Electronic rear-view mirror?

[jsmoriss]

Hi everyone,

I have a Jeep Wrangler 4-door, which means the rear-view is already affected by the spare tire, and now I'll be blocking the whole thing with some dog kennel boxes and storage compartments. So, before I do this, I have to replace the rear-view mirror by a monitor and camera -- actually I figure I could also add an electronic switch and several cameras to help with spotting on the trails. The spare tire carrier could be used to mount a camera in the center of the spare -- probably at a bit of a downward angle to help with parking too. I'm sure something like this exists for RVs, etc., and I'm hoping you guys have some suggestions... Here are a few things I'm wondering about...

- I don't need the rear-view mirror anymore, so can remove it. Are there some LCD mounts that could take advantage of the OEM mirror mount?

- What's a good LCD size? 7" 16x9?

- To keep wiring at a minimum I'm thinking an electronic switch would be better... Are there systems that would also allow me to send 2 or 4 images to the LCD?

- Eventually I'll be buying a Campa trailer and would like to add a camera to it as well. Are there wireless solutions, or will I need to add a camera plug next to the 7-pin trailer plug?

Thanks!
js.

 

[jsmoriss]

What do you guys think of this?

http://www.rearvisionsystems.com.au/mitsubishi-systems/cvc-720/

http://uk.gizmodo.com/2006/10/06/mitsubishis_cm7200_lcd_replace.html

js.

 

[rjcj-8]

Planing on doing the same thing to my 8. The local Sam's Club and Walmart have a wireless system, just a wire for power. the one offered at walmart has a small screen, the one offered at Sam's is 7".
I figured I could do a quick mount on the bumper and on the rear of my trailer so I could move it to the trailer when I'm pulling it.

 

[pray4surf]

See if you can get BajaTaco to answer your questions. He installed a 'Total Vision' system in his Tacoma..

See his writeup - (But I'm guessing you've already found this)
http://www.bajataco.com/totalvision/totalvision01.html

Other than that, I have no experience - but think this is a pretty cool mod!

 

[jsmoriss]

Here's an interesting one, with a variety of inputs, but only one cable going to the monitor...

http://www.xenarc.com/product/706tsa.html

And only $470...

js.

 

[Mickldo]

Try the forums on http://www.mp3car.com/

Lots of good info on there.

 

[whatcharterboat]

I don't need the rear-view mirror anymore, so can remove it. Are there some LCD mounts that could take advantage of the OEM mirror mount?

Hi JS . In the past I’ve knocked the mirror out of it’s plastic case and on the Mitsubishis they have 2 vertical webs behind the mirror about 2” apart. So you can cut the sides off the mirror back and you end up with a piece of plastic (roughly 2” square ) still attached by the OEM swivel / ball /mount. Often the monitors have a fairly substantial single thread in the rear that you can fix too so it’s only a matter of drilling a hole through the old mirror back and attaching it that way. Sure it ‘s a bit of mucking around but if you’re careful it will look quite “factory” at the end of the day.

Also we are usually lucky enough to have an interior light built in to the base of the OEM mirror mount so it’s a handy spot to draw power from.

Are there systems that would also allow me to send 2 or 4 images to the LCD?

Sure . Plenty of video selecters / splitters available at electronic shops too. We have “******** Smith Electronics” and “Jaycar” here . Lots of DIY kits available if you can’t buy the exact system you want from an RV supplier. Extra heavy duty / submersible / shock resistant / Infra Red / low lux / extra wide angle , video transmitters/recievers etc, etc. The list goes on.

One truck I set up had a normal high mounted rear view camera and when you selected reverse gear it switched to a 2nd wider angle camera mounted right above the tow ball which made hooking up to a trailer a cinch. Also on that truck in the future we are going to put a roof mounted cam to keep an eye on things as you go through trees. He carries a lot of gear up there like an IRB and a satellite dish.

A tip if you are getting something from an electronics supplier is to make sure the the camera image is reversible. Most of their stuff is for sercurity monitoring and reversing camera images are always flipped so it’s just like looking into a mirror. Otherwise it messes with your head when your reversing the truck.

Actually I want to try and do away with mirrors altogether and have a cam on both sides of the vehicle switched by the turn indicators. Don’t know what out DoT thinks about this yet.
(Mick I mentioned this to you before. Did you ever find out what our DoT ruling on this is??).

The new model Isuzu NPS that I’m working on at the moment has an in-dash multi media screen that has the option of 2 selectible camera sources and when you select reverse gear a grid is overlayed on the screen to help calculate distances from the rear of the vehicle. Also the Isuzu factory cameras that came in the kit are tiny. About 1” diameter and 1” deep. See the pic below.That hump above where the license plate goes houses the 2 licence plate lights and the black dot you can see is the lens of the recessed camera so it can’t get knocked off or stolen.

 

[Mickldo]

(Mick I mentioned this to you before. Did you ever find out what our DoT ruling on this is??).

D'oh, I forgot all about that. I'll try and remember to check tomorrow.

The new model Isuzu NPS that I’m working on at the moment has an in-dash multi media screen that has the option of 2 selectible camera sources and when you select reverse gear a grid is overlayed on the screen to help calculate distances from the rear of the vehicle. Also the Isuzu factory cameras that came in the kit are tiny. About 1” diameter and 1” deep. See the pic below.That hump above where the license plate goes houses the 2 licence plate lights and the black dot you can see is the lens of the recessed camera so it can’t get knocked off or stolen.

I didn't realize the in dash screen in the NPS had this option. Next time we get one in I will have to check it out. Do you know how much the camera kit is?

