[captaintweed]

Hi there folks

Just bought a dashcam and I'd like to hide the unsightly power cable somehow.
I was wondering if any of you have had any experience in this.

Basically I'd like to be able to tuck away the cable somehow, be this underneath the interior cushioning/through the pillar etc or if there was a good, neat way of putting it along the side, even though it'd be visible?

Any wisdom would be appreciated.
Thanks 

[CraigB]

Try and get the cam as hidden as possible behind the revision mirror then run the cabling along the roof lining, there's a gap at the top of the window where it can easily be tucked up then if you pull/peel away the door seal rubber on the pillar you can then run the cable down through there and under the dash over to the centre console.

If I had my car here I'd give you some photos but not possible at the moment sorry.

[Shambles]

Remove the map light housing and take a feed from there, forwards between the roof lining and the window.

[AlanHo]

I used the adhesive mount to fit the camera behind the rear view mirror.  Tuck the lead into the gap between the headlining and windscreen - run across the top of the screen inside the headlining  then a short run round the top of the A pillar and tuck it into the rubber door seal flange. Stay in the door seal until alongside the drivers seat where it pops out and runs across under the seat to the central binnacle where it is plugged into the power socket. The only bit visible is 3" around the A pillar which is hardly noticeable.

I believe I posted some photos here a couple of years ago of the routing but can't find them readily. It's late and I'm due to turn into a pumpkin at midnight.

[captaintweed]

Thanks CraigB & AlanHo. Did as you have done Alan, with just the run along the plastic trim on the pillar visible. Pretty pleased otherwise. Longer term Shambles I'll find a way to intergrate it into the power supply of the map lights or mirror power etc.

Thank you for your help 

[h20melon]

I hooked mine up to the map light.  I actually put in a cig. lighter socket in the roof space and the power supply of the camera in to that.  Just in case anything went wrong with the camera and I had to send back under warranty.

Only problem is that the power to the light is full time, therefore the camera wont turn on/off with the ignition key like the main cig. lighter socket.  So I have to remember to actually turn on/off before and after driving.  Some days I have forgotten and has been on all weekend videoing the garage door

[Shambles]

I hooked mine up to the map light.  I actually put in a cig. lighter socket in the roof space and the power supply of the camera in to that.  Just in case anything went wrong with the camera and I had to send back under warranty.

Exactly how I installed mine, and for the same reasons.

Only problem is that the power to the light is full time

The feed to my GD overhead decays after 20 mins...

Only found that out after a weekend 'connected' and saw the camera halfway through its boot sequence as I got in the car.

[ibrokeit]

Anyone got the schematics for the map light?

I assume it runs from +12V and the other end (when the lights aren't manually turned on) are connected to the BCM - to allow the whole stay on while unlocked for x seconds after door close, fade-quick on lock, etc..

Edit: Ahh - typed that too quickly... was thinking should be able to detect when light is off when car is locked... sure... but usually light is off when car is in use too.

[Jesse91]

I tucked mine into the roof lining, removed the side pillar and ran it down with the other wires, hard wired it to a "ignition on" wire with a fuse up under the dash.

[ibrokeit]

I tucked mine into the roof lining, removed the side pillar and ran it down with the other wires, hard wired it to a "ignition on" wire with a fuse up under the dash.

Nice - so no particular issues with removing the pillar trim and the airbags/SRS?

[CraigB]

I tucked mine into the roof lining, removed the side pillar and ran it down with the other wires, hard wired it to a "ignition on" wire with a fuse up under the dash.

Nice - so no particular issues with removing the pillar trim and the airbags/SRS?

Pillars unclip very easy but there is no need to remove, pull the rubber seal away on the pillar and you can squeeze the cam cable in between the pillar and roof lining to have it fully hidden away.

[Jesse91]

Nice - so no particular issues with removing the pillar trim and the airbags/SRS?

No, none that I recall. Pillar just has a bolt up the top and then pop you a couple of clips and then slide up towards the roof.

Pillars unclip very easy but there is no need to remove, pull the rubber seal away on the pillar and you can squeeze the cam cable in between the pillar and roof lining to have it fully hidden away.

I think I may have had to use a solid wire as a guide to feed the cable from the bottom of the piller to the bottom of the dash, hence why I removed the side pillar. 

[asathorny]

I use a spudger ( Spudger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) to lift the rubberised surround up and push the dash cam cable deep into the weatherproofing around the door,  I do not remove the A pillar nor any part thereof.

