The article tells about the connection of the video recorder to the ceiling lamp of the car with your own hands. The main advantages, the step-by-step technology of work, the nuances of connecting wires, the use of a special adapter: all these important issues are given attention. Recommendations on the use of the finished construction are also given.

Advantages of connecting the recorder to the ceiling light

The method of connecting the video recorder to the ceiling lamp of the car interior has several advantages at once:

The cigarette lighter socket is not involved, which means it can be used to charge phones, tablets, etc.
All connecting wires are hidden under the trim without spoiling the view of the interior.
The ignition is not required for operation of the data recorder.
Installation is simple and anyone can do it.

The ceiling light is the closest power supply node to the rearview mirror, so you need to have the video recorder mounted on the front top of the windshield.

Installation process

Now - in detail about connecting the DVR to the lighting, with a description of all the steps.

What you need for installation

To connect the DVR to the ceiling plafond will require the following handy tools:

2 screwdrivers - Phillips and flat;
wires for connection;
wire cutters;
soldering iron;
duct tape;
Velcro fasteners;
multimeter.

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Necessary tools.

Removing the interior light fixture

The first thing to do is to remove the plafond of the car interior light. First, the protective housing is removed. Depending on the make of car, you can remove it with a plastic spatula, picking it up with a sharp object, or simply by hand. After removing the protective housing, you will need to unscrew the fasteners with a flat or Phillips screwdriver. Then the lamp is removed without obstruction. If something is in the way, the lamp probably has an additional attachment. To determine its location, you should again pick up the lamp with a spatula or a sharp object.

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Places of attachment of the plafond.

The nuances of connecting the wires

After removing the plafond, the stage of connecting wires begins. Step by step, the technology of the work is as follows:

Routing of wires is performed. So that they were not visible, they need to be brought under the interior trim. To do this, in addition to the plafond, you will need to remove the sun visors and cover the side walls of the windshield.
Determine the polarity wires or terminals on the recorder and the plafond. A multimeter will help, but often everything is clear by the color of the winding: red is for "plus" and black is for "minus". The negative wire of the video recorder should be led to the same contact on the plafond, the positive - to the "plus".
Carefully cut the insulation on the wires from the lamp. The contacts are soldered to each other and the connection points are carefully insulated. The connection of the wires must be as reliable as possible, otherwise there will be failures in the work of the recorder - interference, distortion of the picture.

How to Connect a Data Recorder to the Dashboard Lighting

Connection example for Renault Megane.

It is necessary to check the voltage on each wire with a multimeter. There is a subtlety here: some wires going to the plafond get voltage only when the doors are opened. Therefore, if the multimeter does not ring, such a wire should not be used to connect the device. You need only those wires that are given a constant positive voltage.

Checking and assembling

The last step is to make sure that all the connections are firmly sealed, and check with a multimeter the voltage on each wire. After that you can switch the black box on, check the picture quality and the absence of interference. If everything works, you can start laying the wires. You should make sure that there are no kinks, no bends. The lamp housing is installed in place, the visors are hung up, and all parts of the interior trim are restored to their original appearance.

The finished construction is hidden inside the plafond.

How to power a video recorder using an adapter

The fact that the "native" plug of the device is not suitable for connecting to the lighting plafond. The car's onboard voltage is 12 V, while the data recorder requires only 5 V. To reduce the voltage an additional element is added to the chain - an adapter or adaptor.

Adapter appearance.

Usually it is a special power module, which is not included in the standard car network and must be purchased separately. The module has a built-in resistor of 150 ohms. If the recorder consumes less than 200 mA, it is recommended to add a few more terminating resistors to the circuit. The power module has connectors for connecting cables from the data logger and car lamp.

You can also modify the original power supply of the data logger. You need to remove its plastic housing, and attach an additional fuse. It will trigger at a current greater than 1.5 A: it will protect the system from failure. After dismantling the case, the wires of the recorder must be powered with metal leads.

Switching of cables through the adapter.

There is also a variant of the adapter in the form of a cigarette lighter connector "mom". It is attached to the plafond and hidden under the ceiling liner. You don't need to modify the regular recorder unit for this method - it is just inserted into the socket. Such a construction, as well as other variants of adapters, it is recommended to be equipped with an additional fuse.

Conclusion and tips for use

Since the connection of the recorder to the lighting plafond is a method of spare and is done by the hands of the driver himself, it is worth adhering to a number of important rules:

If you are not confident in your skills, it is better to entrust the installation to an automotive technician.
Start the work only with the on-board power supply disconnected.
Check the polarity by the color of the cables or with a multimeter.
It is necessary to insulate harness connection points.
Power must be supplied via an electrical fuse.
There must not be the slightest contact with water during connection work.
The video recorder should be set before you switch on the ignition, at the moment of boarding the car.
If you are not going to use the car for more than a few days, it is recommended to disconnect the device from the lamp, and even better - take it away from the car for a while.
Serious failures with the picture, sudden disappearance of the image, the smell of burning, smoke: in all these cases, you must immediately disconnect the recorder from the socket.
It is still possible to connect the device to the lamp by yourself, but it is not recommended to make repairs in case of breakage. This is where you will need the services of a professional technician. Repairing with your own hands is unlikely to fix the failure, but it will worsen it with great probability.

Video for the popular makes of cars

Renault Logan II

Kia Ceed

Hyundai Creta

Skoda Octavia

The connection of the video recorder to the car lighting lamp is one of the alternative ways to the traditional connection to the cigarette lighter. The advantages of such connection are the absence of wiring in the sight, the ability of the video recorder to work when the ignition is off, and the simplicity of installation. The most important thing - to determine on the plafond wires with constant voltage, observe polarity, carefully seal the places of connections. It is also required to add an adapter to the circuit, since the recorder requires a voltage less than the on-board voltage.