So I'm going to be hardwiring my new dash cam and want to confirm which fuse to use.

The dash cam is the Papago 381. I also have the papago hardwire install kit (http://us.papagoinc.com/2015/03/what-is-a-hardwire-kit/) and a fuse tap ( )

The hardware kit states that 12v DC is converted to 5V 1.8 amp output. (interestingly, Papago says the camera is rated for 1amp output, but their hardwire kit has a 1.8 amp output)

So if i am going to tap into an existing fuse... should I be taping into the lowest rated existing fuse in the fuse box beside the driver's seat (which I believe should be 5amp?

And then, should the extra fuse I use for the dash cam also be 5 amps or 1.5 amps? is there An issue if the fuse ratings in the tap are different (i.e. I install a new 1.5 amp fuse but tap into an existing 5 amp fuse)?

By the way, I'll be taping into an always hot fuse so the camera can work on motion detection while the car is off.

Thanks

 

I spliced into the wires going to my cigarette lighter when I installed mine, I think it's a 15 or 20 amp fuse.

I would tap into an existing 15-20 amp fuse, anything lower and you run the risk of popping fuses when you add the additional load.

 

would taping into a 10 or 15 amp fuse not overload the 2 amp dash cam fuse? or does the larger capacity fuse have no impact on the amount of power that reaches the 2 amp fuse?

Thanks

 

tl:dr - For your setup: find an always hot fuse (the rating really doesn't matter), and install your fusetap. Install whatever fuse you removed for the OEM circuit into the first slot. And use a 5 amp fuse for your dashcam circuit into the new feed slot, if that's the only thing you plan to feed off that power source.

Detailed info:
I don't think you understand how a fuse works. A fuse is designed to break open when the current draw (amps) exceeds the fuse rating. So for example, if you have a 10 amp fuse, and start adding electrical gadgets that draw 15 amps total, the 10 amp fuse will literally melt and cut off power to the connected devices.

The fuse will not "limit" how many amps a device will draw, but rather protect the circuit from an over current condition. If a wire shorted for example, if the fuse didn't disconnect the circuit, the wires will draw strait battery power and potentially cause a fire hazard.

Your hardware install kit is spec'd to draw 1.8 amps MAX. You can connect the thing strait to the battery and it will never exceed 1.8 amps. A 10 amp fuse will provide a "buffer" and only come into play if something shorts out and draws excessive amperage.

My kit is tapped directly off the 12V cigarette lighter circuit, no extra fuses. So my dashcam, phone charger, and whatever else I plug in cannot exceed 15 amps total, otherwise the fuse will pop. Even though it's a 4 amp phone charger, my phone only uses 1.2amps and the dashcam is most likely closer to .5amps, so I'm no where near the max rating of the circuit.

Chargers are typically over engineered, so a 2 amp charger will provide 1 amp to a phone just fine. If a charger was only rated for 1 amp, and a device tried to draw 1.5 amps, the charger would melt since it wasn't designed to provide that much current.

 

Good food for thought ^ I've thought about hardwiring a dashcam. Did you use a 360* one or stick to 2 cams?

 

I personally only have one G1W-C camera.

The whole g-sensor and/or motion sensor auto-on feature just seems like an easy way to kill your battery with minimal benefits. If you back into a parking spot, you'll end up recording every car that passes in front. If someone hits my parked car, it'll most likely be in the rear or side-swiped, exactly where the camera isn't pointed.

A rear facing one in the back window might be an option for the future though.

 

thanks for the help!