Adding an ON/OFF switch for hard wired parking mode.

[kmd1970]

Blackvue Dash Cameras infamously don't have an on/off button. When you get home (garage) you need to pull on the power cable to shutdown the camera.

I used the motion detected parking mode with my Blackvue DR750s for parking mode, but I prefer hard wired (ACC) trigger for activation.

Sometimes I would return to the car and the camera hasn't even gone into parking mode as yet. ACC is more reliable.

For my Blackvue DR750S I simply added an inline plug and play power switch with DC connectors. (no cutting required).

Details can be found here:

ON/OFF switch solution for BlackVue cameras

So I have my new Blackvue camera hardwired into my car with a Cellink B battery pack for power during parking recording. My only issue is that Blackvue cameras don't have a physical power button. When I park at home (in my garage) I don't need the camera running. With my Thinkware F770 I could...

dashcamtalk.com

The DR900X Plus uses a 3 wire cable for parking mode, so splicing and soldering is required to add an ON/OFF switch. Luckily, it's an easy job.

Just make a small cut 4 to 5 inches from the DC power connector and solder a power switch to the yellow wire. Seal it with black shrink tubing.

(Not sure why Blackvue uses yellow for constant 12v and red for ACC, unlike everyone else)

I found a switch on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B08DXZ84KG


I really wish they sold dual tipped male and female dc connectors (like on the BV hard wire kit). I couldn't find them any where.

 

[USDashCamera]

Even tho I use blackvue cams as my main camera these days, I do miss having the power button on thinkware cams. I am afraid if I had a switch like this I will forget to turn it on some days. The power button on thinkware cams is perfect because you don't have to remember in the morning.

 

[kmd1970]

This is plug and play ON/OFF button solution for Blackvue dash cameras using the cigarette socket cable and g-senor triggered parking mode.



This won't work for BV cameras that use the ACC+ triggered parking mode because the DC connector is dual pole. The tip is ACC+ and the inside is constant 12 volts.

I wish Blackvue would sell these as accessories or add power buttons to their cameras.

 

[kmd1970]

All done. it works!

 

[BChoCRNA]

Very nice. Is there a reason why you went with this over a SPDT switch?

 

[kmd1970]

I just needed to shut off the single line of 12 volt power to the camera to turn it off in my garage.

 

[Ralph2]

So, confused. but in a similar vein.. I have wired my DR900X Plus with the 3 wire cable for parking mode.. but don't trust the low voltage cutoff built into the camera, so for the time being have parking turned off in the settings.
Can I install a switch (open/closed) in the constant power supply to toggle parking only when I want? Could test it myself by just pulling the fuse and see what happens but the fuse is a bearcat to remove so hopefully someone has already figured this out and can advise. I am guessing not and that there is reset logic if the camera is stopped due to apparent low voltage (as in when the switch is turned off)

 

[rcg530]

So, confused. but in a similar vein.. I have wired my DR900X Plus with the 3 wire cable for parking mode.. but don't trust the low voltage cutoff built into the camera, so for the time being have parking turned off in the settings.
Can I install a switch (open/closed) in the constant power supply to toggle parking only when I want? Could test it myself by just pulling the fuse and see what happens but the fuse is a bearcat to remove so hopefully someone has already figured this out and can advise. I am guessing not and that there is reset logic if the camera is stopped due to apparent low voltage (as in when the switch is turned off)

While reviewing the BlackVue DR900X-2CH dashcam, I mentioned I would like to have BlackVue include an on/off switch on the camera. In the testing video in that review series, I show my modification to the 3-wire harness that inserted a DPST switch to allow me to power down the dashcam when parked at home. I used a dual pole switch to cut off the constant and accessory power to the dashcam but I leave the ground wire connected all of the time. I cutoff constant and accessory power to be sure the dashcam has no power while parked. Since I review multiple dashcams, I also wanted a configuration that could be used with any dashcam that I might plug into the cable. Since there is a supercapacitor in the dashcam, it will power down gracefully when the power is removed by turning off the switch.

I show this modification in the "testing" video of my three video review series of the DR900X-2CH dashcam.

I also show that I extended the 3-wire cable by six feet since my test vehicle is a long wheel base ex-cop car and the main fuse panel and dashcam battery packs are located in the trunk of the car. To make this "easier" over the long term, I used the Molex connectors used by dashcam battery pack's output power port to add my extension and to put the DPST switch inline in the 3-wire cable. A bit overboard for the typical install, but nice to have so I can reconfigure my setup whenever I change dashcams in the vehicle.

