12V battery for powering dashcam

Q

quietlyspinach

Active Member
I don't have my MINI yet, but I was thinking about updating my dashcam to one which has parking mode when it arrives.

That got me thinking about how the MINI handle the 12V accessories. Is there a 12V battery like there is in gas powered cars? If so, what are the conditions that cause it to get charged? One concern with dashcams in parking mode is they can drain the 12V battery down so low the car can't start again. I'm thinking if the SE does have a 12V battery, it probably charges it differently than the gas car; perhaps when plugged in? Is it safe to just put a hardwire kit in that shuts off the parking mode when the voltage drops below 12V?
 
There is a 12V battery (AGM, like ICE MINIs use), and the consensus is the car recharges it from the main batteries while they charge (since there's no alternator). And maybe from the regenerative braking? The 12V battery runs all the accessories and lights, like an ICE car, and if it goes dead the car won't run because the dash has no power.
 
Got it. I'm looking at the Street Guardian SG9663DCPRO+ which has parking mode plus a rear camera. I think I've seen people route the rear cable up over the headliner and through one of the rubber hose/tubes that connect the hatch back to the top area of the vehicle; I'm guessing I'll stick on the back windshield.

I saw the other thread about the fuses and finding a switched and unswitched power source. I can live without parking mode but if the internal 12V battery has enough juice it'd be nice to have a bit of recording when I park the car away from home. At home in my garage I won't have a need for it.
 
The technical operational specs for the Mini SE are still a bit of a mystery to the user and the dealer technicians who seem to be reluctant to work on the SE.
I can only guess or give my opinion based on previous experience (That's my disclaimer) the 12v battery is probably managed by one of the onboard controllers that manages the high voltage traction batteries, a DC/DC converter should supply the 12v battery when it needs it, as long as your main battery is at a decent state of charge it will power the 12v battery for a very long time.
 
I'm using that SG cam right to the 12v cigarette outlet. I didn't bury the wires yet, but going on 5 months there is no problems with battery drainage. I really like that the 12v cigarette power stays active for ~13 minutes after locking the car, or during charging.
 
I know you said you haven't buried the wires yet, but have you considered how you're going to route the rear camera cables? I've seen photos of people who have stuck it to the back windshield glass by routing it over the headliner and through the rear hatch tubes, and also I saw a clever method where someone stacked neodymium magnets under and over the headliner and glued a magnet to the dashcam mount so the camera is mounted to the ceiling pointed outward. I like that option since it means the camera won't be jostled each time the hatch is opened, but it also seems like it might be a bit of a challenge removing enough of the headliner to position the magnets which sit under the headliner.
 
I actually haven't gotten that far yet. I mounted the rear camera to the bottom right corner of the hatch glass, where it can't be seen from the driving position. It will take a bit of work to conceal everything nicely. I'm too lazy for that :P
 
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