Rear View Camera - UPDATE-

Just about anywhere you put a backup camera, it’s going to get dirty when it rains. It’s especially bad in the winter when the roads are covered with slush, dirty water, salt, sand, etc. Mine is above the entry door on the back of the camper, and I have to clean it’s lens off once or twice a day when it’s wet and sloppy out.

Your topic got me to thinking about how many cameras I’ve had on the camper. Turns out I’ve had three. The first one I bought from a dealer on eBay. It was a relatively low-res hardwired camera, and it had an IR array that helped at night because the reverse lights on the camper were not that great. The date on this image is 2012, so that would have been when I had my first F450 pickup (a black 2010). I didn’t know of anyone who sold a custom cable to connect it to the tailgate camera cable, so I made one.



I think it lasted less than two years before the image became unstable and started rolling. I replaced it with a higher res unit from Camera Source on a clearance sale. It still had an IR array and the image was very good. When I got my current truck, I used the same camera connected to the tailgate camera connector. I think I had to move one wire on the cable I made to match the pin out of the new trucks plug.

That camera worked good on the new truck, or so I thought. After a few trips, I started having problems with it not turning on. I called CS and spoke to their tech support, and I remember them telling me “Oh, that camera is a low-voltage model. You shouldn’t be using that, you should have this one”. I don’t know what they meant by that and I don’t remember anything “low voltage” in its description when I bought it, but I bought yet a third camera.

Trouble is, after a few trips it started not turning on occasionally as well. :M It took a while before I realized that it was only not turning on when it was dark enough that it also needed to turn on the IR array. For a while, I was working around that by having the boss shine a bright flashlight at it as I shifted into reverse when it was dark, to fool it into just turning the camera on first without the IR LED’s. Talk about a PITA though, not to mention a great way to start an argument. In the meantime, I had installed some kick-butt reverse lights on the camper.





After a few trips using those mini arc-lights (and liking them a lot), it occurred to me that I really don’t need those IR LED’s any longer, and since the new truck for some reason doesn’t like them turning on with the camera, I should just disable them. I took that third camera apart, and found that it was really horrible assembly on the inside. No plug connections at all, just soldered wires. Stacks of nylon washers for stand-offs. I tried clipping the wires going to the LED board, but that wasn’t enough. The truck still wouldn’t turn the camera on if it was dark.

I got the second (low-voltage) camera out of my stash, and took it apart. It was much better constructed on the inside. Mini plug connectors, and proper stand-offs between the camera board and the IR array board. I unplugged the array board, and now that “low voltage” camera is back on the camper. It turns on every time, even in the dark. The new reverse lights provide plenty of light for the camera at night now.

Nothing’s easy. :B

:):)