Dashcam for the Emira

[K_Squared]

I'm replying to my own message with an update. I picked up the car today and connected my Escort 360c with the above mentioned step up cord. It worked just fine with no intermittent issues. I'll keep an eye on it but it's very practical.

I went with this same one but when I hooked it up tonight to my Redline 360c it seems like it doesn't have enough juice. The redline acts strangely and the screen goes on and off. Disappointing. I might have to go the tap route.

 

[ttvetdoc]

So far, with the voltage converter cable, I’ve had no issues powering my Escort Max 360c mkii.

Also it’s unlikely to work, I was curious if anyone had tried to power both a radar detector and dash cam, using the mirror usb and a usb splitter?

 

[DF_Toronto]

I like Nexar dashcams, they work very well, has app and software. It automatically uploads the videos to my phone too which is really nice. https://www.getnexar.com/the-dash-cams/

Thank you! The main appeal of the garmin is not having to be hard wired - it will apparently record 30 mins after parking with the internal battery. Do you know if these need hardwire or have internal battery? I couldn’t see that on their website.

 

[KAR120C]

I went with this same one but when I hooked it up tonight to my Redline 360c it seems like it doesn't have enough juice. The redline acts strangely and the screen goes on and off. Disappointing. I might have to go the tap route.

Out of curiosity, did you go with the short or long cable. I think these step-ups are right on the ragged edge of having enough power and the longer the cable, the more power dissipation. I got the short cable version and it's still working ok.

 

[kitkat]

So far, with the voltage converter cable, I’ve had no issues powering my Escort Max 360c mkii.

Also it’s unlikely to work, I was curious if anyone had tried to power both a radar detector and dash cam, using the mirror usb and a usb splitter?

I wouldn’t, if some people are bumping up against the limitation it probably means there isn’t enough amperage. USB-B port probably means 10w max, put through a DC-DC @ 88% efficiency to 12V means a little over 700mA of current for both devices.

The mirror assembly itself is fused to 10 amps at 12V. i’d hard tap into that, plenty of power to use.

 

[K_Squared]

Out of curiosity, did you go with the short or long cable. I think these step-ups are right on the ragged edge of having enough power and the longer the cable, the more power dissipation. I got the short cable version and it's still working ok.

I went with the 12" smaller one. It might be that the Redline 360c pulls/requires more current than the MAX 360? Which one do you have?

 

[KAR120C]

I have the MAXcam 360c with a 12" converter cord. I'd have guessed my detector/camera combo would draw more current. Maybe my Emira and step-up converter tolerances were both on the high side and it's enough to keep it powered! I really thought I'd need to go with a mirror tap, but I got lucky!

 

[bif]

I am running a Vantrue V4 Pro on my mirror. Now granted I am not using the rear channel and have the screen turn off after a few seconds but it works perfect with no step up converter or other shenanigans. I use a very small (like 1.5 ft) usb.

 

[JWJ9000]

Are the slots in the mirror housing by the charger actually for holding cord excess the you have it, or is it just convenient use of ventilation?

Just tucked them into the ventilation slots. Not a Lotus design feature

 

[KAR120C]

I am running a Vantrue V4 Pro on my mirror. Now granted I am not using the rear channel and have the screen turn off after a few seconds but it works perfect with no step up converter or other shenanigans. I use a very small (like 1.5 ft) usb.

A lot of dash cams like yours are designed to to run off USB power. Many (most?) radar detectors require the higher voltage since they pull a higher wattage. Mirror taps or step-ups are just about the only choice for detector users.

 

[flapsychdoc]

On a related point, does anyone know where the 12v socket is located in the cabin for connecting a dashcam?

It’s behind the center console.

 

[K_Squared]

I have the MAXcam 360c with a 12" converter cord. I'd have guessed my detector/camera combo would draw more current. Maybe my Emira and step-up converter tolerances were both on the high side and it's enough to keep it powered! I really thought I'd need to go with a mirror tap, but I got lucky!

Yeah, I just plugged the Redline 360c (with M2 camera) into the 12V behind the armrest (finally found it...thanks user manual!) and it works flawlessly. The unit is new so I wanted to make sure that wasn't an issue. I've already ordered the tap for the mirror to square this away. I guess I'll just try to return the step-up cable as I don't think I'll be using it.