 

[Ralph2]

Thanks, I can see where a DPST switch would work, but would “just” cutting the constant power work? I would like the no hassle always on while ACC is available and only occasionally turn on parking.

 

[rcg530]

Thanks, I can see where a DPST switch would work, but would “just” cutting the constant power work? I would like the no hassle always on while ACC is available and only occasionally turn on parking.

I just created a test harness with the DPST switch in it but only using one side/circuit of the switch (acting like a SPST switch) to turn on/off the constant power feed to the dashcam. I tested this with a DR900X-2CH Plus dashcam.

Turning off the the battery (constant) power with the switch does initiate a power down using the supercapacitor in the DR900X-2CH Plus dash cam. I tested turning off the constant power with the accessory power on (normal recording mode) and accessory power off (parking mode) and it seems to power off and power on the dashcam as expected.

The power up of the dashcam worked as expected as well. If the accessory power was off and I turned on the switch, the dashcam remained off until I restored the accessory power. If the accessory power was already on (engine running) but the switch was off, the camera remained off. Turning on the switch with the accessory power already present resulted in the dashcam powering up and starting normal recording mode.

The use of a SPST switch to toggle the constant (battery) power to the BlackVue dashcam seems to work as hoped.

 

[Ralph2]

Thanks for playing with it, will throw in a simple of/on switch on the constant power line. Much appreciated.

 

[UDR1635]

Rcg530,

What load specs will work with an SPST switch? Does it depend on the amp of the tapped fuse?

Thanks

 

[rcg530]

What load specs will work with an SPST switch? Does it depend on the amp of the tapped fuse?

The switch and wiring needs to be able to support the full load of the circuit. In the case of a dashcam, the load on the circuit is 1 amp or less. Most every SPST switch I've looked at can handle 5 amps or more which should be just fine for the circuit powering the dashcam. The wire gauge used in the 3-wire hardwiring harnesses is usually 22 awg (sometimes 24 awg depending on the company) so it can only support a couple of amps max as well. In my opinion, using a 5 amp fuse for a dashcam power circuit is actually a bit too high. It would be best to have a 2 or 3 amp fuse to help better protect the circuit.

 

[UDR1635]

Thank you, much appreciated.

 

[kesawi]

I just created a test harness with the DPST switch in it but only using one side/circuit of the switch (acting like a SPST switch) to turn on/off the constant power feed to the dashcam. I tested this with a DR900X-2CH Plus dashcam.

Turning off the the battery (constant) power with the switch does initiate a power down using the supercapacitor in the DR900X-2CH Plus dash cam. I tested turning off the constant power with the accessory power on (normal recording mode) and accessory power off (parking mode) and it seems to power off and power on the dashcam as expected.

The power up of the dashcam worked as expected as well. If the accessory power was off and I turned on the switch, the dashcam remained off until I restored the accessory power. If the accessory power was already on (engine running) but the switch was off, the camera remained off. Turning on the switch with the accessory power already present resulted in the dashcam powering up and starting normal recording mode.

The use of a SPST switch to toggle the constant (battery) power to the BlackVue dashcam seems to work as hoped.

In my testing the DR900X-2CH plus won't power up if the constant (battery) power is switched off when the accessory power switches on. The constant (battery) power always needs to be on for the camera to turn on. I believe this matches what you're testing showed.

This means that the camera won't come on if you forget to turn on the SPST switch before starting the ignition and driving.

 

[rcg530]

The constant (battery) power always needs to be on for the camera to turn on.

That's correct, the constant battery power is what actually powers the operations of the dash camera. The accessory power input is only used as an indicator of whether the camera should power up (if constant power was off and then switched on and the accessory power is goes from off-to-on), exit parking mode (off-to-on) and enter parking mode (on-to-off).

 

[kesawi]

That's correct, the constant battery power is what actually powers the operations of the dash camera. The accessory power input is only used as an indicator of whether the camera should power up (if constant power was off and then switched on and the accessory power is goes from off-to-on), exit parking mode (off-to-on) and enter parking mode (on-to-off).

Could you potentially wire in a relay to the battery circuit in parallel with the SPST, with the coil operated by the ACC as shown below?

I've also added a diode to the input side of the relay coil to prevent coil voltage surge back to the camera. Also, would the coil in the relay on its own have enough resistance to limit the current draw and prevent blowing the ACC fuse on the supply side?

