Hello,

I didn't want to revive an old thread but it's a follow up to this thread: 12v accessory ports - always on? - Electric Vehicle ForumsHello,



I have a Ford Escape 2008. Currently the 12v outlet is always on and I fear leaving dashboard cam plugged all time could discharge the battery. I've seen mods online that use two fuse taps similar to this setup where the 12v outlet is connected to a another fuse location that's only powered on ignition.




Also this setup from that thread

But it's not clear which fuses should I plug to the fuse tap and in which position should each end be.

Does anyone have a recommended way of doing it?

 

There are two banks of "unused/spare" fuses listed in the manual; one near the top, and one near the bottom of the right half of the fuse bank. I believe the top "spare fuse" slot is always-on, and the bottom one switches with the ignition, but I'm not 100% sure.
I haven't yet found a way to lay out the fuses where the cover fits, however, and also had a difficult time finding a suitable ground location for the camera. I ended up using some structure on the frame to slide a nut & bolt into, which has been working reliably, and store the plastic cover in the glovebox (at least until I can 3D print a replacement).

Here's how I have it laid out. Both of these fuses are labelled as "not used/spare" in the manual. I believe I might have the orientation on some of the fuse adapters swapped, which puts both of their fuses "in series" (this would be a problem if these spare fuses had a load on them, but they don't, so it's fine).