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
A poster asked about the cameras. Bought both of them on ebay for around $15 each. They are made in China and I have no idea how long they will last.
With the cameras now wired up they will need power. The cameras will be used only while the van is moving so I want to find a "hot on run" source. Along the "B" pillar on the drivers side I found this group of unused connectors.
The wires on this connector were of a heavier gauge so thought they might be a power source.
There are only three wires but it is a six terminal connector.
Using a voltmeter I found that the orange wire is a "hot on run" source. Figured out it's connector C331. Page 150-29 in the electrical manual.
It's listed as circuit# 49. It comes off the Trailer Battery Charge Relay.
Cut the orange wire from connector C331 and crimp it to a in-line fuse holder. Cover the connection with shrink tube.
Route the power wire along side the "B" pillar up to the ceiling in plastic conduit.
Then along the "B" ceiling support to the center of the headliner Reflectix using silver duct tape to secure the wires. I had previously run the power wires for the two cameras to this point. The camera power wires followed the same route as the coax cable.
Wire the power to the cameras and this 3.5" TFT LCD (thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display) monitor.
This monitor was too small for my liking so ordered a bigger one. Will use this one until it's replacement arrived. Here's the view from the looking back camera.
And this is the backup camera. The image in the monitor is fine. It's the picture I took that's out of focus. The backup cameras isn't showing the back of the van.
Here's the problem. The penthouse top is angled such that the camera is aimed too far back.
To compensate I removed the backup camera then elongated the mounting hole. This allowed the camera to be tipped forward. Used duck tape to change the camera's angle.
Changed the angle until I could see the back of the van within the image.
Measure the gap. It's 0.56 ".
Need something more permanent. Had this block of UHMW (Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) on hand. Cutting boards are made from this material. It's 0.5" thick.
Cut out a small square then cut it on an angle.
Drill a hole in the UHMW wedge and use tape to hold it in place then check the image. The wedge tips the camera forward enough so that I can see the back of the van in the image. Used sandpaper to clean up the edges of the wedge.
When trying to secure the camera with it's new aiming wedge found the threaded tube on the back wasn't long enough to accommodate both the wedge and the rubber piece previously used. Removed the rubber pad and to seal against water leakage smeared on silicone II instead.
continued -
A poster asked about the cameras. Bought both of them on ebay for around $15 each. They are made in China and I have no idea how long they will last.
With the cameras now wired up they will need power. The cameras will be used only while the van is moving so I want to find a "hot on run" source. Along the "B" pillar on the drivers side I found this group of unused connectors.
The wires on this connector were of a heavier gauge so thought they might be a power source.
There are only three wires but it is a six terminal connector.
Using a voltmeter I found that the orange wire is a "hot on run" source. Figured out it's connector C331. Page 150-29 in the electrical manual.
It's listed as circuit# 49. It comes off the Trailer Battery Charge Relay.
Cut the orange wire from connector C331 and crimp it to a in-line fuse holder. Cover the connection with shrink tube.
Route the power wire along side the "B" pillar up to the ceiling in plastic conduit.
Then along the "B" ceiling support to the center of the headliner Reflectix using silver duct tape to secure the wires. I had previously run the power wires for the two cameras to this point. The camera power wires followed the same route as the coax cable.
Wire the power to the cameras and this 3.5" TFT LCD (thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display) monitor.
This monitor was too small for my liking so ordered a bigger one. Will use this one until it's replacement arrived. Here's the view from the looking back camera.
And this is the backup camera. The image in the monitor is fine. It's the picture I took that's out of focus. The backup cameras isn't showing the back of the van.
Here's the problem. The penthouse top is angled such that the camera is aimed too far back.
To compensate I removed the backup camera then elongated the mounting hole. This allowed the camera to be tipped forward. Used duck tape to change the camera's angle.
Changed the angle until I could see the back of the van within the image.
Measure the gap. It's 0.56 ".
Need something more permanent. Had this block of UHMW (Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) on hand. Cutting boards are made from this material. It's 0.5" thick.
Cut out a small square then cut it on an angle.
Drill a hole in the UHMW wedge and use tape to hold it in place then check the image. The wedge tips the camera forward enough so that I can see the back of the van in the image. Used sandpaper to clean up the edges of the wedge.
When trying to secure the camera with it's new aiming wedge found the threaded tube on the back wasn't long enough to accommodate both the wedge and the rubber piece previously used. Removed the rubber pad and to seal against water leakage smeared on silicone II instead.
continued -
