Mobius Action Camera - Dashboard Camera

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Old Apr 24, 2014 | 09:46 AM
  #1  
donq's Avatar
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Mobius Action Camera - Dashboard Camera

Hey all, so my Mobius ActionCam came in yesterday. So far I haven't done much with it but I'm hoping to rough it in this weekend.

I'm still waiting for the fuse tap and
voltage regulator voltage regulator
to come in.

I've also attached the system config (SYSCFG.TXT) file with setting that I think should work for a car camera "dashcam" set-up.

Anyone else used this camera?

dq
Attached Files
File Type: txt
SYSCFG.TXT (3.6 KB, 160 views)

Last edited by donq; Apr 24, 2014 at 09:55 AM.
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Old May 9, 2014 | 12:09 AM
  #2  
mazymus's Avatar
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what do you want to use it for?
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Old May 13, 2014 | 10:36 PM
  #3  
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It's a dashcam. Used for many things but mainly covering my butt in case there's a road incident...
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Old May 13, 2014 | 11:13 PM
  #4  
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Thats a really good cam. Looks like I'm gonna pick that up soon! Thanks for posting about it. I was looking for something with good visual quality

Last edited by d1sturb3d119; May 13, 2014 at 11:18 PM.
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Old May 14, 2014 | 10:45 AM
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I'm still experimenting with it. Especially different mounts and locations. Right now I have it placed beside the rearview mirror (on the passenger side). It isn't too noticeable and it doesn't interfere with the movement of the mirror itself.

I've also found that you can point it about 20 deg towards the sky and still see the car in the bottom of picture. If you point it dead-on you get too much dash and hood which isn't useful information...

dq
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Old May 14, 2014 | 10:46 AM
  #6  
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I'll post pics when the weather is better...
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Old May 14, 2014 | 01:11 PM
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Sounds like it need a wider FOV.
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Old May 14, 2014 | 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by donq
I'm still experimenting with it. Especially different mounts and locations. Right now I have it placed beside the rearview mirror (on the passenger side). It isn't too noticeable and it doesn't interfere with the movement of the mirror itself.

I've also found that you can point it about 20 deg towards the sky and still see the car in the bottom of picture. If you point it dead-on you get too much dash and hood which isn't useful information...

dq
Thanks for posting feedback - do you find when you move your cam around, the sun has a different effect on the video's quality?
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Old Jun 23, 2014 | 11:15 AM
  #9  
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Originally Posted by lift3d_
Thanks for posting feedback - do you find when you move your cam around, the sun has a different effect on the video's quality?
It seems to be ok. I'll try to post some example video...

dq
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Old Jun 23, 2014 | 12:03 PM
  #10  
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Ok folks, I finally got some time to hardwire this camera. Here are some photos and instructions:

Tools you'll need:
- fuse puller
- needle nose pliers
- light source
- multimeter or at least a light-bulb tester
- zip ties
- 10mm crescent wrench
- Wire strippers

I used the following fuse-tap (add-a-circuit) and this USB voltage regulator:
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Links to e-bay and Amazon are in the top posting.

I removed the cover for the driver's side fusebox as well as the lefthand side cover. Be careful when removing this latter cover. I cracked it a bit trying to remove it. I think if you peel back the weatherstipping first it should come out easier:
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You then need to attach the ground (black wire) of the voltage regulator to a group point on the car. This was the hardest part since I used a socket wrench instead and there wasn't much space for it. There is a common ground point to the left of the fuse box and it looks like this:
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Loosen off the bolt but don't completely undo it. If you buy the linked regulator you will need to strip some more of the casing off. Underneath is twisted copper so be careful. Wrap the bare wire around the bolt and tighten the bolt. Check to see if the black wire is secure.

Next you need to hook the fuse tap. First I tried using #23 which is connected to the front lighter adapter but that didn't work (long story) so I then hooked it up to #18. Pull out the #18 7.5A fuse and put it into the fuse tap. Also put another 7.5A fuse into the fuse tap and then plug the fuse tap into #18:
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(This one is still in #23 but don't put it there)

Once the tap is in place test the voltage across the ground and the tap to check if there is anything. Do it with the car off and with the car on (or at least ACC-on). There should only be voltage when the car is on (engine running or ACC-on).

Next you can hook the red wire on the voltage regulator to the fuse tap. You will need to strip some more wire on the regulator and then but it in the blue coupler and squeeze it shut using pliers (you can see it connected in the above picture).

Now you can test the connection by plugging in a USB device into the regulator. It should only work when the car is on.

More to follow...

dq


First of all I ordered the adhesive backing instead of the suction cup because it stays on better:
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Old Jun 23, 2014 | 02:32 PM
  #11  
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... continued:

Now it's time to mount the camera and route the wire. This was much easier than I expected.

First of all I ordered the adhesive backing instead of the suction cup because it stays on better:
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Then I shoved the wire along the top of the window and down the a-pillar:
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I suggest routing it underneath the weather stripping:
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This is near the fuse box:
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Here is a shot of the voltage regulator once it is connected:
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Then I hooked up the camera and zip-tied it to a large cable bundle near the fusebox:
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Note that there is a free USB socket for future use (rear dash camera?).

After that I put everything back together and it worked! I did run into one snag but to fix it I just pushed the fuses in the fuse tap a bit harder and it worked so keep a heads-up for that. Also, in case you are wondering, removing the #18 fuse will not cause the need to input the security code into the stereo before it can work.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Good luck!

dq
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Old Jun 24, 2014 | 08:26 AM
  #12  
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what a nice guide dq! thanks for taking so much time to put it together for us. I'm currently waiting for my BlackVue DR500GW and have been hunting around for some photos of an install

also glad to hear the sun isn't too imposing on the camera's quality.

someone get this guy a beer
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Old Jun 27, 2014 | 10:29 PM
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I heard good things about the Mobius but ended up buying the Mini 0801 because I wanted an LCD screen and an adhesive mount instead of a suction cup. It sits behind the rearview mirror and is small enough that nobody who comes in my car even notices it unless I point it out, and it's pretty much invisible from outside. I didn't tap into the fuse box thought, I just ran the wire along the roof to the A pillar, down the A pillar and under the passenger floor mat, then beside the seat and into the center console and plugged it into the cigarette power socket in the center console.Now I'm thinking of getting a second, rearward facing camera and am considering the mobius for that, but need to plan how to install it.
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Old Sep 5, 2014 | 11:35 AM
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BTW, you can order an adhesive mount for the Mobius as well. Actually, it's shown in the photos above...

dq
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Old May 27, 2017 | 06:12 PM
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Thanks for the write-up. My fuse tap and step-down converter just arrived, but I also just had knee surgery, so installation of my A119 will have to wait a week or so. Mind if I ask how long a USB cable you needed?
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Old Jun 13, 2017 | 04:44 PM
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Thanks again. Install went smoothly, in large part thanks to your guide. I chose to ground through the dead pedal instead of the common ground; I can't see how you possibly could have accessed that ground. The dead pedal bolt seems to have worked just fine.
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Old Sep 4, 2017 | 05:44 AM
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I ordered this one for my 2014 TL, got any tips for installing it? I've done a little work on cars but I'm still a newbie.

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Old Sep 5, 2017 | 10:49 AM
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Originally Posted by Nick Nick
I ordered this one for my 2014 TL, got any tips for installing it? I've done a little work on cars but I'm still a newbie.

Start at post 10, and work your way down. It's hard to tell from the image, but it looks almost like you're step-down converter has a micro or mini USB end, so you'll be running the wire all the way from the unit to the power source, but that's not an issue (so long as you have enough length). But again, that's based on what little I can see from the picture.
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