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Hard-wire Dash Cam Install

firecadet613 said:
I had this setup on my F150 and just finished the install on my RAM. The dash cam is powered up when the truck is on and off when it's off. I won't go into the reviews of this dash cam or setup, but I've had it for two years and no complaints. Great video quality as well.

Dash cam - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OQSXWUM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Hard wire kit - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MH4ZVHO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Looking at the owners manual, there is a fuse box located below the steering column, fuse F66 is unused, 10a and labelled as an accessory fuse. Perfect for what I'm trying to do.

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The dash panel below the steering column is held on by two bolts at the bottom and a bunch of clips, I used a non marring trim removal tool to help loosen those up. Once it's off, you'll have open access to the fuse block.

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With my F150, a add-a-fuse setup would barely fit, so I just wrapped the hot wire around a fuse and plugged it back in. Since the fuse is unused in the RAM, that sounded good as well.

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The trim panel to the left of the instrument panel pops off with trim removal tools as well (a few clips holding it on). Use a phillips screwdriver to loosen up one of the screws enough to get the ground wire in place and mounted. A few zip ties to keep the wiring in place and from bouncing around as well.

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On my F150 I pulled off the A pillar trip piece to route the wiring up and into the front of the headliner, over to where I mounted the dash cam by the mirror. In the RAM, I was able to sneak it behind the A pillar trim without removing it.

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Hope this helps!

***As a quick update - I now run a Viofo A129 dual dash cam, with the rear cam mounted on the passenger side of the sliding rear window (cable tucked up inside the headliner on the passenger side. Fuses - Constant 12V is F33, switched 12V is F66. No issues and really like the dual cam setup.***
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It helped immensely! Thank you for sharing this post, the only thing I did differently is I used a circuit fuse tap piggy-back (micro fuse style). Make sure you use the micro fuse sized one this make it very simple and works like a dream. Thank you again for sharing, I did this instead of using the mirror tap which I had used in the past. Set up in my 2019 Ram Rebel 1500 Crew cab.
 
Everything you’ve always wanted to know about dashcams (and then some), including in-depth look at parking modes and charging sources (back up battery vs hardwire).



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Installed the 750 blackvue just now, took me no more then an hour.
Thank you to everyone that said to use Fuse 33 and 66. Worked like a charm.

Word of advice, i used one of the screws on the left side of the dash where the panel comes off. My hardwire wouldnt turn on and i thought it was my wiring. Turned out the ground for some odd reason wasnt actually grounding. I went ahead and loosened the screw and the wiring kit came to life but flicked back off.
Comepletely unscrewed it, readjusted the ground and tightened it back up to the point where i got a steady green light on the kit. Mine try somewhere else to ground if it continues to give me problems.

Also, how did you guys hide all the extra wiring without it coming out from the bottom :cry::cry:
 
trixdesigns said:
Everything you’ve always wanted to know about dashcams (and then some), including in-depth look at parking modes and charging sources (back up battery vs hardwire).



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
So when do they start talking about dash cams?
 
kifac said:
Also, how did you guys hide all the extra wiring without it coming out from the bottom :cry::cry:
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You can bundle up all the slack wires near the fusebox, ziptie them together and stuff them behind the driver's side kickpanel just forward of the door. Its open at the top of the kickpanel and there's plenty of space behind it. Just tuck it in the top. This keeps the excess wire away from the other stuff under the dash.
 
AtlasRam1500 said:
Where did you purchase the rear bracket from?
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Lowe's hardware section. It's just a 2" wide thin aluminum strip purchased in 36" sections. It's easily cut with hand shears and bendable with hands or pliers. I ran a 12" strip up behind the headliner and when it stopped, I pulled it out and bent it to avoid whatever it hit and tried again. After I got about 8" under the headliner, I formed the rest of the bracket to mount the camera via the double side tape provided. I made a smaller bracket for the front camera just to mount it higher on the windshield than if I attached it directly. It is affixed to the windshield with doubleside tape instead of going under the headliner like I did in the rear. I had to in the rear since the center backglass moves and I wanted the camera as high as possible and centered. Worked out pretty good.
 
