When we have a dash cam it is essential to know how to connect dash cam to car battery. Currently, dashcam plays an important role in our vehicle. It helps us to protect our vehicles and driver from fraud issues. When an accident happens it helps us to find the correct reason behind the accident. The dashcam is mounted on the widescreen.
A dashcam can record both driving and parking. Externally we can power dash cam in several ways. We can power the dash cam by the cigarette lighter cable that connects to the cigarette sockets. And another way we can power the dash cam is by hardwiring it into the fuse box. After turning on the ignition key dashcam starts recording automatically. By hardwiring, we can connect the dash cam to the vehicle battery.
The function of car battery
When we want to know how to connect the dash cam to the car battery at first we should know about the car battery properly. Car battery plays an important role to power the electrical components of the car. We use the battery for power. Without a battery, we can’t start our vehicle. We should ensure that battery is in good condition.
We need a healthy car battery. Larger trucks and cars may have an amp rating of 225 or more. A healthy car battery has the ability to operate a dash cam in parking mode for one or two days. Car batteries have more longevity when stored in a charged state. Constant draining and charging the battery can damage the battery cell prematurely.
Working principle of dash cam
Dash cam needs an external power source to run smoothly. We can charge them for future recording operations. It can be done by connecting them to a power source constantly. We can see that most of the dash cams are powered by the engine. They can be turned on and off by the engine. We should not worry about dash cam’s on and off.
External power source for Dash cams
We can use hardwire kit for the external source. By using hardwire kit we can easily charge our dash cam. Hardwire kit has two wires. We use one for power and another one for ground. They are plugged in into a fuse. Fuse starts to charge dash cams when we turn on the vehicle. In this way, the battery will not be drained but the battery will stop working when we turn off the vehicle.
We can use hardwire kit in another way. We can use this type of hardwiring kit when we park the car. In this situation, we can buy hardwire kit with three wires. We can use one for constant power, one for car battery power and another for ground. In this way, the battery can be drained but currently, most of the dash cams use motion sensors. As a result at the time of detect movement, dash cams turn on.
Besides cigarette lighter cable and fuse box we can power dash cams by using a dash cam battery pack. It is another source of power. It provides continuous power for dashboard cameras. The battery pack plays an important role for cam with parking mode.
How to connect dash cam to car battery
How to connect the dash cam to the car battery, we can connect the dash cam to the car battery by hardwiring. For hardwiring, we should follow some steps. Here is the description of them.
Can I connect my dash cam to my phone
Can I connect my dash cam to my phone? when we use our dash cam we all want to know. Currently, dash cam is an important accessory for a car. During the journey or parking we can capture all the events by using dash cam.
1. We need to locate the fuse box. We should connect one fuse to the positive battery terminal and another to the negative battery terminal.
2. We should identify the accurate fuse slot for giving enough power to the dash cam. Some slots can give power when the ignition is turned on.
3. Most of the case hardwire kits have three wires. They are constant fuse, ignition-controlled fuse, and ground. We need to connect three wires to the fuse box.
4. We can use a constant fuse for supplying constant power to the dashcam. It helps to run the dash cam without the ignition is started.
5. Ignition-controlled fuse provides power to the dash cam when the ignition is started.
6. We need to attach the metal ground to a metal bolt or screw within the vehicle.
We need to follow the installation process professionally. In this way, we can complete the dash cam installation properly. For safe operation, we should do it.
Car battery testing process
We need a multimeter for testing the car battery rating. We should follow several steps for testing car batteries. Here is the description of them.
1. We should plug the black and red lead into a multimeter and need to set it to 20DCV.
2. We should use black lead to the negative side of the battery and use red lead to the positive side of the battery.
3. We should note the reading. Cars battery health is in good condition when batteries voltage reads 12.6V or 24.6V. We should check to hardwire kit operation when the battery voltage reads below 11.6Vor 23.6V.
Car battery plays an important role to increase car performance. High amperage causes bad effect on car’s engine performance. We should ensure voltage protection. We should choose lithium-ion batteries. They have more capability than a lead-acid battery.
Another way we can check the engine is by cranking the engine. For this process, we need to follow several steps.
1. We should crank the engine by turning the ignition. We should do it until the starter engages. We need to hold for 2 seconds for having an assistant crank the engine when we should check battery voltage drop.
2. We should check the reading of the power probe at the time of the crank. The voltage level should not go below 9.6 volts. When the voltage is not below 9.6 volts the battery can’t hold the charge.
Conclusion
For running a dash cam properly how to connect the dash cam to car battery is an important issue. We should do it for ensuring continuous power for dashboard cameras. Currently, the dash cam is an important accessory for the car for safety and insurance issues. As a result, we should ensure continuous power so that we can get peace of mind by running the dashcam actively properly.
Mr. Jahangir Alam is an Electrical and Electronics Engineer with extensive experience in various fields of engineering. He finds engineering articles very interesting and that is why He likes to write and research them.
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