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Dashcam Install (BLACKVUE DR650GW-2CH)

31K views 25 replies 12 participants last post by  CX3Stu 
#1 ·
Hey Guys,

Here's a quick write up of how I installed my twin channel Blackvue DR650GW Dash Cam in my CX3.
But this install will suit and show info for anyone trying to install a similar dash cam which they want wired into the vehicle instead of using the 12v Socket.

Refer to the Attached PDF for photos, and below are just going to be some notes of what I did and what to look out for when pulling the vehicle apart and what I picked up on.

Parts I bought in.
[FONT=&quot]-BlackVue DR650GW-2CH[/FONT]
- Power Magic Pro
- 2 Mini Blade Fuse (Add a Circuits)
-4 Mini Blade Fuses (15Amps, because you can’t use the existing Stock Fuses)

Panels (Removal of panels for install)
Overall I only had to remove 5 Panels/components from the car which includes the glove box.

Rear of the Car
Boot: The boot has a panel which is held on by 5 clips. This is easy enough to pry off by starting with each side and levering gently and then moving your way inwards. There isn’t any tab clip which needs to be pushed it’s just a pop on panel. Then there are 3 in the centre which are metal based and requires a little more persuasion, be careful because they can spring off and get lost.

Rubber Grommet cable lead: The boot has 2 rubber grommet conduits which hold the rear washer hose and electronic cabling. The Electronic Cabling is on the Passenger side and the Rear Washer hose on the right. I chose to go for the right one because of where the wire would pop out into the roof lining was more visible. The easiest way I found to get the lead through was pull off the rubber grommet off each side and feed the cable through because of its ribbed nature.
(2 notes about using the driver side grommet). Be careful when installing not to loosen or pop of the rear washer hose because this will cause water to go into your roof lining. When putting the grommet back on make sure it’s tightly on because this is another source for water to get into your roof lining, you need to push the white plastic plug from the opposite side of the metal to allow for the rubber lip to seal under and this can be really finicky if you have large hands.
You can choose whether you drop the roof lining or not it has 2 plugs up top but from experience they can be a pain in the ass to remove and you can easily damage your roof lining. (I chose not to drop it) The rear of the roof lining is easy and pliable enough that you can get a hand in if you’re careful just to pull out the cable which out creasing it, you just pull down the rubber pinch weld/weather stripping.

Front of the Car


Getting access to the Front Fuse panel and wiring up.
(The process is to remove the Glove box first, then the passenger side door guard and then the main panel covering the fuse box panel)

1) Removing the glove box Refer to photo
2) Remove the passenger side door guard by just levering up it’s held in by 3 pop tabs and it comes off easily. Just note that the side in foot well the panel is clipped underneath, to the main fuse panel.
3) Main Fuse panel this is held in by a pop tab near the side of the door and then underneath near the firewall deep in there is a push on plastic nut which can be unscrewed.

Note: To take out the fuses go to the engine bays fuse box and pop the lid on that, there is a small white plastic fuse puller attached on the inside of the lid with spare fuses and this will make life easy. There are also 2 spare slots in the lid where you can chuck the 2 X 15Amp stock fuses in for storage.

Now most of the hard stuff is explained. The rest is just wire management and popping in the “add a circuits” and plugging and attaching the blackvue and magic pro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJU6It9uETU

I recommend watching the attached link because this will explain camera alignment, some various cable management tips for the roof lining and pillars etc.
I popped my magic pro in my glove box top and it leaves it nice and accessible and clean while not hindering what I put in the glove box.

Hope this helps anyone who is installing a dash cam and saves them some research.
 

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#2 ·
Thanks for taking the trouble to do this Ishtalk.
 
#3 ·
@ishtalk


Thanks

I mounted the same cameras this evening.
Power Magic Pro tomorrow.
Haven't decided where to locate it yet.
left hand drive - fuse panel on the left, glove box on the right.
 
#5 ·
My first as well.

I thought it would be a neat toy such as: all those Russian dashcams recording a meteor or idiot drivers.

Through research it became clear that I can have evidence of a hit & run meaning the culprit can be made to pay and no deductible on my insurance.
The recording of an accident may show who is at fault. The possibility of capturing a criminal event in full HD. This set up allows the camera to connect via WiFi to my home or work network thereby providing push notifications of an event (G-force, motion).

There is the ability to connect live to the cameras and also transfer the video (currently only available via iPhone or Android)

thanks to this thread , the hardest part (connecting the rear cam) became easier.


and they (front & back) are really cool toys :D
 
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#7 ·
After testing my dash cam for a while, im under the sneaky suspicion that the fuse im using for constant supply power isnt actually constantly supplied. but has a cutoff after a while if its still drawing from the line when the engine is turned off.

Because My camera shuts down after a period of time when in parking mode.
But this has only happened since i upgraded the SD card to 64gb.

Another variable is that its shutting down because of our Australian heat and Ive been parked in the sun on hot days. its a doozy. ill keep you informed.
 
