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I can't find an ACCessory-only fuse for my dashcam

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DarkSky

Full Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
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239
I'm hardwiring my Thinkware F770 (same as F750 electrically) to my '07 LTZ.

It has 2 modes: regular recording, and parking recording (for when the truck is off - it records in time lapse to save space)

Hardwiring it to the fuse panel requires an always-on fuse, of which I've found about 10 (I didn't count) and a fuse that is only on when the truck is on.

I'm using the fuse panel right at the driver's side door, left of the steering wheel under the dash.

Of the maybe 15 fuses in the panel, I found a bunch that showed 12V when the truck was off, and maybe 5 that showed 0 (zero) volts.  I turned the truck on and tested the ones that showed zero - and they still show zero!

Need help!!
 
I use the fuse for the emergency flashers.

I used these two items for my dash cam wiring:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MH4ZVHO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K17A2E6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 
EXT4ME said:
I use the fuse for the emergency flashers.

I used these two items for my dash cam wiring:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MH4ZVHO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K17A2E6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...

The hardwire kit I'm using is this: https://www.amazon.com/Thinkware-TWA-SH-Hardwiring-Cable-X150/dp/B00NC062E8

Right now I'm just twisting the wire around the peg of a fuse and pushing it back in.  'Works, but I'll probably add a piggyback fuse after.

But I can only find fuses that are either always-ON or always-OFF.  I need an always-ON (which I've already wired in) *and* a fuse that's only on when the truck is running.
 
I use the flasher fuse because my dash cam has front and rear facing camera parking monitor and motion detection.

My dash cam has power all the time, but can be set to power itself down after a period of time and wake up when motion is detected.

But none of that works if it does not have a constant power source.

That wiring kit is supposed to shut off power to the camera if the battery voltage reaches a certain level to prevent the battery from getting discharged too much to start the truck.

I could see where that could happen if the truck is left in a parking lot for several days and it kicks on a lot due to outside motion.
 
EXT4ME said:
I use the flasher fuse because my dash cam has front and rear facing camera parking monitor and motion detection.

My dash cam has power all the time, but can be set to power itself down after a period of time and wake up when motion is detected.

But none of that works if it does not have a constant power source.

That wiring kit is supposed to shut off power to the camera if the battery voltage reaches a certain level to prevent the battery from getting discharged too much to start the truck.

I could see where that could happen if the truck is left in a parking lot for several days and it kicks on a lot due to outside motion.
Click to expand...

My dash cam (Thinkware F770) is the same - it goes into either motion detection or time-lapse mode when the truck is off.  But for some reason it requires an always-on (battery) fuse for running in what they call "parking mode", and uses an accessory-on fuse to run in continuous (regular) mode.

My cigarette lighter cable for it shows 14.4/14.5 'ish volts when the truck is on, and 12.1 to 12.5 volts when it's not running (my dashcam shows the volts on the information bar on the recorded video - and it also has an auto-off if the voltage drops below a pre-set number that I can set). 

Since the dashcam can read the volts its getting, it would have been MUCh easier if the dashcam just went into continuous recording (regular) mode when it's getting more than 14V (or even 13.5 or whatever), and when it drops below 13V, it goes into parking mode.  That way I could just use a single power cord instead of having to find an always-on fuse as well as a 'sometimes on' fuse.

Grr.
 
I believe I read somewhere that the fuse panel under the hood has ignition-on fuses.  I was hoping NOT to have to drill holes in the firewall and splice extra power cord from there, into the cabin.
 
Ok, I found a bunch of ignition-on-power fuses under the hood, but finding a spot to safely drill through the firewall is going to be a real beech.

Does anyone know of an easily accessible wire INSIDE the truck cab that I can tap in to??
 
DarkSky said:
Does anyone know of an easily accessible wire INSIDE the truck cab that I can tap in to??
Click to expand...

Yep,
There is a junction block hidden by a snap on cover above and between the brake and parking brake pedals.
It has 11 blocks in it labeled x5 through x15.
x14 is your winner. (second one from the bottom in the left hand column) There should not be a harness in it.
x14 has 8 ports, 7 of them occupied
The taps in the bock are in the following arrangement.

7(ignition)      5(constant)    3(empty)    1(ground)
8(accessory)    6                    4                2

You can simply crimp female spade connectors on your wiring and slide them onto the existing spades in the junction block. Easy peasy.
I have attached photos to help aid in identification.
 

