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Hardwired dashcam but not getting power

Safety Cameras 
8K views 32 replies 8 participants last post by  Kremmen 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello,

So if anybody is particularly familiar with the fuse box I could use some help.
Bsaically I bought a dashcam as I've had a few too many close calls with people that don't understand those white marking things on the road...


Anyway so basically, I've bought the hardwiring kit which has two fuse taps, one for constant power and one for power when the ignition is on, and a ground.

I believe I've wired them up correctly, and I think the multi-meter is showing current when it's supposed to, however I also have very little clue what I'm doing so could have done any number of basic things very wrong.

So, I've plugged the constant power fuse tap into number 27 and the switched power into number 9.
I don't have the car manual with me but can upload a picture of fuse box diagram later if needed.

Here's two pictures that may help.





Any help would be grreatly appreciated.

 
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#2 ·
Scrap that ploy and use the Option Connector as that is a dedicated area for this type of thing.

Search 'Option Connector' here and follow the instructions for your model.

The fusebox doesn't always power as expected, unless you've double checked with a multimeter.

If you are adamant that the fusebox is for you then search for the 'wiring in a Snooper' thread that shows the best fuse for ignition power.
 
#5 ·
Thanks Kremmen, I never would have found that thread, however that particular fuse position is bad for the fuse tap because of there being no space above above it. I wanted to use them because they come with the kit but the option connector is starting to look like the only option now... thanks for the help.
 
#3 ·
Dont understand why you have 2 connections (for constant power and power with ignition).

If you have a constant power then surely you dont need the second connection.

I tapped into fuse 29 (cigarette lighter) for power with ignition rather than constant power as i wasnt sure about draining my battery, especially with winter upon us now.

Sent from my SM-N915G using Tapatalk
 
#4 ·
@Kremmen Does the option connector have a permanent live and an ignition switched live K. I don't think so. It doesn't on the 10G.

@anfield786 It depends on the hardwire kit(HWK). The Blackvue Power Magic Pro needs the two connections and I can't be bothered to explain why.

@Kwame-Flip It would have been useful, nay imperative, that you told us what make of HWK kit you were fitting.

For instance, the Blackvue Power Magic Pro needs more than 12V to 'fire it up'.
This can be achieved by the simple process of starting the engine. Have you tried that?

If you are just plugging into random fuses without checking whether they actually behave as they need to, you will stand little chance of getting the HW working properly

As a wild guess, looking at your fuse box, fuse (door locking?) would be permanent live and fuse 35 (radio?) for the switched live. But these would deffo need checking with a voltage tracer or multimeter.
 
#8 ·
Forget parking mode as you will muller your battery pdq. 8th gen are notorious for sucking battery's dry even without any additional components. Do you want to be stranded?

The only way to hook up parking mode is with an additional backup battery dedicated to the dashcam.
 
#10 ·
So, after looking yesterday while fitting the thing I found stuff about the option connector that says for my car it does have an igntion power and a constant power.

So I bought the Street Guardian sg9663dc, and the official hardwiring kit for that which is here https://streetguardian.info/product/sg9663dc-hardwire-kit-add-parking-mode



So I don't really know what I'm doing so can't say how random my method is to you, but I've been looking up the function of the fuse in the owners manual, then checking it with a multi-meter to see if it's powered with the ignition on and off, and then tried to choose an appropriate fuse slot for both my fuse taps. I've then measured the current once the fuse taps are plugged in for all the fuses I've used and all seem to be drawing power when they're supposed to.
If I remember right, when powered they were getting around 15v... no idea if that sounds right or not, and I'd have to re-check to be 100% sure about that number, I could be totally wrong.
 
#15 ·
I will get help if this thread doesn't lead me to anything good to try, I'm sure there'll be a local place that can quickly get it sorted.
@Farqui, so this partiuclar kit has a cut off box that turns it off when the battery drains so far, however, the idea of the parking mode is that it goes in timelapse mode as a low power alternative to video recording, though I can't comment on how much this will drain the battery since I haven't been able to use it yet. You can also set the parking mode to only record the timelapse for an amount of time you specify in the settings.
 
