Hard wired dash cam

[brodfather11]

Hi , Has anyone had problems hard wiring a dash cam ?, ( Nextbase 420G)

I'm not keen on using the lighter plug for a dash cam, (wires dangling etc, ) so I'm  trying to use one of those Chinese jobbies voltage dropper that supposedly supplies 5v 1.5 A.  from a 12- 30 volt system for powering a dash cam and can be neatly hidden away so no cables showing. BUT it cuts out after a minute or so ( I think, because) when the volts rise from 12v to charging rate of  14.7v the dash cam doesn't like it and shuts down.    The problem I think is the Chinese box  output voltage rising above the nominal 5 volts

It does record to the SD card  until it shuts down , but sometimes only blank files,

  Anyone used a similar box for powering a dash cam and got it working OK?
 Or knows a way of measuring the voltage output at the mini USB plug

 Suggestions welcome

[cancunia]

You can get a USB power monitor, link below but probably can get them cheaper. I have one and it seems quite accurate. You can also get 12v -> USB supplies which should do the trick.
You can take the switched or permanent live from the radio feed to keep things tidy.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/t-USB-Power-A...Swry1aFZaw.

[brodfather11]

Thanks I'll try one of those , its not exactly what I was wanting , ( a gadget to measure the voltage at a mini usb port ) but I may be able to adapt it somehow.
I'm changing the innards from a plug in  5 volt supply which works the camera to a little box which I'll hard wire into the fuse box.

Maybe the supply from  the Chinese jobby box had soured the 5volts that the camera dosent like .
In one of the Star Trek episode they had to change the power supply in the Enterprise to sicken a space creature that had fastened onto them and was feeding off the electrical radiation that Enterprise was producing....
 
 Beam me up ,  Scottie ! 

[cancunia]

Thanks I'll try one of those , its not exactly what I was wanting , ( a gadget to measure the voltage at a mini usb port ) but I may be able to adapt it somehow.
I'm changing the innards from a plug in  5 volt supply which works the camera to a little box which I'll hard wire into the fuse box.

You can get a USB cable to go from the larger USB plug on the voltage monitor device to the mini USB on your dashcam, just as if you were using a cigarette lighter charger. I'd also suggest that you get a 12v > USB supply adapter as it should regulate the voltage.
For example:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3A-DC-DC-9V-1...SwwAFa-SzJ

Or:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-DC-12V-to-...0005.m1851

[brodfather11]

Your first link would be better I think , Thanks again for that but the second link is very similar to what I am having bother with.
I think I'll try the power monitor with the usb step down module and a long usb cable (mini plug end) , that should give me a readable 5 volt with a mini usb plug.

Should be able to get something together out of those suggestions , Thanks

[Arfcollins]

I added wiring for a dash cam by teeing off the wires to the cigarette lighter. You can get to these by carefully prying the lighter out. The 2 wires, taped together, then route through the bottom of the glove box, around the windscreen and into the internal light binnacle where there is room for a dual USB socket. The type I used was listed on Amazon as a USB x2 power outlet for car/boat/marine. At this point the headlining has a convenient notch where the 2 USB cables appear, one is used for the dash-cam and the other for a visor-mounted Bluetooth unit. These both power up with the ignition of course, as that’s how the lighter is powered. Any spare cable is coiled up in the light binnacle. I thought that leaving it all loose in there may be a source of (yet another!) Berlingo rattle, but no problems there. I’ve also checked for overheating as there’s no ventilation there, but the USB unit is fine. The taped wires are the right size to sit securely in the channel between the windscreen and the pillar trim once poked in, so there was no need to pry off the trim there.

I could dig out some photos if this is of interest.

[Trevor]

I added wiring for a dash cam by teeing off the wires to the cigarette lighter. You can get to these by carefully prying the lighter out. The 2 wires, taped together, then route through the bottom of the glove box, around the windscreen and into the internal light binnacle where there is room for a dual USB socket. The type I used was listed on Amazon as a USB x2 power outlet for car/boat/marine. At this point the headlining has a convenient notch where the 2 USB cables appear, one is used for the dash-cam and the other for a visor-mounted Bluetooth unit. These both power up with the ignition of course, as that’s how the lighter is powered. Any spare cable is coiled up in the light binnacle. I thought that leaving it all loose in there may be a source of (yet another!) Berlingo rattle, but no problems there. I’ve also checked for overheating as there’s no ventilation there, but the USB unit is fine. The taped wires are the right size to sit securely in the channel between the windscreen and the pillar trim once poked in, so there was no need to pry off the trim there.

I could dig out some photos if this is of interest.

It would be useful if you could post some photos, it would help others.