cfkid

I recently purchased a BlackVue 900X Plus 2 channel dash cam. I've done some reading on Rennlist and others but I still have a few questions.

First, has anyone found a good way to mount the rear camera. I know I can just glue it to the top of the back window, but I'm not sure how to get the cable to it. I can run the cable under the plastic cover, but I have to figure out how to route it there. I am concerned about the round cable going under that plastic. I think it's just going to look weird and ratlle like crazy. I also tried to make a mount like the picture below and, while it works, the camera is very noticible in the rearview. Does anyone have any suggestions? Or some pictures on how they did the mounting and cable route?


Second, I'm looking into a Blendmount. I currently have the front camera glued to the windshield, but I don't like the look and I screwed up and put it too close to the mirror so I can't get it out of the mount. I know I need the specialty version of the BlendMount but their website search only shows two mirrors for a 2016 Cayman GTS, both are autodimming. My car has the lowly manual rearview mirror. I'll call them later today but I thought I'd ask if anyone knew what model I need from their experience?

I ran my setup last night just using the 12v adapter plugged into the passenger footwell. It performed well, other than the rear camera was upside down. Interesting video there. I took a short drive to the pharmacy. When I got back the front unit was very hot. It was about 70F and I had the windows down. Is that normal? I was in the pharmacy for about 10 minutes, so the windows were up and it was in the sun. It didn't feel normal but I'm not sure.

Finally, fuses. I've tried to figure out what location to use for the "add a circuit" jumpers. Looking in the manual, it looks like I could use C2 and C4. I believe C2 is for the lighting, including the hazard lights with should be constant. I can't remember exactly what C4 is (maybe the horn) which would be switched, I believe. Does anyone have feedback on this? Or a suggestion based on what you used? Also, if I have empty slots, can I just use them or do i need to use the multimeter to make sure there's power? Also, BlackVue doesn't specify what amp fuse to use in the add a circuit. I've seen some pictures using 5A or 7.5A, but I'm not sure what I need there.

Sorry for all the questions, but I've not really been able to find answers for these yet.

Thanks,
Mark

cfkid

I'm going to answer some of my own questions so others can see it as well.

To run the rear cable, I started from the back. First, I removed the hatch trim as described here. I Then fished the cable through the hatch pillar, down through the gromment between the hatch and the roof. This wasn't bad but it is a tight fit. I had to straighten out the grommet as much as possible. I then ran the cable through the cutout in the roof. I had to pop the rear pillar trim and a bit of the headliner. It all snapped back together. Unfortunately, when I ran the cable into the roof there's a section that I think goes down into the pillar. My cable got stuck and I ended up pulling the connector off. Luckily I was able to buy a new one. It's not hear yet but that will allow me to connect up the rear camera. After I got past that, it was just a matter of running the cable tucked inside the weather stripping up to the front camera.

As for thet fuse, I'm still struggling a bit there. I used the horn fuse for the switched connection. I figured there was little to go wrong there if the fuse blew. For the constant fuse, I tried to use a few. I think the best option would be left side C4, which is for interior lights, brake light, amoung other things. However, when I use the fuse tap there, I get a message on the dash saying to check all the things that are connected to it. I currently have it connected to D10 which is unused in my car. The camera works when the igintion is switched on or the car is running but it immediately cuts off when I turn off the ignition, so that's obviously a switch fuse. I've tried using my multimeter on the open fuses, as I think that would be cleaner than using a fuse tap (given the warnings I'm getting), but I can't find one that's constant or I can't get my meter to read them. Everything shows zero volts.

If anyone has any suggestions on the fuse tap issue or a list of constant fuses, I'd be happy to take the help.

Mark

Kevin CS

When I got the Blendmount for my radar detector, they showed the same 2 pictures they show for your BlackVue. I believe the fit is based on the shape of the mirror, regardless of whether it's autodimming or not (autodimming mirrors make it easier and cleaner to hook your device up to a switched power source, but that has nothing to do with the way the mount itself attaches to the mirror).

cfkid

When I wrote my own reply I realized that I saw the alarm horn and alarm siren in the manual. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it before but the alarm is definitely a constant power source. So, I just used a fuse tap on B3, which is the alarm horn. I figure the same logic applies to the alarm horn. If something goes wrong and it blows the fuse mid drive it’s not going to be a problem.

I hope this helps someone else if they are struggling.

Also, the Blendmount is very nice for those that may be wondering. It’s expensive but I think worth it to have the camera almost completely out of sight.

Mark