A129 how many amps should the fuse have?

Thanks for the education. Yes, unfortunately, my DASHOTO hardwire kit came with fuse taps with 16awg wire and 15 amp fuses. I found this good resource for auto/car electronics. It says that the largest recommended fuse for 16awg wire is 7.5 amps.

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BombayDuo said:
Thanks for the education. Yes, unfortunately, my DASHOTO hardwire kit came with fuse taps with 16awg wire and 15 amp fuses. I found this good resource for auto/car electronics. It says that the largest recommended fuse for 16awg wire is 7.5 amps.
Click to expand...
So if the insulation on that cable rubbed through against a piece of metal then the fuse would allow 15 amps x 14 volts = 210 watts to flow through the cable before the fuse blows, about the same as an electric car kettle - it can produce more than enough heat to start a fire. Then remember that car furnishings are not self extinguishing like home furnishings, once a fire has started the car will fully burn out.

Get yourself a smaller fuse so that there is nothing to worry about.
 
BombayDuo said:
And here is the response from DASHOTO
View attachment 45280
Click to expand...
Electrical car fires tend to result from a short circuit where the insulation gets broken down until it is extremely thin, then you get a very poor connection between your cable and corroded metal covered in melted plastic, the amps that gets conducted then gradually rises generating more and more heat in the cable until either flaming plastic insulation starts to drip off the cable, or the fuse blows.

You want to make sure the fuse blows before the wire gets too hot.
 
Regal said:
Hello everyone,

I'm very sorry if that's a pretty dumb for the most of you guys, but I'm unsure.

I ordered a Viofo A129 including a hardwire kit, a fuse tap and a fuse but they forgott to deliver the fuse and the fuse tap does not fit my car anyway, because it (Honda Civic 2017) needs a Low Profile Fuse.

I'm now not sure what kind of fuse I should take for the A129, the electrical store nearby only has 10 amps, but I assume that 5 amps or even 2 amps would be better right?

Cheers
Regal
Click to expand...

If you bought the 129 Duo + Hardwire kit:

1. Yellow =ACC. Find a fuse where a system only functions when vehicle is turned on. I used my heated seats. Avoid any systems that are tied to safety and electronics (Airbags, Infotainment, etc). The fuse in the fuse tap need not be the same as the fuse in the vehicle. For instance, the vehicle might need a 20 AMP, but you can use a 15 AMP to protect the Camera for the second fuse tap slot. ... I used 15 AMP fuse for both.

2. Red = Battery. I used my power seats. Same advice, find an always on system NOT tied to safety or electronics. Used 15 AMP fuse.

3. Black = Ground. Mount to a metal screw with a washer or any proper grounding.
 
"I used 15 AMP fuse for both "

As mentioned, most of the kits come with fuse taps with 16awg wire. The max recommended amps for this gauge wire is 10, so by placing a 15 amp fuse you are letting the wire act as the fuse, which is not the best idea. See links above.
 
BombayDuo said:
"I used 15 AMP fuse for both "

As mentioned, most of the kits come with fuse taps with 16awg wire. The max recommended amps for this gauge wire is 10, so by placing a 15 amp fuse you are letting the wire act as the fuse, which is not the best idea. See links above.
Click to expand...

The Viofo A129 harwire kit comes with 15 Amp fuses for the fuse taps.
 
Actually, some kits came with 7.5 amp fuses and others came with 15a. Regardless of what fuses came with the kit, the maximum recommended fuse for 16awg is 7.5


Wire Gauge​
Recommended
Maximum Fuse Size​
00 awg​
400 amps​
0 awg​
325 amps​
1 awg​
250 amps​
2 awg​
200 amps​
4 awg​
125 amps​
6 awg​
80 amps​
8 awg​
50 amps​
10 awg​
30 amps​
12 awg​
20 amps​
14 awg​
15 amps​
16 awg​
7.5 amps​
 
BombayDuo said:
Actually, some kits came with 7.5 amp fuses and others came with 15a. Regardless of what fuses came with the kit, the maximum recommended fuse for 16awg is 7.5
Click to expand...

1. Question 1: Dashoto indicates that if there was a short in the fuse, it would pull more than 15 Amps, causing the fuse to blow? Is he wrong on this assessment.

2. If he is wrong, then Question #2. Is it OK if the fuse closes to the box uses 15 AMP necessitated by the vehicle? Should I simply remove the 15 AMP fuse protecting the camera and install a 7.5 AMP instead?
 
Instead of asking all of these questions, go back to the links above to see the recommended fuse size based on wire gauge. Also see the recommended gauge of wire for any given amperage.

