Hardwiring a dashcam - not enough power?

Working_in_pyjamas

EDIT: I'VE GIVEN UP AND REMOVED IT!

I've bought a new (to me) car and the location of the cigarette lighter socket means it's better for my old dash cam to be hard wired.

Handily there was a Youtube video of my exact model of car and on the face of it it's a very simple install - £10 kit from Amazon, remove an accessory switched fuse, put that fuse into the empty piggyback fuse spur, plug spur into slot that's just vacated, plug spur in to the device and earth the black wire behind a bolt. In theory a 5 minute job but it's taken me hours due to struggling to loosen/tighten the earth bolt as it's so hard to get to.

I used the exact same fuse as the Youtube video (in the car handbook it says Reversing lamp - Fuel injection system - Audio system -VSC system) which was an orange 5A one.

The dashcam turns on when the ignition starts but it doesn't start recording. the power light almost seems like it's struggling to stay on and the screen goes blank, when plugged into the cigarette lighter it works as it should - turns on with the ignition, starts recording and the screen stays on for 3 minutes but it continues recording, as denoted by the flashing lights. I've plugged the dashcam into a regular USB socket inside and it works exactly as it should so it's almost as if the hardwire kit isn't giving it enough power to function fully?

The hardwire kit says:

Input voltage: DC 12v-24v

Output voltage: DC 5V

Output current: 2A

The dashcam is a Mio MiVue 518. It says input 5v followed by a solid line at the top with three dashes underneath then 1A

Initially I had the ground wire attached to the top bolt in the photo but that didn't work at all (no power whatsoever when camera plugged in) perhaps due to the plastic cover, so changed it to the screw in the photo but when this didn't work as it should I used the same earth bolt as in the Youtube video which is hidden up near the fuse box - the issue described above is the same with both the screw earth point and the bolt earth point near the fuse box..

Any suggestions? I don't have a multi meter, I was going to get one from Amazon but they just look so confusing! I don't mind buying a new dash cam if needed but it seems strange that my old one works fine from the cigarrete lighter and indoor USB but not from the kit.

Photos of the fusebox if helpful, I've tried the spur facing forwards and backwards.The purple 3A fuse came with the kit and the orange 5A is the one I removed from the fusebox.

I originally attached to top bolt in pic below- no power at all due to plastic?

Moved to screw where the existing wire is (no photo of it in situ) and it powers on but as described above doesn't record.

Edited to add: this is the earth bolt I'm now using, the flat metal thing underneath with the grey wires was already there so I slipped my u-shaped metal ring on top of that. It's the black wire and you can just make out the gold of the U-shaped ring poking out slightly.

The kit from Amazon was this one, gets decent enough reviews and nobody complaining of a similar issue.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07V6XHZZ8/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_N1K18KCDWG63CZYS3K5V?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Would be gratetful for any input

forgotmyname

Coated screw with a terminal on painted or coated metal?

Cheapest multimeter will do the job and perfectly safe for 12v vehicle work. Just dont touch mains

wiring with them.  Cheap yellow or red ones for under £5 will be accurate enough.

What was the original fuse for?  Is it a circuit that is only live when something else is switched on?

ie. You turn the light switch on and power goes out the switch through that fuse to the lights. So no power

until the switch is on.

Working_in_pyjamas

forgotmyname said:

Coated screw with a terminal on painted or coated metal?

Cheapest multimeter will do the job and perfectly safe for 12v vehicle work. Just dont touch mains

wiring with them.  Cheap yellow or red ones for under £5 will be accurate enough.

What was the original fuse for?  Is it a circuit that is only live when something else is switched on?

ie. You turn the light switch on and power goes out the switch through that fuse to the lights. So no power

until the switch is on.

The bolt I have it attached to isn't painted, there was something already using that bolt (grey wires in pic added to this thread) so I slipped my u-shaped metal ring on top of it directly under the bolt. Could this be the issue?

The original fuse was for 'Reversing lamp - Fuel injection system - Audio system -VSC system' - it's only live when the engine is switched on.

I could buy a multi meter but waouldn't have a clue how to interpret it!

EssexExile

Post in the Motoring section.

Working_in_pyjamas

EssexExile said:

Post in the Motoring section.

Thanks, I can't see a way to move this post and know that it's not good etiquette to have 2 posts about the same thing. Do you know how I can request that it be moved?

[Deleted User]

Is that 3 amp fuse inserted correctly, looks askew compared to the 5 amp?

Working_in_pyjamas

It came already inserted and like you I thought it looked wonky so pulled it out and placed it back in, it seems the metal terminals it slots into arent't exactly straight

[Deleted User]

Working_in_pyjamas said:

It came already inserted and like you I thought it looked wonky so pulled it out and placed it back in, it seems the metal terminals it slots into arent't exactly straight

Ok, but doesn't sound like a good quality device from that, I'd be tempted to return it as faulty and getting a proper Mio / Viofo / Nextbase hard wire kit which is likely to be better quality although more expensive.

Which brings me on to the choice of fuse, I wouldn't recommend piggy backing on to a critical circuit that provides power to your fuel injection system and stability control. I piggy back my fuse on to the cigarette lighter circuit but you can use anything non-critical like heated mirrors, heated seats, rear wiper etc, whatever is available will depend on the car itself and whether you only want power when the ignition is on or permanent. In my case the cigarette circuit comes live as soon as the doors are unlocked and stays on for 30 mins after doors locked which is ideal for my dashcam.

EssexExile

Working_in_pyjamas said:

EssexExile said:

Post in the Motoring section.

Thanks, I can't see a way to move this post and know that it's not good etiquette to have 2 posts about the same thing. Do you know how I can request that it be moved?

I'd just repost it there, someone will moan but it doesn't matter and you may get more responses.

missile

It seems you have a bad connection 

Working_in_pyjamas

Deleted_User said:

Working_in_pyjamas said:

It came already inserted and like you I thought it looked wonky so pulled it out and placed it back in, it seems the metal terminals it slots into arent't exactly straight

Ok, but doesn't sound like a good quality device from that, I'd be tempted to return it as faulty and getting a proper Mio / Viofo / Nextbase hard wire kit which is likely to be better quality although more expensive.

Which brings me on to the choice of fuse, I wouldn't recommend piggy backing on to a critical circuit that provides power to your fuel injection system and stability control. I piggy back my fuse on to the cigarette lighter circuit but you can use anything non-critical like heated mirrors, heated seats, rear wiper etc, whatever is available will depend on the car itself and whether you only want power when the ignition is on or permanent. In my case the cigarette circuit comes live as soon as the doors are unlocked and stays on for 30 mins after doors locked which is ideal for my dashcam.

Thanks, I was going to get the Nextbase one as it wasn’t much more but the plug which goes into the mini USB on the dashcam is a right angle but faces the wrong way. Wish I’d just got that now and not wasted hours of my life fiddling with this one!

I chose that fuse as the YouTube video, which was done by a dashcam installer, suggested using that one - I’ll have a look at the car manual and pick another one, as you say it needs to be one that’s not live all the time but does it have to be a 5 amp one?