[themyst]

Hello, was hoping someone could shed some light on my dilemma. Is there a specific fuse in the fusebox that is a constant power source that I can tap into? I am trying to avoid tapping the battery cable directly because I want to get it replaced under the new recall.

Also, is there a 12V ignition source I can tap as well in the fusebox? I tried searching and found nothing related, short of tapping the front console cig lighter which I would run out of cable for.

I am trying to connect this unit with the "power magic". 3 hit and runs in the past 2 years is 3 too many!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BlackVue-Wi-...item4d09c24d3c

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Model listed in my sig.

[cisf0rcalvin]

Hey, try to find the fuse "ERP IU". Fuse #83. That is for the yellow wire. The red one should go to the homelink fuse. That should be always on when the car is off.

[snoozee]

Originally Posted by cisf0rcalvin

Hey, try to find the fuse "ERP IU". Fuse #83. That is for the yellow wire. The red one should go to the homelink fuse. That should be always on when the car is off.

LOL!
are you referring to this image below?
if yes, you will not find any indication of "ERP IU" in the fuse panel diagrams. I'm the one who created this image and in Singapore, this connection is for the device (ERP IU) which allows us to deduct the toll charges.

Anyway, fuse 83 is what i used. it's best to use a multimeter or test pen to check which fuse is constantly on even when engine is off.

[cisf0rcalvin]

Originally Posted by snoozee

LOL!
are you referring to this image below?
if yes, you will not find any indication of "ERP IU" in the fuse panel diagrams. I'm the one who created this image and in Singapore, this connection is for the device (ERP IU) which allows us to deduct the toll charges.

Anyway, fuse 83 is what i used. it's best to use a multimeter or test pen to check which fuse is constantly on even when engine is off.

Yup! Does your camera stayed on for over 1 hour? Some member here mentioned that BMWs power off all fuses after 1 hour...that's why I have mine wired to through the trunk directly to the battery. However, I bought a new dash cam and was thinking about redoing the wiring using your method if that's not true.

[themyst]

Originally Posted by cisf0rcalvin

Yup! Does your camera stayed on for over 1 hour? Some member here mentioned that BMWs power off all fuses after 1 hour...that's why I have mine wired to through the trunk directly to the battery. However, I bought a new dash cam and was thinking about redoing the wiring using your method if that's not true.

Would also like to know if that is true regarding BMWs powering off all fuses after 1 hour.

[snoozee]

Originally Posted by cisf0rcalvin

Yup! Does your camera stayed on for over 1 hour? Some member here mentioned that BMWs power off all fuses after 1 hour...that's why I have mine wired to through the trunk directly to the battery. However, I bought a new dash cam and was thinking about redoing the wiring using your method if that's not true.

my cam does 24/7 recording. no issue of cut off power. some fuses has power cut off after 16 minutes when car goes into deep sleep.

[themyst]

Originally Posted by snoozee

my cam does 24/7 recording. no issue of cut off power. some fuses has power cut off after 16 minutes when car goes into deep sleep.

Awesome! Thanks for the pic. It will help immensely

[afsar]

I think if you power camera directly from battery it will draw a constant and over period of time it will build-up (lets say overnight), car detecting this loss will report "increased battery discharge message".

I have thought over this detail and came to conclusion that a true 24/7 surveillance is possible if you separate this completely from your car electronics. Way I thought is like this:

Buy a small 12v 10ah to 20ah sealed battery which you can hide somewhere behind boot trims. Now buy a compact low power (like 5-10 amp, higher doesn't harm but unnecessery) solar charge controller (no solar panel) and in the solar charge controller hook battery to charge terminal and camera(s) to output terminal. Now using a flat 12v supply from ciggy lighter (whichever is ignition switched) you can hook charge controller's panel input.

This way when you are driving your camera battery is being charged, and solar charge controller is making sure you don't overcharge it. I have calculated that 20ah battery will continuously run one Blackvue camera for appx 60 hours which is 2.5 days even if you don't drive your car at all. If you are able to tuck bigger battery in then record time will improve even further. But beware you can only charge upto microSD card's storage capability (blackvue on full hd 30fps can store upto 10 hrs of recording) any extra time won't be really that helpful. To keep this in recording loop infinitely I think you will can easily add a small solar panel.

Feel free to suggest any better solution as this is what I am going to do in next few weeks.

[themyst]

Originally Posted by afsar

I think if you power camera directly from battery it will draw a constant and over period of time it will build-up (lets say overnight), car detecting this loss will report "increased battery discharge message".

I have thought over this detail and came to conclusion that a true 24/7 surveillance is possible if you separate this completely from your car electronics. Way I thought is like this:

Buy a small 12v 10ah to 20ah sealed battery which you can hide somewhere behind boot trims. Now buy a compact low power (like 5-10 amp, higher doesn't harm but unnecessery) solar charge controller (no solar panel) and in the solar charge controller hook battery to charge terminal and camera(s) to output terminal. Now using a flat 12v supply from ciggy lighter (whichever is ignition switched) you can hook charge controller's panel input.

This way when you are driving your camera battery is being charged, and solar charge controller is making sure you don't overcharge it. I have calculated that 20ah battery will continuously run one Blackvue camera for appx 60 hours which is 2.5 days even if you don't drive your car at all. If you are able to tuck bigger battery in then record time will improve even further. But beware you can only charge upto microSD card's storage capability (blackvue on full hd 30fps can store upto 10 hrs of recording) any extra time won't be really that helpful. To keep this in recording loop infinitely I think you will can easily add a small solar panel.

Feel free to suggest any better solution as this is what I am going to do in next few weeks.

