Whoa, this is fantastic! Thanks for posting this.

 

For those of you looking for a nice switched 12v output for add-on accessories in your 3, I have found a good safe place to attach. See my YouTube video. If you aren't interested in all the electronics geekery, skip to 5:00:

See the video's description for more details on this as well.

If you want a non-switched line for a dashcam, you can tap the yellow wire that feeds the overhead light/hazard switch console. The black wire on the opposite corner is ground.

Video is now unavailable.

 

Watched the video at lunch today - great information and very good news on where to tap for power.

 

I'd love to see this! ... video unavailable for me too.

 

Sorry, somehow Youtube corrupted my original video, so here is a remake.

 

Safe for how much current draw?

 

10A continuous, 15A peak, no fuse needed unless you have wire that will not handle a 15A overload. The car will disconnect power from this pin if you exceed 15A.

 

If you want always-on for a dashcam (not recommended), then the best location is to pull out the overhead console with the hazard button and map lights. Feeding that you will see a yellow wire on the corner of that connector (pin 1), that is +12 hot always. If you need ground, the black wire on pin 16 is good. Don't pull over 1A from this circuit though!

 

Just curious, why do you not recommend hooking up an always-on dadhcam?

 

@Ingineer, you're doing amazing work for the community -- I hate to keep asking... but:

I see a very similar connector on VCRIGHT; would love to know if that offers a switched or constant; also whether you see good switched or constant in the center console area

(Yes, I could route a wire from VCLEFT or VCRIGHT, though running all the way from the overhead console is probably prohibitive.)

 

I have not examined this yet. Stay tuned!

 

More awesome work, thanks Reddy Kilowatt!

 

What do you think about using the source in the video below and a buck-booster for a constant 12v? I was going to attempt it this weekend for my blackvue

With your locations, do you believe this might apply as well (from the video):

Note: I have not tested this long-term, but my guess is that the car won't be "surprised" by a power draw connecting to either of these locations since they are downstream from the power distribution system. Bypassing the power distribution system by connecting directly to the 12V battery has given some people errors (from what I've read on forums) since the car detects any voltage drop at the battery (other than it's own usage) as a problem with the battery.

 

I would not tap there. Clearly VCFRONT cuts power to VCRIGHT when the car goes to sleep, so drawing power from here may cause issues. I would just stick with a 12v output and not mess with a converter. (The yellow lead in the overhead console I already mentioned).

I also checked out out VCRIGHT for possible connections and didn't find anything spare like VCLEFT has.

 

I also checked out out VCRIGHT for possible connections and didn't find anything spare like VCLEFT has.

Oh, that's too bad -- in "Exploded" it sure looks like there's a similar connector in the similar position similarly populated with grounds only, so I was hopeful.

 

Just pry it out of the headliner (there are 2 metal clips holding it in, so it's tight!), and you'll clearly see the yellow wire.

 

Because depending on current consumption it could discharge the AGM enough shorten it's life. Tesla will check the logs and likely deny warranty on i if so.. If it's a really light load, it shouldn't be a problem, but there are a wide range of dashcams and some are pretty hungry.

 

It seems that they have been nice and replacing 12V batteries at the moment when people were getting the Battery error message. Do you happen to know how many amps blackvues draw? They seem to be the most power hungry dash cams. I currently use their backup battery b124 to power it while in parking mode but it simply doesnt last as long as I need it to - so I was going to *sparingly* create another switch to switch it to the car's 12v battery when I need it on over 16 hours while parked.

 

Where does vcsec get its power from?

Vcright also has the direct dc/dc output from the pcs on a jumper lug correct?

 

VCSEC is powered from VCLEFT which is powered from VCFRONT. The DC-DC output goes straight up to VCFRONT. There is a junction lug on the top of VCRIGHT, but no electrical connection to VCRIGHT. VCRIGHT is powered down when the car is asleep.

 

Have you come across any markings for air suspension yet?

 

Yes, VCFRONT has unpopulated locations for a power feed for this.

 

P3D

Tap 12 volts

 

When I open up this panel and find this connector the port you are saying to plug into is already occupied.

 

Hope this helps someone, and a question. As @Ingineer said, you can remove the overhead console by prying. I'd recommend working a trim removal tool into the left and right sides. It does take some force.

Still not quite sure which of the two black wires is ground or what the best way to splice into them is. The yellow +12 V wire is pretty obvious. I'm thinking of soldering to the connector inside the console. Would appreciate any advice here.

 

I used something like this:


I *think* both black wires are ground, but I personally tapped into the one on the lower row (if you consider yellow the upper row).

Note: if you use t-taps like the ones linked above, make sure to tap the wires as far away from the harness connector as possible (requires cutting the tape that holds the bundle together), and at different heights for each wire. There is a very small cutout that these connectors have to pushed through when you go to put everything back, and if you tapped them too close to the connector, or at exactly the same height they will NOT fit through the opening.
Also, if you pull on the wire bundle with a little force, it will come out further and give you plenty of room to work with.

 

Any of those wires switched power and is there room up there to put 2 small PCBs?

 

Not that I know of. And no, there's really no room for anything at all, unless it can be stuffed through an opening about 2" wide and 1" tall. The housing in which the assembly sits is completely sealed off, except where the wires come through.

But I have to ask... What are you trying to put up there?

 

Here's how to pry out the dome light

 

Nice place for switched power. Found it on youtube and I tried it.
And at 30 secs in, you see a bolt right above the push pin. That's ground.

 

Now that looks like a good idea! Ordered one of these: MIRRORTAP POWER CORDS MirrorTap MTX-2015, DC Plug, 15" Long from Amazon. I'll probably try it this weekend and get back to everybody.

Edit: Didn't work! 15" is not long enough to reach the port on the right side of my Blackvue. The 20" version should be perfect...

Where is your cam mounted that the 15" is too short? I'm looking to order a cam, a mirrortap kit and possibly the new Blendmount kit where I would think 15" would be plenty. I was going to order the 20" but that sounds like it might have a lot of slack.

 

Great! Yea that's how I set up my last detector as shown here:
https://teslaownersonline.com/threads/radar-detector-wiring-options.6456/page-3#post-135889

They sell different sized pin kits depending on the harness connections and it's just plug-n-play once you know which wires to tap as we do now. Here's one example:


Most of the higher end detectors have a standby time / auto off option, so constant power or not this seems like a better and easier install than running wires all the way down to the foot well IMO.

Did you get the mirror tap pin cord for your radar detector? Which One? Do you know where to insert the pins? I have this on my G37X and it is very neat looking and easy to do without splicing wires.

 

I didn't yet...mainly because I sold my Escort 9500 on eBay last month. As @CircuitGuy mentioned above you might want the 20" version to reach, not a bad idea to go longer either way if you can stuff the extra in the headliner.

This one is a little more money but also has interchangeable tips/pins and it is fused for protection.

Funny I had two G37X sedans before my 300S, and I agree, it was such an easy and clean install. My plan is to tap the dome lights as shown in post #34 but first I need to figure out if my current BlendMount bracket can fit and then actually pick up a new detector...likely the Uniden R3.