When the parking SPST is closed (on), the camera will enter and exit parking mode with the ACC.

When the parking SPT is off (open):

• The relay will close when the ACC is turned on, which will provide power to the camera via both the Batt and ACC, thus turning on the camera.
• The relay will open then the ACC is turned off, which will remove power from the camera via the Batt, thus turning the camera off.

Unlike the PMP if you turned the SPST off while the camera was in parking mode, you would need to turn the SPST and ACC back on to turn on the camera.

 

[rcg530]

This means that the camera won't come on if you forget to turn on the SPST switch before starting the ignition and driving.

That statement is incorrect. If the accessory power is on before the battery power and then you start supplying power on the battery power wire, the DR900X Plus will boot. I just tested it to make sure.

• Starting State - DR900X Plus is powered down
  • Test state: BATT+ and ACC wires have no power
    • BATT+ power is restored while ACC power remains off
      • DR900X Plus remains off
    • BATT+ power remains off while ACC has power restored
      • DR900X Plus remains off
    • BATT+ and ACC both have power restored at the same time
      • DR900X Plus boots up
  • Test state: BATT+ unpowered while ACC is powered
    • BATT+ power restored
      • DR900X Plus boots up
  • Test state: ACC unpowered while BATT+ is powered
    • ACC power restored
      • DR900X Plus boots up
• Starting state: DR900X Plus is powered up
  • Test state: BATT+ and ACC have power
    • Test: Remove ACC power while BATT+ power remains powered
      • Parking Mode Enabled = Enters Parking Mode
      • Parking Mode Disabled = DR900X Plus powers down
    • Test: Remove BATT+ power while ACC power remains powered
      • DR900X Plus powers down - does not matter whether parking mode is enabled or not
• Starting state: DR900X Plus in parking mode
  • Test state: BATT+ has power while ACC is unpowered
    • Test: Remove BATT+ power
      • DR900X Plus powers down
    • Test: Restore ACC power
      • DR900X Plus exits parking mode and resumes normal mode recording
• Starting state: DR900X Plus in motion based parking mode (vehicle stationary for more than 5 minutes)
  • Test state: BATT+ and ACC both are both powered
    • Test: Remove BATT+ power
      • DR900X Plus powers down
    • Test: Remove ACC power
      • DR900X Plus remains in parking mode - no change since it still has BATT+ and it was already in parking mode
      • ** Note **
        • Even if the DR900X Plus entered parking mode because the vehicle was stationary for 5 minutes, if the ACC power is turned off and then ACC power is restored, it will exit parking mode and resume normal recording mode
    • Test: Vehicle begins to move
      • DR900X Plus exits parking mode and resumes normal recording mode

In my vehicle, I use a DPST switch to turn on/off both the BATT+ and ACC power to the power cable running to the DR900X Plus dash camera. This way the DR900X Plus is completely disconnected from BATT+ or ACC power when the DPST switch is off. I use the DPST switch to turn off the power to the DR900X Plus when I park at home so it does not drain any additional power from the dash camera battery pack it is connected to.

Using a relay in the manner you described would allow the dash camera to always power up when the ACC power is turned on. If you want the dash camera to also record in parking mode, you would need turn the SPST switch to the on position, before turning off the ACC power. The use of the relay would eliminate the chance of you forgetting to turn on a DPST before starting to drive (which I've done once or twice). In your configuration, if you forget to turn on the SPST switch, the dash camera will not record in parking mode when you may want it too. Both solutions have a slight chance of the driver not remembering to turn on/off the toggle switch.

 

[kesawi]

In your configuration, if you forget to turn on the SPST switch, the dash camera will not record in parking mode when you may want it too. Both solutions have a slight chance of the driver not remembering to turn on/off the toggle switch.

This is essentially how the switch on the PMP works. For me the priority is to have the camera on when driving, parking is a secondary consideration.

I just don't know enough about where things to understand whether I am at risk of relay coil suppression damage to the camera or ECU, and how I can be sure that I've prevented it.

 

[LateralNW]

This is essentially how the switch on the PMP works. For me the priority is to have the camera on when driving, parking is a secondary consideration.

I just don't know enough about where things to understand whether I am at risk of relay coil suppression damage to the camera or ECU, and how I can be sure that I've prevented it.

Place the diode across the relay coil with the anode on the negative side.
This will help prevent back emf entering the circuit.


Credit Image copied from

Back EMF Suppression – BSB Progeny Ltd

progeny.co.uk