Rear Power Supply

[jthspace]

I am considering adding a 12v supply to the rear of the car to ONLY power the rear view dash cam. This will be a very low current item.

I was thinking of connecting it to the battery in the rear of the car via a voltage limiting device such as this



So, the wiring would be (Battery) to (Protector) to (12V to 5V adapter) to (Camera). No plugs and sockets, all connections soldered / heat shrunk and terninated in a micro USB camera specific plug supplying 12V 500ma (fused at 500ma).

The voltage monitor protects the vehicle battery from excessive discharging. If the battery voltage drops below 11.6 V under load, the voltage monitor interrupts the voltage supply to the camera. Once the battery voltages exceeds 12.8 V, the consumer unit is again supplied with voltage.

Once triggered, the battery, now not under load, will recover up to about 12.7 V or thereabouts after a few minutes. This stops the unit retriggering to an "on" state and the camera will remain unpowered until next time the car is running and the battery charges and goes over 12.8 V. 12.7 V would be sufficient to power the car boot sequence. It also means the battery life will not be affected by any deep discharge which can bugger a battery up in very short time.

When the Waeco unit shuts down at 11.6v under load, the battery will recover itself back to 12.65v after a few minutes once the load is taken off.

This is down to the battery voltage drop being caused by the Load, so when the Load does not get its power the voltage returns to a higher state, but not high enough for the Waeco to reinstate power. This lower voltage is not enough for the Waeco unit to turn back on again, so once the car has been started, the battery voltage will soon get past 12.8v and the the Waeco will re-introduce the power to the camera.

The unit would be wired to the battery via a 500 ma fuse so as to ensure it is not used for anything other than the intended camera power. Other than the micro USB lead for the camera, no other outlet would be made. The cig lighter connectors shown in the photo would be cut off so as to prevent anything else being powered. I would stress, again, that this is to power the camera ONLY and is not intended to be there for anything else.

Comments from any "sparks" out there welcome,

Jeff

 

[gwatpe]

Do you really want the camera to be recording 24/7 :?: I have a dash cam and only record when the car is powered ON.

 

[jthspace]

Do you really want the camera to be recording 24/7 :?: I have a dash cam and only record when the car is powered ON.

Thanks for the reply; I would like "fit-and-forget". With the front camera mod I posted, what happens is that the power will be removed after 5 minutes (internal light auto power down) and then the battery in the camera will run out after an hour or so. When power is restored, the camera will start charging and power up. On power up, it auto starts recording. Alternatively, if I remember, I can hit power on / power off on the camera each time. Fine for me.

My wife, on the otherhand, doesn't like more than one remote for the TV/Satellite, thinks Chromecast and Amazon Fire are "gadgets", mobiles should be Nokia and "just to make calls on" - so going through a pre-flight check before driving off is not viable :lol:

For the rear camera, as there is no readily available power outlet (shame on you Mitsubishi) options were as I described or running a cable from the front to the rear. That is possible, but I really didn't want to run a cable in the edge of the headlining as it "may" interfere with airbag deployment. Probably wouldn't, but . . . . More thought required.

Jeff

 

[gwatpe]

The battery in these incident type cameras are best kept charged. My dash cam eventually goes flat on longer trips with the screen ON. Loses the plot when this happens. Some units do power OFF when the power is turned OFF. I now keep the screen ON for only 1 min on power ON, to check the unit is working. Battery has recovered and hopefully will not give trouble until it needs to be replaced.

Do you plan on leaving the light powered ON at the switch and use the automatic power down function with the car powered OFF ?? Driving at night with the trunk light ON will be a distraction.

 

[jthspace]

Do you plan on leaving the light powered ON at the switch and use the automatic power down function with the car powered OFF ?? Driving at night with the trunk light ON will be a distraction.

I would take the bulb out, like the front one - but then I lose the light in the boot/trunk. ‹‹ sigh ››

WHY, Mitsubishi, WHY did you save $2 by not fitting a 12 V socket in the back of the car.

I could, of course, disassemble the box between the front seats and extend the power socket there into the rear, but I was trying to avoid that. I am also building a tiny vehicle tracker that will be fitted into the centre box (maybe, depending on signal strength) and it will plug into that socket. It measures about 3cm by 2cm by 1cm including the SIM card and memory card. It is addressable by TXT message from another phone and responds with Google Maps co-ordinates. Stick a PAYG SIM card in there with £10 credit and it's done. That is Project 3 at the moment. I should see change from £30 including the unit and £10 SIM

I have bought this, but will put it in a small project box and securely fix it to save it being half-inched or taken out if the car is stolen.





