I am trying to power my nextbase dash cam with a USB C to mini USB from the USB port in my Octavia rear view mirror housing. I don't appear to be getting any charge from here or from the two USB ports in my console. 

 

It is a new usb lead

 

any ideas as to what I am doing wrong please as I imagine there would not be a port in the housing if it did not have enough juice to run a dash cam? 

 

Many thanks

Have you tried another lead to such as a phone to confirm it isn't the new lead?

I'll also move this to the Octavia section as it may get missed in here.

 

BTW, welcome to Briskoda.

Edited 22 August, 20214 yr by john999boy

Power to the ports usually needs the engine on. But how the system shuts down is certainly complex and radios (for example) remain powered until the car is exited and locked.

 

A lead with an indicator (like this) will tell you whether it's powered or not.

 

Or use an inline ammeter/voltmeter  

Thanks for the posts. I have just ordered a lightning lead to try my phone as we don’t have anything else with mini usb to test it. 

I also found that the plug (plastic moulding, not the actual metal connectors) on some mini-USB cables were too thick for the NextBase mount bracket and wouldn’t push fully in. In the end I used the cable supplied with the DashCam with a USB-C to USB-A 90degree adapter off Amazon.

Mine is a NextBase 522GW I bought in March this year; don’t know if the mount bracket has changed much over time or different models.

I think my dash cam is a as bit older as it connects into the camera rather than the mount. It all seems to push in properly just no power. The camera charges in the house with a normal usb lead just nothing in the car. 

49 minutes ago, JulesO said:

I think my dash cam is a as bit older as it connects into the camera rather than the mount. It all seems to push in properly just no power. The camera charges in the house with a normal usb lead just nothing in the car. 

 

Ah OK. As @inspectorman mentioned, the ignition needs to be on, or engine running for power to the USB ports. Only the 12V socket in the boot is live all the time - but no use for a dash cam!

Thanks. I had the engine running but nothing. Process of elimination I think. Check I have power when phone lead arrives and hope it is as simple as trying another usb lead for the camera. 

When looking for a short usb C to mini usb for the dashcam in my forthcoming new Kodiaq, some of the reviews mentioned having to trim some of the plastic off the mini usb plug to allow it to be fully inserted into the dashcam socket.

4 hours ago, JulesO said:

I think my dash cam is a as bit older as it connects into the camera rather than the mount. It all seems to push in properly just no power. The camera charges in the house with a normal usb lead just nothing in the car. 

Not sure if I’m reading correctly but I have a basic Nextbase and it has a usb on the camera and one on the base mount; the manual says the usb on the camera is only for usb transfer and to use the usb on the base for normal usage. 

13 hours ago, VinzClortho said:

Not sure if I’m reading correctly but I have a basic Nextbase and it has a usb on the camera and one on the base mount; the manual says the usb on the camera is only for usb transfer and to use the usb on the base for normal usage. 

I have tried on both the mount and the camera without any joy. I am now wondering if my camera does not support usb power as whilst i can charge it via usb in the house as soon as i plug it into the car  it tells me the battery is low and to connect the car charger. 

I also advice to test it with some other cable/device.

 

I once tested the port on rear view mirror with my phone and it worked. As someone said ingition on engine needs to be on. Not powered while car is off.

20 hours ago, JulesO said:

I am now wondering if my camera does not support usb power as whilst i can charge it via usb in the house as soon as i plug it into the car  it tells me the battery is low and to connect the car charger. 

 

This is sounding likely given the above, what is the exact model of your cam?

7 hours ago, CS363 said:

 

This is sounding likely given the above, what is the exact model of your cam?

It sounds extremely unlikely, because USB power is the same no matter where you use it. I doubt a camera is using more than 0.5A.

1 hour ago, zetzet said:

 USB power is the same no matter where you use it

 

Not true. IME Dependent on how the charger or USB port hardware (at both ends) is designed and how compliant and if a standard or proprietary design is used. It is highly dependent on the cable used, which depending how its wired, and the wire used (resistance).

 

So some cables wont work for charging with certain combinations of charge port and hardware.

