I got a car video recorder after some crazy truck decided to change lane almost into my side while on the freeway. It works great, but I don't like always having to plug in the power adapter to the cigarette lighter and have the cable dangling all over the place.

Has anyone tried drawing power from the cables behind the center rear-view mirror and making that into a mini USB connector? Is this even possible, or do I need to pull cable from the dash and run it through the A pillar and roof liner?

I did try searching on this forum. While I saw a lot of cool custom jobs, I was hoping for something I could do as a DIY project, so I'd appreciate any instructions you might have.

In case anyone is interested, the unit I got was a Garmin GDR35 from Taiwan. With 1080p, wide angle, G-force sensor, and GPS data recording.

 

never heard of anyone trying this.

I think the cop can also use it against you.... especially the GPS part.

 

USB is 5V, chances are the feed there is 12V. Additional wiring of a transformer would be required.

 

A good idea, never the less.....

 

just looked it up on youtube. It looks great. clear enough to read license plate during the day. At night seem the glare make it unreadable.

 

Yes, it is possible. I just got a radar detector mount mounted into the mirror's electrical system.

 

There are mini 12v usb adapters all over ebay, so they will take the 12v and make it 5v etc internally. Easy, just go find the 12v and ground and wire it up.

 

Thanks, all. Where can I find a diagram of the wiring in the small panel behind the rear-view mirror? I'd like to try this myself, but I'm worried about ruining the electricals. On the other hand, I heard it costs ~$200 to do it at a local professional shop, so I might try my luck.

The cop can indeed use it as evidence, but you're not required to give it up unless they have a warrant. Also, even if the plates cannot be perfectly read, a lot of times it's the presence of such device (and the possibility that something was recorded) that makes people behave

 

These cameras are used a lot in Asia and Europe.

 

I found this kit:

http://www.edotechsupply.com/servlet...igation/Detail

and these instructions:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...-detector.html

Thinking about giving this a shot. Any thoughts?