7 replies to this topic

[chconline]

Well, after 2.5 years, I've decided I had enough of my radar detector's coil cord running down my dash in my 8th generation Honda Civic. Therefore, I decided to do my own hardwire. Since I have an auto day/night mirror with compass, I could just use a product such as Invisicord or Mirrortap to run it off my car's existing mirror wiring. But those products are $15-30 and will take a long time to ship, and frankly, it's just a wire.

 

Therefore, I dug around, and found an old phone cord, cut off one end, and took out two wires (The red and the green) for supplying power. Just if you guys are wondering, red = +12V, green = ground. I soldered some metal leads into the wires, and plugged it into my mirror at the back. I tested the mirror for 12V first, so I make sure I won't fry my detector. Use the very left and middle wire if you looking from the front of the car, since the one to the very right will shut off when you enter reverse. That is to prevent the mirror from dimming when you back out.

 

After 10 minutes of work, a phone cable and two leads, and with almost no technical knowledge required for anyone, I made my own Mirrortap/Invisicord for free in conjunction with clean installation. Here are some pics:

 

 

 

Just a few things, yes I will lose laser detection probability than mounting it low, but I don't really care -- it's almost useless. Also it's quite hidden behind the mirror, so it's not too bad for having the guy behind me seeing it. Even if they do see it they'll probably just think it is a part of my mirror. It looks much better this way.

 

On a side note, when I was driving my car around lunch, suddenly my mirror went out and there was no power supplied. I got kind of worried, but I figured I may have blown a fuse. Working in an Electrical Engineering firm with lots of electrical engineers who are also car enthusiasts like me, we nailed down the problem easily (It was the fuse -- I was right). It turned out that Honda put in a 1A fuse for the mirror, lol. The detector itself can draw more than 500mA, and that's a risky move. Since there was a Canadian Tire next door, I dropped by and picked up some fuses for $4, this time upgrading them to 2A. Plugged it into the fuse holder, started my car, and everything was fixed

[TL6MT]

Nice, can you tell us how you did the wiring? Also what's that mount, a sawed off Garmin?

[chconline]

Basically, it's just a spiced off phone cable on one end that connects into the mirror (Look at the back of your auto day/night mirror) at the back with a set of metal connectors. Just test the pins with a multimeter to see which ones you need.

 

The mount is the Escort/Beltronics heavy duty mount. I've always had it. I got it when they were doing the promo back in 2010 where you get a free extra mount and cord when you buy a V995 or better.

 

https://www.beltroni...&cat=260&page=1

[TL6MT]

Nice well I don't think I can suction cup here in Cali lol. Damn laws. It's visor mount or mirror mount.

[chconline]

Another angle:

 

[HopkinsProgramming]

Yay for being in the only state (aside from Washington, DC) that does not allow radar dectors.

[Big Bang]

Looks integrated/OEM I like it. Much cheaper than having an Installed detector.

[chconline]

Yeah, installed is very expensive and a hassle to do. If you want to get a GPS enabled unit, mounting the antenna is another extra step to deal with. I don't have a problem mounting laser jammers, but this is probably the best way to do your radar detector (Unless security is a problem).