Help - whats my camera wired into?

[Cherrypd]

Hi all. Very recently I went to our local Halfords to have my (old but working) Nextbase duo fitted. Ever since though I get the feeling it's still powered up after I've left the car. I had a battery go flat but that could have been a dying battery. I don't have a handbook with the car and the online version doesn't tell you what's in what slot. So from this photo on the drivers side panel this is where he's plugged it into; slot number 118. There is a green fuse below it in slot 117 and as you can see slot 127.

Could anyone tell me what's in slot 118?.

Thank you

A207 2010 E250.

 

[John N]

Hi all. Very recently I went to our local Halfords to have my (old but working) Nextbase duo fitted. Ever since though I get the feeling it's still powered up after I've left the car. I had a battery go flat but that could have been a dying battery. I don't have a handbook with the car and the online version doesn't tell you what's in what slot. So from this photo on the drivers side panel this is where he's plugged it into; slot number 118. There is a green fuse below it in slot 117 and as you can see slot 127.

Could anyone tell me what's in slot 118?.

Thank you

A207 2010 E250.

I would hazard a guess that it's your Camera!

 

[SpikyMikey]

Looks like 118 is a spare slot
https://forums.mbclub.co.uk/attachments/fuse-box-diag-a207-cabriolet_2-pdf.131540/

 

[Cherrypd]

I've just returned from a trip out. Locked the car and made a note of the time. 8 minutes later I went out to see if it was still on. It was but not recording but still powered up. Think I'll take it back to them.

 

[FiveAlive]

Some dashcams are permanently powered. They are connected to ignition-switched and permanent live power supplies so they can constantly record whilst the car is running but then drop back to a low-power state that can record impacts whilst the car is parked. As yours is on but not recording when it is parked, it sounds like that might be how it has been installed.

 

[Cherrypd]

Some dashcams are permanently powered. They are connected to ignition-switched and permanent live power supplies so they can constantly record whilst the car is running but then drop back to a low-power state that can record impacts whilst the car is parked. As yours is on but not recording when it is parked, it sounds like that might be how it has been installed.

I went to Halfords this morning and timed it again from when I parked up and locked the car. The installer is off today and so it's booked in tomorrow for a confidence check. When I went back to the car (still locked), I viewed the camera still powered up and recording, some 15 minutes later.

 

[SpikyMikey]

As FiveAlive says, if they wired it using a hardwire kit, then the kit should not allow a flat battery by switching the power off when battery voltage drops to a certain level, usually around 11.5V.
However, normally your cam has to be set to activate "parking mode" or similar so that with the ignition off it sleeps until there is an impact sensed, or with some cams, where it senses movement in front of the camera.

 

[Cherrypd]

As FiveAlive says, if they wired it using a hardwire kit, then the kit should not allow a flat battery by switching the power off when battery voltage drops to a certain level, usually around 11.5V.
However, normally your cam has to be set to activate "parking mode" or similar so that with the ignition off it sleeps until there is an impact sensed, or with some cams, where it senses movement in front of the camera.

Thanks for replying both of you. Hubby checked last night and the camera has "parking mode" activated. Having a dead battery recently when just after this was fitted, I'm conscious it's coincidence. If the camera had shut down before the 8 & 15 mins when I made a note I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought. I don't want to go away for 2 weeks leaving the car at Heathrow and the running camera has struck again. I just don't have the will power to leave it running, so disconnect the power cable to the camera.

 

[tony gee]

I prefer to set my dashcam to turn off with the ignition so i know it won't bother the car battery, i know the parking mode is a good thing but a flat battery isn't !!!! i try to park near outside camera's if possible just in case.

 

[SpikyMikey]

Thanks for replying both of you. Hubby checked last night and the camera has "parking mode" activated. Having a dead battery recently when just after this was fitted, I'm conscious it's coincidence. If the camera had shut down before the 8 & 15 mins when I made a note I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought. I don't want to go away for 2 weeks leaving the car at Heathrow and the running camera has struck again. I just don't have the will power to leave it running, so disconnect the power cable to the camera.

If the camera is recording 15 minutes after ignition off, I suspect that Halfords haven't wired in the ignition sense (which is the thing that switches the cam to standby.)
In fact, I wonder how they have wired it, as I see in the background of your photo in the original post a cigarette lighter type inline socket. I'm thinking they may have just wired it into an unswitched feed which is live all the time. If that's the case, irrespective of whether the ignition is on or off, the camera will run until the battery is flat.

 

[Cherrypd]

If the camera is recording 15 minutes after ignition off, I suspect that Halfords haven't wired in the ignition sense (which is the thing that switches the cam to standby.)
In fact, I wonder how they have wired it, as I see in the background of your photo in the original post a cigarette lighter type inline socket. I'm thinking they may have just wired it into an unswitched feed which is live all the time. If that's the case, irrespective of whether the ignition is on or off, the camera will run until the battery is flat.

Yeah. It was originally used via the cigarette lighter socket in my old car (Mini). The fitter said he could hard wire it in using the lighter source provided when new. I/we know nothing about it, so just take it at face value what he's said he could do.

 

[Trickythemerc]

You need a hard wire kit, then you can set the battery voltage that you want the camera to shut down at. I dumped Nextbase after having three changed under the very dodgy warranty they offer. Went all in with Blackvue and never had any issues or flat batteries.

 

[SpikyMikey]

Yeah. It was originally used via the cigarette lighter socket in my old car (Mini). The fitter said he could hard wire it in using the lighter source provided when new. I/we know nothing about it, so just take it at face value what he's said he could do.

Have you got the car's fuse box diagram? It normally lives tucked into the top of the tool kit holder in the spare wheel well. Would be interesting to know what fuse slot 118 actually is.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

118 is spare , 117 is air scarf drivers side, 116 is seat adjustment. 127 is air scarf passenger side.

118 may well be a permanent live , if you only require an ignition live , it'll need moving .

122 , 128, 135 . All spare .

I used the glovebox light on my c207 for an ignition live.

 

[SpikyMikey]

The other thing to note about that install is that a 5A fuse is a tad OTT for a dashcam. Probably better if it was 2A max.

 

[Cherrypd]

Well I went and explained to the fitter what was happening. Out came the multimeter and some prodding in the A pillar fusebox followed by silence and some mmmms'. He then went into the boot and into the fusebox on the LHS. He said he'll wire it to the 15 amp cigarette lighter fuse, but on Friday. So I'm back there again, but it's FOC. Fingers crossed.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Well I went and explained to the fitter what was happening. Out came the multimeter and some prodding in the A pillar fusebox followed by silence and some mmmms'. He then went into the boot and into the fusebox on the LHS. He said he'll wire it to the 15 amp cigarette lighter fuse, but on Friday. So I'm back there again, but it's FOC. Fingers crossed.

That'll work.

I know for a fact all connections in that panel are permanent live.

 

[tony gee]

Well I went and explained to the fitter what was happening. Out came the multimeter and some prodding in the A pillar fusebox followed by silence and some mmmms'. He then went into the boot and into the fusebox on the LHS. He said he'll wire it to the 15 amp cigarette lighter fuse, but on Friday. So I'm back there again, but it's FOC. Fingers crossed.

my camera's are wired into the cigarette fuse, and when i switch off the camera's turn off.