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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Integrated Hidden Dash Cam Setup [Updated with DIY]



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      01-21-2015, 07:18 PM   #1
Pawlin
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Integrated Hidden Dash Cam Setup [Updated with DIY]

[UPDATE: Here is the DIY! http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...#post18752337]


I hate obvious dashcams and radar detectors mounted on the windshield right in your face, so I put together my very own! I went for oem styling and integrated design.

With the camera hardwired, I have 24/7 motion detection, 12 hours of 1080p at 60fps, and playback on an ipad using a camera connector kit.









Sample Clip:


Update:

Added an LED indicator on the housing to blink when the camera is recording! Since the camera is enclosed, I had no idea if it was still running or if something happened. With this blinking indicator, I can easily see from inside and outside the car when my dashcam is recording! The indicator looks very much like the blinking led from an alarm system.

This was prompted when I checked up on the camera and realized it wasn't recording due to the battery overheating. I also connected the circuit board differently so that it makes contact with the metal rear view mirror arm and uses it as a heat sink.



Last edited by Pawlin; 10-15-2015 at 04:59 PM..
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      01-21-2015, 07:29 PM   #2
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Genius.

I was talking to a friend of mine about integrating a dashcam/radar detector in one last week. Even had a feature plan to go along. Damn I should get to work on one of these....

If anyone knows how to start some type of startup doing this, well let me know!!
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      01-21-2015, 07:33 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deeLow View Post
Genius.

I was talking to a friend of mine about integrating a dashcam/radar detector in one last week. Even had a feature plan to go along. Damn I should get to work on one of these....

If anyone knows how to start some type of startup doing this, well let me know!!
Funny, I showed this to a buddy and he is serious about starting something with these. If there's enough interest, I could try to put some sort of kit together.

Last edited by Pawlin; 01-22-2015 at 02:54 PM..
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      01-21-2015, 08:03 PM   #4
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Looks great, definitely interested, even more so in a DIY. If you do end up making a kit please go with a blackvue dual channel cam.
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      01-21-2015, 09:00 PM   #5
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      01-21-2015, 09:02 PM   #6
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Are u running a Power Magic? If so, what are u tapped into?
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      01-21-2015, 09:23 PM   #7
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How on earth did you do that housing? Modify the existing one, add on to it, replace the whole thing?
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      01-22-2015, 01:55 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PTinVT View Post
How on earth did you do that housing? Modify the existing one, add on to it, replace the whole thing?
+1
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      01-22-2015, 04:04 AM   #9
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the housing is from a car with auto main beam function. i have it.. downside is i cant install a dashcam there
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      01-22-2015, 06:38 AM   #10
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How are you connected to power and over coming the "increased battery discharge" warning if you are running 24/7?
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      01-22-2015, 07:07 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pawlin
Quote:
Originally Posted by deeLow View Post
Genius.

I was talking to a friend of mine about integrating a dashcam/radar detector in one last week. Even had a feature plan to go along. Damn I should get to work on one of these....

If anyone knows how to start some type of startup doing this, well let me know!!
Funny, I showed this to a buddy and he is 100% serious about starting something with these. If there's enough interest, I could try to put some sort of kit together.
I was looking at your pics some more, do you have a radar in there as well? I couldn't tell really but it doesn't appear so.

My idea for a 2-in-1 device would be sweet but fitting that hidden in a mirror housing would be tough
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      01-22-2015, 11:49 AM   #12
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Wow that looks amazing. Are you able to come up with a diy?
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      01-22-2015, 01:18 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 07chupacabra View Post
Looks great, definitely interested, even more so in a DIY. If you do end up making a kit please go with a blackvue dual channel cam.
I checked out the blackvue camera but the lens were integrated into the circuit board and the entire thing was too long to fit in the housing. Also, it was quite a bit more expensive than my camera ($80) which required all the features I needed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TreyTwoEight View Post
Make A Kit!
Kit or DIY, whichever one people are more interested in!

Quote:
Originally Posted by mump View Post
Are u running a Power Magic? If so, what are u tapped into?
No, I'm running just a normal hardwire kit with integrated fuse tapped into my fusebox. Many people use fuse 73 (door lock), for dashcams for it's constant on.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PTinVT View Post
How on earth did you do that housing? Modify the existing one, add on to it, replace the whole thing?
It's actually an oem part for auto high beam assist, never seen it in one of our cars. If you have that feature, there's actually a camera in there. Why not just put a dashcam in there instead

Quote:
Originally Posted by richard_tricky View Post
the housing is from a car with auto main beam function. i have it.. downside is i cant install a dashcam there
You are correct! I saw people doing auto highbeam retrofits and thought that housing was perfect.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdamore View Post
How are you connected to power and over coming the "increased battery discharge" warning if you are running 24/7?
I'm tapped into the fusebox like all other constant on dashcams. I drive my car daily and the 500mA current being drawn from the camera when it's actually recording (compared to standby motion detection mode) would take weeks or months to kill my battery.

Quote:
Originally Posted by deeLow View Post
I was looking at your pics some more, do you have a radar in there as well? I couldn't tell really but it doesn't appear so.

My idea for a 2-in-1 device would be sweet but fitting that hidden in a mirror housing would be tough
No I don't unfortunately, no space in there with the circuit board. I could however put an extension ribbon on the lens and move the board into the light housing. How big is the radar detector component? I know people hide them in the rear view mirrors to get a display through the glass.

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackturbo View Post
Wow that looks amazing. Are you able to come up with a diy?
Still working out some kinks!
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      01-22-2015, 01:49 PM   #14
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This is awesome! You say you used an $80 camera... can you share which one?
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      01-22-2015, 02:48 PM   #15
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Wow amazing acheivement! Would like to see a diy and/or a diy kit manufactured
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      01-22-2015, 02:49 PM   #16
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SO MUCH WANT!!!
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      01-22-2015, 02:51 PM   #17
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Not that I don't believe you about it lasting weeks or months, but try leaving your car parked for a couple days.

I'm questioning this because I was under the impression that the battery protection circuit monitors (after 30 minutes / doors locked) mA and anything over 80mA will trigger the warning (battery dead or not). I struggled with this for a while connecting my AndroidPC.

Can you show me where you tapped into the Fuse panel? I appreciate the help!
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      01-22-2015, 02:52 PM   #18
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This is awesome! Interested in doing this for sure.
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      01-22-2015, 05:22 PM   #19
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some cheap dashcams overheat when left in the sun all day and drop frames. it probably won't be an issue now since it's winter. make sure this doesn't happen with yours
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      01-22-2015, 06:01 PM   #20
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WOW that's awesome. Well done!
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      01-22-2015, 06:43 PM   #21
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LOL i did the same thing
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      01-23-2015, 01:26 AM   #22
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What camera has been used? The cover is available for about $10
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