Parking Another aftermarket RV camera installation.

[pcr]

The camera is a Pioneer ND-BC2 which is NTSC video standard.
The project is not yet complete but in response to a member's interest, here are some pictures.

The strips of wood are in-line with the sides of the car. Couldn't avoid Moire effect on picture of the display.

About the display, which I am quite pleased with. This camera has a 135deg viewing angle so you have to get used to the "fisheye" view, I wouldn't recommend a wider angle. Distant objects are out of focus, which I guess is typical for RV cameras. There is not much colour green in the display, which may not be due to the camera but down to the default very high brightness setting of the satnav display.

I was concerned that this camera was going to be a bit gimmicky. In the photo's I have tried to show it's usefulness, I am well-pleased with this.
Additionally, you get a considerably wider view than provided by the wing mirrors.

The camera is supplied with a stick-on bracket which makes it difficult to position the camera exactly where you want it. I resorted to making a more suitable bracket, which when I have more time will be replaced by another one, more like Honda's.

[CopyCatz]

I like your thorough testing setup. Could you place a naked woman on the lawn, I'd be interested to see if she shows up on the cam as well.

[TTDegs]

fantastic work - nice one!


but I couldn't possibly condone the suggestion about naked a woman.

You'd need at least 3 or 4 to check out the abilities of the camera

[Bog]

Great work PCR

How did you feed the wire from the cam through the tailgate?

[czechplastik]

How much did it cost you?

[pcr]

Bog,
For the whole job I used the fitting instructions for the Honda camera as a guide. This is on the forum somewhere, provided by Stef. The wire from the camera loops over the plastic outer skin and through an already existing grommet just below. the grommet needs removing, the centre cut out, and sealing with silicon rubber when refitted.

CZ,
£170, and that's almost all for the camera which is not cheap. There are cheaper cameras for maybe a quarter of this price but I was looking to match a proper Honda job.

[czechplastik]

Originally Posted by pcr

CZ,
£170, and that's almost all for the camera which is not cheap. There are cheaper cameras for maybe a quarter of this price but I was looking to match a proper Honda job.

Thats a pretty big saving over the Honda version. Good job

[gray52]

here a couple of photos of my camera, the image is not bad for a cheapy, but i think a quality camera is wasted as the satnav screen doesent seam to be of a high quality when watching dvds.

[pcr]

Gray,
Any chance of a pic of the display for the camera ?.
I thought DVD playback was reasonably acceptable, not forgetting that it is a composite input. I tried a test card, which gave good colour and not bad sharpness.

[gray52]

i will post some pics on the screen tomorrow. but looking at the the camera pics pottsy and you have have done the satnav screen lets them down as they are quality cameras. mine cost £30 so i wasent expecting a pin sharpe image. im well pleased with it and it is very good at night as well.

as ive now got the wires sorted i can upgrade to a more expensive camera if this packs up. give me a min and i will nip and do a night shot on the screen.

[gray52]

here are the quick pics:-
1) image with the reversing lights only (little blured look at my bluetooth phone icon)
2) image with the reversing lights and brake lights (not blured look at my bluetooth phone icon.

let me know what you think. i will do a couple in the day time tomorrow. could you do a pic of your in the dark?

also you can lighten or darken the satnav screen when its in camera mode by turning the zoom in & out wheel. i think this was near the lowest brightness setting.

[Bog]

Nice work Gray52, now I've seen yours and how well it works, I'm gonna order my cam!

How easy was it to pass the cable through the tailgate? and how dow set the cam in NTSC mode?

[gray52]

the cam is auto so no set up. i filed a round in the plastic on the edge of the foglight housing where the foam gasket is. this then still makes a seal when the cable is fitted in the round which ive filed, keep this as tight as possible to keep a seal.

ive read the fitting instructions for the original camera, what a joke!! the work involved to fit a tiny camera is huge, i bet no honda techy likes to fit these, and a job to avoid on a monday morning.

i fitted the camera with silicon, this holds it and is very strong. also it will be easy to remove it needed to, unlike glue which will break with the closing of the tailgate, silicon is more flexible and will take the shock when closing the tailgate. plus you have alittle time to possion the camera before it sets. i did a similar setup to pcr. ive set it so i can see the same image on the camera as i can in either mirror, so its a wide image angle.

[gray52]

here is a pic in the day:-

[pcr]

Nice one Gray, thanks. Looking at that, I would say that the cheaper camera's do just as good job.
By the way, I attenuated the input to the satnav by 6db to reduce that overbright, glary look.

[gray52]

how do i attenuate the input to the satnav by 6db?

[pcr]

My original photo of display is attenuated by 6db and is at max brightness. I think I'd try 2.2db if I did it again, it's a bit "suck it and see".

I guess I should say that using any old value resistors will have an adverse effect and may overload (possibly damage) the camera.

[gray52]

i will give this a go, so without these you must have a really bright display as it looks bright now. i wonder why this is as you have a quality camera. any chance of a night pic with the reversing lights etc, like i did? for the money it cost its doing a good job i think.

[pcr]

Without some attenuation and at max brightness, there seemed to be some loss of detail due to too much brightness/contrast. Same was true for input from DVD player.

A tip. As a check, before switching on, check the DC resistance across the input socket is 75 ohms. That's the RCA socket, not the satnav.

Will do a nighttime picture but must wait to borrow a camera from family member.

[Bog]

Can you use a TV attenuator? Like this ... Maplin > Aerial Attenuators