Wire Gauge Chart by Length and Amps
5 Amps10 Amps15 Amps20 Amps25 Amps30 Amps40 Amps50 Amps60 Amps80 Amps100 Amps
Wiring Length
0 - 5 feet16-gauge wire16-gauge wire14-gauge wire14-gauge wire12-gauge wire10-gauge wire8-gauge wire6-gauge wire6-gauge wire4-gauge wire4-gauge wire
5-7 feet16-gauge wire16-gauge wire14-gauge wire14-gauge wire12-gauge wire10-gauge wire8-gauge wire6-gauge wire6-gauge wire4-gauge wire4-gauge wire
7-10 feet16-gauge wire14-gauge wire12-gauge wire12-gauge wire10-gauge wire10-gauge wire8-gauge wire6-gauge wire6-gauge wire4-gauge wire4-gauge wire
 
With a 15amp fuse on a 16awg wire (rated for 10 amps), the wire is the weak point (i.e., could act as the fuse) and melt before the 15 amp fuse blows. But again, check out the wire gauge and fuse guides.
 
HonestReview said:
So is Dashoto WRONG about the fuse blowing before causing any damage?
Click to expand...
If you were to test this then you would probably find that Dashoto is correct, however if it happens in real life then you are unlikely to get a perfect short, and in that case Dashoto's advice is very dangerous.

Fit a 5 amp fuse for the camera tap. It is not there to protect the camera, its job is to protect the vehicle, and your life.
 
Nigel said:
If you were to test this then you would probably find that Dashoto is correct, however if it happens in real life then you are unlikely to get a perfect short, and in that case Dashoto's advice is very dangerous.

Fit a 5 amp fuse for the camera tap. It is not there to protect the camera, its job is to protect the vehicle, and your life.
Click to expand...

Ok so I confirmed my wire is 16 AWG. But what I don't understand and if either you or Bombay Duo can clarify:

See my fuse box below.

The Yellow Fuse = Vehicle's Original 20 AMP FUSE (Closest to Fuse Box).
The Blue Fuse = 15 AMP Fuse taken from DASHOTO hardwire kit on out TAP "protecting" camera Circuit.

Would my wiring BE OK if I leave in the 20 AMP Vehicle Fuse, but REMOVE the 15 AMP Camera Fuse and replace it with a 5 AMP fuse?


45327
 
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BombayDuo said:
With a 15amp fuse on a 16awg wire (rated for 10 amps), the wire is the weak point (i.e., could act as the fuse) and melt before the 15 amp fuse blows. But again, check out the wire gauge and fuse guides.
Click to expand...

I have clarified my question, because either I am misunderstanding your answer or I did not make my question clear. See last post with labeled fuses.
 
Yes, the size fuse in the slot for the vehicle should remain (it gets moved to the bottom slot of the fuse tap). The fuse for the camera kit goes in the top slot. They work independently. You do need to make sure however that the fuse tap is placed in the correct +/- orientation.
 
BombayDuo said:
Yes, the size fuse in the slot for the vehicle should remain (it gets moved to the bottom slot of the fuse tap). The fuse for the camera kit goes in the top slot. They work independently. You do need to make sure however that the fuse tap is placed in the correct +/- orientation.
Click to expand...

  1. My setup should be correct. Yellow (Bottom Slot) is Vehicle's 20 AMP fuse. Top Slot (Blue) is 15 AMP fuse For Camera.
  2. Mechanic friend originally installed fuse taps (I had to switch to another fuse because the one used ended up having an issue) right next to the fuse we used.

How do you determine the correct +/- Orientation?

3. Should I replace the outer fuse for 16 AWG wire with a 5 or 7.5 AMP fuse?
 
HonestReview said:
  1. My setup should be correct. Yellow (Bottom Slot) is Vehicle's 20 AMP fuse. Top Slot (Blue) is 15 AMP fuse For Camera.
  2. Mechanic friend originally installed fuse taps (I had to switch to another fuse because the one used ended up having an issue) right next to the fuse we used.
How do you determine the correct +/- Orientation?

3. Should I replace the outer fuse for 16 AWG wire with a 5 or 7.5 AMP fuse?
Click to expand...
Use a 5 amp fuse like everyone else.

As for the orientation issue, forget about it, with a 20 amp supply it is not going to be a problem, whereas using a 15 amp fuse could end the life of your vehicle, and potentially you, if someday your cable gets sufficiently damaged that you suffer a short circuit.
 
HonestReview said:
Find a fuse where a system only functions when vehicle is turned on. I used my heated seats. Avoid any systems that are tied to safety and electronics (Airbags, Infotainment, etc).
Click to expand...
Thanks, but why do you reccomend a fuse that's on when the vehicle's power is on?
The A129 has a parking and the hard wire kit has this thing which safes the car battery from draining. :)
 
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