Does an integrated dashcam solution exist?

Gazwould

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
2,583
Reaction score
1,770
Your Mercedes
C250 CDI
Have a look at ddpai mini 1 or 2
I have the mini 1 in my Smart & just bought the mini 2 for Emily's car though not yet fitted it. About the size of a mini chocolate roll, no screen to worry about & connects to your phone via Wi-Fi. I've JUST replaced the micro sd in mine after about 2 years.
There's now mini 3 ..... No idea about it though it seems to have an integrated memory


Mini2 - 1440P , capacitor , remote button snap shot and video capture .

A unique parking mode shut down and wake up upon a G shock to preserve car battery life .

Parking mode, 1 fps or 25 fps to preserve sd card overwrites .

These are unrealized , cheap and make Nextbase look silly .

What sd card failed ?
 

ajlsl600

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
9,031
Reaction score
6,029
Location
france
Your Mercedes
clk3202001,sl6002003 with everything regrettably sold ,A class 170cdi auto. NG/TF1800 ML250
just remembered , look here
synergytradeshop.com/smart-mirror-systems/

info@synergy-automotive.com

you will have to copy paste the link as it does not seem to click n go !!!!
 
Last edited:

Steve@Avantgarde

Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Dec 8, 2009
Messages
7,314
Reaction score
1,955
Location
Bristol/Somerset
Website
www.avantgarde-automotive.co.uk
Your Mercedes
E300 Coupe AMG Line PP/NE, SLR McLaren Roadster, SL55 & C32AMG
Hey team,

I swore to myself that the next car I buy I will have at least a front facing dash cam fitted. With some of the videos you see online and more importantly the shenanigans of other drivers, cyclists and Deliveroo/Uber drivers, I think they are very much a necessity.

That said, I don't really like the aesthetics of the plug and play solutions. (Prove me wrong with your pics..)

Has anybody ever achieved a more integrated installation which would consist of just the camera in the windscreen/dash (or bumper) and the associated electrics in say, the boot or glove box?

I guess what I am really asking in a roundabout way is this:

Is there a dashcam unit with external camera and separate DVR unit that can be hidden out of sight?

I guess something could be built up using various parts. Probably the most difficult would be the G sensor to detect collisions. For that, any such DVR would probably need an external interrupt/trigger input so you could mark that timeframe to be "not deleted" from memory.

I'll have a look online and report back if I find anything.

Thanks,
Conor

EDIT: Having a look online, some of the all in one solutions, don't look too bad, really.

I always buy a an additional 12v cigar lighter socket, remove the ashtrays and make room for the socket behind the dash and then solder the wiring straight into the 12v socket power and earth. If you use a solder joint butt connector and then heat shrink it or fabric tape it, you can make a very tidy job of it. It is then completely ignition safe and is fused to the cigar lighter in the front SAM which is a very convenient place to have it.

Then its a matter of running the wiring through the back of the glovebox, up the pillars, and then under the headlining. You may have to remove all the sun visors for that bit.

We are getting quite good at fitting them now. Lots of people ask us to do it.

The extra sockets costs about £5 from Euro.
 

Wighty

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2016
Messages
13,435
Reaction score
12,466
Location
Sunny Essex
Your Mercedes
W211/E320cdi/2009 and CLK200k 2009
I always buy a an additional 12v cigar lighter socket, remove the ashtrays and make room for the socket behind the dash and then solder the wiring straight into the 12v socket power and earth. If you use a solder joint butt connector and then heat shrink it or fabric tape it, you can make a very tidy job of it. It is then completely ignition safe and is fused to the cigar lighter in the front SAM which is a very convenient place to have it.

Then its a matter of running the wiring through the back of the glovebox, up the pillars, and then under the headlining. You may have to remove all the sun visors for that bit.

We are getting quite good at fitting them now. Lots of people ask us to do it.

The extra sockets costs about £5 from Euro.
That's an excellent description Steve , would you mind taking a quick pic of all that wire connection with the second 12v connector if you get the chance . I may re-do mine .
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,326
Reaction score
21,574
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi

Steve@Avantgarde

Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Dec 8, 2009
Messages
7,314
Reaction score
1,955
Location
Bristol/Somerset
Website
www.avantgarde-automotive.co.uk
Your Mercedes
E300 Coupe AMG Line PP/NE, SLR McLaren Roadster, SL55 & C32AMG
That's an excellent description Steve , would you mind taking a quick pic of all that wire connection with the second 12v connector if you get the chance . I may re-do mine .
Next time we do one, Ill take some photos.
 

EmilysDad

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
12,120
Reaction score
5,664
Location
Bury Lancs
Your Mercedes
ML350
...

What sd card failed ?

Do you what make? Other than it came from Scan in Bolton I cant remember but the new one was 32Gb from Tesco at £8 ..... it seems good enough for the dash cam. ;-)
 
OP
Conor

Conor

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
2,521
Reaction score
1,604
Location
London, UK
Your Mercedes
2010 S212 350 CGI // 2004 R230 500
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #29
Last edited:

ajlsl600

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
9,031
Reaction score
6,029
Location
france
Your Mercedes
clk3202001,sl6002003 with everything regrettably sold ,A class 170cdi auto. NG/TF1800 ML250

AnthonyUK

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2018
Messages
1,285
Reaction score
935
Location
Alton, Hants
Your Mercedes
C240 estate 2002
The video quality on the Viofo A119 v2 is outstanding and it only costs £70.
The v3 should be out shortly too.

