I've wanted a dashcam for ages but my biggest hangup has been dealing with the wire from the camera to its power source. Last night I just happened to run across this YouTube video that showed a product that sits in between your rearview mirror and its power source and splits off a USB A connection you can use to connect a dashcam too. Thought y'all might be interested in seeing this.

https://youtu.be/ldIUmfWWKeY
Allegedly it is fine as long as the camera 5v 2a or less and is able to be powered by a USB connection.

Here is the adapter that works for the 8th gen Nissans.
SimpleUSBPort Mirror to Dashcam Adapter (10-pin Type A) https://a.co/d/dWGFE72
Mine arrives tomorrow and I'll be sure to post back how it goes.

 

That's very cool! Looking forward to your update.

 

I'm back! This was INSANELY easy to do. It took all of 3 minutes to have my dash cam powered up. Get in the passenger seat, turn the rearview mirror, stick a screwdriver in the clip of the power plug and pull it out while pushing the clip down then plug it into this adapter and plug the adapter into the rearview mirror then plug the USB cable in and plug that into your camera.

I've lost 0 functionality of the rearview mirror and my dashcam powers up right away. The hardest part of this whole thing is deciding where and then attaching the dashcam to my windshield. The power adapter even comes with 2 short USB A cables to mini & micro since your dashcam will probably come with a 9 feet long one.

The only things I would point out is your camera will not be powered unless the ignition is on and be sure to get a camera that is 5v 2a or less power draw.

This is the camera I am using:
VIOFO A119 V3 1440P 60fps Dash Cam with GPS, Enhanced Super Night Vision with HDR and Starvis Sensor, 140° Wide Angle, 2.0‘’ LCD, Smart Parking Mode 24H https://a.co/d/an5wiQu

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Nice job FTC! I like that setup.

I’ve had good luck doing this in my ‘16 SL. First I used a mirror tap for a radar detector (12v, RJ11). I’ve since ditched the detector.

I wasn’t as neat in the dash cam setup. I bought a 12V to 5V, usb female end wire tap and plugged in a usb male to usb mini male cord.

Needless to say I have a bunch of cable wrapped up behind the mirror but you don’t really notice it. I may eventually do a cleaner setup, as I had to splice solid ends to poke into the mirror plug connectors cause the connector cable I bought had stranded wire.

I see Amazon has several different types of connectors also depending on if 12v, or 12v to 5v, and if mini or micro usb connection to the device.

I found the mirror plug pin connector layout on another site.
I find that for the 10-pin mirror connection:
5 4 3 2 1 (top)
10 9 8 7 6 (bottom)
where #8 was ground & #6 was ACC 12v. #10 is suppose to be constant 12v if you want power all the time.
A multi-meter should confirm the above.

I’m so glad the 8th gen Max rear view mirror setup was this convenient.

 

That is really interesting to know. So you think if you move #6 to #10 you can be powered up all the time?

 

In theory, I'd say yes.

I'm not sure how the power drain is with a marginal battery if the car sits a lot, like mine. I've often thought it would be good to try it on constant power, so the dash cam time keeps and it monitors the car when parked out and about.

 

Just for clarity on my pin-out sketch above for wire color:
#10 s/b black/white (constant +12v)
#8 s/b black (ground)
#6 s/b yellow/black (ACC + 12v)

 

Thanks, maybe someone will try it out! I'm curious for the sake of curiosity but for me just having it powered when the car is on is perfect.

I'd be really curious to know how long the battery could hold up!

 

this thread is awesome. I'm going to make the leap.

 

OK, I broke down and ordered the adapter. I need to do some camera research, preferably for something small and inconspicuous that hides behind the mirror to have any hope of meeting the WAF.

 

what about if the intruder comes from the sides or rear?
not many will come from the front

 

In case this helps anyone else, I gave this a shot with the following gear:

• Dongar SimpleUSBPort Mirror to Dashcam Adapter
  Dongar SimpleUSBPort Mirror to Dashcam Adapter
• AccessoryBasics Car Rearview Mirror Mount Kit for Garmin Dash Cam
  AccessoryBasics Car Rearview Mirror Mount Kit for Garmin Dash Cam
• Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2
  Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2

The ebay link to the mirror mount kit used in the youtube video was dead (link), so I tried the above kit from amazon instead. After some tinkering, I was able to get the camera discreetly mounted behind the mirror with all of the cables connected. Everything powered up fine and I was able to aim the camera from the Garmin app with no issues, but then I made the mistake of saying "OK Garmin, Take a Picture".

*Poof*

After that, the camera would no longer power up from the USB dongle on the Dongar adapter (powers up fine on my PC). The Garmin Mini camera input is rated for 1.6 A max and the Dongar adapter is supposed to be able to handle < 2 A, so my hope is that I just had a bad adapter. I ordered a new one and will attempt to return the old one under the assumption that it was faulty. I also disabled the voice commands for the Garmin camera just in case.

The camera works fine and I was able to pull pictures and video from it via my computer, so things look good on that end. Hopefully everything will work out well with the new Dongar adapter when it arrives.

 

That sucks, hopefully it works out for you. The one I am using is a 1v(link in earlier post) and I haven't had any issues the couple thousand miles I've been using it.

​​​​Let us know how it goes for you.

 

Thanks for the heads up for this dongle , I might have to give this a try.

 

I have one installed as well. purchased form Amazon for a great price.