Dashcam Install

Sparky

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Sure -- There is much more information on this under the Forscan thread.

PowerPoint 1 second time (This will turn off power points after 1 second of turning off truck)
BCM 726-39-01 0001 0101 006A

Using the althorigram from the Forscan thread -- Hours have to be converted to minutes -- Minutes converted to seconds -- Then scroll down the chart to locate the HEX Key.

Here's the factory line item setting (75 minute timeout timer):

BCM 726-39-01 1194 0101 000E

For the Power Points to be active for 18 hours -- Here's the new line item code:

BCM 726-39-01 FD20 0101 0086

If one receives a Check Sum error -- Simply except it and move on writing the new code to the module. Personally I don't correct the Check Sum as the software does this automatically - That's why one gets the Check Sum error when writing a new line item change -- Just except it .. .. Unless your well versed in HEX.

Good Luck !!
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GrandpaD

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Thanks for the FORScan setting. I'm looking at purchasing the Thinkware Q800 Pro that has an adjustable battery cutoff setting to shut down once the supplied voltage drops to the voltage setting. They've even added a "wintertime" setting. Between the 18hour setting and the dashcam, I should be ok without a battery pack (except the very infrequent long-term parking scenerio).
 

jrnm

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When adding the add a fuse cables do I need to have 2 fuses in each holder and if so do they need to be the same amperage as the fuse that was in the socket to begin with?
I finally got the Thinkware hardwire kit working after reading lots of advice online and from @j0shm1lls.

I used fuse 29 (Micro 2 Fuse - 30A) for constant power and fuse 37 (Micro 2 Fuse - 20A) for ignition power/parking mode.

You need to butt splice the constant power fuse with the red hardwire cable, and butt splice the ignition power fuse with the yellow hardwire cable.

I used heat shrink cables to make a clean install of the add a fuse cable to hardwire kit.

22193C67-3EA8-4D2B-B244-2A8C9C31AF6C.jpeg
A1DF9271-B15C-444E-96F9-D1990AD88C9E.jpeg
When adding the add a fuse cables do I need to have 2 fuses in each holder and if so do they need to be the same amperage as the fuse that was in the socket to begin with? I cant tell on the angle of these pictures. Thanks.
 

GrandpaD

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When adding the add a fuse cables do I need to have 2 fuses in each holder and if so do they need to be the same amperage as the fuse that was in the socket to begin with?

When adding the add a fuse cables do I need to have 2 fuses in each holder and if so do they need to be the same amperage as the fuse that was in the socket to begin with? I cant tell on the angle of these pictures. Thanks.
I just did this setup. Yes, each add-a-fuse needs the fuse you remove and one additional of the same amp in the second slot. So, in this case you'll need an additional 20 and 30.

While shown in the picture but not mentioned, you'll need to attach a ground wire to any of the uncoated screws adjacent to the fuse box. I read it was recommended to connect that first before working with the add-a-fuse.
 

jrnm

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I just did this setup. Yes, each add-a-fuse needs the fuse you remove and one additional of the same amp in the second slot. So, in this case you'll need an additional 20 and 30.

While shown in the picture but not mentioned, you'll need to attach a ground wire to any of the uncoated screws adjacent to the fuse box. I read it was recommended to connect that first before working with the add-a-fuse.
Thanks for your help. However, I am unable to get my Thinkware FA200 to power on. I wonder if Ford changed the function of the noted fuses for the 2020 MY, but I doubt it. I thought it was the camera but works fine with the 12v socket. Maybe I will try to rough up the metal by the fuse box.
 


GrandpaD

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Thanks for your help. However, I am unable to get my Thinkware FA200 to power on. I wonder if Ford changed the function of the noted fuses for the 2020 MY, but I doubt it. I thought it was the camera but works fine with the 12v socket. Maybe I will try to rough up the metal by the fuse box.
I installed by Q800 pro yesterday and it worked fine with 29 and 37. I have '19 but I think you'd be correct that they didn't change the fuses. Just make sure the add-a-circuits are truly plugged in. I had to really push to get them to properly seat.
 

