Dashcam and hardwiring to a constant 12v source

[McFuzz]

Howdy!

Those of you who have their dashcam hardwired into a constant 12v source (i.e. one that remains on EVEN when ignition is off), have you had any battery drainage issues if you, say, parked it for a day or two?

[IngolstadtTech]

I would have to ask what the draw spec in the camera is. Maybe for a day or two you might not have an issue, but it would def bring the battery amperage draw above spec. Out of curiosity, why would you want to hard wire a dash cam? For when the car is parked?

[McFuzz]

I would have to ask what the draw spec in the camera is. Maybe for a day or two you might not have an issue, but it would def bring the battery amperage draw above spec. Out of curiosity, why would you want to hard wire a dash cam? For when the car is parked?

Correct - for when it is parked not at home. That said - it'd never be parked outside my garage for more than a few hours at a time. However, if it has to go in for dealer service, I'd like to have the camera up and running and record everything that happens while it is being 'serviced'; I may not be able to pick it up the same day so that's the reasoning for my question.

[IngolstadtTech]

I personally unplug dash cams in cars while I am working on them. I feel like if you can't trust me to work on your Audi, you need to find someone you can trust, plus, I dont like being watched while i work. (end opinionated rant lol)

That being said, with a quick google search, it seems like these cameras draw anywhere between a half an amp to 2 amps. The lower the amperage the better but I think you'll be more than ok for a day or two. They also make hardwire dash cams with motion sensors to conserve power. I would def put some kind of switch in though so its not always drawing that power or you will find yourself with a dead battery

[booost]

Hardwire it through a power magic pro so you can cut off power to the camera if the battery voltage gets too low.


Sent from my iPhone 6s+ using Tapatalk

[McFuzz]

Hardwire it through a power magic pro so you can cut off power to the camera if the battery voltage gets too low.


Sent from my iPhone 6s+ using Tapatalk

I'm guessing the wiring procedure is identical regardless of whether you wiring the camera directly or using one of these battery minders?

[Project Quattro]

I'm guessing the wiring procedure is identical regardless of whether you wiring the camera directly or using one of these battery minders?

They have constant power, switched power, and ground; the dash cam's 12V plug connects to the Power Magic Pro and it works through that. You can set the voltage to choose at which point the dash cam turns off to preserve battery life. I strongly second the suggestion to use one of these.


Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk

[Smellie]

Damn.. I was hoping there was some kind of handheld rechargable battery pack that can power a 12v

[AudiTFSI3o3]

Hardwire it through a power magic pro so you can cut off power to the camera if the battery voltage gets too low.


Sent from my iPhone 6s+ using Tapatalk

hardwired power magic pro for my blackvue dr650, set to stop recording if the batt drops below 11.8V. i've gone a week straight (recording while parked) and it didn't drop below 12v at all.