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I have a 2010 Chevy Equinox LT (2.4L / 4 cyl). Recently I bought this dashcam. When I plugged the charger into my 12v cigarette lighter port in the front of my car, plugged the usb in, connected to my dashcam and turned it on a few minutes after working it turned off. I later found that ALL 3 12v charging ports in the car were dead. I could not even charge my phone anymore.

After taking my car to the mechanic I found the fuses were blown. After replacing the fuses, I was able to charge my phone and everything was working great. I plugged in my dashcam and it worked for about 2 hours before all my ports went dead again meaning my new fuses were reblown.

I want to test out the charging unit and usb cable to make sure they're not defective and causing a short. I have attached a picture of the charging unit and usb cable below.

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If the cables are fine, what are my options for using this dashcam in my car?

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    I'm really wondering... A cigarette lighter typically has a 10-20A fuse, which allows to draw 120-240W. That's MUCH more than any device would need. Even if your cars ports are for charging phones etc. only, I can hardly believe they are too weak for your camera. What's the power demand of the cam, and what's the rating of the blown fuse?
    – sweber
    Commented Oct 16, 2017 at 14:28
  • Meter your equipment, probably a short, maybe only presents under load. Cheap to just try a different cord/charger/socket/cam.
    – geoO
    Commented Dec 11, 2018 at 2:02

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As @sweber says, the fuse in your lighter socket should be 10 or 20 amps - the adapter states 2.4A per port, so even if you had three things charging it should only be drawing 7.2A (say 8 to allow for inefficiency). If you're blowing the fuse, that suggests to me that, as you suspect, there is a problem with either the charger, the cable or the camera, that is causing a short and blowing the fuse.

You should be able to test the cable with a multimeter - set the meter to "continuity" (which on most meters will buzz when there is a circuit between the two probes), and check there's no short between the inner and outer pins on the camera end - wiggle the cable around a bit as you do so in case it's an intermittent one. It's a shame it's not a standard USB-USb cable, as my usual advice here would be to try a known-good cable.

I suspect the best way to test the adaptor is to try a different one - there's loads out there so you can pick one up for very little, and they are always a useful thing to have around...

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    It's always worth checking that the loom hasn't been messed around with by a previous owner. I've seen all kinds of horrific wiring shunts added to vehicles where things like radios and alarms have been added.
    – Steve Matthews
    Commented May 10, 2019 at 9:16
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I once blew a 15A fuse with a cheap 1.5A charger, my device was a phone so I believe it is unlikely to be the camera the problem probably the charger is doing a short circuit I suggest trying another charger and also reading the camera specs

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Dump your no name charger and cables. You are drawing way too much current and blowing fuses.

Something you're plugging in obviously has an internal short and it sounds like the dash cam. You are risking damage to your fuse box, socket, or fusible link somewhere.

Try a different quality charger and cord, and if it still blows a fuse get a new dash cam.

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You need to find a suitable supply either direct (not switched) or a switched supply from a circuit with a higher fused rating or add a direct supplyvfrom the battery with its own fuse.

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  • How much would a service like that cost to install in my car?
    – Richard
    Commented Oct 16, 2017 at 0:01
  • Go ask - prices vary with location / country etc
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Oct 16, 2017 at 4:03
  • This isn't very helpful - if the camera is designed to be charged through USB then the existing supply should be more than adequate, so there must be a problem with the equipment
    – Nick C ♦
    Commented Mar 15, 2018 at 10:38
  • @NickC well, for start my car has 3 cigarette lighter sockets provided and they all have different ratings - sometimes it is necessary to fit your own and make sure it has sufficient capacity - I have fitted more than a few for customers in the past....
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Mar 15, 2018 at 10:47

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