Excellent
Would love to see some video from after you get the polarizer installed!

 

Great work. If I understand correctly, this model has a capacitor in it, so it will continue recording for a nominal amount of time in the event of an accident or some such that cuts power? I was under the impression that such tech could not be had for under $100. If this is legit I am going to do this ASAP.

 

Great work. If I understand correctly, this model has a capacitor in it, so it will continue recording for a nominal amount of time in the event of an accident or some such that cuts power? I was under the impression that such tech could not be had for under $100.

The capacitor or battery (I have) doesn't continue to record, but writes the last video on the memory card if car power is cut. So you don't lose the last minute of vid which may be the most critical in an accident. My dash cam writes in one minute files.
Can get units even cheaper. Astonishing what can be had.
But the cheaper you go, the lower the quality. Watch Russian dash cams and you'll see they fall far short of 1080p.

 

Yeah the capacitor model just has enough power to finish saving the clip before shutdown. The reason I got the cap model is because I don't like the idea of a lithium-ion battery sitting in the AL sun all day during the summer.

 

OK I have clarity now on what the cap models are for. Thanks WD for such a great writeup. Makes it look like a cinch. Cheap too, with part #s and everything. I feel like I have zero homework to do which is refreshing.

 

Nice, going to do this soon. Also wanna hardwire my radar scanner into the same line, but I've been waiting to upgrade to a V1.

 

May I ask why you chose to go with that model dash cam? Would you recommend it?

I've been looking into getting one too and the one's i found all have good reviews so its hard to pick one without trying it first. Mostly been looking at a GARMIN, COBRA and FALCON brand dash cam among others. Somewhat well known brands. No idea which to get but I like the look of yours.

 

It's a good bang for the buck. It serves it's purpose too. No reason to go super fancy.

Cheapish quality cam. You get what you pay for.
You also skimped on the memory card. Should've gotten a 64g.
Overthinking a very simple install too.
Not rocket science. I think my neighbor's 12 year old
Installed his mom's cam like no biggie.
Happy to see your proud of yourself though.
Meh.

Max is 32 GB. No reason to go that high really anyway. The max film you'll ever actually need per instance is a couple clips (6 minutes for me).

Trolls gonna troll.

 

Post striped, keep this on topic. OP thanks for sharing.

 

Nice write up WDE, I appreciate the step by step with the photos

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

 

Had to get that light ahead of traffic at the beginning hahaha

https://youtu.be/o6DG6JhhVzM

 

Had to get that light ahead of traffic

Nice quality for under $100 WITH a view screen.

Love to see daylight footage in traffic to see the resolution for capturing license plates.

 

And have a nice laugh at this video I found on the sidebar of mine.

https://youtu.be/ck2LMiosXXk

 

I'll upload day footage after I get this polarizer in this week.

Part of the night performance is my headlights, but since this is an E46 forum, most people here have good headlights so this camera is a good choice.

 

Nice job. but someone already posted this earlier in the year. I think this is where you got the idea. Looks like you also start to use someone else's posting style in your threads =P

http://e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1067906

 

Got the wiring idea from multiple places. One was a Valentine One guide. Never saw this guy's guide. Of course none of them used the ground that is right there nor did they use the factory connector. That's the largest point of my DIY (connector and terminal part numbers plus pin out).

Idk what post style you're talking about. Seems pretty standard. I try to be concise.

 

Difficult to believe Mango, with such a vaunted and fastidious reputation for detection of minutiae, could overlook one of the first sentences in your post WD, the one that clearly points out that the most important part of your post was the utilization of the factory wiring. New #1 pet peeve - people who don't read before they post. Mango you have jumped people's sh*t numerous times in the past for the breach of etiquette you just now perpetrated yourself.

The post is useful. Period.

 

The post is useful. Period.

+1
I'd rather have a dozen DIY's on a subject than none. Who doesn't want to read more than one for perspective before you tackle a job yourself?
Pick up a few different facts from each DIY!

Only one CAB's?
Only one VCG?
Only one CVV?

 

I tried tapping into the homelink wire with the 3M connector but couldn't get power. Am I tapping into the correct wire? It seems like the homelink connection should be a white plug at the end of the bundle, and mine is a black plug. I tried both pins, 1 and 3, since I'm red/green color blind. The other two white connectors in the middle of the bundle have only one pin each, so I don't think they are the homelink connectors.
Should I try tapping into the sunroof switch wires?

 

That's the wrong connector. It should be white. You need to find your homelink connector. It may be bundled up in there.

 

Thanks. I didn't see it, but I'll dig around again.

 

It's probably wrapped up in some of that thin black foam padding.

Also, I have an extra connector with wires and terminals already crimped and inserted. If you'd like me to send it to you, I can for very cheap.

 

Thanks for your input. I found the wire tucked the passenger side of that area. I think the previous wire I tapped was the bluetooth wire, located in the front/left area.

 

My polarizer lens arrived today. I held it up in front of the camera and rotated it around. It didn't do much for the dash reflection, but the image is much better in general, so I am going to use it. I'm 3D printing an adapter at work to mount it cleanly to the camera. I'll try to post the STL file once that's done.

