to the camera starting record.

I suggest to implement an "always awake" function for those using the Argus camera plugged into the power outlet.

I’m glad to see that windows client now supports Argus cameras. Just some remarks:

- When I play recorded video from sd card, it seems the small ones be cut off for the first seconds.

- Full screen in live view shows a zoomed video.

- I would like to have on option to save recorded video as one file and to disable the auto stop feature.

I agree, an option to set the minimum length of video recording could be useful.

Note: The biggest difference of Argus2 is that it has a rechargeable battery cover. So you don’t have to rely on CR123A batteries any more. And Argus2 can be plugged in to the power outlet for non-stop power.

Mmmm... So I suppose when the cam is connected to the power outlet the internal battery pack works like an UPS, that's right? Which kind of cable and voltage-ampere are used?

Instead of a solar panel, have you thought about make an external large battery pack (15-20 ampere)?

Personally at the end I chose to use the usb powered mode with a mini ups as bakup.

To be clear, I meant the cam is connected through the usb cable to the electricity grid.

We need a power cable for indoor use, when near an outlet! And maybe even some good rechargeable batteries, that hold a charge more than a few weeks.

You can use an usb cable to power the Argus camera. Read this thread:
https://reolink.com/topic/reolink-argus-usb-powered-mode/

I have some news.

I made some measures on the Argus energy consumption. I have posted them here:
https://reolink.com/topic/argus-power-consumption/#post-89998

Regarding the use of an usb power bank I have come to the conclusion that they are not suitable for this purpose. Some power banks auto shut off for the low energy flow of the Argus camera in stand by mode (Orico 20.000 mAh, TeckNet PowerZen P3 16750mAh).
The only one that I find to keep powering the cam is the Anker Powercore 20100 but I noticed the duration of the battery is poor (about 8 days with an average 15 min/day of usage). I can't explain that. I suppose the circuitry of the power bank has a self consumption that is low but not insignificant when you consider a 24/7 usage.

Personally at the end I chose to use the usb powered mode with a mini ups as bakup. If someone is interested I used this mini ups (you can find it also in some china retailers):
https://www.amazon.com/Uninterruptible-Portable-Applications-Protection-%E3%80%90Cetified/dp/B0719GVTNX/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1516796062&sr=8-3&keywords=mini+ups

I have made some measures of Argus camera consumption with an usb meter using a power bank as source.

When the camera is "awake" (that is when you use live view, you play video on the memory card or modify settings) the power consumption is about 1,05 W. This value is about twice when the IR leds are on. I noticed IR leds turns on in dark conditions even when you play video or access setting menu (with Android app). I think this is a bug that increases battery consumption.

When the camera is in stand by mode the power consumption is less then 0,05 W (I can't make a more exact measure cos is out of the range of my meter).

The consumption of PIR sensor is very low and I can't see differences when I switch it on and off.

I also noticed in the Android app that if you play a video on the memory card or access the settings menu, the camera remains in the awake mode even after you stop doing these tasks. You have to close the app to come back to stand by status. I think this is another bug that increases battery usage.

Anyway, with the above values everyone can make an estimate of the battery duration.

For example, if we consider an average use of 15 minutes/day in daylight conditions with the standard CR123 batteries, we should have:

1,05 W / 60 * 15 = 0,26 Wh/day (energy consumption when the camera is ON)

As I said in stand by mode the consumption is less then 0,05 W; lets take a value of 0,03 W:

0,03 W * 24 = 0,72 Wh/day (energy consumption when the camera is in stand by)

So the total consumption/day is:

0,26 + 0,72 = 0,98 Wh/day

The four standard GP 123 batteries have a capacity of 19,2 Wh (1,6 Ah * 3 V * 4).

The estimated duration of batteries is:

19,2 / 0,98 = 19,6 days

So, if the calculations are right, if you want your batteries last at least a couple of month you should use the camera no more then 5 minutes/day.

(...) Seems the cam doesnt took enough energy and the Power bank shutts off?

Exactly. Also the new power bank I tried (Orico 20.000 mAh) turns off after few minutes when connected to the Argus camera. The problem is that these power banks are too much "smart"; they auto shut off when there's no power absorption and probably the consumption of Argus camera is too much low to be detected.

We would need a "stupid" raw battery pack to work with the Argus camera. It's a pity cos these common power banks are cheap. I think I will open my power bank and try to connect directly the battery to the Argus through a 5v converter bypassing the circuitry.

Maybe when its connected through micro usb, its always drawing 5v2amps?

No, no, I don't think so. I have noticed the leds of my power bank (an Anker powercore 20100) are slowly blinking when connected to the Argus cam. I suppose the low consumption of the cam make the power bank to shut down and restart and this could "awake" the camera, increasing the consumption.
Anyway I'm trying a new power bank and this time I don't see any blinking leds. As I said, I'll report here some result.

In this case if i attach with lets say a 20,000mah power bank, I wonder how long it will last?

I'm testing a 20.000 mAh power bank but it seems not to be a good idea. The battery is almost empty after only 8 days with PIR sensor always on and an average 15 min/day of usage (battery statistics in the app). I don't know if is the cam that consume more than I thought or is the power bank that is not suitable for this use. I will make a test with an other power bank and with standard 123A batteries. I will also get an amp meter to measure the actual power consumption.
As soon as I have some data I'll post here.

I'm trying to estimate the battery life in this condition.

What's the Argus power consumption with PIR sensor activated?

I think the usb powered option is useful. For example you can connect one of those common power bank for tablets and cells of 10-20.000 mAh and your Argus cam will last for many months. And you have a rechargeable battery.