[zerofighter]

Hey All

I have the Blackvue DR650-2CH and Cellink B battery and am trying to find the best switched 7.5/10/20A to use my add-a-fuse. A lot of DIYs use 5A but trying to find a proper 7.5/10/20A switched fuse that is not an essential one like an engine fuse.

Thanks
-Pearson

[jebs2k]

the rearview mirror has a switched wire
if you search, lots of ppl use this one

[zerofighter]

Looking for a fuse...in the fuse box. Do not want to splice into a wire.

[Arthurrs]

I have the Cell-link battery for my dashcam, I used an add-a-fuse and powered it from the fuse box in the back of the car, and mounted the battery to the underside of the rear deck above the trunk. I'll see if I can post some pictures in the next day or two, I believe I tied it into the 20A circuit that powers the rear 12 VDC outlet. It shuts off about 5-10 minutes after the car is turned off.

[Arthurrs]

Ok, had some free time this afternoon to take a few pics of my install....

First picture shows where I installed the cell link battery...right under the rear deck, attached with some custom brackets I made out of 1x 1/8" aluminum stock and some weatherstripping to cushion things properly. You really don't see the battery unless you're looking for it. I oriented it so that I could easily switch off the battery charging input when necessary.


Second picture shows where I plugged the cell link battery into in the rear fuse compartment using an add-a-fuse plug (circled connection). The other two add-a-fuse connections are for my Bimmertech Power Trunk Retrofit.


Third picture shows the fuse location...fuse 162 (circled), which is a 20A fuse that is switched off a short while after shutting the car off...


Fourth picture shows what fuse 162 is used for, 12V power outlet, likely the one in the trunk. (circled)

[zerofighter]

Originally Posted by Arthurrs

Ok, had some free time this afternoon to take a few pics of my install....

First picture shows where I installed the cell link battery...right under the rear deck, attached with some custom brackets I made out of 1x 1/8" aluminum stock and some weatherstripping to cushion things properly. You really don't see the battery unless you're looking for it. I oriented it so that I could easily switch off the battery charging input when necessary.
Attachment 1644383

Second picture shows where I plugged the cell link battery into in the rear fuse compartment using an add-a-fuse plug (circled connection). The other two add-a-fuse connections are for my Bimmertech Power Trunk Retrofit.
Attachment 1644386

Third picture shows the fuse location...fuse 162 (circled), which is a 20A fuse that is switched off a short while after shutting the car off...
Attachment 1644387

Fourth picture shows what fuse 162 is used for, 12V power outlet, likely the one in the trunk. (circled)
Attachment 1644388

Awesome! Really appreciate it, was trying to find a fuse that switches off quickly.

[frankzlin79]

Originally Posted by zerofighter

Awesome! Really appreciate it, was trying to find a fuse that switches off quickly.

If Fuse 162 shuts off after 10 min of shutting off ignition, that means your camera is still being powered by your car battery, which can't be good for long run. That also means your car will be delayed going into parking mode for 10 minutes, too.

So what is the best fuse that is rated at least 10 AMP that will shut off immediately when the ignition Orion is killed?

[Arthurrs]

Originally Posted by frankzlin79

If Fuse 162 shuts off after 10 min of shutting off ignition, that means your camera is still being powered by your car battery, which can't be good for long run.

Works fine for me. Actually the camera is powered by the cellink battery, which is charged up by the car when the ignition is on. I have mine set for fast charging, usually the cellink battery can be fully charged up in about 30-45 minutes of driving, which is less than my daily commute. A few minutes after I shut the car off, the cellink battery is no longer getting any energy for charging itself up. But it's continuing to provide enough power to the camera for a good 24 hours, depending on settings in the camera itself, and how busy the motion sensor triggers a recording.

Originally Posted by frankzlin79

That also means your car will be delayed going into parking mode for 10 minutes, too.

How so? The circuit turns off regardless. If you leave something plugged into the cigarette lighter socket after you have shut the ignition off, do you see it delay going into parking mode?

