Auto-Off? How much "charge" does this camera draw?

Vanquished

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Hey Everyone,
So I just got this camera and mounted it in my '13 Charger RT.
I guess I should have done a little more research on two things. I intended on plugging this camera into my Charger's center console 12v outlet, unfortunately I now know that it is connected directly to the battery and is therefore always on... I also thought that this camera had an auto-off function, does it? Or is that only on battery?

If not I'm wondering if I can just leave it on (sigh) all the time, so I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the draw on the battery overnight, etc. etc.

Thanks!
 
no, the camera doesn't turn off by itself. it has no way of know if you're on a road trip or just parked. i recomend you have a stereo shop or something rewire your lighter socket with a relay to only be live while key is in acc or on positions.
 
Mmm, Thanks for the reply.

I had a $20 crappy dashcam that was able to tell when the car was in motion and came out of standby mode so I figured maybe this one could...
No way I'm gonna have a stereo shop rewire my new car. I just moved it to the rear 12v outlet which comes on with ignition.

Not sure why Dodge made the center console outlet connect directly to the battery, seems really stupid to me.

I would like to get a low-profile 12v extender adapter though, the plug that came with this dash-cam sticks out a good couple inches from the outlet (I guess because it's a converter? so I've read).
I'm looking for an extender that is near flush at the outlet and/or has the wire come out at an angle.

Any ideas? Only ones I've seen come with a bunch of cord as well which I don't want/need.

Thanks again for confirming the no auto-off!
 
technicaly it has motion detection but it apparently doesnt work very well.

most dodge and fords and some chevys have had their lighters live 24/7 for decades. guess it was important to be able to light a smoke whether or not the car was on. most non-us cars are key-switched so you don't drain the battery with radars or phone chargers.

at least you have one that's switched. but really, modifying the lighter the way i suggested is actually LESS intrusive and much simpler than replacing the stereo or adding an alarm, which most people don't even bat an eye at.

fyi - i used to make my living as an electronics installer... i hardwired the cameras in both my cars. it keeps the socket free for phone charger, and is much cleaner. for me to rewire a lighter like i said would be a 15 minute, $30 job. if you're anywhere near houston i'll be glad to do it for you.
 
I'm in MA so it's instantly a 2-day $1,200 job ;)

My car has remote start from the factory as well as keyless start, not comfortable with doing mods like that on the car when in warranty (it is still a Dodge, I expect to use that warranty).

I am still disappointed that the plug will be visible but if I can get a low profile adapter it would make it better.

Oh well.
 
well the hardwire kit i used for mine eliminates the need for the lighter adapter. you tap into an existing key-switched circuit (i used the sunroof wiring since it's right there) and just sneak its little usb cable out the front of the headliner to the camera. cake. it was like $10 on ebay.

theres actually a thread in this subforum where a user bought one of the hardwire kits i mentioned and had his toyota dealer install it on his new car so it wouldn't void any warranties. here it is, took me a bit to find using my phone. https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/b40-professional-install-which-parts-do-i-need.6568/
 
Hardwiring the dash cam doesn't have to be permanent mod. You can take it out if you ever need to without the dealership knowing.

I know some Ford cars have the front lighter socket outlet on at all times, so it might be an 'merica thing. ;)

Kelvin
 
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Focus has 1 front slot & 1 rear slot, they are both in same fuse, and powered all the time. (Probably for using fridge)
S-Max has 1 front slot & 1 rear slot, front slot is powered when car is powered on AND it keeps giving power until 30 minute has passed from car shutdown. Rear slot is powered all the time.
 
I just installed a CF-100 in my wife's toyota sienna van this past weekend and had to add extra wiring to have it function in parking mode, since none of the 3 power outlets are hot while the car is off. that said, i think the wire i tapped for constant 12v might not actually be constant, since it was not still in parking mode this morning. i was trying to avoid testing every wire in the rat's nest that lives under the dashboard (seriously - i've never seen more wires in one place before, and i've had a LOT of dashboards apart!) , and i don't have a copy of the factory wiring diagram, and my google-fu failed me. i think i may have found the dome light circuit instead. it's live when the key's off... but not forever - even if you turn on all the dome lights (there are 7!) manually, they will turn off after a while (maybe an hour? i've never checked) to avoid having a dead battery. a good design IMHO, since kids often play with the dome lights, and during the day it's not obvious that they were left on.

in your case a CF-100 might work well, though the form factor leaves a lot to be desired compared to the A118. I say this because a constantly live lighter socket would actually be ideal since the camera needs power for parking mode. the only drawback is that unless your car has some sort of battery protection feature, you could end up with a dead battery if you ever parked for a long time, such as maybe leave the car at the airport for a week or something. the kit i added to the van DOES have battery protection built in - it will cut power to the camera if voltage drops below 12.2v so she won't be stuck somewhere with a dead battery.
 
