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MSS · 29th July 2019, 08:41

I would not wire a dashcam to the car battery permanently. Measurements made and published on various forums have shown that dashcams typically draw between 1.2W and 3.5W from the 12V supply when operational. Taking a nominal value of 2.5W, this represents a 200mA draw at a nominal 12V battery voltage.

The above will mean a typical in-service car battery being completely drained in around 10 days. Given that deep slow discharge kills lead acid batteries, this is not something I would do. I would set a goal of never discharging a car battery to a level below 75% of its charge holding capacity in order to ensure reasonable battery life i.e longevity of the battery as opposed to its point charge state.

If I really wanted a permanently on dashcam, I would buy 2 off 20Ah Li-ion power banks and swap these between charging and the car every 2-3 days.

29th July 2019, 08:41	#5
MSS This is my second home Rover 75CDT, Jaguar XF-S 3.0V6, V'xhall Omega V6 Estate, Twintop 1.8VVT, Astra Estate and Corsa 1.2 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Suffolk Posts: 7,085 Thanks: 283 Thanked 624 Times in 440 Posts	I would not wire a dashcam to the car battery permanently. Measurements made and published on various forums have shown that dashcams typically draw between 1.2W and 3.5W from the 12V supply when operational. Taking a nominal value of 2.5W, this represents a 200mA draw at a nominal 12V battery voltage. The above will mean a typical in-service car battery being completely drained in around 10 days. Given that deep slow discharge kills lead acid batteries, this is not something I would do. I would set a goal of never discharging a car battery to a level below 75% of its charge holding capacity in order to ensure reasonable battery life i.e longevity of the battery as opposed to its point charge state. If I really wanted a permanently on dashcam, I would buy 2 off 20Ah Li-ion power banks and swap these between charging and the car every 2-3 days. Last edited by MSS; 29th July 2019 at 10:20..