Designed by BlackboxMyCar For All Your Parking Mode Power Needs
BlackboxMyCar PowerCell Dash Cam Battery
In-Depth Review
BlackboxMyCar introduces the all-new BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8, our highest-capacity dash cam battery pack. The PowerCell 8 delivers 25% more power and lasts up to 2,000 charge cycles - delivering the ultimate combination of power, durability, and flexibility so you can park with more confidence than ever before, anytime, anywhere.
Meet the dash cam battery pack that outperforms them all.
The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 is a 96Wh/7500mAh battery that delivers 25% more power than the Cellink NEO or the BlackVue Power Magic Ultra Battery B-124X, and lasts up to 2,000 charge cycles - enough power for up to 48 hours of parking monitoring for your vehicle. It is built with the safest battery technology using LiFEPO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) which charges faster and will keep your dash cam running for longer hours in parking mode in extreme weather conditions.
Key Features
- Battery Capacity: 96Wh
- Battery Type: LiFEPO4 (Lithium-Iron Phosphate)
- Rapid Charging: as little as 50 minutes
- Charging Voltage: 14.2V / 7500mAh
- LED: Yes
- Bluetooth: Built-in
- USB Ports: 1 5V USB 3.0
Pros
✓ Designed by BlackboxMyCar
✓ Engineered and assembled Egen, the makers of Cellink NEO battery packs
✓ 96Wh/7500mAh capacity (25% more than the Cellink NEO)
✓ Rapid Charging Technology
✓ Multiple input/output connection options
✓ Universal compatibility with most dash cam brands
✓ Built-in Bluetooth
✓ Intuitive Battery Manager app
✓ 1 USB Port to power additional devices
Cons
❌ Cannot reuse the cable and accessories from the BlackboxMyCar BI-750 Battery Pack
Discover all the specs and features of the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 Dash Cam Battery Pack.
Design
The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 is designed by BlackboxMyCar and is manufactured by Egen Inc, the biggest and most trusted dash cam battery manufacturer worldwide whose product line includes the Cellink NEO battery packs. Cellink batteries are acclaimed by professionals for their reliability and are compatible with a wide range of dash cam brands including Thinkware, BlackVue, VIOFO, Nextbase, Garmin, and more.
Just like the other battery packs we carry, the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 is enclosed in a metal casing with an aluminum finish, giving it an overall premium look and feel. Sized at 157mm x 207mm x 39.5mm, it sports a slightly slimmer design than the other battery packs, making it easier to pack away under seats or into tighter spaces. Weight-wise, it is a tad heavier than the Cellink NEO and BlackVue Power Magic Ultra Battery at 1.67kg (about 3.7lbs).
The side panel of the battery pack is where you will find all the ports and LED indicators.
- The EXT BATTERY port is where you will connect extended battery packs to double or even triple the power capacity. The PowerCell 8 is compatible with the Cellink NEO Extended Battery Pack.
- LOW | OFF | HIGH - this switch lets you control the charging current settings or simply turn the battery pack off.
- F | W - this is the connecter port for firmware updates
- USB - the PowerCell 8 comes with a 5V USB 3.0 port that you can use to power a wireless hotspot, or you can also use it to charge your smartphone, laptop, or any USB-charged accessory.
- DASHCAM OUTPUT is where you will connect the battery pack to your dash cam
- VEHICLE INPUT is where you will connect the battery pack to your car battery or the cigarette socket for power
Let’s do a quick comparison with the panel design on the BI-750, Cellink NEO and BlackVue B-124X:
At first glance, all 4 panels look pretty similar, each with output and input ports, a power switch, and an extension battery port. Just like the B-124X, the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 comes with 1 USB port while the BI-750 has two and the Celliink NEO has none.
And just by looking at the panels, the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 does a way better job at labeling the ports and switches. It takes out all the guesswork, especially which port connects to the dash cam and which one connects to the vehicle for power.
Power Capacity
The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 is a 96Wh/7500mAh battery pack, which is 25% more powerful than the Cellink NEO or the BlackVue Power Magic Ultra Battery B-124X. The BlackboxMyCar BI-750 dash cam battery pack was also a 96Wh/7500mAh battery pack. In other words, we can expect the same runtime and performance from the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8, up to 45 hours for a single-channel or up to 30 hours for a dual-channel system on a full charge.
What exactly does 25% more mean in terms of runtime?
Based on the power consumption of various dash cams:
BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8
Cellink NEO
Thinkware F200 PRO 1-CH
48 hours
38 hours 23 mins
Safe LiFePO4 (Lithium-iron phosphate) Technology
The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 dash cam battery pack is built with the safest battery technology using LiFEPO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate), which will keep your dash cam running for longer hours in parking mode in extreme weather conditions.
