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View Full Version : Installing a Blackvue Dual Channel Dashcam into a D4



Bytemrk
18th October 2015, 08:15 PM
So I ended up buying a Blackvue DR650GW-2CH (https://www.blackvue.com/dr650gw-2ch/) 2 channel dashcam and thought I'd put together a little install post for those considering similar in a D3 or D4.

The system comes with 2 cameras - front one is 1080P rear is 720P and everything is recorded on a micro SD card in the front Camera.

The box comes with everything you need to do the job:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/10/494.jpg

So I started by finding a suitable position to mouth the front camera. Ideally, you would mount this exactly central to the car - unfortunately that's awkward in a D4 as I already have sensors for auto wipers and lights in the way, so central would put it below the mirror - too low for my liking.

As a result I put it behind the mirror on the passengers side:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/10/495.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/10/496.jpg

Next to get the power cable from there.... down the left hand pillar to the fuse box behind the glovebox. A little yellow tongue made it pretty easy to feed up from the bottom.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/10/497.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/10/498.jpg

Removing the left visor also made getting through the head lining a lot easier.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/10/499.jpg

Next job was to position the rear camera and get the coax from one to the other...

Mounting was easy.... and you can barely see it from outside.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/10/500.jpg

Working the coax through the headlining from front to back tool a little patience, but Blackvue gave me plenty of cable length, allowing me to come across and down the side of the vehicle.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/10/501.jpg

Eventually it connected to the rear cam nice and neatly. I probably could have fed it through into the tailgate frame..but I got lazy. I might come back and do that later if it annoys me too much.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/10/502.jpg

Now time to go back and finish connecting at the front. simply plugging the coax and power cables into the cam and putting the power into a cigarette lighter had it all running:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/10/503.jpg

From outside: ( I'm going to black out the writing to make it a little less obvious)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/10/504.jpg

Configuration to ensure the time etc was set right was dead easy with the Blackvue app connecting to the cameras WiFi exactly as the book said... it was a piece of cake.

Next week I will add a power magic module, that allows me to wire it into the fusebox - giving me access to the standby parking mode.

I'll also update this thread with my impressions of the cam once I've used it for a while and some samples of video.

So far very happy... couple of hours and all working perfectly.

So I am now officially ready for the next cyclist :mad::mad: See my dashcam inspiration HERE (https://www.aulro.com/afvb/general-chat/211485-ing-cyclists-65.html#post2423024)

Tombie
19th October 2015, 11:39 AM
Timely thread Mark... I've got one coming my way at the moment!

Crocodile Dundee
19th October 2015, 02:40 PM
Timely thread Mark... I've got one coming my way at the moment!

Were did you buy it from please as am looking to get for me Defender lf i ever get it back from the Mechanic:wasntme:

Bytemrk
19th October 2015, 03:20 PM
Think you will like it Tombie.. :D

Croc, I bought mine through Elite Electronics (https://www.elite-electronics.com.au/Car_Accessories/Safety_Security/DVR_Cameras/Blackvue_DR650GW-2CH_16GB-64GB_Wi-Fi_1080P_Front_720P_Rear)as they were one of the cheapest online authorised dealers

Service was great I had it 2 days after I ordered it. :D

Bytemrk
19th October 2015, 07:42 PM
Some footage....

Test Front Cam

https://youtu.be/xERTvH7-Xjc

Test Rear Cam

https://youtu.be/hyoAV57HvAo


Test Rear Cam Night - lower rez

https://youtu.be/RZwkiAFRTXQ


I am yet to mess around with the settings much..

Scouse
5th November 2015, 08:38 PM
I am yet to mess around with the settings much..What resolution setting was the front camera on? While it appears nice & clear, it's near impossible to read number plates even on Youtube's highest res setting.


I recently bought a cheap camera to try & was disappointed in the resolution (supposedly 1920 x 1080) but it seems comparable to your video so I'm kind of hoping yours wasn't at the highest level.


My camera video here:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/showthread.php?p=2447043#post2447043

Bytemrk
5th November 2015, 09:27 PM
Scott, front is 1080P back is 720P I think Youtube screws with the compression as you can read plates off the original files on a PC without any drama.

