Dashcam power drainage amounts

**Bilbo_baggin** · 5th April 2016

Just trying a cheap dashcam and I have charged the battery up full.

The power supply via the 12v outlet in the centre column of the Focus Ghia is where I have plugged it in, rather than the one on the dashboard.

Question is - when the engine is off, the little light on the plug remains illuminated suggesting it is live even when the engine is off, so if I leave it plugged in continuously (over night included) will this:

a) Always keep charging the Dashcam's battery thereby keeping it at near maximum charge?

b) Will this charging significantly drain power from the car battery (which is incidentally, brand new a fortnight ago when I bought the car (I changed it not knowing how old the original was was) or is it going to be OK to leave it in, as the draw from it would be tiny and not flatten the car battery at all?

c) Is the advice going to be for me to unplug the Dashcam power lead when it is not in use, or is it fine to simply leave it plugged in?
Thanks for looking and any advice.

Bilbo.

**evilsatan** · 5th April 2016

Mine is connected to a Power Magic Pro which will keep it powered on for x hours after the power goes off (as it is connected to a fuse) unless my battery drops below 11.8v in which case it also turns off. In your case it will depend on the draw, can you post the power ratings on the PSU or the cam itself?

**Bilbo_baggin** · 5th April 2016

Originally Posted by evilsatan

Mine is connected to a Power Magic Pro which will keep it powered on for x hours after the power goes off (as it is connected to a fuse) unless my battery drops below 11.8v in which case it also turns off. In your case it will depend on the draw, can you post the power ratings on the PSU or the cam itself?

Wouldn't have a clue how to find out the power rating buddy.

I copied this from fleabay info page, does that help?

****************

Item specifics

Condition:	New: A brand-new, unused, unopened and undamaged item in original retail packaging (where packaging is ... Read more	Brand:	Unbranded / Generic
Main Color:	Black	Features:	270 Degree Display Rotation, G-sensor, Night Vision
Manufacturer warranty:	3 Months	MPN:	Does Not Apply
Memory Card:	TF Card up to 32Gb Support ( Not Included )	Battery:	BL-4C 890mAh 3.7V battery or 12V/24V Car Charger
Power Supply:	DC 5V	Connectivity:	USB
Type:	Standard/Compact	Dimensions:	100 x 62 x 23mm
Video Format:	AVI	Display:	2.4 inches TFT Colorful LCD
Video Resolution:	WXGA: 1080 x 960 PX WVGA: 720 x 480 PX VGA: 640 x 480 PX	Image Format:	JPG
Viewing Angle:	90 degrees	Interface:	USB 2.0 *****************

**evilsatan** · 5th April 2016

I am not sure how to work out the draw from those figures, on the cam itself there may be a sticker with an input power rating in volts and milliamps, if you times those together you have your Watts.

**big3card** · 5th April 2016

If you want it to record while your out the car then id suppose it would need the permanent power supply to stop it draining the internal battery on the camera, but if this isn't the case remember an illuminated led in the night is a eye opener for the thieving little bastards ... just a thought big3.

**Bilbo_baggin** · 5th April 2016

Originally Posted by big3card

If you want it to record while your out the car then id suppose it would need the permanent power supply to stop it draining the internal battery on the camera, but if this isn't the case remember an illuminated led in the night is a eye opener for the thieving little bastards ... just a thought big3.

I already have 2 flashing red lights in the motor, one is the alarm indicator, the other under where I remove the radio immobiliser panel...

Bilbo.

**Bilbo_baggin** · 5th April 2016

Originally Posted by evilsatan

I am not sure how to work out the draw from those figures, on the cam itself there may be a sticker with an input power rating in volts and milliamps, if you times those together you have your Watts.

No sticker...

Bilbo.

**reverend** · 5th April 2016

If you drive the car a lot for long distances you may be lucky and get away with c, especially now things are warming up again, but you're definitely safest going with a hardwire setup like the PMP or Lukas LK-290 which will automatically cut power to the dashcam when the car is stood.

The other thing to bear in mind is that if it is always running a lot of dashcams have really poor motion detection modes so even with it on you'd miss half the stuff that actually happens and for the ones with better parking modes you're looking at a lot more money.

A lot of dashcams use around 350-400mAh when supplied with 5v with the screen turned off and recording.

For now you're best off puling the cigarette lighter out when you're not in the car.

**reverend** · 5th April 2016

In fact guessing from those specs is a 15 quid job from a local garage that looks like this?

$_57.JPG

**Bilbo_baggin** · 5th April 2016

Originally Posted by reverend

In fact guessing from those specs is a 15 quid job from a local garage that looks like this?

$_57.JPG

Very similar. Unbranded, cost �9 though...

Bilbo.

**hoponbaby** · 6th April 2016

I've got an 0803 running via a Lukas to protect the battery but have still ended up with a flat (well, too flat to start) a couple of times, presumably down to other residual drain for alarm etc. It's only where the cars hardly been used though and then left standing for a few days.

As long as the car is used regularly and for a decent distance each time you should be fine.