I start at the top where there is a joint delineating the door A pillar line from the roof liner and when finished the while wiring malarkey is invisible.  It's just a five minute job once ya get started, even for a ancient OLD fat man like me 

[CraigB]

I think I may have had to use a solid wire as a guide to feed the cable from the bottom of the piller to the bottom of the dash, hence why I removed the side pillar.

I don't know with the FD but with my GD I was able to remove the rubber seal and run the cable all the way down the outside of the pillar and into the lower kick panel area, then just ran it across the underneath of the dash to the power socket.

[ibrokeit]

No, none that I recall. Pillar just has a bolt up the top and then pop you a couple of clips and then slide up towards the roof.

Thanks Jesse91 for your advice.

And thanks also to everyone else for theirs.

Would be so much easier if they had a IGN switched 12V source in the map light *sigh*   Actually given the prevalence of dash-cams I am a little surprised this hasn't been done yet.

[Jesse91]

Would be so much easier if they had a IGN switched 12V source in the map light *sigh*   Actually given the prevalence of dash-cams I am a little surprised this hasn't been done yet.

You could wire the dash cam straight to the map light, then from up under the dash find the map light wire and re-wire it to an ignition source. You would lose the function of your map lights turning on when you unlock the car though, which I must say is brilliant.

[ibrokeit]

You could wire the dash cam straight to the map light, then from up under the dash find the map light wire and re-wire it to an ignition source. You would lose the function of your map lights turning on when you unlock the car though, which I must say is brilliant.

Yup - which is why I probably wouldn't do it.  Looks like running extra wiring is required either way... dashcam wiring back under dash; or install a concealed connection behind map light - if I remember recently Silicon Chip had an article about putting 5V USB supply up in map-light/cabin light area... don't recall if it was to supply dashcams (without a 12V adapter) or what.

[The Gonz]

Don't get too tied up in Silicon Chip kits. Cheaper to dissect a $5 USB power adapter, which is what I attached to the back of the accessory socket, then ran a microUSB plug (one of many types in the same $5 set) up behind the head unit and through a screw mounting hole to the top dash pocket for my GPS.

Using the same approach, you can do that all the way up the edge of the windscreen to the maplight area.

[ibrokeit]

Don't get too tied up in Silicon Chip kits. Cheaper to dissect a $5 USB power adapter, which is what I attached to the back of the accessory socket, then ran a microUSB plug (one of many types in the same $5 set) up behind the head unit and through a screw mounting hole to the top dash pocket for my GPS.

Using the same approach, you can do that all the way up the edge of the windscreen to the maplight area.

Good advice.  Yeah I have noticed that about SC projects/kits - some of them are re-inventing the wheel (sometimes with reason - more power or lower distortion).   If I recall I think they were intending it for slightly older vehicles - or it was someone's project they did for their vehicle... but again per your advice modding a cheap adapter will likely do the trick.

[The Gonz]

Yeah, my teen years were filled with soldering up Electronics Australia and the competing Electronics Today International kits. One of my early creations was the ETI-660 single board colour computer, with hex keypad built up of individual PCB mount keys and running assembler.

Then a whole bunch of audio kits like home stereo component systems and a Musicolour light chaser system using SCRs to switch four separate channels of 240V. I ran than one in the local disco for years!

... and everything in between. Sadly, mass manufactured miniaturisation out of the Asian factories pretty much killed off the hobby industry. Silicon Chip was a rather nice nostalgic resurgence but is now rarely an economical option.

I find the same spirit and challenge in now sourcing cheap pre-manufactured devices and adapting them as needed.

My temperature controlled soldering station is gathering dust and I haven't had a good whiff of isopropyl alcohol or solder flux in a very long time.

[ibrokeit]

My temperature controlled soldering station is gathering dust and I haven't had a good whiff of isopropyl alcohol or solder flux in a very long time.

That is soooo sad

[Phil №❶]

Not likely to be getting any in the next 14 months, I presume.

[The Gonz]

  It's all going into storage.

[Dazzler]

Not likely to be getting any in the next 14 months, I presume.

He'll probably be getting more than he was the last 10 months! 

[The Gonz]

Not likely to be getting any in the next 14 months, I presume.

He'll probably be getting more than he was the last 10 months! 

[Phil №❶]

I think he should have a good sniff before leaving.