Dash Cam Power Supply installation.

[The_Hawk]

You think your drawings are rubbish! Check out mine:



1) is the stock setup, fuse across a circuit.

2) is a piggy back wire installed on the cold side. This puts both the original circuit and your new one across a common fuse.
In most cases this is OK since your camera doesn't draw a lot of power so should work fine. But it's possible that a normal power draw could blow the fuse.

3) is a piggy back fuse on the hot side. The output wire carries 12V with no fuse. While you *could* rely on the fuse built into the ciggy socket in your power adaptor, the problem is that the socket itself is just carrying power, what if something gets in there to arc it out or (depending on where you locate it) something on the wire shorts out?? I think it's worth the couple of bucks for an inline fuse just in case.

Allof that is on the basis that you're using a hardwired piggyback fuse:





The best option for all would be one of these since you then get to have two separate circuits and 100% of your new wiring is protected by a fuse.

Socket Type Piggy Back:

[Hillbilly]

You think your drawings are rubbish! Check out mine:



1) is the stock setup, fuse across a circuit.

2) is a piggy back wire installed on the cold side. This puts both the original circuit and your new one across a common fuse.
In most cases this is OK since your camera doesn't draw a lot of power so should work fine. But it's possible that a normal power draw could blow the fuse.

3) is a piggy back fuse on the hot side. The output wire carries 12V with no fuse. While you *could* rely on the fuse built into the ciggy socket in your power adaptor, the problem is that the socket itself is just carrying power, what if something gets in there to arc it out or (depending on where you locate it) something on the wire shorts out?? I think it's worth the couple of bucks for an inline fuse just in case.

Allof that is on the basis that you're using a hardwired piggyback fuse:





The best option for all would be one of these since you then get to have two separate circuits and 100% of your new wiring is protected by a fuse.

Socket Type Piggy Back:

Yes I agree to a point but as my ciggy socket is in the back of the dash and has the plug taped into it and wrapped in Bubble wrap I dont think it will be a problem. Same applies to a ciggy socket in the console for that matter
Also in the Passat there isnt room for the addafuses as they stick up too far and would hit on the cover.
I actually put line fuses in and then realised they werent really necessary but as I have a slightly different wiring setup for my rear camera than standard i used them The rear stays on for 2 hours when parked.

The illustration you have for them looks like you pinched it off a thread on Dashcamtalk LOL

[The_Hawk]

looks like you pinched it off a thread on Dashcamtalk LOL

Google image search, but yes I think that's where it was from

I also get that there isn't always room for the full piggy back module (which is where the hardwired versions come in handy).



I agree that the risk is massively reduced when you have the socket right next to the fuse box anyway. It's very unlikely that something will go wrong with that 2" of wire. In my case I have the extra socket in the glove box in the van so there is a decent run of wiring that I want to protect. So in my case I've used the hardwired piggy back (mostly because that's what I had available on the day) with an inline fuse for all the reasons I've already covered).