For SD cards there are some that are better suited to dashcam use than others. Look for high resilience types.
Samsung are the current best rated ones.
 

Tony Dyson

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2018
Messages
4,038
Reaction score
2,585
Location
God's Country
Your Mercedes
2014 C 220 CDI W204 OM 651
The automotive industry is the only industry I know of that would piggy back from an existing electrical supply to feed an additional and unrelated component without a second thought, I hasten to add at this point that adding another socket to an existing socket supply is acceptable practice in any given situation, why? overload, discrimination and short circuit protection, because all 12vdc plugs are equipped with their own individual fuses, rated to the design value of the product they are protecting, overload discrimination and short circuit protection is provided, however, leaving a plug and socket assembly in an inaccessible location is not good practice, the supply could be extended to the glove compartment where the plug would remain accessible for future access when required and the future owner wouldn't need to breakdown the car's interior fittings looking for the blown fuse or lost contact. I would never advocate piggy backing from existing supplies just because it's convenient for the reasons as above, I am confident that every owner would find an appropriate pre or post ignition supply in one of their fuseboxes from where they could source an appropriate supply for their needs, electrical consumers really should have their own dedicated fuse and where best for this than in one of the Distribution Fuseboards within the car.
 
OP
Conor

Conor

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
2,521
Reaction score
1,604
Location
London, UK
Your Mercedes
2010 S212 350 CGI // 2004 R230 500
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #34
The automotive industry is the only industry I know of that would piggy back from an existing electrical supply to feed an additional and unrelated component without a second thought, I hasten to add at this point that adding another socket to an existing socket supply is acceptable practice in any given situation, why? overload, discrimination and short circuit protection, because all 12vdc plugs are equipped with their own individual fuses, rated to the design value of the product they are protecting, overload discrimination and short circuit protection is provided, however, leaving a plug and socket assembly in an inaccessible location is not good practice, the supply could be extended to the glove compartment where the plug would remain accessible for future access when required and the future owner wouldn't need to breakdown the car's interior fittings looking for the blown fuse or lost contact. I would never advocate piggy backing from existing supplies just because it's convenient for the reasons as above, I am confident that every owner would find an appropriate pre or post ignition supply in one of their fuseboxes from where they could source an appropriate supply for their needs, electrical consumers really should have their own dedicated fuse and where best for this than in one of the Distribution Fuseboards within the car.

Did you mean to say? I hasten to add at this point that adding another socket to an existing socket supply is (not /un)acceptable practice in any given situation, why?

I agree.. I was just thinking about this last evening. I would like to add two USB ports to the rear arm rest compartment and also another two in the front ashtray / centre console box.. and for kicks potentially two in the boot. I was thinking that these would all need to be run directly from the fusebox with independent fuses etc.. would that be the right way of doing it? Probably a little more hassle / expensive but feels like the right way of doing it.

The idea of "finding x volts somewhere in the car" always made me a little squeamish.

In fact.. I do have a plan to setup a leisure battery / inverter / power system for camping etc.

On a side note, I have the HK sound system in my car and wondering if the black box in the bot by the spare wheel is indeed a second battery (it says HK on it..).. I wonder would that work for my planned leisure setup. It would also answer the question of how somebody could watch a DVD in the dash with the engine off...
 

EmilysDad

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
12,120
Reaction score
5,664
Location
Bury Lancs
Your Mercedes
ML350
.....

On a side note, I have the HK sound system in my car and wondering if the black box in the bot by the spare wheel is indeed a second battery (it says HK on it..)......

I'm just guessing .... but as this box has HK on it, is NOT an amplifier? A 2nd battery will look like a house alarm or motorbike battery.
 

Tony Dyson

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2018
Messages
4,038
Reaction score
2,585
Location
God's Country
Your Mercedes
2014 C 220 CDI W204 OM 651
Did you mean to say? I hasten to add at this point that adding another socket to an existing socket supply is (not /un)acceptable practice in any given situation, why?
I agree.. I was just thinking about this last evening. I would like to add two USB ports to the rear arm rest compartment and also another two in the front ashtray / centre console box.. and for kicks potentially two in the boot. I was thinking that these would all need to be run directly from the fusebox with independent fuses etc.. would that be the right way of doing it? Probably a little more hassle / expensive but feels like the right way of doing it.
The idea of "finding x volts somewhere in the car" always made me a little squeamish.
In fact.. I do have a plan to setup a leisure battery / inverter / power system for camping etc.
On a side note, I have the HK sound system in my car and wondering if the black box in the bot by the spare wheel is indeed a second battery (it says HK on it..).. I wonder would that work for my planned leisure setup. It would also answer the question of how somebody could watch a DVD in the dash with the engine off...
Well you've just added a double negative which negates itself in front of my statement which is what I meant to say anyway! :)
Better to settle on exactly what you want to end up with then formulate a plan to execute accordingly, each USB socket you add will require a 5v 2A supply from a Regulated Switch Mode PSU, similar to the nextbase Hard wire kit, what will be your load requirements for your leisure battery/Inverter combo? cheap inverters can damage sensitive electronic kit and will not run some motors and or discharge lighting, they don't produce a pure sine wave, it can be chopped, half wave, square and several other variations on a theme, a 2kW Pure Sine Wave Inverter will cost you anything upwards of £500 and draw at full load around 166A from your 12V battery so it would be important to get your design right in the first place, you would also need to ensure your alternator was man enough for the added load.
 
Top Bottom