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A while back I tapped into a switched 12v source in the dome light for my radar detector. IIRC, at that time, I checked every wire in the dome light with a multi meter to see if any would actually go dead once the car was immediately turned off. Unfortunately, none did. However, there was at least one (maybe more), that went dead after approximately 1 hour. Since my radar detector is not plugged in 24/7, I used that hot wire for power and all is well. There have been a few times where I forget to unplug the radar detector but since it will only get power for 1 hour and draws very little current, I dont have any problems with the battery.
Now I want to install a blackvue dash cam in the same manner. I guess Im being lazy and don't want to run the wire to the trunk for a true switched 12v source that dies as soon as the car is off. I wired the camera using the same source as the radar detector. I left the multimeter on the battery to see how many volts were used in the 1 hour before the camera actually turns off. The camera used 0.1 volts over 1 hour.
So I guess my question is, how taxing is this on the cars battery over time? Last month I installed a new main and aux battery.
Im thinking there are quite a few scenarios that come into play in regards to charging the battery. Does the alternator start to recharge the battery every time the car is running or will it only start recharging after 20 minutes or so? If the latter is true, I could see how multiple short trips throughout the day would would use more voltage for the camera without a recharge.
Measuring the battery's voltage drop over an hour doesn't assess the dashcam's power consumption. Use your multimeter's ammeter setting and connect it in series with the dashcam's +12 volt wire. If it measures 100 mA, for example, this means the camera will consume 2.4 amp-hours over a day (24 hours x 0.1 amperes). If your battery is rated at 100 amp-hours, a 2.4 amp-hour load will consume half the battery's capacity in 50/2.4 = 21 days. The car itself could be consuming current, so this factors in also to the length of time the car can be left parked before the battery depletes to a point where it can't be started.
Blackvue sells their own plug and play backup battery kit (B-130X) for extended camera(s) run time. Runs about $300. Personally, I think their equipment is over priced. I went with the Viofo. They use a low cost adjustable low voltage protector as an accessory for under $20.
I run the Blackvue LTE as well with the Battery B-130X Pack and have it wired to a switched 12v source in the trunk.
It keeps the main battery from draining and extends the dashcam running for up to 18hrs with the battery pack. Pretty useful if you ever have to leave your car parked somewhere and keep an eye on it.
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
I have a Vantrue dash cam wired to start recording if the car gets bumped, etc. They have a wiring kit for $20 that should work with any cam using a USB-C connector for power.
Measuring the battery's voltage drop over an hour doesn't assess the dashcam's power consumption. Use your multimeter's ammeter setting and connect it in series with the dashcam's +12 volt wire. If it measures 100 mA, for example, this means the camera will consume 2.4 amp-hours over a day (24 hours x 0.1 amperes). If your battery is rated at 100 amp-hours, a 2.4 amp-hour load will consume half the battery's capacity in 50/2.4 = 21 days. The car itself could be consuming current, so this factors in also to the length of time the car can be left parked before the battery depletes to a point where it can't be started.
Thanks for explaining that. I found these specs from blackvue for my model. DR900X-1CH (Single Channel):
Normal Mode (Wi-Fi On/GPS On): ~350mA/hour
Normal Mode (Wi-Fi Off/GPS On): ~310mA/hour
Parking Mode (Wi-Fi On/GPS Off): ~265mA/hour
Parking Mode (Wi-Fi Off/GPS Off): ~225mA/hour
It seems like leaving the camera on for 1 hour before it cuts the power will not cause a significant draw of the battery.
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