Added Voltmeter?

[kalel14]

Has anyone added a voltmeter display to their car? I have one that plugs into what used to be called a cigarette lighter in the console, but it stays on long after the car shuts off. I was thinking of one that would be run through an circuit that opened when you opened the door to the car and shut off when the car turned off.

 

[Heima]

Hold it, the cigarette lighter stays on after you power off and leave the car? What if you lock it?

 

[kalel14]

Yes, it still stays on for a while no matter what you do. Not sure how long, it does eventually shut down. I'm not sure why it was designed that way.

 

[triangles]

I wired in my dash cam in and the 12v circuit in the car stays active for about 15 minutes. This actually saved me because it resulted in the recording of my next door neighbor backing into my car who had no insurance and refused to pay for it. So I guess It really didn't save me because they never paid but it was a moral victory as I gave the video to the police who charged them with improper backing and hit-skip. Yet strangely let them slide for not having insurnace???

 

[Heima]

Maybe the 12V is on the same timer as the audio? But the audio shuts off if you lock the doors. I had a Fluke multimeter on the 12v sockets and even after locking, they were still active. Still, good to know they do eventually power off, because I was thinking of getting one of those voltmeters.

An aside for Triangles, there is a politics in police policies, "what is the gain from the loss". For example, if the fine for driving a motor vehicle without insurance might have been a greater fine, the police might have thought, "are we going to get the money?". They could from you, because you are a decent human being, so you would be fined as such. But the dirtbag has nothing, so the cheaper improper backing was charged. They would either actually collect the fine, or not bother to pursue, because the court cost far outweigh the fine. "But its on his record!" (so freaking what.)

Other times, the police apply a moral decision, often for petty crimes that under the letter of the law have what the police believe to be an inordinate punishment for the crime. Such as drug possession laws. Possession of x grams of an illegal drug is considered a misdemeanor, but x+1 is a felony. The police feel morally obligated to not to charge the felony, because they believe it would ruin an otherwise respectable life. (oops, darn!) And that our overcrowded prisons can only afford the space for felons.

I wont say it, but you can guess how I feel. After I moved to this nice house in a respectable upscale neighborhood, my car was broken into and two laptops stolen. Because it was not forced entry, (they used a slim jim, no broken glass, no damaged paint), the police do not pursue the criminals, however they will take the report. (I am making that motion with my wrist).

I lived in Singapore for a while, where punishment is swift and severe. Not too much crime happening there, and the people are generally polite and kind. Not because of intimidation or persecution, but because they want to be, and in that environment, they feel safe that they can be.