Focus has 1 front slot & 1 rear slot, they are both in same fuse, and powered all the time. (Probably for using fridge)
S-Max has 1 front slot & 1 rear slot, front slot is powered when car is powered on AND it keeps giving power until 30 minute has passed from car shutdown. Rear slot is powered all the time.
I have a 2012 Focus SEL with this camera plugged into the rear 12V outlet. In my car at least, that's a keyed outlet... at some point after leaving the car, the camera powers off. When I either double-click the remote to unlock all doors or when I just open the driver's door, the camera powers up and begins recording.
 
Mmm, Thanks for the reply.

I had a $20 crappy dashcam that was able to tell when the car was in motion and came out of standby mode so I figured maybe this one could...
No way I'm gonna have a stereo shop rewire my new car. I just moved it to the rear 12v outlet which comes on with ignition.

Not sure why Dodge made the center console outlet connect directly to the battery, seems really stupid to me.

I read on another forum that some Dodge and Chrysler vehicles have a jumper in the fuse box that allows you to change your 12V power outlets from unswitched to switched. You might want to look at the fuse box and/or the owner's manual.
 
I just installed a CF-100 in my wife's toyota sienna van this past weekend and had to add extra wiring to have it function in parking mode, since none of the 3 power outlets are hot while the car is off. that said, i think the wire i tapped for constant 12v might not actually be constant, since it was not still in parking mode this morning.

Don't know about the Sienna, but I did this on my 2008 Toyota RAV4. There are 3 12V power outlets, one up front below the A/C controls, one in the center console, and one in the rear cargo area. All were switched, but 2 were running through a relay, so I jumped out the relay and now only the front outlet is switched. I wrote about it here:

http://www.rav4world.com/forums/98-...12-volt-outlets-hot-all-times.html#post792679
 
I would like to get a low-profile 12v extender adapter though, the plug that came with this dash-cam sticks out a good couple inches from the outlet (I guess because it's a converter? so I've read).
I'm looking for an extender that is near flush at the outlet and/or has the wire come out at an angle.

Any ideas? Only ones I've seen come with a bunch of cord as well which I don't want/need....
A little late to this conversion but this is what I did to get power from the rear seat 12V socket to the front cam.

1 of these for the 12V to 5V conversion (very low profile) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00MSYQ94W
1 of these to get it out at 90° to keep the low profile - http://www.vetco.net/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=14294&keywords=Right-Angle USB Adapter

1 of these in the appropriate length - https://www.amazon.com/gp/B002KL8N6A
Keeps the front of the vehicle neat (no cables as it's all run under the floor mats, door seals, A-pillar cover and headliner) and it's almost unnoticeable in the rear - but I don't use the rear very much and usually with adults, may not work as well with kids/dogs back there.
 
Because I prefer set and forget, in my Malibu I connected my GT680W's provided plug to a loose 12 volt socket, secured with a few wraps of electric tape, wired the socket to ground and a Pico 0956PT 10 Amp ATM Mini Blade Fuse Add-A-Circuit Fuse Holder with 3.5 amp fuse, piggy backed on the seat heater circuit that energizes with the ignition and buried the wires behind finishes. This powers and protects the GT680W as intended by E-Prance. Note, the provided cord includes a fuse. The nice part is I didn't have to splice into the harness. The dash cam fires up and records upon turning the key and shuts down when I pull the key and open the door which is when the car's brain kills that circuit. Mine is running for almost a year without attention. With the same circuit I similarly power my Garmin GPS . Hope this helps.
 
Because I prefer set and forget, in my Malibu I connected my GT680W's provided plug to a loose 12 volt socket, secured with a few wraps of electric tape, wired the socket to ground and a Pico 0956PT 10 Amp ATM Mini Blade Fuse Add-A-Circuit Fuse Holder with 3.5 amp fuse, piggy backed on the seat heater circuit that energizes with the ignition and buried the wires behind finishes. This powers and protects the GT680W as intended by E-Prance. Note, the provided cord includes a fuse. The nice part is I didn't have to splice into the harness. The dash cam fires up and records upon turning the key and shuts down when I pull the key and open the door which is when the car's brain kills that circuit. Mine is running for almost a year without attention. With the same circuit I similarly power my Garmin GPS . Hope this helps.
does it cause any interference in the recordings when your seat heaters are turned on?
 
does it cause any interference in the recordings when your seat heaters are turned on?

That's actually a funny. The car has no heated seats but does have a 10 amp fuse in the slot.

From an electrical perspective, heated seats are a resistance load. No electronics, no motors, no feedback. For sharing circuits, resistance loads are the last to cause issues.
 
i asked because i once tried to power a dvd from the heat seater circuit and when they were on, it introduced a hum into the audio feed from the dvd.
 
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