Well there is a parking mode on the blackvue 500 model, so I can set it to save say 10 seconds prior to impact and 1 minute after impact.

[snoozee]

Originally Posted by afsar

I think if you power camera directly from battery it will draw a constant and over period of time it will build-up (lets say overnight), car detecting this loss will report "increased battery discharge message".

I have thought over this detail and came to conclusion that a true 24/7 surveillance is possible if you separate this completely from your car electronics. Way I thought is like this:

Buy a small 12v 10ah to 20ah sealed battery which you can hide somewhere behind boot trims. Now buy a compact low power (like 5-10 amp, higher doesn't harm but unnecessery) solar charge controller (no solar panel) and in the solar charge controller hook battery to charge terminal and camera(s) to output terminal. Now using a flat 12v supply from ciggy lighter (whichever is ignition switched) you can hook charge controller's panel input.

This way when you are driving your camera battery is being charged, and solar charge controller is making sure you don't overcharge it. I have calculated that 20ah battery will continuously run one Blackvue camera for appx 60 hours which is 2.5 days even if you don't drive your car at all. If you are able to tuck bigger battery in then record time will improve even further. But beware you can only charge upto microSD card's storage capability (blackvue on full hd 30fps can store upto 10 hrs of recording) any extra time won't be really that helpful. To keep this in recording loop infinitely I think you will can easily add a small solar panel.

Feel free to suggest any better solution as this is what I am going to do in next few weeks.

yes, you are right. the battery discharge message will appear if you have idrive. and if you have comfort access, that will stop working as well.

you could power the camera via external battery and charge the battery while driving. i did consider doing this (using lit ion battery pack) while doing my install but over here in Singapore, the internal temperature of the cabin could go up to 70 degrees celcius or more and there is a risk of the lit ion battery leaking and even catching fire.

[cisf0rcalvin]

Originally Posted by afsar

I think if you power camera directly from battery it will draw a constant and over period of time it will build-up (lets say overnight), car detecting this loss will report "increased battery discharge message".

I have thought over this detail and came to conclusion that a true 24/7 surveillance is possible if you separate this completely from your car electronics. Way I thought is like this:

Buy a small 12v 10ah to 20ah sealed battery which you can hide somewhere behind boot trims. Now buy a compact low power (like 5-10 amp, higher doesn't harm but unnecessery) solar charge controller (no solar panel) and in the solar charge controller hook battery to charge terminal and camera(s) to output terminal. Now using a flat 12v supply from ciggy lighter (whichever is ignition switched) you can hook charge controller's panel input.

This way when you are driving your camera battery is being charged, and solar charge controller is making sure you don't overcharge it. I have calculated that 20ah battery will continuously run one Blackvue camera for appx 60 hours which is 2.5 days even if you don't drive your car at all. If you are able to tuck bigger battery in then record time will improve even further. But beware you can only charge upto microSD card's storage capability (blackvue on full hd 30fps can store upto 10 hrs of recording) any extra time won't be really that helpful. To keep this in recording loop infinitely I think you will can easily add a small solar panel.

Feel free to suggest any better solution as this is what I am going to do in next few weeks.

That's a neat idea. I was also thinking about using a external LiPo battery pack but the issue was getting the right interface. I'm assuming you'll be using a lead-acid battery? Do you know any 12v ignition taps in the trunk?

Would you recommend this? http://www.amazon.com/Yuasa-NP7-12-1...s=10ah+battery

Even though its 7AH, might be easier to work with since its smaller.

Also I found a 7 amp solar charger you were talking about. http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-7-Amp...rge+controller

Basically it would be from the 12v source --> Solar Charger --> Battery + camera (on the same battery terminal)

Found something similar: http://www.ebay.com/itm/140825589211

[afsar]

Originally Posted by cisf0rcalvin

That's a neat idea. I was also thinking about using a external LiPo battery pack but the issue was getting the right interface. I'm assuming you'll be using a lead-acid battery? Do you know any 12v ignition taps in the trunk?

Would you recommend this? http://www.amazon.com/Yuasa-NP7-12-1...s=10ah+battery

Even though its 7AH, might be easier to work with since its smaller.

Also I found a 7 amp solar charger you were talking about. http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-7-Amp...rge+controller

Basically it would be from the 12v source --> Solar Charger --> Battery + camera (on the same battery terminal)

Found something similar: http://www.ebay.com/itm/140825589211

As long as you solar charger is having a low cut-off voltage and battery charge detection it will do the job. I have bought a cheap one, lets see how it goes.

[cisf0rcalvin]

So I actually connected a 5W solar panel on my rear deck and charge controller to the car battery. Seems like its working. I set my power magic cut off at 12 volts now. Not sure how this would hold up long term...Does anyone know if I need to disconnect the panel when the car is on? I don't think its necessary but I would like to see what you guys think. I have a diode attached so no feedback to the controller would happen if the car was on.

[Viktimize]

Just found this thread and I know it's a little old now. But if anybody is referencing it like I am. The fuse number is 81 for that slot, not 83. At least it is in a 2007 335i. Not sure if BMW mixes up the fuse numbers between years or models? But it would seem a little silly if they did. Or maybe it is a matter of the guy posting it having a car from Asia?

I'll be finding out right away if it works or not as a constant power source.

[themyst]

I didn't even use 83 for constant power, I think I used 31 or something (door locks).

[Viktimize]

Originally Posted by themyst

I didn't even use 83 for constant power, I think I used 31 or something (door locks).

I didn't even realize it at the time, but the add a fuse I got was for the normal size fuses, not the minis. So I wanted to find one I could use without going to look for another add a fuse.

BTW, 81 (or 83 as it's called in this thread?) worked perfect.