need stable voltage
Feb 6, 2014, 06:38 PM
#1
need stable voltage
My fancy dash-cam hates fluctuations in voltage. They cause it to trash to memory card. Some people tell me to get a new battery; it's the original battery and it isn't in great shape. But other people tell me that our cars have cruddy alternators and even a new battery won't stop the voltage changes that occur at idle. These folks tell me to get some funky voltage stabilizer.
School me, please.
School me, please.
Feb 9, 2014, 01:44 PM
#2
My fancy dash-cam hates fluctuations in voltage. They cause it to trash to memory card. Some people tell me to get a new battery; it's the original battery and it isn't in great shape. But other people tell me that our cars have cruddy alternators and even a new battery won't stop the voltage changes that occur at idle. These folks tell me to get some funky voltage stabilizer.
School me, please.
School me, please.
First, you have "the big three", which is replacing the cables for your engine ground, battery ground, and alternator.
This is very easy on the Evo. I used 0/2 gauge wire and 4 gauge wire for under the hood. It only takes half an hour, is cheap, and makes a HUGE difference.
Another approach is a voltage stabilizer. The obvious drawback here is that it can only stabilize so much, as in, it has a threshold in its capability. I would do battery and engine ground first, then a voltage stabilizer, so the voltage stabilizer has less "work" to do, per so.
The next consideration is power lead being used for the dash cam. Is it the cig lighter? Those are pretty week. I would run a direct power line from the battery or fusebox terminal so that nothing else draws off it. I wire my gauges into the stereo power harness specifically because that harness has thicker wires and better capacity.
Lastly, you could get an old fashioned car audio capacitor and put it in line with the power supply for your dash cam. Your cam will never pull enough current to drain the capacitor, so it will essentially draw its current perfectly stable off the capacitor. Think of it like a second battery: the capacitor will always provide a stable load, and technically, the dash cam is connected to the capacitor, not the car.
Mar 8, 2014, 06:13 PM
#4
Evolved Member
there's a few approaches for voltage stabilization, I've done most of them in my X's.
First, you have "the big three", which is replacing the cables for your engine ground, battery ground, and alternator.
This is very easy on the Evo. I used 0/2 gauge wire and 4 gauge wire for under the hood. It only takes half an hour, is cheap, and makes a HUGE difference.
Another approach is a voltage stabilizer. The obvious drawback here is that it can only stabilize so much, as in, it has a threshold in its capability. I would do battery and engine ground first, then a voltage stabilizer, so the voltage stabilizer has less "work" to do, per so.
The next consideration is power lead being used for the dash cam. Is it the cig lighter? Those are pretty week. I would run a direct power line from the battery or fusebox terminal so that nothing else draws off it. I wire my gauges into the stereo power harness specifically because that harness has thicker wires and better capacity.
Lastly, you could get an old fashioned car audio capacitor and put it in line with the power supply for your dash cam. Your cam will never pull enough current to drain the capacitor, so it will essentially draw its current perfectly stable off the capacitor. Think of it like a second battery: the capacitor will always provide a stable load, and technically, the dash cam is connected to the capacitor, not the car.
First, you have "the big three", which is replacing the cables for your engine ground, battery ground, and alternator.
This is very easy on the Evo. I used 0/2 gauge wire and 4 gauge wire for under the hood. It only takes half an hour, is cheap, and makes a HUGE difference.
Another approach is a voltage stabilizer. The obvious drawback here is that it can only stabilize so much, as in, it has a threshold in its capability. I would do battery and engine ground first, then a voltage stabilizer, so the voltage stabilizer has less "work" to do, per so.
The next consideration is power lead being used for the dash cam. Is it the cig lighter? Those are pretty week. I would run a direct power line from the battery or fusebox terminal so that nothing else draws off it. I wire my gauges into the stereo power harness specifically because that harness has thicker wires and better capacity.
Lastly, you could get an old fashioned car audio capacitor and put it in line with the power supply for your dash cam. Your cam will never pull enough current to drain the capacitor, so it will essentially draw its current perfectly stable off the capacitor. Think of it like a second battery: the capacitor will always provide a stable load, and technically, the dash cam is connected to the capacitor, not the car.
While I'm a little confused about what you are saying, I will do some research and try do it myself. Also I hope to find some good how-to guides soon. 
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
mrfred
Evo Engine / Turbo / Drivetrain
377
Jan 20, 2022 01:02 PM
wazzelby
Evo Electrical / Audio / Security
2
Jul 18, 2015 05:46 PM
GravityKnight
Evo How Tos / Installations
5
Mar 1, 2015 12:04 PM