#17 ·
I agree. If you're not competent enough to use a multimeter, your electrical safety kit, then get someone else involved.

The Option Connector is the Rolls Royce but you can use shielded 2mm female connectors in the Option Connector hole.

I fully understand ignition & permanent power for some dashcams but parking mode shouldn't drain too much. Even a tiny built in button battery can last many hours in parking mode standby.
The ignition feed is usually just a trigger to turn parking mode off and switch to recording mode.
 
#18 ·
All my dashcams take about 400mA. A button battery wouldn't last more than a couple of mins.
A button battery, if fitted is to keep the date etc 'alive' not the whole cam.

And it appears that his cam is probably more like the BV rather than NB. In parking mode, the latter only triggers on impact, thus missing the actual bump that caused it.

The BV goes into either continuous record or time lapse record and buffers the video so that the bump (whether in parking or driving) is captured in an 'event' clip.
 
#19 ·
Yeah, I've tried running the engine but the dashcam doesn't power on. I did try it before the installation with the cigarette lighter power lead and the unit itself works fine so it should be fault free. I thought maybe the battery had drained below the limit where it powers the unit off but an hours drive to work should have charged it up but still nothing.

I have the Haines manual, though not sure if that has anything useful in it, it doesn't have the drivers side fuse box diagram, and the owners manual that does have the fuse box diagram at home, I can photograph them later if needed. I'm at work so that'll have to wait if you want those.
 
#20 ·
You have posted a pic of a fusebox at post #1. Which one is that?

Presumably, when you tried the cam connected to the ciggy lighter power lead, are you talking about powering the cam direct from that or via the HWK connected to the ciggy socket?

If you have only tried with the cam powered direct, then power it via the HWK but connect both the permanent live AND the ignition switched supply to a known good 12V supply (directly across the battery will do the trick).
The camera should then start (you might have to start the engine). If the cam does not power up, you either have one of the settings on the HWK set incorrectly or it is faulty.

If that works, then the fuses that you have connected it to are not 'doing' what you think they are,
 
#21 ·
The picture is the driver side footwell fuse box, and picture 2 is the little key/diagram sticker next to it.

Yeah, it was powered purely by the cigarette lighter lead that comes as the standard power option. Worked totally fine, the HWK has not worked in any capacity yet, and I didn't try to rig it up to the cigarette lighter.

Great advice! When I get some free time again I'll try this out, thanks for the help.
 
#28 ·
One reason why it's often better to have 2 separate cams. Downsides are 2 SD cards to buy / wear out. Upside is if any 1 camera dies, you only have to replace a single camera not an expensive dual camera device and the wiring is easy - power from the boot / tailgate to the tailgate, with no other wires required.
 
#29 ·
Also, many dashcam makes, when throwing 2 cameras into one SDCard, they reduce the quality inthe firmware as the bitrates have to be reduced.

I know of 2 makes that record the front by default at 1440@60fps. Connect the rear cam and the front drops to 1080@30fps.
 
#31 ·
Nextbase 512GW is one camera we know does this.

I spotted another make whilst I was 'investigating' earlier this week but I forget the manufacturer and I don't want to guess wrong.

I was investigating the Viofo 119 range and watched quite a few comparison videos where this issue was mentioned.

I've decided against Viofo because there are quite a few reviews querying quality control. If they break you have to post them back to China.

The usual scenario - good reviews when it's just been unboxed then bad reviews after a few months when they often break.
 
#33 ·
I'm currently running a Nextbase 380GW. It's a solid mount, not one of the pendulum mounts that causes vibration over all but the smoothest of roads, which affects the clarity.

I like it but ideally I'd like a 1440@60fps with a good lens.
 
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