There were others, already in a small box but this one has the following addressible TXT functions which I could not find on other units.



Jeff

 

[jthspace]

Spoke with an Auto Electrician today (who was fitting reversing sensors to the car).

He recommended something like this



He said it was O.K. to wire to the battery in the boot/trunk via a Battery Saver (as already discussed earlier). He said it was a better solution than a 12V socket as someone else may plug something power hungry in and not knowing the effect it may have on the battery. Using a USB type socket restricts what can be plugged in. GBP 7 / USD 12 / AUS 15 approx.

Sorted! Awaiting delivery. I will do an install when it arrives and post.

Jeff

 

[paa451843]

Easy done!

 

[Oscarman]

[ I am also building a tiny vehicle tracker that will be fitted into the centre box (maybe, depending on signal strength) and it will plug into that socket. It measures about 3cm by 2cm by 1cm including the SIM card and memory card. It is addressable by TXT message from another phone and responds with Google Maps co-ordinates. Stick a PAYG SIM card in there with £10 credit and it's done. That is Project 3 at the moment. I should see change from £30 including the unit and £10 SIM

I have bought this, but will put it in a small project box and securely fix it to save it being half-inched or taken out if the car is stolen.



There were others, already in a small box but this one has the following addressible TXT functions which I could not find on other units.



Jeff

The tracker unit sounds interesting. Are you able to give supplier contact details?

 

[jthspace]

The tracker unit sounds interesting. Are you able to give supplier contact details?

eBay - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301749395283

 

[jthspace]

Easy done!

Nice pic, thanks. I will be fitting this to the panel via the Waeco voltage monitor. As I said, this enables automatic cut-off at low battery voltage and cut-in at normal voltage. Status indicated by LEDs.

Cut-off voltage: 11.6 volts DC / Cut-in voltage: 12.8 volts DC / Current: 5 amps max.

The modual I am fitting has a power socket and USB sockets as well as a voltmeter. I will be wiring the voltmeter via a toggle so that the display is only on when selected. It is on/off/on so switched one way will give a voltage read-out, switch in the centre and everything off and switch the other way and the sockets are live.

I will post pictures as I do the install, but at the moment I am measuring the wire lengths and fitting spade terminals. My 'leccy friend also insists I solder the wires as well as crimp, so digging out the flux and solder - ah! I still have lead solder, hard to get now

More soon . . . .

 

[jthspace]

OK, the fitting by paa451843 is a much neater solution, so I have taken a deep breath, took a step back and decided to follow the example.

Here is the cup holder modified. I took the sockets out of the holder. I also fitted a toggle switch because the USB sockets have a 12v to 5v step down transformer, so will be drawing power even if unused. I also fitted the battery voltage protector, I took it out of its case and mounted it as shown.

Rear of modified cup holder. I have used spade terminals onto the connectors, crimped and soldered. I have also wrapped the wires to keep them neat. You can see the battery voltage monitor mounted by very sticky 3M pads.

Close up of the USB connector

Here you can see the toggle in the centre of the cupholder

It was getting dark, so tomorrow I will wire the red positive wire to the battery and the black wire to ground. There will be a 10 amp fuse in-line as well, not shown in the above.

Jeff

 

[Neverfuel]

OK, the fitting by paa451843 is a much neater solution, so I have taken a deep breath, took a step back and decided to follow the example.

Here is the cup holder modified. I took the sockets out of the holder. I also fitted a toggle switch because the USB sockets have a 12v to 5v step down transformer, so will be drawing power even if unused. I also fitted the battery voltage protector, I took it out of its case and mounted it as shown.

Rear of modified cup holder. I have used spade terminals onto the connectors, crimped and soldered. I have also wrapped the wires to keep them neat. You can see the battery voltage monitor mounted by very sticky 3M pads.

Close up of the USB connector

Here you can see the toggle in the centre of the cupholder

It was getting dark, so tomorrow I will wire the red positive wire to the battery and the black wire to ground. There will be a 10 amp fuse in-line as well, not shown in the above.

Jeff

Hi Jeff

Not such a good idea to leave so much coiled cable, me thinks. Heat build up and all that!

