Add-a-Circuit Accessories

[mkv_martinez]

Working on hardwiring my radar detector and I think I have one of those plans that is not recommended, but would technically probably be fine (famous last words).

I already have my dash cam wired up with an Add-a-Circuit, the added circuit powers a 12v cigarette lighter with a 12v USB Adapter plugged into it and has the power to the camera plugged in. I'll shorten the wires one day but was in a rush when in installed it.

I feel like the camera & radar detector might still not use so much power that they blow a 10amp fuse if I put them both on a single Add-a-Circuit. If that is the case, is that safe? I see other fuses on that same row rated for 10a - I just want to be sure I am not pulling too much power through the harness to one single fuse location.
The dash cam just requires 5v at like 1a-2a - who knows the actual draw but I don't imagine its much; radar detector has some ratings around 450mA at 12v.
Common consensus is a 2-5a fuse for most radar detectors on their own add a circuit. Seems like the Dash cam would run fine off a 2a fuse - can I just add that up and put a 10a fuse on there and run them off the same Add-a-Circuit? Hoping someone with more experience wiring these sorts of things than myself can chime in and confirm I'm on the right track and likely won't melt wires.

I guess I am open to having the existing Add-a-Circuit trigger a relay that is properly wired in to a little 6 fuse block and run both like that; just seems like a lot of work for only 2 accessories.

Edit: I should also add the circuit I am tapped into was unused previously - so there should be no load on it other than what I am adding to it.

 

[sterkrazzy]

I'm pretty sure I had my V1 and a Rexing V1 on the same add-a-circuit, but I also had issues with the radar constantly blowing a fuse. The radar had a 2a fuse and the dashcam I'm pretty sure had a 10a. The 2a would blow almost every time I turned the car on.

When I installed them into my mk7 I did 2 separate add-a-circuits and I haven't had a single issue with the fuses.

 

[mkv_martinez]

I'm pretty sure I had my V1 and a Rexing V1 on the same add-a-circuit, but I also had issues with the radar constantly blowing a fuse. The radar had a 2a fuse and the dashcam I'm pretty sure had a 10a. The 2a would blow almost every time I turned the car on.

When I installed them into my mk7 I did 2 separate add-a-circuits and I haven't had a single issue with the fuses.

Hmm, you had both devices off one add a circuit but each device had its own fuse? Typically with the setup I outlined both accessories would run off 1 fuse and the second slot in the add-a-circuit was for the original circuit that was for the existing circuit being tapped into.

 

[sterkrazzy]

Hmm, you had both devices off one add a circuit but each device had its own fuse? Typically with the setup I outlined both accessories would run off 1 fuse and the second slot in the add-a-circuit was for the original circuit that was for the existing circuit being tapped into.

Yea, the kit I had for the radar had a fuse built into the wiring like this one here - https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71xh1b2nepL._AC_SY355_.jpg

I was using an add-a-circuit for the radar. Then when I got the dashcam I just plugged the hardwire kit into the same add-a-circuit. I had the dashcam connected to the wire coming off the add-a-circuit and had a 2a in the top slot, with the 10a from the dashcam plugged into the bottom slot. This actually worked for me without any issues until the radar died completely and I replaced it with a new v1 unit. The new unit started giving me problems right away. Maybe I could have just plugged the 10a from the dashcam into the top slot and skipped the 2a as the radar had a 2a built into the line. I think that's what you're saying you want to do.

Wiring things up has always been one of my least favorite things to do and I typically have no idea what I'm doing. I just know the set up on my mk6 was causing me a bunch of issues, but I did them on separate add-a-circuits on my mk7 and I haven't had a single issue.