Turn Cigarette Lighter 12V Socket Off With Ignition

[Neilreddy99]

Hi.

I have an in-car camera hooked up to the front cigarette lighter 12v socket. I want the socket to turn OFF when the ignition is turned off because the camera will sense this and turn itself off. Otherwise the camera will continue to draw power and drain the battery.

I currently just plug the connector in and out of the socket and the start and end of the journey but I want to cut out that step. The day I forget to plug it in, I'll need the video! The day I forget to plug it out, my wide will be next in the car and it'll be flat!

Any advice appreciated on whether this is something simple I can do by fiddling with fuses etc or is it a job for a professional mechanic/sparks?

Thanks

[gregers]

i too have 1 of these devices on my smax,i just leave it on as im sure after a few minutes it will switch it self off anyway.

i will go out and check this tomorrow myself just to make sure,i turn my camera off everytime i exit the car and when i reopen it always comes back on automatically. 

[gregers]

defo switches itself off after a few minutes,wouldve thought yours should do the same?

[Neilreddy99]

Hi Gregers.

Thanks for the tip. I decided to do the same as you and it DOES turn off! Nice.

My mistake was unlocking the car before checking the camera. Unlocking the car turns back on the cigarette lighter power so I had assumed it was on all the time!

All good. Now it turns on a starts recording when I unlock the car and turns off about 15 minutes after the car is locked.

Cheers

Neil

[GaryM]

I managed to find an ignition switched feed above the courtsey light and took it from there as that is where my crash cam is, by the mirror. Saves trailing cables.

[Neilreddy99]

Interesting.

By courtesy light, you mean the cluster of lights over the rear-view mirror?

Would you mind detailing how you did it, for a non-sparky like me... My camera takes a 5v USB cable feed.

:)

[GaryM]

Yep, without taking a look I can't remember where I tapped in. I you are lucky I might take a peek later

 

Mine is micro USB as well so I just used a ciggy adaptor and wired the supply to that before insulating it 

[GaryM]

Just checked and I actually took the feed from the drivers side rear quarter window switch.

 

+12V = Brown with Grey trace

0V = Black with Blue trace

 

BTW to get access, unclip the whole panel working from the back sides while pulling down. It should sort of hinge down towards the windscreen as there are longer lugs in the front holding it all in place.

 

Picture is not vey clear I'm affraid but the feed to the guts of the ciggy PSU are the two Black wires...

 

http://www.morban.co.uk/MiscImages/UpperPowerTakeOff.JPG

[monacotiger]

Thx