 

Mango you tell em.
Butchering factory items only devalues our classics.
But to each their own.

 

This thread is about how to NOT butcher your factory wiring.

Tim will probably come around and ban you. You're clearly stalking me around general atm.

 

Nice work! The quality of the picture is quite good. The roads you were driving look very familiar to me, but I couldn't exactly place them...

 

Nice work! The quality of the picture is quite good.

Just remember the true test of a dash cam is to be able to read license plate numbers when you freeze frame the vid.
And youtube dumbs down their resolution so you really can't do a proper evaluation unless you are viewing the original files.

 

Here is the lens installed.

I'm a bit nervous about gluing it. I may see if it'll stay as press fit or use hot glue. If the night performance is bad I will remove it.

I won't be distributing the 3D file as it took too much filing to fit. Some of the dimensions need adjusting but I'm not doing a second iteration to get one that works out of the printer. It was printed on a FormLabs Form One+.

 

It was printed on a FormLabs Form One+.

Cool. Want to sell me one of those, I ordered everything you listed exactly and it all arrived today.

 

I was looking at the very same camera for over a week now. I think I am going to buy it after seeing this and seeing how it fits in a E46.

Can you take a few more pictures of your install from the inside and the outside? I am very interested in the size of the camera and how it fits in the space behind the rear view mirror, and if there are any clearance issues.

Also, have you thought of fitting it right below the rain sensor, in the centre of the windshield, or does that look to strange?

 

I was looking at the very same camera for over a week now. I think I am going to buy it after seeing this and seeing how it fits in a E46.



Can you take a few more pictures of your install from the inside and the outside? I am very interested in the size of the camera and how it fits in the space behind the rear view mirror, and if there are any clearance issues.



Also, have you thought of fitting it right below the rain sensor, in the centre of the windshield, or does that look to strange?

The only limitation is how far up in the windshield I can put it behind the mirror. If you go too high it'll actually contact the back of the mirror. I have it at a height that leaves only a cm or clearance for the mirror to move left and right.

The other limitation for placement is with the cables. As you can see they stick out a over an inch. Also to remove the camera you slide it off of a tab and move it about a half inch backward so you need that clearance as well to be able to take it off the mount.

 

Nice, good to see others installing dashcams. As mango said, I just made a thread earlier this year on it. I do like the features of that cam, but I think the mobius is cleaner and a bit more stealthy (only one input wire, not a fan of the gps cable= more clutter, and the mobius has the option of removing the lens from the unit and placing the heat sink inside of the homelink area for an even more stealthy appearance). I actually can't see the camera at all from the drivers side, and its nice because people who get in the car and drive it don't know that it is there.

http://e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1067906

 

I actually can't see the camera at all from the drivers side, and its nice because people who get in the car and drive it don't know that it is there.

+1 on that being so for my ITB-100HD also. Just the right size, shape and mount to easily be placed to disappear behind the mirror. I've had several mechanics test drive the car and never make a comment on the cam being there. Then after I can download and watch exactly where they took the car and how they drove.

I own two Mobius too, so I can recommend the ITB-100HD head and shoulders above the Mobius for dash cam application. The dedicated unit just makes life so much simpler. And I think the iTronics has a wider wide angle lens than the Mobius.

 

I thought about the Mobius for a long time. I had it on my Amazon wish list for over a year. The remote lens I thought was really cool but I'd have to take the panel out to get to the card.

I do like having the screen on the A118. It's nice to be able to change settings on it in the car. Of course I won't be touching settings anymore so it doesn't matter that much. In terms of visibility of the unit itself, it's not invasive at all. Sure it's visible but it's not distracting. I don't notice it except for power on. The screen turns off after a minute. Also, if I put it on the right side, it wouldn't be visible at all to the driver. Same as the Mobius. I also like pushing a button to save the current clip because I'm saving all the idiots I see hahaha.

And about the secret filming: I'm not exactly concerned about joyriders in my E46. If I take it to BMW, then its nothing special and even for a valet it's not anything cool enough to fuck with. I doubt they'd consider unplugging it.

 

Yeah I get it. I installed my dash cam with the sole purpose of being there just in case I need it. It's always recording when the cars on, no fuss, don't even know its there. When I need a video from it, I take my laptop and plug it directly into the back of the dash cam and take the data off it. I don't bother removing the memory card or the camera.

 

Just performed the installation pretty much exactly as WD, except for the connector. I bought the BMW wires & endplug. Had to locate the white connector. It was wrapped in some annoying tarry felt tape.

The power is not at pin 3 as WD described, it's at pin 1. So WD you got the polarity reversed. Or they got the polarity reversed at the factory. All I know is pin 1 is power, not pin 3 - at least for this e46.

Watch out for that headliner material. It gets dirty very easily.

 

Whoops. That's an error in my post. Thanks for finding it.

When I show the connector build I said it wrong, but when I show the connector in the car, I said it right. I'll edit.

Derp:

Also added this image from the connector drawing for clarity.