What Wire type for powering reversing camera ?

[Arlie71]

Hi, hope this is the right place to post.

Bit of a newbie question, but wanted to check before risking buying the wrong stuff.

I bought a reversing camera from Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0042S19Q0
but I am actually fitting it to the FRONT of my motorhome not the rear. So I need to run power to the camera from the 12V supply in the cab, through the bulkhead grommit and down the side of the engine bay to the front grill. The reason for the front camera is I need to park tight up against a low brick column on the drive and just cant see it all from the driver seat.

Anyhow, my question is what type of cable should I buy to supply the power, As its going through the engine bay and bulkhead and behind dash I want to make sure the wire is robust enough to not short/melt/rub away the insulation. I know the power going through it is very low, but would much prefer to spend a bit and get decent cable rather than the thin speaker wire that the unit comes with.

Hope this makes sense, and any recomendations greatfully recieved.

Cheers

Andy

[ch427]

there are plenty of flat or round twin auto cables on ebay that would do the job, 0.5mm should be plenty big enough for a camera supply but check the loading first.

[Arlie71]

Thanks for the reply.

Is it worth getting armoured cable at all, am probably overthinking, but as its running across front grille, then through engine bay I was worried that normal wire would not be good enough.
Or ia all auto cable good enough quality for using.

I know its the most basic of questions, but just read so many horror stories of fires in campervans from bodged wiring that I want to make sure I do it right :-)

Cheers

Andy :-)

[The Black Flash]

I'd use normal thinwall automotive cable. You can wrap it in loom tape for added protection, and to finish it off nicely stick some split convoluted sleeving over it - all of that stuff costs pence so it's well worth doing. It's what most people use to do their kit cars so will be fine.

[Camaro]

A lot of dodgy wiring and electrical fires are more likely due to improper cable size and no existent short circuit protection.

Very few standard items on a car draw huge amounts of current, and most cable sizes for electrical accessories barely get any bigger than 2mm csa.

Armoured cable would be a bit of an over kill in this situation, and has been posted, split flexible cable conduits would finish it with a very nice oem style.

Although its not going to be drawing a huge amount of current, it is still a good idea to ensure whatever you're wiring the camera off of is fused to a sufficient rating.

[Camaro]

A lot of dodgy wiring and electrical fires are more likely due to improper cable size and no existent short circuit protection.

Very few standard items on a car draw huge amounts of current, and most cable sizes for electrical accessories barely get any bigger than 2mm csa.

Armoured cable would be a bit of an over kill in this situation, and has been posted, split flexible cable conduits would finish it with a very nice oem style.

Although its not going to be drawing a huge amount of current, it is still a good idea to ensure whatever you're wiring the camera off of is fused to a sufficient rating.

[ch427]

no need for armoured cable, just make sure its clipped nicely and cannot rub against any sharp objects.
Make sure its fused accordingly at the point you pick up the 12v from ie the battery.

[Arlie71]

Thanks All.
PH is great I have to say, I know it was such a simple question to many, but I just wanted to be sure I didnt risk anything by using the wrong cable.

Will make sure its well clipped and have chosen a route up the inside of the front wing so should not rub or cause problems for anything else.

I did actually ask the question on another forum and got a less than friendly response, so nice to just get a simple straight forward answer on here.

The 12V supply is fused, the power cable is actually going to a central box that connects 2 other reversing cameras and then up to the monitor. The monitor has 4 inputs so this camera was a cheap add on to a "proper" fully cabled system.

Cheers

Andy :-)