Anybody figure out how to keep the 12V (lighter) accessory active even when the car is powered down? I don't need to do it permanently, just for a few hours because I want to keep a particular device powered without having to tap the 17" touchscreen every few minutes.
I would wire a 12V line directly to the battery, but then you'd need either a timer or a voltage-detecting 'cutoff' to protect the car in case you leave a device connected for longer than you should.
Yah, for long-term stuff definitely. I just meant for an afternoon (charging up a laptop at a campground, for example).
Brian, only thing I can think of offhand is to leave the door slightly cracked. (Or does the car still go off after a certain amount of time in this case too?
Probably the safest thing to do (in terms of not draining the 12V battery so much that the car won't start) is to use a jump start kit. Many of those have 12V sockets for accessories.
I was under the impression that the car will keep the 12-volt battery charged from the traction battery unless the traction battery gets dangerously low. Anyone know for sure? I've got my Blackvue dash cam hard wired to the constant 12V source under the mic grill, and so far no problems.
It still turns off after 5-15 minutes. (I didn't measure the time.) - - - Updated - - - I'll try that next time. Thanks. - - - Updated - - - I'm not worried about battery drain for the intended usage here for two reasons: (1) in some cases I'll be near enough to a car plug-in (just not necessarily a 110 plug-in) and (2) Elon's comment about running a laptop for like 3 years or whatever.
> I've got my Blackvue dash cam hard wired to the constant 12V source under the mic grill, and so far no problems. [markb1] 'Mic grille?? Is this only on TECH PKG cars? Pictures & arrows, please! --
I'm not sure if it's a tech package thing. But it's on the ceiling just behind the rear view mirror. There are some good pictures here: How about a DashCam option? - Page 2