Dashcam install

[svache]

Also, you may experience more reflection from inside the cabine if that location causes the camera to be further away from the window.

Before you actually stick the tape up though, make sure to first just use the cigarette lighter power supply (or dry run the power from the fuse box) while having the camera run and watching the live view on the mobile app

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[kneeler]

M

I use a fuse tap (I use this one in both my cars: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LFXA5YQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) on a fuse that is only on when the ignition is turned on.

The amazon link shows 4 choices...

Micro 2 Fuse
ATO Fuse (Regular)
Low-Profile Fuse
Mini Fuse

Which one fits the Ranger? Thanks!

 

[svache]

The amazon link shows 4 choices...

Micro 2 Fuse
ATO Fuse (Regular)
Low-Profile Fuse
Mini Fuse

Which one fits the Ranger? Thanks!

The one I used was the Micro 2 fuse

 

[Mark Lally]

Thanks for sharing. I had a dashcam in my old Ranger, I'll be adding one to my new Ranger soon as someone crosses into my lane at least twice a week around here, it's just a matter of time before I won't be able to react fast enough to avoid them.

 

[idesi1]

where do i connect the Yellow (BATT+) cable for constant power. I have the Power Magic Pro battery pack for black vue

 

[svache]

where do i connect the Yellow (BATT+) cable for constant power. I have the Power Magic Pro battery pack for black vue

I'm not 100% sure, my Cellink batteries only use the ACC and a ground connection. The one that's hooked up to our Blackvue is spliced from two to three cables, avoiding the BATT to be hooked up to a continuous power source.

I just checked the Power Magic Pro manual, and it says the following:

Identify a Constant Power (battery power) fuse in your fuse panel. Typical Constant Power fuses are the hazard light (emergency lamp), tail lights and interior light fuses. If your car has a “Battery Saver Function” please utilize the hazard light fuse. Remove the identified Constant Power fuse. Remove the sleeve from the end of the yellow BATT(+) wire, and wrap the wire around one of the blades of the Constant Power fuse. Reinsert the fuse back into the fuse panel

I believe the Ranger does have a "batter saver function", seeing as it shuts off interior stuff like the radio and such after a while, so judging by their manual, you should look for the fuse for the hazard lights. That said, looking into the manual for the Ranger, I am not 100% sure which fuse that would be.

What I personally would do in this situation, is leave my Ranger unlocked with a door open, see when the radio functions shut off (to make sure the battery saver kicks in), and then use a voltmeter (those with two pins, not the single meter) and check every fuse and see whether there's power.

If you do it the way they describe in the manual, by wrapping the wire around the blade of the fuse (I don't recommend wrapping it), you should make sure it's a fuse of at least 10 amps (check those with a red, blue, yellow, clear, or green color), and that you wrap it on the blade that sits on negative side of the fuse, so the battery is protected by the fuse. Also, if you wrap it, make sure the fuse isn't used for some critical system, since you increase the risk of blowing a fuse. Instead of wrapping it, a fuse tap would be better to use (there's an Amazon link in one of my earlier posts where I got mine). Using a fuse tap you can hitch a ride on a lower rated fuse and there's less risk of blowing the original fuse, as long as you make sure the original fuse is in the bottom of the tap and the fuse tap is orientated in the correct way (see my post above), and you put a 10A or higher fuse in the top part of the fuse tap since that's the one your batter will be using.

I hope this helps a bit

 

[Stevie Gee]

I did the Viofo 129A Duo...hardwired:

 

[svache]

Nice! I like how you can view live on the camera what it's recording instead of having to use a phone.

 

[Stevie Gee]

Nice! I like how you can view live on the camera what it's recording instead of having to use a phone.

Thanks...Yes, me too, that’s why I picked this one. You can turn the screen off, plus view live or clips on my phone thru their app.

 

[Hounddog409]

Mods: I'm unsure whether I'm posting this in the correct section, or if it should've been posted in the interior or exterior mods section. Please move if you feel it's better suited elsewhere.

I've seen dashcams come up a few times in discussions, especially those where there was damage to a truck either through vandalism, theft, or accidents. I mentioned in one of those I'd upload some photos of my install, but I figured I'd give it its own thread instead.