FordMyRanger

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I think it would be helpful for myself and for future members to list out different installation methods and the key disadvantage of each. Sometimes it’s easy for details to get lost. From what I’ve been reading you can do the following for power:

1: OBD port
2: run a line into a fuse port
3: run a line and tap into an aux power cablelike the radio
4: run a line to an external battery pack that is consistently charged while the truck is running via a line to the fuse box
5: run a line into a 12V outlet in the center console

while I get the gist of each of these options, I don’t know why many don’t want to use the OBD port.

perhaps if we ranked each option by what it can accomplish. Like:

1: Do you want to record only while the vehicle is driving (w/ auto start stop feature turned on)?
2: Do you want to record only while the vehicle is driving (w/ auto start stop feature turned off)?
3: Do you want to record when the vehicles is turned off for a brief about of time?
4: Do you want to record for an extended period of time after you have parked your vehicle?
 
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GrandpaD

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I believe, for some dashcams, you have to do specific wiring to take advantage of all of their functions. As an example, I own a Thinkware. I can (in that a cord is provided) simply plug it into a 12v power outlet and it'll work just fine driving. BUT, if you want to activate their parking mode, it requires using a (also supplied) different wire that they mandate must be hardwired.

My issue, in searching these forums, was to find 2 fuses that (1) provided constant power while driving and (2) a second fuse that provided power when the truck was parked. I didn't want to go thru the expense of a battery pack. And I knew the Thinkware had an internal voltage meter that would power down once the truck voltage dropped to a user set threshold. So I wasn't afraid of hardwiring to constant power. It wasn't until I found @rangerdanger's post from last year of hardwiring to 29 and 37.

So, basically, what a user might want to accomplish is at the purchase level first. You have to know what the dashcam requires power wise to use all it's functions.
 

TechnicallyReal

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I think it would be helpful for myself and for future members to list out different installation methods and the key disadvantage of each. Sometimes it’s easy for details to get lost. From what I’ve been reading you can do the following for power:

1: OBD port
2: run a line into a fuse port
3: run a line and tap into an aux power cablelike the radio
4: run a line to an external battery pack that is consistently charged while the truck is running via a line to the fuse box
5: run a line into a 12V outlet in the center console

while I get the gist of each of these options, I don’t know why many don’t want to use the OBD port.

perhaps if we ranked each option by what it can accomplish. Like:

1: Do you want to record only while the vehicle is driving (w/ auto start stop feature turned on)?
2: Do you want to record only while the vehicle is driving (w/ auto start stop feature turned off)?
3: Do you want to record when the vehicles is turned off for a brief about of time?
4: Do you want to record for an extended period of time after you have parked your vehicle?
There's also tapping into the mirror power harness like what is done with mirrortap for radar detectors. No running cables down A-pillars or into fuse boxes at all. I've done this in my past 3 vehicles to power my dashcams. There's a post in this thread with images on which plug to tap into and it sounds like it works with auto start/stop and remote-start.

What I did was buy a 12V to USB converter from Amazon. It comes with 2 bare wires for 12V power on one end, and a female USB port or two for dashcams/whatever on the other end. I pulled 2 pins from an old DVI cable (for a PC monitor) and soldered them to the bare wires. The pins from the DVI cable are flat with a slight twist to them near the end, which ensures that there's always some tension once slid into the back of the mirror's power plug.

DVI pins soldered to 12V to USB converter wires:

1598759613036.png


Pins pushed into rear of mirror connector (this is from a '13 Santa Fe Sport - I haven't done this in my Ranger yet but will be doing it tomorrow):

1598759684786.png


With that vehicle as well as the '16 Sorento I had after it, I simply shoved the 12V to USB box up into the headliner above the sunglasses holder. The 12V lines and the USB cable to my dashcam came out of the headliner right above the cam and were nice short and tidy.
 
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TechnicallyReal

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Alright I installed my cam just now. I have a Vantrue S1.

