Homemade backup camera

[hex]

John I have enjoyed following this saga. You are a talented guy.

Do you worry the telephone connect on the tow's bumper will be waterproof for long?

Also I am confused with need to reverse the picture. Other than the trailing driver looking European, and the licence plate digits being askew, what difference would it make in your useage? I guess you'd have to train your mind that they really weren't passing on the right!

[Pahaska]

Your last sentence is the resason. 55 years of looking into rear-view mirrors has to have left an indelible impression on my mind. I want the image to looks as much like the rear-view mirror as possible.

I'm using waterproof enclosures that will protect the connectors when not hooked up. I don't think a little water once in a while when I'm towing will hurt the gold-wire connections. It is dust and mud that I worry about.

[Pahaska]

The camera mounted in the rear window of the trailer. First try using some aluminum angle as a mount. It is a bit too close to the window, so I will work on a new mount.

In the mean time, this allows me to wire up and check out the system.

First pleasant find is that the tint on the window doesn't degrade the image. Second find is that the fiels of view is just about right. I was worried that I might need a wide-angle camera.

The 60' roll of wire attached to the camera is currently rolled up behind the Lazy Susan pantry. Next job is to get it through the floor and to the area of the hitch.

[Pahaska]

I haven't forgotten this project, but with my flood and my door problems, it got pushed all the way to the bottom of the stack.

Testerday, I removed the Lazy-Susan pantry for access, drilled a hole in the floor, and ran the cable from the camera to the hitch area. The cable parallels the propane line the whole way, so I attached it to the sleeve around the line with a cable tie about every foot.

At the hitch area, I ran the cable along the umbilical and left about a foot free at the end to reach a waterproof connector which I will install on the truck. For now, the cable is just tied back out of the way with a cable tie.

The camera cable is 60' long, so there is quite a roll of excess cable. The cable is too small to try to cut and splice, so I will leave it intact. For now, I have the excess cable strapped to the cage under the battery box with cable ties.

Next step is to install the connector and run the cables in the truck.

[cosmotini]

Bump!

John,

Was this project ever finished? I'm interested in doing something like this.

Thanks,

Dennis

[wahoonc]

Something just came to mind...with a rig like ruhlr has...with Internet in Motion...you could use a wireless web cam....and monitor it from the cab of the TV with a laptop....hmmmm something I need to check into...

Aaron

[SilverToy]

Well all -

Just a thought. They have about a milliion ideas on flat screen TV's at COSTCO, not to mention VCR's and Dvd's that could fulfill the bill. The Question - where now???

Still have the VCR crown that demands access to thier movies but 

[SilverToy]

Anyway, Back to the point I was trying to make.

VCR's ain't dead. Got plenty of potential. Got VCR movies that are WAY better than the DVD offerings. Kids watch those!. LOVE EM!.

DVD/R's are cool. They do get updates when they come out. As things stand right now, we are in a cultural vanguard. Period.

Kids will watch wahtever they want to watch. period. It is that simple.

The biggest problem that my kids have with the disks is the putting away of thereof. They seem NOT to be able to reinsert the disc to the correct box and then move on to the next item/ issue.

I have issues constantly, with getting the right movie back into the correct box so that there is a correct idenification with every disc and every box that was made to represent it.

Anyway, I am sure that there are numerous resulutions to this problem that I am having. Looking forard to hearing from the idea masters in this area. Thanks in advance for your help!

Ciao

Axel

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by cosmotini

Bump!

John,

Was this project ever finished? I'm interested in doing something like this.

Thanks,

Dennis

I had it operating temporarily, but the I traded the trailer and the parts are now languishing in my workshop.

I couldn't get the display that the original guy used, so my display showed a reverse image to the mirrors which was very confusing. Also, glare on the LCD display made it very hard to see a lot of the time.

With the great TTT mirrors, I doubt that I will revisit the idea.

By the way, current build trailers are wired for a (rather costly) rear camera.

[Westfalia]

Do tell! What wiring are they using, and where does it terminate on each end?

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Westfalia

Do tell! What wiring are they using, and where does it terminate on each end?

The system uses regular copper wiring from the rear of the trailer to the hitch area and the user must supply a connector and copper wire to the cab. Supposedly, the dealers know where the wiring is located in the trailer. There is a translator box at each end of the copper and the copper carries 12v to the camera. The system is not cheap!

I noticed that I have a pair of very long copper wires under the bed of my new trailer that are not connected to anything, just laying loose. I suspect that this may be the aft end of the camera wiring. I haven't had time to look at the wiring diagrams which are in my trailer at the dealer at the moment to check on the color code of the wires and see if they are shown on the diagrams.

[SilverRanger]

There was a reference to existing wiring for a rear camera in my 2005 manual. I could be wrong but if I recall, it gave an internet address to a company other than Airstream. There is also a reference to it on the 2006 Safari Special Edition board, where someone wrote that there is a bridge wire in the top rear clearance lights to connect a rear camera, and that the dealer would be advised where to drill to access the wire. I am not at home now. When I get home I will try to follow up on the link to the company. Hey, if someone has to DRILL A HOLE in my new Bambi, I will be running my own wire underneath the trailer.

[WayWard Wind]

At the International A/S told us that the preinstalled wire for the rear view camera was located near the rear top running lights. The dealer is encourage to call the factory and would be given the exact measurements for drilling the access hole for the wire connection. I believe the other end terminates in the wiring harness. As I understand, the wire is the only item A/S has preinstalled. A person would still need to buy the rest of the system, camera, viewer, some type of converter box, etc,etc,etc. Price was not discussed.
Best,

[markparker22]

Or if you really want to go inexpensive: Try an $89, one B&W camera and security monitor with a 900MHz link from Walmart. Use one truck mirror to make a reverse image looking down and out the back window. (I have a center bath and rear bedroom.)