Installing Garmin or any Dashcam. Tap power from auto dim mirror

[RTCalifornia]

DIY on how I installed my Garmin Dash Cam 46 and tapped the power off the auto-dimming mirror so the Dash Cam would only turn on when the start button is in Run or ACC mode.

My Jeep has the Advance Safety Group package which includes a big box right behind the rear view mirror. The box is large enough to accommodate the power adapter....but

I decided to break apart the Garmin 12v cigarette adapter housing and use the raw electronic inside to reduce the size. This is not necessary but I did it anyway.

I tapped the power from the Auto-dimming mirror which only energizes when the ignition button is in "Run" or "ACC" mode. The positive 12v wire color is pink with yellow stripe. For Negative, I simply tapped to a grounding screw.

The USB power is then routed from the Box behind the mirror to the camera.

Here is the video of the entire process if anyone is interested. I tried to trim the video as much as I can to shorten it. Total video time is about 6 minutes



RT

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[PntBlnk]

DIY on how I installed my Garmin Dash Cam 46 and tapped the power off the auto-dimming mirror so the Dash Cam would only turn on when the start button is in Run or ACC mode.

My Jeep has the Advance Safety Group package which includes a big box right behind the rear view mirror. The box is large enough to accommodate the power adapter....but

I decided to break apart the Garmin 12v cigarette adapter housing and use the raw electronic inside to reduce the size. This is not necessary but I did it anyway.

I tapped the power from the Auto-dimming mirror which only energizes when the ignition button is in "Run" or "ACC" mode. The positive 12v wire color is pink with yellow stripe. For Negative, I simply tapped to a grounding screw.

The USB power is then routed from the Box behind the mirror to the camera.

Here is the video of the entire process if anyone is interested. I tried to trim the video as much as I can to shorten it. Total video time is about 6 minutes




RT

why did you ground to a screw vs the black wire on that harness? Planning to hardwire a Uniden R3 this weekend and looking for the proper wire to tap into. Where is the screw that you used?

 

[RTCalifornia]

why did you ground to a screw vs the black wire on that harness? Planning to hardwire a Uniden R3 this weekend and looking for the proper wire to tap into. Where is the screw that you used?

I used the chassis ground only because it was convenient. If you find a ground wire, you can use it.

Good luck.

 

[PntBlnk]

I used the chassis ground only because it was convenient. If you find a ground wire, you can use it.

Good luck.

Is there a chases ground in that area once you pull the plastic cover off or did you run the ground wire down the A pillar to someplace on the body?

 

[RTCalifornia]

Is there a chases ground in that area once you pull the plastic cover off or did you run the ground wire down the A pillar to someplace on the body?

Hi PntBlk,
Yes, there is a bolt that is there with a ground to chassis.

I just saw that the video link to the installation was broken. I just fixed the link. Please watch the video at 5:00 minutes in and you will see how I mounted the spade to the ground wire and bolt it in to the chassis.

Here is the video link again.



RT

 

[dpike]

Rather than tap the existing mirror wires you can get a 12volt lighter socket tap which leaves you 2 accessory connections for cam, gps, gmrs radio, cb, ect. Routing a wire from a dashcam to the footwell is simple and takes no more than 10 minutes.

 

[bobholthaus]

@RTCalifornia thank you for this video. I appreciate you for taking the time to post this for all of us.

 

[bobholthaus]

BTW, will this item work for wiring a dash cam? Or do I need to use the board in the OEM plug to ensure proper voltage?

https://a.co/d/4MQ2uuv

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