Scouse
5th November 2015, 10:06 PM
Thanks Mark. Mine is about the same on the PC as it is on Youtube.

Bushie
6th November 2015, 01:49 PM
Whilst the Blackvues are 1080p from memory you can change the compression in the camera software as well.


Martyn

Bytemrk
8th November 2015, 08:00 AM
That's right Martyn,

It gives you the following options

Resolution:

Front: FHD @30fps + Rear HD @30fps

Front: FHD @15fps + Rear HD @15fps

Front: HD @30fps + Rear HD @30fps

Front: HD @15fps + Rear HD @15fps

Image Quality :

Highest High Normal

One thing I have noticed, is if the camera is getting too much light, the images get a bit pixelated.

I saw this on a review and the reviewer solved it my angling the camera down a little to get less sky.

However I noticed yesterday that when off road and pointing skywards, I see this issue quite significantly. I'm going to mess around with the brightness setting too and see if that helps.


I've read that there is a very good third party firmware available for these units, but I al loath to go that route while they are still under warranty.

Definitely still playing to find the best settings

Pedro_The_Swift
8th November 2015, 08:11 AM
30fps is the minimum for seamless viewing. Edison said 46, and he wasnt wrong much:D
Your eyes will detect individual images at 13 milliseconds or longer.

I'm not sure what the courts require:angel:

x503jmg
15th December 2015, 03:27 PM
Hello Mark,

I got the DR650GW-2CH and the power magic pro too, not sure where to hide the power magic pro though... can you kindly shed some light please? Thank you!

Bytemrk
15th December 2015, 08:02 PM
Mine is behind the glovebox.

I'm not interesting in turning it on and off so it was easy to stick it to the back of the glovebox.

LRD414
3rd October 2016, 04:22 PM
Working the coax through the headlining from front to back tool a little patience, but Blackvue gave me plenty of cable length, allowing me to come across and down the side of the vehicle.
Mark, I have a question about this step, getting the cable from rear to front.
Did you use the yellow tongue to fish cable through headlining the whole way?
Or when you say "came across & down side", did you give up on going through the headlining and just go down into the door sill cable duct?

Cheers,
Scott

Bytemrk
3rd October 2016, 07:52 PM
I went the whole way through the head lining, but I did it in smaller hops....

used the yellowtongue to get from the camera to above the drivers door, pulling the door seal away temporarily.... then worked along the right hand side until I got to the back of the vehicle

Does that make more sense?

I should have taken a few more photos.... but was kind of pre-occupied :D

LRD414
3rd October 2016, 08:14 PM
Thanks Mark. Yellow tongue is on order.

Scott

Disco_Moe
28th October 2016, 04:52 PM
Hi guys.

I am hoping someone can assist with the wiring. I am using the power magic pro and have used accessories from the cigarette lighter fuse 53 and constant from the interior lamps fuse 57.

Now it works fine but for some reason the car shuts down with a few clicking noises a few minutes after turning it off and it also shuts all the power! Driving me nuts because testing the power I can see that there is still power going to my wiring!!

Is there any other power fuses I can piggy back off that won't cause this? Or do I have a faulty power magic?

Thanks
Moe

LRD414
28th October 2016, 07:13 PM
Interior lamps turn off after a few minutes of the vehicle being turned off. So not really constant power I would think.

Scott

Disco_Moe
2nd November 2016, 09:07 AM
i have switched the constant to seat memory. The power is lasting longer than what it was when the constant was to the lights, however it is still shutting down.

There seems to be relays connected to the constant power causing power cut off. Very annoying because i obviously want the camera to powered up at all times.

Interesting to see how others have wired this up.

LRD414
2nd November 2016, 12:49 PM
Comment from a thread on Disco3:
"unused fuse number 41 (this is unused on mine so no need to piggy back) this is a perm live unaffected by ignition cycle)"

DISCO3.CO.UK - View topic - D4 left hand drive blackvue install guide (http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic70058.html)
Note: this install is a left hand drive so the fuse numbers may not be identical for our market.

Regards,
Scott

Disco_Moe
3rd November 2016, 01:46 PM
Thanks for that Scott i will check out that fuse number and maybe any other blanks i have in the car.