[frankzlin79]

Originally Posted by Arthurrs

Works fine for me. Actually the camera is powered by the cellink battery, which is charged up by the car when the ignition is on. I have mine set for fast charging, usually the cellink battery can be fully charged up in about 30-45 minutes of driving, which is less than my daily commute. A few minutes after I shut the car off, the cellink battery is no longer getting any energy for charging itself up. But it's continuing to provide enough power to the camera for a good 24 hours, depending on settings in the camera itself, and how busy the motion sensor triggers a recording.

How so? The circuit turns off regardless. If you leave something plugged into the cigarette lighter socket after you have shut the ignition off, do you see it delay going into parking mode?

Arthur,

I called Blackvue and they said that when you hard wire the B-124 to the fuse box, when you are driving, it is the car's battery that is actually powering the dash cam. When you shut down to park, the car's battery is bypassed and the B-124 battery takes over to power the dash cam for parking mode. I read co flicking info about this as well, but I don't think Blackvue customer support would be wrong?

Let me ask you this to prove this theory. What if you were to park for 10 days straight and you Cellink Neo battery is drained to 0%.—obviously your dash cam will be off since it has zero power. Then you go start your car. Will the dash cam instantly turn on (because it is being powered by the car's battery) or will it take a few minutes for the car's battery to charge the Cellink Neo, which then has sufficient power to turn on the dash cam a few minutes later?

My concern really isn't about delaying parking mode or not. My concern is about having the car's battery charging and / or powering the B-124 / Cellink Neo while the ignition is off—that can hurt he car's battery life as there will also be draw from it without the alternator running. And this apparently happens with Fuse 162 (and I think same with Fuse 125).

[Arthurrs]

Originally Posted by frankzlin79

Arthur,

I called Blackvue and they said that when you hard wire the B-124 to the fuse box, when you are driving, it is the car's battery that is actually powering the dash cam. When you shut down to park, the car's battery is bypassed and the B-124 battery takes over to power the dash cam for parking mode. I read co flicking info about this as well, but I don't think Blackvue customer support would be wrong?

Correct, the current flows through the battery when it's charging. When the car powers down the circuit that is charging the cellink battery, then the cellink battery is the sole power source for the dashcam. I still fail to see why this is an issue.

Originally Posted by frankzlin79

Let me ask you this to prove this theory. What if you were to park for 10 days straight and you Cellink Neo battery is drained to 0%.—obviously your dash cam will be off since it has zero power. Then you go start your car. Will the dash cam instantly turn on (because it is being powered by the car's battery) or will it take a few minutes for the car's battery to charge the Cellink Neo, which then has sufficient power to turn on the dash cam a few minutes later?

I do this often, I travel a lot on business, and park my car at the airport for many days at a time. When I turn on the ignition after several days absence, obviously the cellink battery is drained, but the dashcam gets powered up right away, while the cellink battery is being charged. Again, why is this an issue??

[frankzlin79]

Originally Posted by Arthurrs

Correct, the current flows through the battery when it's charging. When the car powers down the circuit that is charging the cellink battery, then the cellink battery is the sole power source for the dashcam. I still fail to see why this is an issue.

I do this often, I travel a lot on business, and park my car at the airport for many days at a time. When I turn on the ignition after several days absence, obviously the cellink battery is drained, but the dashcam gets powered up right away, while the cellink battery is being charged. Again, why is this an issue??

If you are parked at airport for days, and your Cell link Neo battery is drained, how is it possible for your dash cam to INSTANTLY power on when you turn in the car? (The reason your camera can instantly power on is because your car's battery is really powering the camera when you turn on ignition—not your cellink. After a few minutes of driving, your cell link battery is charging—but agin, your dash cam is being powered by the car battery. This is what Blackvue told me!

My issue is that if you use a fuse that has about 10 minutes of residual power running through it—that residual power is coming via the battery (and the car's alternator) is off. That means that the Cellink Neo hasn't kicked in yet to actually power your camera—your car is powering the camera! And we all know that you should not run any electronics off the car battery (if alternator is off). Do you see my point?

[Arthurrs]

Originally Posted by frankzlin79

If you are parked at airport for days, and your Cell link Neo battery is drained, how is it possible for your dash cam to INSTANTLY power on when you turn in the car? (The reason your camera can instantly power on is because your car's battery is really powering the camera when you turn on ignition—not your cellink. After a few minutes of driving, your cell link battery is charging—but agin, your dash cam is being powered by the car battery. This is what Blackvue told me!