 

Try another (different manufacturer/type) cable.

8 minutes ago, xman said:

 

Not true. IME Dependent on how the charger or USB port hardware (at both ends) is designed and how compliant and if a standard or proprietary design is used. It is highly dependent on the cable used, which depending how its wired, and the wire used (resistance).

 

So some cables wont work for charging with certain combinations of charge port and hardware.

 

Try another (different manufacturer/type) cable.

USB ports always have 5V in them. The newer fast charging technology negotiates higher voltages only after you plug something in. You can take USB pins 1+4 and use it as a normal 5V source, charger or usb port, they can't tell. I know, I've done it, many times. (USB C has more pins with power, but it's still there all the time)

Edited 24 August, 20214 yr by zetzet

7 hours ago, zetzet said:

USB ports always have 5V in them. The newer fast charging technology negotiates higher voltages only after you plug something in. You can take USB pins 1+4 and use it as a normal 5V source, charger or usb port, they can't tell. I know, I've done it, many times. (USB C has more pins with power, but it's still there all the time)

Not arguing that point, it's more about knowing the exact model of camera so that we can tell whether it will run off 5v.

Whilst most newer cams do, a lot of the earlier models run on 12v.

At least if we know the model we can stop guessing on it's power requirements and then concentrate on the USB issue if it's revealed that it should run on 5v.

Thank you for all of the information.The dash cam is a Nextbase 212. I now know I have power from the USB ports as I can charge my phone but nothing registers for the camera. It tells me to connect to the car charger, making me think it is too old to support USB charging as the lead I bought was a combined data/power lead. 

32 minutes ago, JulesO said:

as the lead I bought was a combined data/power lead. 

But was it a quality branded item or something generic from eBay or Amazon? 
This will make all the difference!

I’ve just had a quick look at the manual and it says you require a 1.5A 5V supply too.

Can the outlet you’re using cope with that?

49 minutes ago, JulesO said:

Thank you for all of the information.The dash cam is a Nextbase 212. I now know I have power from the USB ports as I can charge my phone but nothing registers for the camera. It tells me to connect to the car charger, making me think it is too old to support USB charging as the lead I bought was a combined data/power lead. 

Are you using the DC socket in the camera in car, or the powered mount?

I'm just wondering if the powered mount disables the in-camera mini-usb socket, and you're connecting to the camera socket in-car.

https://cdn.nextbase.co.uk/manuals/4CBDFDCF-50D6-4A8A-B351-ADA03B4B4B0A/NBDVR212 - Instruction Manual (English R6).pdf

 

Edited 25 August, 20214 yr by EnterName
corrected your to you're

worth a read https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/can-the-522gw-be-powered-by-usb.44877/

I have the same nextbase dashcam and had a similar issue. I think it's a slight difference in length of the connector so it won't go into the dashcam fully that causes the problem. I tried a few different leads, some had the above issue and others worked but were too short (wanted the dashcam on the passenger side) so ended up settling with a 40cm usb A to mini usb and using a usb c to a connector I had in an old Samsung mobile phone box.

As I said in my previous post, most of the reviews for leads on eBay and Amazon say that mini usb plug need plastic trimmed to insert fully  into dashcam socket properly, have you tried this?

1 hour ago, john999boy said:

I’ve just had a quick look at the manual and it says you require a 1.5A 5V supply too.

Can the outlet you’re using cope with that?

 

Hmm, yeah I saw that too.

Also, this from the manual:

 

Should your vehicle not have a 12-24Vdc outlet, but does have a 5Vdc USB Outlet, this can be used instead. Connect the USB cable supplied with your iN-CAR CAM in place of the cigarette power cable. Ensure you connect the USB cable to the Powered mount only, NOT directly to the camera when using in–car

 

Given that the USB port you're using is designed specifically for dashcams this is really weird, might be worth emailing or calling Nextbase and see if they can throw any light on the subject, here's the contact info for their technical support:

 

Contact number (UK)  02920 866429
Contact email      [email protected]
Helpline hours:

Monday-Friday 9am-8pm

Saturday 9am-6pm

Sunday 10am-5pm