Heat, Power-shortage, Video Quality -SOLVED

[swbca3691]

I run Laptimer whenever I am on the track. A Best Lap Time or interesting traffic can happen at any time.
But phone-overheating and fast battery discharge are problems with extended use.

OVER-HEATING
Smart Phones will overheat and shut down while recording videos in direct sunlight through your windshield.
Solution Install a 6" strip of 20% transmission window tint film along the top edge of your windshield. This has been
successful on several very hot sunny days with my Galaxy S5.
------Don't use a phone case . . it will overheat faster.
------Mount the phone to the windshield with its field of view immediately below the tint.
------Suction cup mounts can be applied to the window tint film within hours of tint installation.
------See the last photo below with the Logitech mount.

FAST BATTERY DISCHARGE
If you want to record several sessions during a track day, the battery won't make it with most phones. When recording
with LapTimer, My Galaxy S5 phone slowly discharges even when plugged into a 2amp cigarette lighter adaptor, plus
my car's cigarette lighters are OFF when the ignition is off.

Solution Mount a USB battery pack on your visor with Velcro straps plus stabilize with 2 small pads of double-side
mounting tape. High capacity USB battery packs provide enough capacity to run Video all day. RAVPower is maybe
the only brand that can be charged and provide power to your phone at the same time. Other brands turn off the
power output while being charged. I have a concealed USB cable from a power adaptor connected to a fuse
block charging the battery pack whenever the ignition is ON. However, if you start the day with a full charge on
a 13000mAh pack, you don't need to be charging the USB battery pack during a track day.

RAVPower on Amazon . . https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MP ... UTF8&psc=1.
You can also use the cheaper RAVPower 10400mAh power pack, but maybe want to also charge the pack while driving.

VIDEO IMAGE WASHED OUT
Direct sun hitting the camera lens - from any angle - washes out color and contrast.
Solutions:
1. Install a 6" strip of 20% transmission windows tint along the top edge of your windshield.
2. Mount the phone near the top of Windshield. Mounting high on the Windshield also reduces ghost
reflections of dashboard features and prevents the phone from auto-focusing on the dashboard or other
interior trim features. And finally, at the top of the windshield, it doesn't interfere with your view of track.




Below: Check Frame Quality from a smart phone (original video is better than YouTube playback)

2014 Audi S4 / APR Stage 1 / one lap around Road America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of-q55Kj-oM

Below: I found a small roll of 20% Window Tint Film on ebay for about $10 USD. Look on YouTube for
instructions on applying Window-Tint film. As a temporarily measure you can use 3 rows
of duct tape on the outside of the windshield for a track day.



Below: The Logitech Mount works well for this phone setup. No Flex, vibration free, but expensive at $50 USD.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Logitec ... gws_rd=ssl
If you use the Logitech mount, the adhesive-backed metal plate can only be applied to the back of your phone
one time, so carefully determine the position of the plate in advance to make sure the mount is not in your
phone's field of view.

[Harry]

Thanks for sharing your experience! Another tip for overheating is pointing a fan at the smartphone. For charging: this will be an issue with your cigarette lighter / USB adapter. They come with different ampere capabilities. The power of your car's battery will easily be above the pack's and lighter will have 10 or more ampere capacity. As the USB cable is the same like for your pack, the adapter is the remaining bootle neck.

Harry

[swbca3691]

If the car lighter socket would stay ON with the ignition OFF, I probably wouldn't need the Battery Pack. I bought a couple of 2 amp cigarette lighter adaptors, but the Android phone still slowly draines the phone battery when recording with the Laptimer. Also with the power supply, I can leave the phone in the car and apply some of the overlays during lunch break.

These high capacity battery packs provide all the amperage the phone is designed to draw. My phone battery will charge in 30 minutes with the battery pack instead of 2 hours when plugged into an in-home adaptor.

[super.doug]

Nice tips. Thanks for the write up.

I would guess the auxiliary power outlet in your console is constant powered, unlike the one for the cig lighter. Most cars with multiple outlets use a variety of constant and switched. You might need a longer cord, but it may be worth it. Good luck.

[swbca3691]

Actually late model Audis have no always-on power connections. Also my phone discharges slowly running LapTimer even when its connected to a 2 amp adaptor. The high capacity USB battery packs don't have voltage sag under the load of the video, so there is no discharge on the internal battery.

[super.doug]

Yes, sorry. Just checked on my "new" to me Audi, and as you said, no constant power outlet... I was surprised. My base model avant-garde has three outlets, and they are switched. perhaps turning the brightness down and using an external gPs would lighten the load. Good luck and sorry for the misdirection.