 

[jthspace]

Hi Jeff

Not such a good idea to leave so much coiled cable, me thinks. Heat build up and all that!

Thanks for the heads-up. It's only coiled to keep me tripping over it - it will be laid out straight once I have all the carpets up and the covers off in the rear. The wire has to be long enough to reach from the rear right to the battery on the left and I was unsure the routing it will take. so was generous in the tail. I also have to splice in a fuse along the way. I will hopefully post more photos of the final wiring - but it is raining hard today, so it may have to wait.

Jeff

 

[jthspace]

Here is a picture of the floor of the car after the rear tray is removed. 5 screws and it lifts out. I ran the wire alongside the other wiring and clipped or taped to the bundles to keep the run away from anything it shouldn't be near. Unfortunately, I had refitted the tray before I remembered to take a photo of the finished job, but one wire look a lot like another, so you will have to use your imagination.
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The Ground wire is connected to the bulkhead behind the flap for the jack handle.
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This is the connection to the battery. The wire was soldered and flattened before being clamped below the nut. The nut has a collar so holds the wire very securely. I took note of the warnings on the battery label, of course.
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Here is a picture of the 10 amp fuse. I have looped it to be near the Neg (-) post of the battery so that it is easily accessible in the event it needs changing or if I need to kill power to the sockets.
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Finally, the sockets powered up. The USB connectors have the usual (very annoying) blue LED when it is powered up. Luckily, the rubber flap covers it when it is closed. The toggle kills power to both sockets.
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So the modification is complete.

Jeff

 

[ian4x4]

Jeff

Exceedingly neat, desirable, and professional looking.

I was just wondering if there is a spare fusebox position which could be used to save joining directly to battery?

 

[jthspace]

Well, there are lots and lots of plugs and sockets under the floor box - but you would need a braver man than me to cut into the spaggetti of wires. As the main fuse block is under the bonnet, it was far simpler to add a fuse in-line, and I had one "in-stock" in my bitsa box.

IF I did this modification again, I would make a few changes, but the wiring direct to the battery would still be the same.

I would have two power sockets, rather than a single power socket and a USB socket. I would use a plug-in USB charger so that it could simply be pulled, rather than having a switch to isolate the USB socket. I would probably mount a panel mount fuse into the fitting, rather than having an in-line one. I would still include a battery voltage monitor though.

Kind regards

Jeff

 

[Regulo]

If connecting directly to the battery terminal, I'd strongly advise the fuse be put as close as possible to the connection, whilst retaining quick accessibility. That way all the wiring is protected. "Teaching granny to suck eggs", no doubt, but just to bring it to the attention of others less leccy savvy, who may be reading this thread.

 

[jthspace]

Good point, and you can see the fuse just by the Neg (-) terminal of the battery, which is within 8 inches of the POS (+) terminal. Situated just by the NEG terminal as the cover over it is easy to lift and access to the fuse.

Also - anyone doing this - make sure you use the correct wire. Do not be tempted to use house wire, for example.

Buy the proper stuff and make sure it is rated accordingly. There is a 10 amp fuse fitted. My sockets will not be drawing more than 5 amps even if both used together, but then someone (?) may plug something drawing more current, so the 10 amp fuse will protect the circuit.

If anyone is unsure about wiring (12v on the car or in the house) - ASK!

Jeff

 

[Oscarman]

I am also building a tiny vehicle tracker that will be fitted into the centre box (maybe, depending on signal strength) and it will plug into that socket. It measures about 3cm by 2cm by 1cm including the SIM card and memory card. It is addressable by TXT message from another phone and responds with Google Maps co-ordinates. Stick a PAYG SIM card in there with £10 credit and it's done. That is Project 3 at the moment. I should see change from £30 including the unit and £10 SIM



Jeff

Jeff I got a tracker from your Chinese source, delivered today. Interestingly TXT instructions identical except mine are alpha characters rather than numeric.

Can you confirm how memory card and Sim are inserted? From exploded diags looks as if you unscrew the dome from the charger end. However I cant seem to get this to unscrew. Dont want to apply too much force if this isnt intended. Have you tested your tracker?
Thanks in anticipation

John

 

[jthspace]

Hi John. Currently on a biz trip but my wife said a package had arrived, so will look when I get back on Saturday and advise. If you find out before me, please post!

Jeff