Depends on how the circuitry is done inside the battery charging circuit, but really it's trivial to have power from the car go to both the cellink battery charger and the dashcam simultaneously (any EE can figure that out), as it seems to be the case with cellink, a very clever feature. Last I checked, cellink is not made by Blackvue, but instead a company from Korea called Blacksys. I have two of them, one for my car, one for my wife's car.

Originally Posted by frankzlin79

My issue is that if you use a fuse that has about 10 minutes of residual power running through it—that residual power is coming via the battery (and the car's alternator) is off. That means that the Cellink Neo hasn't kicked in yet to actually power your camera—your car is powering the camera! And we all know that you should not run any electronics off the car battery (if alternator is off). Do you see my point?

So 10 minutes of powering the cellink battery charger (if the cellink battery is low) and the dashcam when the ignition is off is going to hurt the car's electrical system? Seriously? I've plugged all kinds of things into my car when the ignition is off without any problem. Cell phone chargers, air pump, safety light, no problems whatsoever. BMW also put a lot of intelligence into their electrical system, if the car battery is running low, it will automatically shut off any residual circuitry that keeps running (eg. comfort access, car alarm, connected drive, etc).

[frankzlin79]

Originally Posted by Arthurrs

Depends on how the circuitry is done inside the battery charging circuit, but really it's trivial to have power from the car go to both the cellink battery charger and the dashcam simultaneously (any EE can figure that out), as it seems to be the case with cellink, a very clever feature. Last I checked, cellink is not made by Blackvue, but instead a company from Korea called Blacksys. I have two of them, one for my car, one for my wife's car.

So 10 minutes of powering the cellink battery charger (if the cellink battery is low) and the dashcam when the ignition is off is going to hurt the car's electrical system? Seriously? I've plugged all kinds of things into my car when the ignition is off without any problem. Cell phone chargers, air pump, safety light, no problems whatsoever. BMW also put a lot of intelligence into their electrical system, if the car battery is running low, it will automatically shut off any residual circuitry that keeps running (eg. comfort access, car alarm, connected drive, etc).

10 minutes of powering electronics (with alternator off) isn't going to hurt the battery, I agree.

However, doing it for maybe 3-4 times a day (depending on how many times you park) and to do it for a year, may start to cause premature wear and tear on the battery is all I'm trying to say.

My point is if I can avoid it, I will. That's why I'm in search for a switchable fuse that is instantly off when ignition is off (none of this 10 min of residual power BS).

But if our M3/M4 do not have such a fuse like normal cars do, then I can live with tapping into Fuse 162 or Fuse 125 is the other popular choice.

[Arthurrs]

Originally Posted by frankzlin79

10 minutes of powering electronics (with alternator off) isn't going to hurt the battery, I agree.

However, doing it for maybe 3-4 times a day (depending on how many times you park) and to do it for a year, may start to cause premature wear and tear on the battery is all I'm trying to say.

My point is if I can avoid it, I will. That's why I'm in search for a switchable fuse that is instantly off when ignition is off (none of this 10 min of residual power BS).

But if our M3/M4 do not have such a fuse like normal cars do, then I can live with tapping into Fuse 162 or Fuse 125 is the other popular choice.

The energy management features in modern BMW's present much greater charge/discharge cycles on your battery with increased frequency than the dashcam/battery will ever do. This is one of the reasons why we pay so much for the car's battery, it's meant to take this kind of activity.

Nevertheless, if it makes you more comfortable, I'm sure you can easily find a circuit that shuts off at the same time the ignition turns off, simply get a meter and probe the circuits on the fuseblock until you find one. The little chart that comes with the fuseblock is helpful in giving you clues on what each circuit does eg. try one of the seat heater circuits, I'm pretty sure those shut off immediately when the ignition is turned off.

[Mkswoosh]

Which fuse is always active in the rear fuse box? Dont feel like sitting there an hour after car is turned off to find out. Trying to hardwire my cam for parking mode.