Hardwire Viofo A129 to hybrid Lexus with 14v current

Adamrwood

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Hi, I'm hardwiring a Viofo A129 to a Lexus hybrid but the current my voltmeter is showing in the fuse box is 14v opposed to 12v. Will this cause harm to the camera and will the 12.4v that the battery could drain to cause any start up problems with the hybrid engine?

Thanks for any help.
 
Great, thanks for your help and quick response.
 
Did you made vomtage measurements with working car engine?
 
do that in any modern petrol vehicle and you'll see they also run at over 14v most of the time
I was thinking the same.
With engine running the alternator puts out 14V (+/-). With engine off the healthy battery is around 12.6V (+/-).

Sent from my VKY-L29 using Tapatalk
 
Did you made vomtage measurements with working car engine?

I think that he checked voltage while car was in READY mode.
Another possibility is that multimeter was in AC instead of DC mode.
 
I was thinking the same.
With engine running the alternator puts out 14V (+/-). With engine off the healthy battery is around 12.6V (+/-).

Sent from my VKY-L29 using Tapatalk

Was definitely on DC mode on voltmeter. It showed 14v on both the permanent live whilst engine off along with ignition live with ignition on.
 
Was definitely on DC mode on voltmeter. It showed 14v on both the permanent live whilst engine off along with ignition live with ignition on.
Check the voltage while car is switched off completely. Voltage will be about 12.5V

I don't know what is your Lexus model, but 14V is not unusual - while car is ON / READY power is transmitted form "big" hybrid battery into 12V voltage system. 14V is normal voltage for charging...
 
Check the voltage while car is switched off completely. Voltage will be about 12.5V

I don't know what is your Lexus model, but 14V is not unusual - while car is ON / READY power is transmitted form "big" hybrid battery into 12V voltage system. 14V is normal voltage for charging...


On. It was my friends car that I did it in. I asked him to turn ignition off but maybe it was in ready mode as you stated. I'll check it again next time I see him. It is the Lexus CT200H
 
On. It was my friends car that I did it in. I asked him to turn ignition off but maybe it was in ready mode as you stated. I'll check it again next time I see him. It is the Lexus CT200H

It’s safer to turn the car completely off and work on fuses then. When a car is “running” or in this case, when the hybrid battery is powering the 12V circuit and battery, it’s normal for a multimeter to show 14V.

In this case the alternator isn’t charging the 12V system but it charges the main battery for electric drive. That big battery is then charging the small 12V battery. When the battery almost depletes, the engine will automatically turn on and the alternator will charge the big battery again.

Be sure to set the kill switch at 12,4V to ensure that the main engine is able to start, even if the big battery is depleted.
 
It’s safer to turn the car completely off and work on fuses then. When a car is “running” or in this case, when the hybrid battery is powering the 12V circuit and battery, it’s normal for a multimeter to show 14V.

In this case the alternator isn’t charging the 12V system but it charges the main battery for electric drive. That big battery is then charging the small 12V battery. When the battery almost depletes, the engine will automatically turn on and the alternator will charge the big battery again.

Be sure to set the kill switch at 12,4V to ensure that the main engine is able to start, even if the big battery is depleted.

Thanks. I currently have it set at 12.2v. Is this too low?
 
Thanks. I currently have it set at 12.2v. Is this too low?

12,2V is fine too if you drive the car at least once or twice a week for a minimum of 30-60 minutes in 1 drive, Toyota/Lexus hybrids can be notorious for discharging a full battery in a matter of a week, depending on the state of the 12V battery ofc.
 
12,2V is fine too if you drive the car at least once or twice a week for a minimum of 30-60 minutes in 1 drive, Toyota/Lexus hybrids can be notorious for discharging a full battery in a matter of a week, depending on the state of the 12V battery ofc.
Thanks. It's a driving instructor so will be driven for most the day haha
 
Thanks. It's a driving instructor so will be driven for most the day haha

Oh that’s perfect! With the 12,2V setting and a 40-50Ah battery in good condition, you could film for about a day, maybe 2. If there is a 60Ah battery installed (unlikely in most hybrids), you would be able to film up to 4 days. But since it is driven pretty much every day, it is likely that it will never even reach the 12.2V threshold! :)
 
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