Discuss Car dash camera wired into dome light in the Auto Electrician Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

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Is there any reason why a car "dashcam" could not be wired into the dome light? This would be a much better method than the usual.

The next question is not an electrical one, but people reading this are probably into cars (!) so I include it anyway:

Alternatively (or additionally, for a rear camera), it would be possible to make holes in the door seal, and thread a cable through using the type of threader used by electricians. The only problem I see with this is that the door seal might rely on being itself sealed, and would compress more readily and become ineffective. Is that the case?
 
What do you mean by "wired in to the dome light" is this to power the unit? Dashcams are 5v so you would need a 12v to 5v converter and I hard wire my cams in this way as the converter has 2 USB leads so one for the cam the second to charge the phone.

Rear camera is this a reversing camera or a dash cam as I wouldn't go putting holes in seals.

What car do you have and do you have your rear glass tinted?
 
Thanks for your reply, which answers my question. I had overlooked the fact that the device is 5 volts, in which case the plug provided must include a transformer to adapt to the 12 volts of the car's electrical system. Therefore, the device cannot be wired into the dome light. It's a bit surprising that someone hasn't produced an adaptor kit for this purpose, as it would be a neat solution.

The car is a Hyundai saloon, and the rear window is not tinted. The rear camera is actually intended to go outside, ideally wired into the reversing light, although I was thinking of fixing it inside. Even if wired into the reversing light, that still leaves a cable to go to the main unit, of course, which is untidy. That's why I asked the question about the door seals.
 
mount the reversing camera inside the back window. connect using the leads supplied. with a bit of effort and ingenuity, you can fish cables through behind head lining.
 
The messy bit is the stretch from the roof to the shelf. In the case of the Hyundai there is nowhere to tuck in the cable. I'm toying with the idea of using 6mm aluminium tube, attached to the windscreen/rear window with contact adhesive (or a clear grab adhesive). Both would need some support while hardening, which is the tricky bit.
 
On my Subaru I mounted the reversing on the outside of the car but went through the rear tailgate once I removed the trim as there was a space by the number plate light.

12V to 5V adapter, I wired this in to my old Lotus and now in to my Subaru, one port to power the cam the second to charge the phone.

Cam cost about £10 as I am upgrading the HU as the car is a Gap Import.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Converter-...UTF8&qid=1522420828&sr=8-3&keywords=12v+to+5v


https://i.Upload the image directly to the thread.com/ltnktfN.jpg
 
The messy bit is the stretch from the roof to the shelf. In the case of the Hyundai there is nowhere to tuck in the cable. I'm toying with the idea of using 6mm aluminium tube, attached to the windscreen/rear window with contact adhesive (or a clear grab adhesive). Both would need some support while hardening, which is the tricky bit.
Are there lights in the tailgate?
 
Actually, there is a braking light at the top of the tailgate, but I'm not sure I would want to interfere with that.

Regarding wiring the main unit into the dome light, the link you gave suggests a possibility. The small transformer could be stuck behind the rear view mirror. I might think about that.
 
I'd run it off a different circuit thats powered by the ignition cig lighter maybe or aux, if there is a light in the tailgate then it means there a a route to it from the main section of the car.
 

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