Hard Wiring my Dash Cam to the Cabin Fuse Panel

[roots57]

I hard wired my Viofo A119S Dash Cam and think I figured out the easiest possible way to get this accomplished. This will obviously work for things like radar detectors also. I bought a dash cam hard wire kit from Amazon when I ordered the camera which consists of a long power cord with in line power box and glass tube fuse. Also came with the optional add-a-fuse adapter plug (or fuse tap) that piggy backs a fuse of your choice on the panel. Initially I got the wrong size fuse tap, which was made for Mini fuses, The Gen II Edges have Micro2 and some Micro3 fuses on the cabin panel. So make sure you specifically order a Micro2 fuse tap. Don't do what I did and solder it to the power cord before figuring out that it was the wrong size plug.

 

Running the cable was easier than I thought it would be. I started at the top and tucked it under the ceiling liner, super easy. Then down the drivers side a-pillar. You do not have to remove the weather stripping to run the wire down the a-pillar, just lift it up enough to run the cable behind the trim piece. Once you get it down the a-pillar, you can remove the two panels shown in these two pictures, they both pop straight off easily.

 

If the wire is ran correctly, none of the trim pieces will be propped up or displaced at all. You can then tuck the wire under the dash. Next remove the storage drawer to the left of the steering wheel, under the light switch. This will also pop straight out pretty easily. This simply provides you with a great view of the fuse panel. You still need to reach up under the dash to access the fuse panel, but you can look thru the hole where the drawer was while you work, instead of getting upside down and sticking your head way up under the dash. Here is a picture of the access you gain by removing the drawer:

I went thru all the "spare" fuses according to the manual diagram with my multi-meter, but they were all full time power circuits. I really wanted to use one of the spares, but no dice. I chose to piggy back the "delayed accessories" fuse, #23 on the diagram which is a 10 amp fuse and ignition controlled. I soldered the power wire to the fuse tap and plugged it into the fuse panel. I then used one of the two OBD-II wire harness bolts (there's one on each side of the harness) to secure the ground wire. To me, this was the easiest place to attach it, and its lined up perfectly so you can feed the ground wire down onto it by reaching thru the drawer hole, but any grounded metal screw down there will do. Here is a picture of the fuse tap in the panel. You do need to make sure it is oriented the right way, so check it with your meter or the camera itself before finishing up.

Finished Dash Cam Install:

 

 

Hopefully this will help anyone trying to hard wire dash electronics. I read somewhere that people were taking off weather stripping and other stuff in order to run hidden wires, not necessary at all. No special tools needed, although some plastic pry tools will help things along when running the wire. If anyone has questions, I'll be glad to help.

Edited August 10, 2017 by roots57

[onyxbfly]

Excellent write up! Thanks for sharing your trials, tribulations and ultimate success with the community. Can't speak for everyone but I'm sure there it would be a resounding chorus of we appreciate it!