In my Ranger I have a Thinkware F770 dual cam, in my other car I have a Blackvue 750s dual. They're both in the same price range. They are both in the upper price class, but I think it's recommended to do this due to the higher video quality at both bright and dark settings, and also to be able to see details like car registration plates. They have similar specs but there's certain aspects I like better in the Thinkware. For example, I live in Hawaii and both cars are usually always out in the sun, heat can be an issue with cameras and since they both record when parked (I have set them to record motion), it is essential they both continue to record. The Thinkware has done this without any problem at all, the Blackvue has stopped recording two or three times in the few years that I owned both of them due to heat, but did always start recording after the temperature in the car was brought down by a few degrees. Anyways, if you're in a hot area with lots of sun, it's definitely key to keep in mind that there are a lot of cameras out there, but plenty will stop recording when it gets too hot. Another thing I don't like about the Blackvue, although it's minor, is that the volume of the camera is a lot more quiet (and more robotic) than the Thinkware. I dislike this for the simple fact that when the camera turns to driving mode from parking mode, it tells you if there was any impact, motion etc. It's good to know what has happened around the car when I was away. Another minor annoyance with the Blackvue is that it switches to driving mode from parking when it detects the vehicle to be in motion, whereas the Thinkware simply switches between the two settings based on whether the ignition is on (that is, if you picked the right fuse to tap).

Both my camera systems getting their power from an external battery pack. They last for about 24-48 hours, depending on the settings and whether you have one or two cameras. I have set both my cars to motion, so they don't record the entire time, with cameras back and front this makes my batteries last for a little more than a day (also depending on the amount of motion, of course). The battery I'm using with the Thinkware in the Ranger is an older Cellink battery, the one I'm using in my other car is a Cellink Neo, which is a newer battery pack with better specs. What I especially like about the latter is that you can connect to it with your phone through bluetooth and see how much juice it has left, if it is charging or discharging, how long charging takes etc. Charging with both of them only takes a few hours of having the ignition/engine on, if you drive on and off throughout the day, you'd easily reach that.

Both my systems were purchased through Blackboxmycar.com. Although I highly recommend them based on past experiences, there's plenty more spaces where you can purchase dash cams of course

The way I have them installed, in both cars, is as follows:

I use a fuse tap (I use this one in both my cars: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LFXA5YQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) on a fuse that is only on when the ignition is turned on. You can test this by using a volt meter. Also make sure the positive and negative are correctly wired or you'd bypass the tap (you'd draw power without going through the fuse), making the fuse pointless (and possibly a fire hazard since the battery packs can draw 7 amps (there's a setting to do only 5, but 7 charges a lot faster). In my Ranger I'm using fuse #36, which according to the manual is designated to the auto-dimming interior mirror and Mirror adjustment control. I figured if something goes wrong, that's one of the things I'd worry least about if it no longer works lol.

From this tap, I ran the power cable down behind the panel, then along the doorsill, around the B pillar, and under the carpet through a hole under the rear seat where the battery pack sits. I used some Velcro tape to make sure the battery pack doesn't move around when going through corners and whatnot.

From there, another power cable goes back the same route, but instead of going to the fuse box it goes along the A pillar up to the ceiling. It's extremely easy to do this, you can just push it underneath the panels, but be careful when running this cable as there are little explosives for the airbag curtains all around the A pillars and ceiling panel. Also make sure to do it in such a way that you're not blocking any of the airbags. Usually the cables that come with these dashcams are long enough (mine are, I think, 10 feet, so I had plenty left over). Since the airbag explosives are attached to the A pillar panel (it was in my Ranger, but it wasn't the case in my previous car, a '16 Explorer, where I did a similar install) so it's best to not remove that panel if you're not certain of what you're doing (there's no need really, like said, you can push it underneath along the edge).

You then come at the front dash cam like in the following picture:

I used a few sticky cable whatchamacallits to keep the cables aligned next to the Lariat's camera housing (I was unable to get the cable underneath to make a nice look but this works and is barely noticeable when inside or outside the car). If you have a model without those camera's, I think you can fit the dashcam a bit higher, probably behind the mirror, giving it a cleaner look.

And from the dashcam I ran a video cable for the rear camera to the rear of the vehicle. I did this on the passenger side along the roof panels. The reason I went along the other side of the car is because there's a chance that if you run the power and video cable along the same side, that the recorded video may get some static interference. The excess cable (and there was plenty of it) I simply rolled up together and hid it behind the rear seats using a cable tie.

I placed the camera opposite from to where the rear window opens, on the window on the driver's side. This way the rear window can be opened and closed without interfering with the camera. I have had passengers in my rear seat several times, both kids and adults, and the camera seems back far enough for them not to hit it while in the rear seat. (btw, I'm amazed about how clear the view in the photos is to the back, considering I have very dark tint in the back lol)

Here's another photo of the front view, and as you can see, the camera is visible but barely noticeable. Especially not if you're just passing by the car. I turned off all LED lights (you can either turn them on or off, or have it blink or something) so it doesn't attract extra attention.

Finally a few pictures (I'll leave the comments) of the install in my other car. The battery pack with this car was placed in the truck (more space) the install itself was pretty much the same, the fuse box was located in the trunk as well, in the area most cars have their spare tire.

Ok, why do you need a battery pack if you are coming of fuse box?

 

[Ranger #6]

Ok, why do you need a battery pack if you are coming of fuse box?

To extend the parking mode.

