thomasplc Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 I want to power my dashcam off a cigar type fitting within the habitation area (I understand that Fiat Ducato's cab power shuts down after a time) Does anyone know of a reason why this can't be done? Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamRienza Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 You may find it easier to install a hardwire kit. I have both my dashcam and satnav running off such kits. I recently installed this on my satnav, https://tinyurl.com/y4fr4hht It replaced an older kit which I accidentally damaged. Simple 15 minute job to connect and run the cable to wher I wanted it. The cable had a 5 metre length, so plenty of scope for placement. As long as your dashcam runs off 5 volts this kit comes with 4 piggyback fuse carriers of differing sizes and a choice of mini or micro usb connectors to the camera. Usually there is at least one permanently live feed on the fuse board and a bolt to earth to. The fuse box is often at about knee height on your dash on the right hand side. It is a remarkably simple job to diy. Davy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HymerVan Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 It may well be worth paying a competent auto electrician to wire the dashcam for you. That way you will have the wiring neat and tidy a switched dashcam allowing you to put it on "permanently" in say a car park (depending on the functionality of the actual dashcam) and a free 12v outlet for other things with no trailing wires. I think your van is a Ducato. If it is the cabling will come from the fusebox near the steering wheel ? With a valuable van I personally would not risk spoiling my van for a relatively small cost. I supplied the wiring kit and switch (to match my Van Bitz alarm switches) and labour cost £75 including VAT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 thomasplc - 2019-03-09 8:49 PM I want to power my dashcam off a cigar type fitting within the habitation area (I understand that Fiat Ducato's cab power shuts down after a time) Does anyone know of a reason why this can't be done? Many thanks A 2015 Fiat Ducato’s dashboard mounted cigar-lighter socket and power socket are both ignition controlled, so neither socket will be ‘live' unless the vehicle’s ignition-key is in the MAR-ON position. (If the Ducato has a factory-fitted U-Connect radio-unit, this has a timed ‘auto-shut-off’ feature - but that’s another matter.) These 2016 threads discussed wiring a dash-cam https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Wiring-dash-cam/41988/ https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Dash-cam-hard-wiring/41838/ If you don’t want the dash-cam’s operation to be ignition-key controlled, you could follow Davy’s suggestion and connect the dash-cam directly to a permanently live fuse-way on the Ducato’s fuse-board. Alternatively, it should be straightforward to connect a (suitably fused) 12V-socket extension lead (example here) https://tinyurl.com/y3ymckk3 to the Ducato’s starter-battery. (You COULD connect a dash-cam to a cigar-lighter type fitting within the motorhome’s habitation-area, but it would be an unusual approach to take unless (say) you wanted the dash-cam to look out of a habitation-area window.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasplc Posted March 10, 2019 Author Share Posted March 10, 2019 Thanks all for input. I am aware that the Fiat electrics are timed The dashcam I have will have to be mounted on the dashboard because of the Reimiss blinds on the screen prevent otherwise. There is a cigar type outlet to the rear of the nearside "B" pillar which the dashcam cable will reach to and is permanently live (off the habitation electrics). I have no intention of doing the work myself (I agree with the comment that to outlay this amount of money on the van I want the work done correctly / neatly) but was looking for advise as to the doability of my proposal before approaching a workshop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Phil, I've got to ask why you want your dash cam to be permanently on? Surely all this will do is flatten your battery when left for any length of time and 'wear out' the memory card faster (they have a limited number of write cycles). My dash cam (and Sat Nav) is powered through a D+ controlled relay so it is only on when the engine is running. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasplc Posted March 10, 2019 Author Share Posted March 10, 2019 My understanding is that if wired through Fiat system when shut down occurs then cam battery will eventually flatten needing the reset of date /time functions if this is not so then hard wire through cab would be easier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive_Adams Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Think the hardwire kits, are also there to protect you from flattening the cab battery, well worth the peace of mind if you need to use yours all or most of the time. you can actually get the cables now that plug directly into the obd port, these are available from Halfords and these afford you stand by, parking and battery discharge protection,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 thomasplc - 2019-03-10 10:42 AM My understanding is that if wired through Fiat system when shut down occurs then cam battery will eventually flatten needing the reset of date /time functions if this is not so then hard wire through cab would be easier? Phil, Decent Dash Cams will update Date and Time from the GPS signal they receive so no need for user intervention. I think you are more at risk of flattening whichever battery powers your always live socket and cutting short the life of the memory card then worrying about the battery in the dash cam going flat. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 thomasplc - 2019-03-10 9:29 AM Thanks all for input. I am aware that the Fiat electrics are timed... As far as I’m aware, other than a U-Connect radio-unit, the only element of a 2015 Fiat Ducato that might realistcally be considered ‘timed’ is the “Follow Me Home” feature that will have no relevance to your dash-cam-related requirement. It might help to know the make and model of your dash-cam. If it is fitted with a power-supply plug that reduces a 12V power supply to a lower voltage, then ‘hard wiring’ the dash-cam is essentially out. If the dash-cam is designed to operate from a ‘full’ 12V supply, then ‘hard-wiring’ is an option and was discussed in the links in my posting of 10 March 2019 8:58 AM above. Even if your dash-cam has a specialised voltage-reducing plug, rather than power the device from a 12V socket in the habitation area, you might consider having the wiring to the dashboard-mounted cigar-lighter socket and power socket altered so that the sockets are permanently ‘live’ rather than only ‘live’ when the ignition-key is in the MAR-ON position. It’s suggested here https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/fiat-ducato-12v-sockets.57181/ that a relay ‘by-passing’ ploy can be used to do this, but I’d just disconnect the existing wiring from the sockets and replace it with a fused 12V feed directly from the starter-battery. As Keith warns, there are pros and cons for having the dashboard sockets permanently ‘live’ and powering devices continuously from the sockets, but it should be simpler (and neater) to alter the sockets’ wiring than run a cable tidily from a habitation area socket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 thomasplc - 2019-03-10 10:42 AM My understanding is that if wired through Fiat system when shut down occurs then cam battery will eventually flatten needing the reset of date /time functions if this is not so then hard wire through cab would be easier? The quickest way to shorten the life of a Dashcam battery is to have the screen 'live' all the time you are driving. Set the screen to go into standby mode after a minute or so. These batteries are readily available and easy enough to change if you have a soldering iron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chudders Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 I hard wired a NextBase dashcam and burnt it out. I connected to the 12 volt supply and then realised the cigarette lighter plug as supplied dropped the voltage to about 5 volts I seem to recall. Expensive mistake. Be warned check the voltage first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chudders Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Ref above just checked and yes the NextBase does drop the voltage to 5 volts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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