#10 ·
Ok update, It was my SD Card, it needed to be reformatted and wasn't switching from parking mode back to driving mode when i turned the car on, all is fine now. Also another reason why my power magic pro was cutting out was the charge of my battery wasn't always peak and the setting i had the magic pro to cutout was at its limit. I hadn't taken out my car for a long drive to charge it back up and wasnt really topping it up with 15 min runs to work.

I still do notice that when its an insanely hot day that i reckon my Blackvue probably gets to 60-70+ to the touch and its burning hot in the sun and from this is has to be manually booted up from parking mode. this could be due to the SD card i bought not being able to handle these temps.

cooler days it works just fine and the fuse i am using does always have constant power and does not cut off after a specific amount of time.
 
#8 ·
operating range is -20 to 60c

temp shouldn't be a problem.

for the yellow wire I used - bottom row, second from the front.

64gb card - parked at 10:30 Saturday night , cams still working at 2:00 Sunday afternoon.
 
#9 ·
I ordered one of these and it just arrived today. i wanted to isntall it with a 16,000mah powerbank but it doesn't have a usb ended power cable, just the cigarette lighter socket. so i'm going to order the additional parts you have listed and use your notes to try when the parts arrive. Thanks for taking the time to post this up.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the update -
I'm on the other side of the globe, so have yet to experience the heat.
I did notice that the camera itself generates a fair bit of heat.
It was just below freezing last night and the frost on the windshield was clear around the camera.
I purchased a second 64 GB card, it allows me to review video from one while the other continues to do it's job.
 
#15 ·
Thanks guy's. In the end end ran the co-ax from the tailgate over the headlining ... managed to get it down to the rear interior light and then ran over the headlining down the passenger side to the front screen.... removed The top sections of the for door rubbers to make it easier. Thanks for the post as I hadn't a clue how the glove box came out or the trim around the fuse box...turned out that connecting the power was easier than I thought!
 
#18 ·
You have to be very careful fitting the wire up the A post. The wire should go on top of the airbag, not underneath or it can get snagged if it deploys. I will explain how to get the trim off when I'm at my computer.
 
#21 ·
I follow Techmoan a lot of the time. I'm using a new A119 in the rear and a DDPai M6 Plus at the front. Both seem to perform well.

Techmoan - Techmoan
 
#23 ·
Intalling Dash Cam and Rear Cam

Hi all,
Firstly, Highly appreciate ALL tutorials and info people have contributed on the forum. :D:D:D:D:D:D

I have a few questions regarding the camera installation by @ishtalk also the one that @Smarties CX-3http://www.cx3forum.com/forum/electronics-audio/4970-installing-rear-dash-cam.html did
You ran the wires from the front of the car to the rear up through the roof lining. How did you get the cable into that area?

1) Did you run it along the top of the windscreen,then towards the back, along the top of the B-pillar, and then into the roof lining at the C-pillar (where the CX-3 has that small rear quarter glass), and then finally into weather tube that holds the washer water (connects the hinge of the boot and the car body)? What about side airbags - anywhere that wires shouldn't be? Besides the A-pillar as @anchorman cautioned.
I'm confident how to run the wires in the boot area (removing the plastic garnish etc). It's just the roof lining that I didn't even know had a space in it. :eek:

2) As I'm installing the reverse camera, (in the original space that some CX-3's have it factory fitted), it requires power (both positive and negative). Can I just tap into the reverse lights for this? Or would you suggest otherwise? Note that the wires to supply power are only 1.5m in length. I suspect that these are sense wires, as the connector that the camera uses for video(connects to the screen unit) is TRRP, that also carries a charge. Camera has an always on feature, so the 'extra' power wires would be to auto switch to reverse when I put the car in reverse gear.

3) Is there a reason that you used a 15A in the new circuit, why not a lower current fuse, like 5A? I know that original circuit needs the 15A fuse to keep it working as normal.

Note: This is not wired to the Mazda factor screen. I'm installing a separate 4inch screen under the rear view mirror, using your method of add-a-circuit fuse, hard-wiring the screen unit via the accessory fuse.

Thanks in advance!!:nerd:
 
#24 ·
For the rear camera, I added a 12v supply along the floor then put a 12v socket behind the trim. From there I ran the supply chord up the C pillar and under the headliner and then through the umbilical to the back door. If you get interference on a digital radio station, it is coming from the 12v adapter. Good quality cameras like DDPai have suppression built in the adapter.
 
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#25 ·
Here is a Thinkware dash cam. Bit bigger than the Blackvue's but I do like having the screen.
I stuck it to the iActiveS camera housing and that works nicely with the wide angle. I might adjust it so that the cord goes under the housing and out to the camera through the rearview mirror arm hole.
I also drive with the seat fairly far back and so I don't have any viewing obstruction issues. Perhaps someone who sits forward more wouldn't like it mounted there.
I found 2 empty fuse slots to which one was always on and one was normal. Checked it with a volt meter and tied each into an "add a circuit" so that they are fused.
Cord was ran as normal in the headliner, down the A pillar zip tied, down the rubber door sil etc etc and away we go.
I'll pickup a rear camera soon as that just plugs directly into the front camera with a normal jack that you'd just run to the back... @anchorman you can fly out here and install that part for me as I'm not looking forward to it.
 

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