Wiring Dashcam into car

[Farmerpug]

I have a mini 0801 which i have owned for a few weeks but i tried to hard wire it into my car, i took apart the 12v socket that came with it and soldered on wires to the end of it, taped it up and it exploded.
I wired it the wrong way round and blew up a capacitor.

I need to replace the original 12v socket/transformer its specs are:
Input DC: 8-48v, Output: DC 5v-2A

I see plenty of transformers and similar devices on ebay that can step 12v down to 5v but how important is the current rating, a lot of them are 3A, would it cause damage to the unit?
Alternatively could i wire a USB plug onto the end of it and power it through one of them cigar socket usb plug devices?

 

[irononreverse]

You should be fine with a plain USB cable. I've moved my 0801 to the rear and have a g1w up front. Got a two port USB thingy and just waiting for my 5m USB cables now.

 

[jokiin]

3A adapter would be fine

 

[Quick]

3A adapter would be fine

^^^ This. I think the garden hose analogy is Voltage is pressure. Current (Amps) is how much you draw. So the voltage has to match. The Amps are the capability of the power supply to supply current. Your device will be labeled/rated for the max or average amount of current it *draws*. A long as the power supply can deliver that amount of current or more it's good. Just a guess that camera draws way less than 1 Amp so anything larger than that is fine.

 

[jokiin]

the camera comes with a 2A adapter, camera pulls about a quarter of that at best I think, I'm not sure anyone checks these ratings though so the 3A might be optimistic, better to have one rated a bit higher, if under rated then they start causing grief

 

[Farmerpug]

Thanks for your advice

I have routed the wire through the car, down the a pillar, down the dash, and under the carpet to beneath the centre console where i plan to wire it into the back of the cigar socket, thus i still have the socket if i need to use it. I don't want to have to take apart the sill trims etc to route new wire in and was thinking of wiring this device in:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350893756022
I think that this would be neater than trying to dissect a usb plug or socket.

While i had the car apart at this time i also ran a wire to the back window just beside the 3rd brake light, i have purchased one of the 720p A8 dash cams for the back, the listing states it only needs 12v, i assume that it has a step down transformer built into the casing.

 

[irononreverse]

I've measured my 0801 and g1w and the most they seem to pull is around 600ma.

I've gone for this. Planning on tapping it to a fuse and I don't need to strip my wires down so I can swap other things in.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=121254091441

 

[Farmerpug]

The transformer arrived yesterday, my dad had purchased a "quiet generator" a few weeks back and i wanted to give it a go so i used it to power the soldering iron while i soldered the transformer in, it worked, much handier than trailing the extension lead down to the car.
I wired extra 12v sockets into my car when i first got it, i had a reason back then why i needed them (i think to charge the phone while the sat nav was using the main socket) but its been a long time since they have been used so i wired into one of them:

The excess wire and the transformer have been cable tied up into place out of the way of the moving seat or passengers feet.

The camera works perfectly on this setup, the extra amp did no harm.

 

[AllThumbs]

You need a 12v to 5v adapter. Look around the house for an old cell phone car adapter. Inside the section that plugs into the 12v receptacle, is exactly what you need. Unscrew the front probe, this holds the metal contact and a fuse. Use a small flat blade to separate the plastic shell. You will see one wire that is attached to the metal flat spring and the other wire that is attached the round spiral spring. The ends go to a small circuit board cramed with small electronics. Now you should see a red and a white wire that goes/will go to your dashcam. Insulate it with a piece of heatsink.

This is more efficient than a LM7805 which will create a lot heat. A big heatsink would be needed.