DIY Tutorial for Hardwiring a Dashcam and Radar Detector

[krazieboy]

Great write up on this. was very useful in wiring mines. Ended up putting in on the plastic cover and made a small notch for the cable.

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[krazieboy]

BTW, did anyone find another switch fuse i can tap into for 12v? Want to wire a mag charger into the car. I have a grip on my phone that's mag charger friendly, and the oem wirless charger like it.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Guess I never posted this in this particular thread but I found a much more convenient ground.


Another option for a dashcam ground. To the left of the fuse box, the lower forward console panel pops off pretty easy. Pull the forward edge toward the passenger door then slide the whole panel forward. There is a bolt under there that makes a great ground.

 

[harrysiii]

Thank you all! I finally attempted this tonight. I was just installing the direct wire for my new Escort Redline 360c. Everything posted here helped me tremendously. This was my first direct wire attempt -- I've mirror tapped in the past.

 

[minjaep]

Do you guys put some tape around the cables to reduce/absorb noises? In Korea where everyone uses a dashcam, it is common sense that the untreated dashcam cables make some noise when touching plastic parts or so where it is not tightly fixed. Thus they usually tape around cables using some fabric/sponge tapes to absorb noises coming from frictions.

 

[krazieboy]

Do you guys put some tape around the cables to reduce/absorb noises? In Korea where everyone uses a dashcam, it is common sense that the untreated dashcam cables make some noise when touching plastic parts or so where it is not tightly fixed. Thus they usually tape around cables using some fabric/sponge tapes to absorb noises coming from frictions.

i dont notice any extra noise.

 

[GW Shark]

Fuse question for ya. First, the background - I have a Viofo A139 powered through the BBMC Powercell 8 external battery. My installer used the 15/16 fuses but I still have constant power on to the Powercell when the MME is powered off. The HK3-C hardwire kit has a switch that allows you to change the battery protection options and the light for that is always on. The Powercell 8 draws 8.5 amps when being charged. I am NOT using the dashcam's parking mode right now so it is not powered when the car is off (verified - no indicator lights are on).

I have noticed the following since the dashcam was installed - If I don't drive, my car will lose about 1% of battery charge per day from the HVB. I assume the draw via the dashcam line is the cause, since I've never had a power drain of this nature happened prior to dashcam installation.

My major questions are 1) is the 15/16 constant on 2) are there any other fuses that can take a 8.5 load available (looks to me like 1/2 are 5 amp and will trip but 5/6 look capable of handling the load - 20/10 amp). 3) is the current drain harming the car in any way?

Any help will be appreciated. I am going to set up an appointment with the installer to try and isolate and correct the issue. The more info we have to work with, the better (yea - he read this string of comments and found the info very helpful). Thanks in advance!!

 

[kdonnel]

My major questions are 1) is the 15/16 constant on 2) are there any other fuses that can take a 8.5 load available (looks to me like 1/2 are 5 amp and will trip but 5/6 look capable of handling the load - 20/10 amp). 3) is the current drain harming the car in any way?

From my notes when I installed mine. These are the fuses I chose from as they are not used by anything.

Always on: (micro 2)
Fuses 5 and 24 are 20A
Fuse 6 is 10A
Fuse 13 is 15A

Switched: (micro 3)
Fuses 1-2 are 5A

 

[harrysiii]

From my notes when I installed mine. These are the fuses I chose from as they are not used by anything.

Always on: (micro 2)
Fuses 5 and 24 are 20A
Fuse 6 is 10A
Fuse 13 is 15A

Switched: (micro 3)
Fuses 1-2 are 5A

I also used 1-2 for my radar detector install.

 

[GW Shark]

Great information! I went back to the installer and together we verified that the 15/16 fuses are switched. The light that I noticed was on (hardwire light) is powered by the Powercell 8, not the car. The car also has stopped showing a small drain of the high voltage battery. At any rate, I'll keep monitoring but it looks like the dashcam installation was a success.

 

[alroy]

Please update your OP with a link to the Micro3. I skimmed your post and blindly purchased both products in those Amazon links but I think you left out where you got the Micro3 ?

 

[harrysiii]

Please update your OP with a link to the Micro3. I skimmed your post and blindly purchased both products in those Amazon links but I think you left out where you got the Micro3 ?

I got this one:

Lumision ADD-A-Circuit Micro3 ATL Fuse-TAP Add ON Dual Circuit Adapter AUTO CAR Terminal + 5 AMP Fuse Fuse Tap fusetap https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01NAY4WR9/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_XKS4JN40E03482VK6EQK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[lolstebbo]

I got this one:

Lumision ADD-A-Circuit Micro3 ATL Fuse-TAP Add ON Dual Circuit Adapter AUTO CAR Terminal + 5 AMP Fuse Fuse Tap fusetap https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01NAY4WR9/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_XKS4JN40E03482VK6EQK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Did it actually fit or did you have to trim the plastic a little bit? The top review mentioned having to trim some of the plastic on the corners.

 

[harrysiii]

Did it actually fit or did you have to trim the plastic a little bit? The top review mentioned having to trim some of the plastic on the corners.

Mine fit perfectly in 1-2.

 

[minjaep]

If there is someone like me who are afraid of opening something of the new car, I bought a Garmin dash cam mini 2 and their constant power cable through OBD2. It is plug-and-play and I didn't need any tool or open any pillar to hide the cables. In the Garmin's parking mode (activated after several minutes of parking) it doesn't draw much power and I have never seen a warning about a 12v battery while turned off.

I'm planning to upgrade the front to 57 or its successor later and send the current mini 2 to the rear if I have some time routing to the rear, which seems not easy.

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