LegacyManCT Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 (edited) Last week I bought a Rexing V1P 3rd gen dashcam and their "smart" hardware installation kit, since I'd like to have the front and rear dashcams powered on all time. Some Youtube videos say that you need to use a 15A fuse socket to install the kit, then went along removing some panels, etc. I do some maintenance work on my car myself, but the process hit a snag when I opened the fuse box and could not find an open 15A slot to use (the available ones in the attached schema are < 15A). Another YT video says that I would have to "sacrifice" a functionality of the car by using that 15A fuse socket to connect the installation kit, which I don't want to do. Now I have a couple of options: - Take the car to Geek Squad (BestBuy) and have them install the dashcam ($59) - Take the car to my Subaru dealer (more expensive I guess) - Forget about having the cameras on all the time Thoughts? Did anybody use a similar direct connection kit for your dashcam? Thanks! Edited July 12, 2021 by LegacyManCT Fuse box pictures added Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegacyManCT Posted July 12, 2021 Author Share Posted July 12, 2021 Adding pictures from fuse box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 The purpose of a fuse is to prevent dangerous wire overheating due to a short or malfunction. Choice of wire size is constrained by 1) wire heating, or 2) voltage drop. 15A seems high for a simple dash cam. How much current does the dash cam actually draw? "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegacyManCT Posted July 12, 2021 Author Share Posted July 12, 2021 I got the 15A reference from a Youtube video - The manual of the hardwiring kit doesn't really say to what fuse capacity it should be connected to - only shows that it feeds 5V, 1.5A to the camera: Hardwire Kit manual/URL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 (edited) I got the 15A reference from a Youtube video It's on the Internet, so it must be true. The manual of the hardwiring kit doesn't really say to what fuse capacity it should be connected to ... Again, fuse selection is based on wire gauge (i.e. size), not on the power required by the connected device. ... only shows that it feeds 5V, 1.5A to the camera... 1.5 amps sounds more reasonable than 15 ... but where does the 5 volts come from? Edited July 12, 2021 by ammcinnis "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegacyManCT Posted July 12, 2021 Author Share Posted July 12, 2021 The kit has a "control box" that receives 12V from the fuse box. I attached the schematic.SHWK_Manual.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 The kit has a "control box" that receives 12V from the fuse box. Based on that, the "control box" is probably going to draw less than 1.5 amps from the fuse block, worst case. "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iyalla Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 (edited) Another option... Pop off your overhead console and tap it into the live wire and ground for your overhead lamp. I tapped my dashcam into the auto rear view mirror wires. It turns off when the car is off, but if I remember correctly there is a live wire up there too. So all three feeds are up there for you to tap into and make this install a lot easier without messing with your fuse box. You can even put an inline fuse there if you are worried. Edited July 13, 2021 by iyalla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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