Options for a reversing camera

[HPsauce]

Originally Posted by HPsauce

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

Or, more likely, some rather ugly soldering.

[HPsauce]

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]

>> Ugly soldering buried under certoplast.



send pictures of final installation please

[HPsauce]

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]

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.

[HPsauce]

Yes I did, needs tidying up a bit so I'll photo again then. The cut-out is similar to those for the number plate lights but smaller and midway between them.
This is how it is now, rough and a bit tight on one side:

[notorious]

Perfect, thanks.

[paulrstaylor]

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]

Originally Posted by paulrstaylor

You may find that actually bypasses or alters the speed signal to the RNS-D

I don't think so, it only seems to relate to the TV-on signal pin from the converter box, so is probably misdescribed slightly.

Originally Posted by HPsauce

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

It's still doing this at times, when disturbed, so my repair isn't perfect. I'll have to do a "proper job" sometime, probably when I resite it to a better permanent location.

Couple of pictures:
1. Close-up of camera and cutout after a bit of enlargement. Allows plenty of adjustment.
2. Wiring tapped into nearside reversing light. 12v and earth (in thin black cable) for camera and 12v (light blue cable) for interface box via video lead.

[HPsauce]

Just another little "feature" of the way the RNS-D works that I can exploit somewhat.
The detection of the TV seems to only happen when you look for it and the RNS seems to remember whether it's found it last time it looked and what "mode" (Radio/CD/TV) it was in when turned off.

So, if when you park up you "know" (as I do when parking on my drive) that you're going to use reverse as you leave, as you pass through reverse (heading for Park) just hit the button to preset the RNS-D to TV mode.
Then when you next start up and select reverse the camera comes on automagically.
Obviously you then need to select Radio or CD if you want those and Navigation if you're going to use it. But that applies anyway. You can leave it in TV mode and have silence while using the SatNav if you prefer.

Which leads me on to another though. The TV input lead to the RNS-D has stereo audio as well, standard phono connectors, I could use these for an audio input of my choice, just need to fit up a jack socket somewhere.... Where would be a good place to hide it?
(My Xcarlink, awaiting refitting, may become redundant now!)