 

[Joshbr32]

Thank you! The main appeal of the garmin is not having to be hard wired - it will apparently record 30 mins after parking with the internal battery. Do you know if these need hardwire or have internal battery? I couldn’t see that on their website.

Different versions have different capabilities. The Nexar Pro connects via USB but also has a battery in it (I have this one, and it records for a while after I unplug it, though I'm not sure how long exactly)

And the newer Nexar One has optional hardwiring kit.

 

[Nova]

Deal alert. If you are still looking for a front-only dashcam, the VIOFO A119 Mini 2 is on sale for about $100 right now. I bought the bundle with the wiring kit and polarized lens for $120. The Sandisk 256GB high endurance SD card is on sale for $25.

Amazon productAmazon product

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

I wouldn’t, if some people are bumping up against the limitation it probably means there isn’t enough amperage. USB-B port probably means 10w max, put through a DC-DC @ 88% efficiency to 12V means a little over 700mA of current for both devices.

The mirror assembly itself is fused to 10 amps at 12V. i’d hard tap into that, plenty of power to use.

Def newbie here insofar as dashcams and def like the idea of hardwiring, mostly for monitoring while unattended (rather than an aux battery), but not crazy about having to remove a lot of trim to hard wire. So are you suggesting taking apart the mirror assembly somehow, and if so, do you know of a way to accomplish this and/or know of any forum members who have done this? Easier or harder than running to the fuse box?

 

[kitkat]

Def newbie here insofar as dashcams and def like the idea of hardwiring, mostly for monitoring while unattended (rather than an aux battery), but not crazy about having to remove a lot of trim to hard wire. So are you suggesting taking apart the mirror assembly somehow, and if so, do you know of a way to accomplish this and/or know of any forum members who have done this? Easier or harder than running to the fuse box?

You can remove the upper mirror trim to tap into wiring there, there are members here who have done it. There's fuse #54 there responsible for that usb charging part and a couple other things that has a 10amp fuse on it. The USB-B port is limited but there should be wiring there that isn't. However, if you're looking for unattended parking recording you're going to need an auxiliary battery anyways. The last thing you want to do on these Lotuses which seem to have really high sleep draw on the battery -- is run a camera in parking mode on them.

 

[Nova]

VIOFO cameras, when used with their wiring kit, can be set to do parked monitoring for a fixed number of hours. The Lotus wouldn't be a car you leave unattended for many many hours, so I think the power draw. The benefit with the VIOFO wiring kit is that it will monitor the battery voltage and cut itself off when the voltage drops below a certain level.

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

Thanks @kitkat and @Nova , that's very helpful. While I'd like to avoid leaving it unattended for many hours. the reality of my current situation is that it may be parked in the (secured) garage of my condo building, so this could be a situation where I'd want parking mode for an extended duration. The car would be/could be on a tender during that time. In that case, do you think I'd still have a concern about battery drain? Secondarily, if I did go with an aux battery, how big are these and where best to mount that thing? Am I back to pulling trim to accomplish this? And what's the expected park mode duration before depleted?

 

[Nova]

Yea, if you are on a tender, then the voltage issue wouldn't be a concern at all.

 

[kitkat]

Thanks @kitkat and @Nova , that's very helpful. While I'd like to avoid leaving it unattended for many hours. the reality of my current situation is that it may be parked in the (secured) garage of my condo building, so this could be a situation where I'd want parking mode for an extended duration. The car would be/could be on a tender during that time. In that case, do you think I'd still have a concern about battery drain? Secondarily, if I did go with an aux battery, how big are these and where best to mount that thing? Am I back to pulling trim to accomplish this? And what's the expected park mode duration before depleted?

On a tender it would be fine indefinitely.

As for the battery:
- The smallest external batteries are about 4.5 amps.
- Something like a Blackvue DR900X 2 channel uses ~ 400mA which would mean 11.25h of battery life.
- Many other cameras that cut fps down to 1-10 fps use sub 100mA which would mean ~ 2 days of recording.
- This would likely fit somewhere behind the plastic paneling in the rear compartment area behind the driver.
- Larger batteries also exist, some of the Blackvlue ones are 7.5 amps.


I've even seen some ridiculous claims from new dashcams like the Vueroid D21 which is claiming 2mA of draw in parking mode. At that point you really don't need a battery pack.