Reverse Camera Fitting

[tc4332]

Hi Matt, Del and Davie,
Thanks for the input.
I have managed to buy a 4E0919283B - 8 sensors, no graphical support on ebay for £28. At this price it was considered worth a try. One of the Chaps at the Xmas meet managed to clear a similiar problem to mine by changing the controller. Should be here next week.
The reverse camera is just a thought for now, but seriously the original Audi method is a little bit expensive for now.
We arrived in Edinburgh OK, and are now organising dinner for nine of us.
Have a splendiferous New Year, and it was sunny from Gretna on.
No WiFi, so I am hotspotting via my mobile.

[daviesbike]

if you don't have a Tv tuner its even more of a ball ache. since i had to change most of my electrics for my RSE retro fit i have all the old modules gathering dust if you need any.

It took me ages to figure out the remote for the MMI wont work without the MMi control panel as it had the built in RF receiver for the remote inside. i changed all the modules and had component protection removed only to realize it was that .. so rather than change it all back again i left it. i have the MMi brain and all sorts of gubbins

so how can i make a camera work then in the AV slot ? i know you have explained but ive no idea ?

[Delboy]

When you have selected AV1 or 2 as the source, then IIRC you press the setup button, then there is an option for changing the signal type, if you select that it should kick into action assuming you have a signal being fed into the input.

[daviesbike]

Nope ..nada .. but if i plug a dvd player in on an extension lead its fine.. maybe the cheap camera is just not compatible at all ..

[snapdragon]

I'm having similar trouble. I fitted the RVC control module. It worked with a cheapo chinese camera until I installed it properly and then it didn't work. I brought the camera into the house and tested on TV and it was dud, I must have damaged it, so binned it and ordered a different one.
That one worked on the TV but nothing on the MMI either through the RVC module or aux in.
The wife's digital camera which has composite video - tested OK on TV and on AU- in but RVC would cut off after a second with fault code about video in open circuit or short to ground.
I now have another chinese reverse camera to try when the weather is better - not sure what the exact spec is for the video input but seems fussier than TVs.

[Delboy]

Originally Posted by daviesbike

Nope ..nada .. but if i plug a dvd player in on an extension lead its fine.. maybe the cheap camera is just not compatible at all ..

did you try both format options, also how are you powering said camera.

Some cameras in my experience only have three wires, 12v+, Signal, 0v/signal ground

[tc4332]

Looks like folk are having a lot of trouble fitting reverse cameras and getting them to work reliably.
Just thinking sideways, could the problem be to do with the "Video in motion" setting?
In the MMI hidden menu there is a setting for this, if I remember correctly.
Apologies, the thinking matter is a bit wooly after the return drive from Edinburgh. Very hectic couple of days, once in a lifetime thing, another bucket list box ticked!!!!!

[Delboy]

I vaguely remember reading somewhere the rvc module does not supply 12v feed to the camera, its something like 7v so if you try to run a camera other than oem from the rvc module you may well get problems with the camera dying or errors being thrown.

[snapdragon]

Originally Posted by Delboy

I vaguely remember reading somewhere the rvc module does not supply 12v feed to the camera, its something like 7v so if you try to run a camera other than oem from the rvc module you may well get problems with the camera dying or errors being thrown.

Yes, you are correct - there is a 6/7v out from the RVC module for the original camera but I am using 12v from the 12v outlet.
Still have the 'problem' of fussy input, but hopefully will figure something out.
***EDIT
Ok did some tests today.
Putting new chinese RVC camera signal into RVC ECU via a new 6" Fakra-phono adapter gives garbage scrolling picture.
Putting new chinese RVC camera signal into Aux-in on TV gives good picture.
Putting same signal into cam-in on RVC ECU gets scrolling garbage.

I am now thinking the Original Audi camera 4L0980511 is not a normal analogue composite video - probably LVDS....
https://www.google.co.uk/search?clie...DS+audi+mmi+2g

[tc4332]

Managed to find some time in the sunshine yesterday and had a real play with the reversing camera gubbins.
I have purchased a Chinese (?) number plate light camera with three LEDs in it. I powered this with 12 volts from the Power Supply socket in the boot. The LEDs lit up.
I then connected the video out from the camera to AUX 1 on the analogue TV tuner. I landed up with a screen full of snow on the MMI just as if there was no video signal. (OK I'll look into that later.)
Then tried Aux 2. Wow!! Brilliant picture, and it had guide lines, they were not the Audi style bendy lines but a good guide none the less.

I had put Aux 1 & Aux 2 Kufatec cables in the TV tuner last year as my very first attempt at modifying the A8. Both inputs worked surprisingly well at the time using a cheap DVD player.

Next step was putting a transmitter on the camera video output and it's matching receiver on the Aux 2 input. Powered up and voila, still a very good picture, no apparent degradation via the Tx/Rx combo.
The idea here is to save me running a video cable from the boot lid to the main body of the car. I am still thinking that the X-CarLink might be a good way to go especially with the Tx/Rx kit. The LEDs in the camera wil be fed from the number plate light supply and the camera and Tx will be powered from the Reversing light supply.

Put it all away for another day

I now need an ignition hot in the boot, anyone know of a Terminal 15 in there? If I go with the X-CarLink then the Ignition hot will not be needed.

AND hoping that the camera will fit in the number plate light aperture. I know already that I will have to drill out the number plate light fixing screws and will do both because I have LEDs to fit in there.