Saint said:
Just ordered a VIOFO A129 for my 2019,1500 LongHorn. Concerned about battery drain. I have e torque. Is there a way to just connect constant power to the
Lithium-ion battery. staying away from main start battery?

battery.
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No. The Li-Ion battery is 48v and is 400Watt-Hour. You would need a DC-DC converter to get 12v. The truck has a converter designed to charge the 12v battery while running. It is off when the truck is off.

Use a low voltage cutoff set at 12.2v and the A129 will run in Parking Mode for about 1.5 days. 12.2v is not a deep cycle and won't harm the 12v battery. If you want it to run several days on a special occasion, change the cutoff to 11.8v temporarily.
 
ExcursionDiesel said:
No. The Li-Ion battery is 48v and is 400Watt-Hour. You would need a DC-DC converter to get 12v. The truck has a converter designed to charge the 12v battery while running. It is off when the truck is off.

Use a low voltage cutoff set at 12.2v and the A129 will run in Parking Mode for about 1.5 days. 12.2v is not a deep cycle and won't harm the 12v battery. If you want it to run several days on a special occasion, change the cutoff to 11.8v temporarily.
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Great Thanks for that info.
 
I posted very early in the thread when I hard wired my radar detector. Dash cam will be here tomorrow. I used that bottom slot (66) for my radar detector. I like how the detector powers off when the truck goes off. I see people using a top slot (33) and they say the power is always on.

I want my dash cam to power off just as my radar detector does. I'm not using parking mode right now and don't need it always powered up. Is 33 the slot I want .....if I use that one, will I have to manually turn the dash cam off once I turn the truck off (at home in garage)?

Once I get the hang of using a dash cam, I'll go full-on tech mode and go 'big'.......dual cams, parking mode on, etc.

Thanks guys.
 
For anyone running BlackVue dash cams - has anyone used the BlackVue Power Magic OBD2 Adapter for power? If so, I would welcome you thoughts on it. Also, anyone using the BlendMount dash cam mirror mount? Wondering if having the camera several inches from the front window has any negative effects.

Thanks for any replies...
 
Hi. thanks for this post. it covers ALMOST everything I wanted to know. I say "almost" because I want to hard wire a BlackVue Power Magic Pro to be able to leave my dash cam recording when I park the truck. You used the accessory fuse, but I really need to use an "always on" fuse. Blackvue says it should be a 10 amp fuse, but i doubt the camera uses any more than a couple of amps at most. It is a DOD LS430 Camera. BTW, one wire of the harness does go to the ACC fuse, but another wire has to go to the "always on" fuse.
 
wranglersalberta said:
Hi. thanks for this post. it covers ALMOST everything I wanted to know. I say "almost" because I want to hard wire a BlackVue Power Magic Pro to be able to leave my dash cam recording when I park the truck. You used the accessory fuse, but I really need to use an "always on" fuse.
Click to expand...
It's in the first post in the thread (and a few others, I think):
Fuses - Constant 12V is F33, switched 12V is F66
Click to expand...
 
wranglersalberta said:
Hi. thanks for this post. it covers ALMOST everything I wanted to know. I say "almost" because I want to hard wire a BlackVue Power Magic Pro to be able to leave my dash cam recording when I park the truck. You used the accessory fuse, but I really need to use an "always on" fuse. Blackvue says it should be a 10 amp fuse, but i doubt the camera uses any more than a couple of amps at most. It is a DOD LS430 Camera. BTW, one wire of the harness does go to the ACC fuse, but another wire has to go to the "always on" fuse.
Click to expand...
If the Blackvue Powermagic Pro is an aux battery, then 10 amps would be about right. It would draw a lot if the battery was low during recharge. Otherwise, a 2 amp is sufficient. However, the fuse doesn't protect the electronics, it protects the truck wiring if a short occurs in the wiring to the device. Without a fuse, a dead short will start a fire. A 10 amp fuse will blow as fast as a 2 amp fuse on a dead short.
 
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