 

[Taz]

There was a guy on the ROF (Rubicon Owners Forum) that did this on his Wrangler. He had 4 cameras as well as a 4 way monitor (some under the Jeep to see the rocks he was going over). It was a nice set up but he sold the Jeep. I believe his name is Mac out of Vegas on the ROF. He could probably get you a lot of good info on how he did it. He is always more than willing to help folks out.

 

[whatcharterboat]

I didn't realize the in dash screen in the NPS had this option. Next time we get one in I will have to check it out. Do you know how much the camera kit is?

Hi Mick . Not sure on the price . The kit came with the truck but I believe you can order it with different length cables. I'm sure Isuzu would be able to give you all the info on it. If not I should still have the box with the part number for the kit. Let me know if you get stuck. I didn't actually hook up the reverse option. There wasn't any instructions and I can't seem to get much indepth electrical tech help from anyone at Isuzu yet on the new model. So no one could actually tell me where to hook in the "camera reverse" harness. I'm sure I could have had a good guess but as you know these Euro IV models are very touchy electrically and I'm still tip toeing around (as are the Isuzu mechanics) . Better they do that part of it for now.

The rest of the camera install was a piece of cake. One extension cable (video /power) from the head unit to the rear of the truck and then the camera plugged into that. One tip. Everything is held in with self taping Torx screws into sheetmetal tabs. They strip way too easily. Hardly even what you would call tight. Be careful there.

BTW there is also an optional Navigation package available for them. I presume that must be a plug in module and GPS antenna. There was a few optional sockets in the rear of the head unit still unaccounted for.

Overall > really good gear. You wouldn't even consider an aftermarket camera system in a new NPS. Having everything on one screen is a big plus and being handy on the dash it's easy to flip between views/functions. One neat feature IIRC was that the screen changes brightness for Day/Night when you turn on the lights. You wouldn't normally get that.

Hey Mick. Have a good new year !!!!!!.

Picking up an old subaru L sedan tomorrow. Going to be my new beach hack. Have to retire the old wagon before I get done for rust. Who invented rust anyway? Probably a Kiwi. See ya.

 

[jsmoriss]

Thanks everyone for your ideas. Here's what I'm looking at...

I'm going to remove the rear-view mirror and fab a bracket for this LCD monitor:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0313155137&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT&viewitem=

My plan is to have a rear camera (bumper or spare tire level), a front bumper camera, and a wireless camera on the back of the (eventual) trailer. This LCD monitor allows 4 video inputs, and there's also an auto-switch to VID2 when 12v is applied to a dedicated wire (for backup signal).

Then... I'll get another 4 cameras to put under the Jeep (one per wheel with a view of the diffs) and run all 4 cameras to a 4-channel color multiplexer. The output will be fed to a USB adapter, and then to the passenger-side laptop on a RAM mount. The Laptop is also setup with GPS software and WiFi. I'll probably add a switch & relay to turn on/off the bluetooth GPS unit, laptop power adapter, and 4 cameras under the Jeep, all at the same time.

The Pyle cameras seem to be fairly popular:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=260326389411

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270312508863

Should I go with the "night vision" cameras all the way around, or just for the 4 underneath?

So, what do you think?

Thanks,
js.

 

[Mickldo]

Hi Mick . Not sure on the price . The kit came with the truck but I believe you can order it with different length cables. I'm sure Isuzu would be able to give you all the info on it. If not I should still have the box with the part number for the kit. Let me know if you get stuck. I didn't actually hook up the reverse option. There wasn't any instructions and I can't seem to get much indepth electrical tech help from anyone at Isuzu yet on the new model. So no one could actually tell me where to hook in the "camera reverse" harness. I'm sure I could have had a good guess but as you know these Euro IV models are very touchy electrically and I'm still tip toeing around (as are the Isuzu mechanics) . Better they do that part of it for now.

The rest of the camera install was a piece of cake. One extension cable (video /power) from the head unit to the rear of the truck and then the camera plugged into that. One tip. Everything is held in with self taping Torx screws into sheetmetal tabs. They strip way too easily. Hardly even what you would call tight. Be careful there.

BTW there is also an optional Navigation package available for them. I presume that must be a plug in module and GPS antenna. There was a few optional sockets in the rear of the head unit still unaccounted for.

Overall > really good gear. You wouldn't even consider an aftermarket camera system in a new NPS. Having everything on one screen is a big plus and being handy on the dash it's easy to flip between views/functions. One neat feature IIRC was that the screen changes brightness for Day/Night when you turn on the lights. You wouldn't normally get that.

Hey Mick. Have a good new year !!!!!!.

Picking up an old subaru L sedan tomorrow. Going to be my new beach hack. Have to retire the old wagon before I get done for rust. Who invented rust anyway? Probably a Kiwi. See ya.

G'day John. Happy New Year

I had a look at the ADR's. In the rear view mirror section they say that all vehicles must have mirrors. I haven't had a good look at the new NCOP draft to see if it is OK to modify to cameras. The new draft has a heap of new technology rules so we may find something in there.

An L series would be a good little beach hack. My BIL had one and I took it down the Freshwater track to DI once.

 

[whatcharterboat]

In the rear view mirror section they say that all vehicles must have mirrors.

Hi Mick, Many years ago when I used to race enduro bikes, we were always busting mirrors. As you do. So we ran without 'em and would glue a dentist mirror straight onto the top of the tank. Then when the rego dudes would say "Where's your mirror?" you would point at this little round thing and say "What da ya think that is?" This was in the days when you could rego a motorcross bike with a big torch battery under the seat to run the lights cause it was really hard to get lighting coils for them and also we'd have one of those little trumpet horns from the bicycle shop. Back then MX bikes were still fast and about the only real enduro bikes were megabuck Huskys so we were always trying to bend the rego rules.

Not suggesting this in anyway. Just thought you'd appreciate the detour.