The upper plastic housing behind the mirror just pops downwards (I couldn't find instructions and got brave). I found it works best to pull down from the top center, and you have to pull fairly hard:

1598814489694.png


I shoved my wires with DVI pins into the rear of the exposed connector like so (as described in the mirrortap thread - 12V is blue wire on the connector, ground is the grey wire on the connector):

1598814540715.png


Then I plugged my camera into the 12V to USB converter:

1598814560193.png


It seems to work any time the ignition is on, including throughout auto-start-stop.

Rather than try to hide the bulk of the excess wire and USB connectors, I cut the USB connectors off and soldered the wires together. I was able to tuck the 12V to USB converter into the area covered by the plastic housing with, just the right amount of cable coming out to the camera. I'm going to be redoing the cable once I get a right-angle USB cord in a few days:

1598814627976.png


1598814756766.png


I ran the cable to the rear camera along the edge of the headliner, then behind the passenger A-pillar airbag, and then along the edge of the headliner over the passenger-side doors and to the back of the truck. Nothing special there. Excess cable was bundled in the area behind where the rear passenger seatbelt bolts to the side of the vehicle. You can see the rear cam in my mirror:

1598814827535.png


I'll post more images once I have my right-angle USB connector and I also ordered some felt automotive tape and electrical tape (I ran out and used white hockey tape lol)
 
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TechnicallyReal

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By-the-way I wasn't able to pull off the lower plastic housing as I was worried I would break it with the amount of force needed. I'm not sure if it works the same way as the upper housing or not. I would really like to be able to pull it off, though, since it rattles like mad sometimes with music or bumps. It probably just needs some felt tape or something applied to it.
 

bjamin

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There's also tapping into the mirror power harness like what is done with mirrortap for radar detectors. No running cables down A-pillars or into fuse boxes at all. I've done this in my past 3 vehicles to power my dashcams. There's a post in this thread with images on which plug to tap into and it sounds like it works with auto start/stop and remote-start.

What I did was buy a 12V to USB converter from Amazon. It comes with 2 bare wires for 12V power on one end, and a female USB port or two for dashcams/whatever on the other end. I pulled 2 pins from an old DVI cable (for a PC monitor) and soldered them to the bare wires. The pins from the DVI cable are flat with a slight twist to them near the end, which ensures that there's always some tension once slid into the back of the mirror's power plug.

DVI pins soldered to 12V to USB converter wires:

1598759613036.png


Pins pushed into rear of mirror connector (this is from a '13 Santa Fe Sport - I haven't done this in my Ranger yet but will be doing it tomorrow):

1598759684786.png


With that vehicle as well as the '16 Sorento I had after it, I simply shoved the 12V to USB box up into the headliner above the sunglasses holder. The 12V lines and the USB cable to my dashcam came out of the headliner right above the cam and were nice short and tidy.
Whats the point of the USB box? could you not cut the dashcam wires and wire them directly to the mirror?
 

TechnicallyReal

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Whats the point of the USB box? could you not cut the dashcam wires and wire them directly to the mirror?
If your cam takes 12V power and not USB power then you could do that for sure. USB power is only 5V, however.
 

dinosplace

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FYI I used a fuse tap on #35, which is powered with ignition.

While others used #36 and #37, my tap wouldn’t fit in those no matter which direction I tried to install it.
Can you advise which location fuse 35 is at? Is It in the fuse box under the driver side ? If so, the fuse layout shows it as a spare which is perfect for
my intended use. Im Looking to power up my dash cam as it has constant and ignition fuses power cables.
Thanks in advance.
 

VESH

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Can you advise which location fuse 35 is at? Is It in the fuse box under the driver side ? If so, the fuse layout shows it as a spare which is perfect for
my intended use. Im Looking to power up my dash cam as it has constant and ignition fuses power cables.
Thanks in advance.
That’s correct, it is a spare slot from the factory under the panel to left of steering wheel. The tap I had was too bulky to fit in the other commonly used slots, but I’ve had no problems using #35 since installing months ago
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