Options for a reversing camera

HPsauce · #1 13th October 2016, 02:11 PM

Two steps forward, one step back!
Decided to at least have a "lash-up" before Saturday (ADI), so set to.

Video cable is plenty long enough and I have a ski hatch (now!).

Already done some prep around the glovebox to give better cabling access (for TV and XCarlink) so decided to put the interface box in there temporarily.

It needs Earth, permanent 12v and ignition 12v. But I know from previous testing (for Digital TV) that the permanent 12v is only to keep some settings that are actually fine by default. So just switched 12v and earth should do.

The video cable has a power pass-through so I just connected that to the reversing light circuit in the boot lid (same as for the camera) and connected the other end to the interface box. For earth I just popped a lead onto the tag on the back of the RNS-D chassis.

And as soon as I selected reverse and pressed the radio/CD/TV button on the RNS-D , up popped the camera image.

And I would have put that up here and gloated, except:
1. It was purple (well, magenta I guess) suggesting missing colours somehow. Tested with input from another known good camera and it was the same.
2. Assuming that was down to bad cable contacts I gave the various plugs a wiggle. No picture at all now.

The reason was pretty obvious, there's a big multiplug into the interface box (the RGB output to the RNS) and I could see at least one wire had come off the pin.

Bit of a bummer, there are 11 pins and a total of 14 wires (some are combined) so a lot of identification, continuity testing and fixing to do.

HPsauce · #2 13th October 2016, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPsauce

there are 11 pins and a total of 14 wires (some are combined) so a lot of identification, continuity testing and fixing to do.

All done, not that difficult after all, just needed to be methodical; problem(s) identified.

Tracked down every wire and what it does. There are two dodgy ones at the multiplug for the video interface box. No wonder it didn't work.

1. The known broken one. This is the "Video-on" signal to the RNS (and the on-the-move override allegedly

).
2. The Green of RGB - hence the purple picture, just red and blue!

The green one is open-circuit, but I stripped back a bit of insulation only a few mm from the plug and that is fine, so it's probably just the termination that's at fault.

Now I need to get those critters out of the plug!

HPsauce · #3 13th October 2016, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPsauce

Now I need to get those critters out of the plug!

Or, more likely, some rather ugly soldering.

HPsauce · #4 13th October 2016, 05:00 PM

Fixed and working.

Ugly soldering buried under certoplast. Just need to tidy up all the wiring now, a rather big job in fact. Then find a final location for the interface box, currently in the glovebox.

The LED reversing lamps are much brighter but use much less current than the originals so taking power for both camera and video converter/interface from there makes good sense.

notorious · #5 14th October 2016, 08:20 AM

>> Ugly soldering buried under certoplast.

send pictures of final installation please

HPsauce · #6 14th October 2016, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

send pictures of final installation please

I'll do my best, but there's really not much to photograph that I haven't shown already and helps at all.

Couple of wires Scotchlok'ed onto the reversing light cables and where the camera is fixed (which I've already done) is about it.
The rest is bespoke to the interface box I have (no longer available) as I guess most people will connect via the TV tuner.
Cabling is really very simple, just a power lead and coax. The real trick was finding/deciding/testing the location - well pleased with that!

I hope to tidy it up a bit today and maybe reroute the video cable through the cabin to the RNS-D to be out of the way. But finalising the routing from boot lid into boot is for another time. As is positioning the interface box. It has a lead to a button for "video while moving" that seems to need to be "on" anyway for the reversing camera so I may just remove that and short-circuit it out.
(I do have an OEM button already in place for that function, ready to wire in, but it's probably superfluous now - where the headlight light adjustment is on non-Xenon cars)

notorious · #7 14th October 2016, 09:00 AM

Wanted to see a picture of camera with boot slightly opened and number plate surround installed. I understand you made a rectangular cut in the plastic surround for the camera.

paulrstaylor · #8 14th October 2016, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPsauce

It has a lead to a button for "video while moving" that seems to need to be "on" anyway for the reversing camera so I may just remove that and short-circuit it out.

You may find that actually bypasses or alters the speed signal to the RNS-D, in which case navigation becomes less accurate and things like GALA won't work. Could be wrong, long time since I have an RNS-D

Not sure if there is an easy way to do this, but I'd maybe look at using the reverse switch (lights?) to trigger that rather than shorting out permanently. Nav accuracy in reverse probably isn't a huge issue!?

HPsauce · #9 25th October 2016, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPsauce

It has a lead to a button for "video while moving" that seems to need to be "on" anyway for the reversing camera

OK, this doesn't seem to do anything useful; as I proved today, reversing at anything above walking pace cuts out the camera with the standard safety warning, whatever I do with this equipment.
So can anyone point me at the "real" VIM solution for RNS-D please.