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DarkSky said:
Ok, I found a bunch of ignition-on-power fuses under the hood, but finding a spot to safely drill through the firewall is going to be a real beech.
Click to expand...

There's a black cable below the brake cylinder that I have used to pass several wires thru. Useing a wire coat hanger poked thru, taped my wires to it and then pull the wires thru.
 
Calicak89 said:
Yep,
There is a junction block hidden by a snap on cover above and between the brake and parking brake pedals.
It has 11 blocks in it labeled x5 through x15.
x14 is your winner. (second one from the bottom in the left hand column) There should not be a harness in it.
x14 has 8 ports, 7 of them occupied
The taps in the bock are in the following arrangement.

7(ignition)       5(constant)     3(empty)     1(ground)
8(accessory)    6                    4                2

You can simply crimp female spade connectors on your wiring and slide them onto the existing spades in the junction block. Easy peasy.
I have attached photos to help aid in identification.
Click to expand...

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!  I've been searching everywhere - dozens of google searches, forums, google images, etc, etc.. for a week now.  It wasn't until a few days ago that I realize there was *no* switched fuses in the fuse box on the dash.  Then I started hearing things leading me to look more towards the power distribution block thing (which I didn't even know existed) UNDER the dash mounted right near the firewall.

It was frigid cold today so I only spent about a minute looking at that box, but couldn't figure out how to get the dang cover off, and was scared if I rocked it around while pulling that I'd snap/break something, so I decided to spend the day in the warmth of the house doing more research.

Your reply is the first one that seems straight forward.  Of course, I have no experience with whatever is inside this thing.  I'm used to blade fuses.  I can't even find a picture anywhere of that the insides of this power block looks like.

If I can splice a female spade connector onto the red wire of my dashcam battery (which is supposed to connect with a switched/accessory fuse) and just plug it in to a place in that block, then that works perfect.

My dashcam setup is:  dashcam -> hardwire kit (instead of ending in a cig. lighter plug it's 3 wires: ground, battery, accessory) -> dashcam battery (which has 3 wires that connect to the 3 wires of the hardwire kit) -> accessory wire, ground.  It's that last accessory wire that I need to connect to the junction block then.  (this allows the dashcam battery to charge ONLY when the truck is on, and thus, doesn't just suck all the life out of my main truck battery).

By far the most helpful reply so far -thanks again!

And thanks to RENORCR too - I'll use that as a fallback option.  The only places I could see going through the firewall already where TIGHT and wouldn't be able to squeeze another wire in.  And the wires I'm using with this are -very- small and easy to just snap with too much tension.
 
Here are some picture of my 2007 Chevy Avalanche LTZ (putting full name in for future people searching) power block.

I believe I've circled in red the correct power blades.  This is the 'x14' block, on the left, 2nd up from bottom.

Using my voltage tester I've verified that the blade on the bottom left of this block has power ONLY when the ignition keys are turned at least to ACCessory position.  (oddly enough it only showed something like 10.45V, but the engine wasn't on, so I'm guessing other accessories that came on were sucking power at that time (dome lights, fan, heater, etc) - and the alternator wasn't powering the system).


 

To anyone else that came across this post in a search - the easiest way to get the cover off the junction box is pulling out from the RIGHT side first, then the left.  I was trying to get it off from the left side first and it was really locked in there.  It came off much easier when I popped it off from the right side first.
   
 
Ok, on a 2007 Chevy Avalanche LTZ - THE BOTTOM LEFT TERMINAL DOES NOT WORK.

I've got a Cellink B dash cam battery that the power goes to.  The battery -does not- function properly with the #8 terminal labelled "ACCESSORY" in the above diagram.

USE THE TERMINAL LABELLED "IGNITION" INSTEAD.  Just for the heck of it I tried that one after everything else had failed, and the battery turned on, went to a red CHARGE light, then switched to a green CHARGED light and stayed like that (the battery was previously charged up inside the house).

So in that X14 bank of terminals, try the TOP LEFT terminal if the bottom left doesn't work for you.    (y)
 
Thank you this has helped me so much.

2007 Chevy Avalanche LT - Bottom Left is now (temp) wired for a radar detector, the Top Left is already in use for heated seats (I'm guessing at some point someone pulled the seats & switches from another Av & tacked into that point or this is a Ad Hoc repair (Fuses are there as well & labelled with masking tape).

Update - Fitted a fusebox, so heated seats & Radar Detector have one common supply feeding from the Top Left.

Thank You once again for this very useful information.
 
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