With the unique characteristics of LiFePo4, the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 could be charged rapidly within 50 minutes and at the same time, maintain longer life up to 2,000 cycles even with frequent deep discharge cycles.
Rapid Charging vs. Plug-and-Play
The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 comes with two types of output power cables: a female socket (plug-and-play connection) and a 3-wire hardwiring kit, giving you the option between hardwired rapid charge or a simple plug-and-play installation.
If your daily commute is typically shorter, then you might want to consider the hardwired rapid charge option. By connecting the battery pack to your vehicle’s fuse panel, you can get a full charge in 50 minutes.
For those who are not too keen on hardwiring, the 12V cigar socket power cable will allow for a simple plug-and-play setup that doesn’t require any hardwiring at all, though the charging time will be longer, about 100 minutes for a full charge.
Do note that it doesn’t matter which one you are using, the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 only recharges when the engine is running. In other words, it will not draw power from your car’s battery when the ignition is off.
5V USB 3.0 Port
BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 comes with a 5V USB 3.0 power outlet, making it easy to add a mobile router to the dash cam setup in vehicles - perfect for those with a Cloud-ready dash cam. Of course, you can also use the PowerCell 8 battery pack to charge your laptop, smartphone, and other USB-powered accessories.
Expandable
Double, triple, or even quadruple the capacity with an extended battery pack. The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 is compatible with the NEO Extended Battery Pack as well as the BlackVue Power Magic Ultra Battery Expansion Pack (B-124E). In other words, if you have one of those lying around, you can use it with your new PowerCell 8 battery pack!
Setting Up PowerCell 8 with the Integrated Smartphone App
BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 has built-in Bluetooth and comes with a free Battery Manager App that you will use to monitor the status and the manage settings of the battery pack with just a few taps of your finger even if the battery pack is installed out of sight. The battery manager app is available from the Apple Store and the Google Play store - just search for “Cellink NEO Plus” - yes, the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 uses the latest Cellink NEO Plus app.
If this is the first time you’re setting up the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 battery pack, you will need to need to use the Battery Manager App to finalize your preferred settings. For instance, if you are using the 12V cigar socket cable to power the battery pack, you will need to set the power switch to Low. If you are hardwiring the battery pack to your car’s fuse panel, then the power switch needs to be on High.
Like mentioned earlier, PowerCell 8 comes with built-in Bluetooth - which means, as soon as you open the app, it should automatically scan for your battery pack. You will, however, need a password to open the products settings screen on the app. The default password is “1234” but we strongly recommend you change it. The app itself is quite well-built - it is definitely much more intuitive and user-friendly than the BI-750 Battery Manager App.
The PowerCell 8 battery app offers a couple of handy warning notifications that will be sent to your phone to notify you that a problem has been detected:
- High temperature warning will be displayed if the internal temperature of the PowerCell is more than 80-degrees Celsius
- Low Input Voltage warning will be displayed if the charging voltage drops below 12V.
1. How do I know if the PowerCell 8 battery pack is compatible with my dash cam?
The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 is compatible with most dash cams on the market. When purchasing the PowerCell 8 battery pack, there are several different output cables you can choose from.
- Cigarette socket - this is the default option if you have a BlackVue dash cam
- Unspliced Cable - with this option, you will get an unspliced output cable, which will require splicing before you can use it; if there’s a specific way you need to splice the cable or prefer a more hands-on do it yourself approach, then this option would work best for you
- Spliced Thinkware Hardwiring Kit - with this option, you will get an output cable that’s pre-spliced specifically for Thinkware dash cams
- Spliced VIOFO 3-Wire Hardwiring Kit - as the name suggests, you will choose this if you have a VIOFO dash cam
- Spliced VIOFO USB-C Hardwiring Kit - this cable works only with the VIOFO A139 dash cam
If you are using something other than BlackVue, Thinkware or VIOFO, we recommend you go with either the cigarette socket or the unspliced cable option.
2. Which is easier to use - PowerCell 8 or Cellink Neo?
Both batteries connect to the dash cam virtually the same way. And both offer more or less the same recharging options: 12V power cable and a hardwiring cable.
So, ultimately, it comes down to which battery manager app you prefer. The Cellink NEO uses the Cellink NEO app. The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 uses the new Cellink NEO Plus app. Function-wise, both apps are relatively the same. But there are a couple of functions that are exclusive to the Cellink NEO Plus app, like R-Charging.
R-Charging allows you to reduce the charging current during the initial engine starting. This function prevents overloading the car battery at the start. But do note that the Cellink NEO Plus app requires Android 6.0 and up or iOS 10.0 or later. The Cellink NEO app, on the other hand, requires Android 4.3 or iOS 9.0.