Step one. Bought the van.
Hello Everybody, First post. I camp a lot in tents but after spending three days straight in a tent in the rain at Dolly Sods I swore I'd make a change. Here it is. Bought it Wednesday. Dro...
Forum Discussion
Backup Cameras - continued
This is the backup camera. On the back is a threaded tube that the wires pass through and is used to secure the camera. I cut a piece of rubber for a backing against the penthouse top.
Raise the top before drilling the mounting hole for the camera. Notice the end of the wire hanging below the camera. It has a small diameter connector so the wires can be passed through the mounting hole for the camera. The connector that mates with this has the rca video plug and power plug.
This is the looking back camera. Instead of a small connector it has a rca video plug and a power plug on the end of it's wires. Since a hole is needed to pass these wires through the top I cut off the bulky ends.
Then the hole doesn't have to be so large.
Going to use #8 machine screws to hold the camera in place. Enlarge the holes in the base for them.
Had some company that day.
Use silicone to seal up the holes. These holes only go through fiberglass and not through the internal support plywood like the holes for the solar panel bolts. Because of that I don't have to be as careful.
How it looks. In retrospect I should have moved the looking back camera towards the front about a inch. Wasn't going to put more holes in the top so it stays where it is.
Now to get the wiring out to the cameras.
Just like I did with the solar panel wiring, remove the screws that attach the canvas to the top. I can pass the wires through the gap but to screw the canvas back in place these wires have to be flexible enough so they can be folded back upon themselves with the canvas in the middle. Because of that I'm using a different type of coax cable for this part of the run. See if you can catch my mistake. One coax cable for each of the cameras. The red and black wires provide positive power. One wire to each camera.
To get the canvas into it's original position I had to slide it back in place from the outside.
Put the screws back that hold the canvas in place. Looks good.
When starting to wire up the cameras I quickly realized my mistake. I forgot a ground wire. D'Oh! For some reason there's no pictures of me opening up the canvas top again and running a new ground wire.
Use the same nylon zip tie anchors that I used with the solar panel cables to route the wiring under the penthouse top.
Join the two coax cables that run out to the cameras to the one cable that runs to the front of the van.
It's not real clear in the above picture but the forgotten (red) ground wire comes off of the penthouse installation bolt that's underneath the plier's handle.
All the new wires and cables fit within the plastic conduit that was already in this corner from the original installation of the penthouse top.
continued -
This is the backup camera. On the back is a threaded tube that the wires pass through and is used to secure the camera. I cut a piece of rubber for a backing against the penthouse top.
Raise the top before drilling the mounting hole for the camera. Notice the end of the wire hanging below the camera. It has a small diameter connector so the wires can be passed through the mounting hole for the camera. The connector that mates with this has the rca video plug and power plug.
This is the looking back camera. Instead of a small connector it has a rca video plug and a power plug on the end of it's wires. Since a hole is needed to pass these wires through the top I cut off the bulky ends.
Then the hole doesn't have to be so large.
Going to use #8 machine screws to hold the camera in place. Enlarge the holes in the base for them.
Had some company that day.
Use silicone to seal up the holes. These holes only go through fiberglass and not through the internal support plywood like the holes for the solar panel bolts. Because of that I don't have to be as careful.
How it looks. In retrospect I should have moved the looking back camera towards the front about a inch. Wasn't going to put more holes in the top so it stays where it is.
Now to get the wiring out to the cameras.
Just like I did with the solar panel wiring, remove the screws that attach the canvas to the top. I can pass the wires through the gap but to screw the canvas back in place these wires have to be flexible enough so they can be folded back upon themselves with the canvas in the middle. Because of that I'm using a different type of coax cable for this part of the run. See if you can catch my mistake. One coax cable for each of the cameras. The red and black wires provide positive power. One wire to each camera.
To get the canvas into it's original position I had to slide it back in place from the outside.
Put the screws back that hold the canvas in place. Looks good.
When starting to wire up the cameras I quickly realized my mistake. I forgot a ground wire. D'Oh! For some reason there's no pictures of me opening up the canvas top again and running a new ground wire.
Use the same nylon zip tie anchors that I used with the solar panel cables to route the wiring under the penthouse top.
Join the two coax cables that run out to the cameras to the one cable that runs to the front of the van.
It's not real clear in the above picture but the forgotten (red) ground wire comes off of the penthouse installation bolt that's underneath the plier's handle.
All the new wires and cables fit within the plastic conduit that was already in this corner from the original installation of the penthouse top.
continued -
