Radar Detector hardwire?

[Rupes]

Has anyone bought and used the Escort Maxcam 360c and found it to:

1.) Be powered adequately by the USB port on the mirror with a 5v to 12v connector, and
2.) Worth the (very steep) price?

Ideally, I'd like to have my radar detector and camera all in one unit, and the options for something like this are very limited.

 

[Dan C]

I am using a 5V to 12V USB cable with the Uniden R8, and it works perfectly.

 

[kitkat]

I bypassed the USB entirely and used a wire tap into the connector of the USB module. The USB module has a blue (12v) and black (ground) wire.

The thinnest wire tap from these works well:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5JH9NCH

View attachment 45104

Anyone here running a higher current device and trying to use a 5v->12v DC-DC converter is going to need to use this method instead. Going from 12V -> USB A Module with limited current -> 5V -> DC-DC Converter -> 12V RJ11 makes no damn sense. It's a $13 for the set of cables and 15 minutes to install and looks just as clean as a single cable. The back of the connector is on a 10 amp fuse.

 

[Rupes]

Anyone here running a higher current device and trying to use a 5v->12v DC-DC converter is going to need to use this method instead. Going from 12V -> USB A Module with limited current -> 5V -> DC-DC Converter -> 12V RJ11 makes no damn sense. It's a $13 for the set of cables and 15 minutes to install and looks just as clean as a single cable. The back of the connector is on a 10 amp fuse.

This is going to hopefully be the solve for me too. As @Lsp408 shared, the 5v to 12v connecter linked in this thread doesn't hold enough power for long enough to work with the Escort Maxcam360. Mine gives a "low voltage" warning after a few minutes using the USB method.

Question though - how did you remove the plastic shield on the rearview mirror to gain access to the wire tap?

 

[kitkat]

This is going to hopefully be the solve for me too. As @Lsp408 shared, the 5v to 12v connecter linked in this thread doesn't hold enough power for long enough to work with the Escort Maxcam360. Mine gives a "low voltage" warning after a few minutes using the USB method.

Question though - how did you remove the plastic shield on the rearview mirror to gain access to the wire tap?

The plastic shield comes off very easily and has two parts, the smaller piece surrounding the mirror stalk and the bigger outer part.

- Angle the mirror down
- Grab a 90 degree pick and hook the bottom edge / sides of the slats closest to the mirror and pull outward, this usually pops right off.

- Use the same 90 degree pick and hook the outsides of the plastic vents nearest where the clips are marked here and pull outwards, should pop right off as well.

 

[MrRogers]

I bypassed the USB entirely and used a wire tap into the connector of the USB module. The USB module has a blue (12v) and black (ground) wire.

The thinnest wire tap from these works well:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5JH9NCH

View attachment 45104

I've been having some trouble popping off that cover. Any tips?

 

[kitkat]

I've been having some trouble popping off that cover. Any tips?

Another local Emira friend actually took a video of me popping his off, I pinged him to upload the video.

Get a pick to pull the center piece near the mirror stalk out first.

Then use the pick to pull sides of the cover near the glass — there’s vents that make it easy to hook into.

Should come right out.

 

[NorCalEmira]

This one plugs into the mirror USB jack and powers my Valentine perfectly.

5V USB Type A to 12V RJ11 Escort / Valentine / Uniden Radar Detector Power Cord - Universal

5V USB to 12V RJ11 Power Cable Plug and Play Solution to Power Many Radar Detectors Aides in cleaning up installations 12

www.stickerfab.com

 

[T6061]

This one plugs into the mirror USB jack and powers my Valentine perfectly.

5V USB Type A to 12V RJ11 Escort / Valentine / Uniden Radar Detector Power Cord - Universal

5V USB to 12V RJ11 Power Cable Plug and Play Solution to Power Many Radar Detectors Aides in cleaning up installations 12

www.stickerfab.com

Works for my Gen 2 V1 as well. Have had zero issues. Coming up on 4000 miles...

 

[Rupes]

I think it really depends on the detector and power use. That exact 5v to 12v power cable linked above worked for about 5 minutes before powering down the radar and becoming very hot to the touch. Probably because it's an Escort Maxcam 360 and needs a whole lot of power for the radar + camera combo. The wire tap method explained by Kitkat ultimately worked for me without issue.