 

[svache]

@Hounddog409 - like @Ranger #6 says, it indeed extends the parking mode. Another reason is not to drain the battery of the car itself.

In my previous car, a '16 Explorer, I actually drained the battery at some point by using the parking mode without the extra battery pack. I had the camera set to automatically shut off when the power source would drop below a certain value (I think it was 11.8 or 11.9 volt), so it wouldn't completely drain it. However, after several months my battery was unfortunately completely drained after all and Sync started to give me all kinds of weird issues (which I didn't know at the time had to do with the additional power drain when the car wasn't running). I ended up having to jump start the car (and even replacing the battery at one point, but I think that was unrelated), and at that moment I realized it the dashcam may have been the cause of the extra drain and maybe the issues with Sync as well. I ended up ordered another battery pack (our other car was already using one), I installed it, and everything started working like normal. Sync behaved normal again and the car battery remained fully charged

It's definitely possible to use it without battery pack. But knowing the issues I had with Sync after a while, I think it would be best to not use any parking mode if you don't have a battery pack. Cars nowadays with all their computers and electronics (gawd I feel old writing it like that haha) are apparently very sensitive to the amount of power available apparently. The reason our other car (a BMW) already used one was because of similar reports from other users that owned a BMW, as that car apparently is also sensitive to the amount of power available.

 

[Josh Hager]

Hello!
I installed this exact same setup, but my cam is a f800 pro. Would you have any insight as to why my parking mode is not working? The cam stays in continuous mode all the time. I am wondering if I have the fuses in the tap turned around. how would i test this? also, if it's not too much trouble, could you snap a pick of your fuses in the tap? I can see from your current pictures the fuse panel but not what the two fuses look like on the tap. Thanks!

 

[svache]

Hello!
I installed this exact same setup, but my cam is a f800 pro. Would you have any insight as to why my parking mode is not working? The cam stays in continuous mode all the time. I am wondering if I have the fuses in the tap turned around. how would i test this? also, if it's not too much trouble, could you snap a pick of your fuses in the tap? I can see from your current pictures the fuse panel but not what the two fuses look like on the tap. Thanks!

Hey,

I can definitely snap a picture a bit later when I'm near my truck again, but I don't think the fuses are what's causing this. They are just regular micro fuses, the same as the car is using (as a matter of fact, one of the two fuses in that tap, is taken out of the car's fuse box, the tap is placed in the space it left while adding the car's fuse back into the tap (this is the bottom fuse). The extra fuse in the tap (the top one) is the one for the battery pack that I've used).

Also, the fuses themselves cannot be placed wrong, they work the same whether you have them one way or the other. The only thing that matters is whether the tap is correctly installed. If you did it the way I did it in the photo, then it is probably done correct (unless Ford changed the positive and negative, but I think they usually keep the positives and negatives the same between various models). However, the only way to actually find out about this for sure is by using a multimeter. Plus, thinking about it, it shouldn't matter as to whether it would work or not, the only thing that would happen if the tap is inserted the wrong way, is that it would bypass the fuse, meaning you'd lose the protection the fuse gives, nothing else would/should happen. You want the tap inserted the correct way, only so that the fuse is actually protecting the battery pack, camera, and the accessories that you're tapping the fuse from.

That said, since you say you're doing the exact same setup, I'm assuming you're using a battery pack as I do, and same spliced wires as I did? If so, you should make sure the fuse you've tapped is actually turning off when you shut off the car (if you use the same battery pack, you should hear a short beep coming from the pack). Here as well, the best way to find out if this is the case is by using a multimeter. Fuses are often the same, not every car/model may use the same fuses for the same thing. This one worked for me, but it may be different for you depending on the model and options you have (whereas the positives and negatives of the fusebox likely stay the same), so you may need to tap a different one.

What I think is happening in your case, is that the battery pack is receiving continuous power. It basically tells the camera when it is charging (which is when it would switch to continuous recording) or when it is no longer charging (at that point it should go into parking mode). If it receives continuous power, it doesn't know when to switch modes (plus it would place a drain on your car's battery).

I hope this helps

For anyone who doesn't use a Thinkware F770 or F800 camera: some cameras like the Blackvue 750S I've also posted about in my first post, don't look at the battery/acc status, but instead, turn on and off when it registers that the car is moving. In that case, it would be a sensitivity setting on the camera that needs to be changed if it doesn't work (but in the case of the F800, it should be the same as the F770).

 

[Josh Hager]

Thanks for the fast response!!! I believe you are exactly correct. The battery pack is receiving continuous power and therefore not telling the camera to go into parking mode. I used the micro tap and it looks exactly like yours, with the wires going off to the left into the a-pillar. I have my fuses placed in the same spots on the tap. I am currently tapped into #36 just like yours. There are a few fuses that are "not in use" according to the manual, but have a fuse in them. Would it be a good idea to try one of these fuses instead of #36?

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