All around cameras (for parking and blind spots)

[The Eyesore]

Yay! I finished my install of my 4-camera system, plus I added a 5th camera as a roof cam using an electrical relay and a momentary switch at the dashboard to activate it. I couldn’t be happier. I live in Los Angeles and sometimes have to park in tight spots. My wife (I love her to death) is not a very good parking assistant, haha! So, now she can just sit pretty while I park using only the cameras to judge everything from distance to curb, to red zones and low-hanging branches, etc.
I love this!

I’ll attach pics of the install. I picked up a generic junction box to hide all the connections and to house the relay. The picture quality and function are phenomenal and I do like having the blind spot cameras for added assurance while driving around the city. If one is so inclined, it's possible to wire the system to full-screen the blind-spot cameras with the turn signal activation, but I didn't feel this is necessary as the screen is quite large and the picture is very clear even when in split screen.

I do, however, have the roof cam go full screen when I activate it because branches are harder to see.

 

[The Eyesore]

The mounted cameras and the button to activate the roof cam.

 

[phantomjock]

Nicely done. Part numbers/links/etc. would be very nice.
Level of difficulty for pulling the wires - or did you just hang inside, then drill through to the camera?
BTW - have you settled on the paint scheme for the top?

Cheers - Jim

 

[The Eyesore]

I cut the connectors off of the camera leads and just chose to solder the connections, so that I didn’t have to drill giant holes. So, basically, I mounted the monitor, hooked up the 12v to it, connected one camera by just draping to cord out the window so that I could be sure of camera placement before drilling. Then, I cut the heads off of the camera wires, drilled 1/4” holes for the wires and mounted the cameras using lap sealant around the wire holes. Then, on the inside, I ran all the wires and cables to the junction box and pulled wires from there, cutting them to length and soldering the final connections. The camera cables only have three wires (12v+, video signal, and a common ground). Heat shrink keeps it looking tidy. I used some vinyl channel for areas where multiple cables were run and simple cable hangers elsewhere (both pictured here).

The camera system I chose, after researching many:

Fookoo Ⅱ 10" 1080P Wired Backup Camera System Kit,10" HD Quad Split Screen Monitor with Recording IP69 Waterproof Rear View Side View Camera Parking Lines for Truck/Semi-Trailer/Box Truck/RV(DY104) https://a.co/d/7kiO1ME

The relay I used to swap in the signal of an additional camera:

Electromagnetic Power Relay, 8-Pin 10 AMP 12V DC Relay Coil with Socket Base, LED Indicator, DPDT 2NO 2NC - MY2NJ [Applicable for DIN Rail System] https://a.co/d/iMOtlyN

The momentary switch to activate the relay (I really like the look/feel of this switch):

APIELE 19MM Momentary Push Button Switch Mushroom Head Push Button IP65 Waterproof 12V 24V 36 DC 110V 250V AC 5A SPST (19mm, Black) https://a.co/d/59rA2d8

The junction box:

LeMotech Junction Box with Reserved Holes ABS Plastic Electrical Box IP65 Waterproof Dustproof Project Enclosure for Electronics White 7.9 x 6.1 x 3.1 inch https://a.co/d/7fiW8sn

Paint is on the back burner for the moment. Brakes (front and rear), a plumbing leak from the sink drain wetting the carpet between the front seats, and a fuel tank leak out the top, have moved to the front burner.

 

[avanti]

The camera cables only have three wires (12v+, video signal, and a common ground).

1080P Wired Backup Camera System Kit

I don't think that both of these statements can be true at the same time.

Although it is possible to transmit true 1080P video signals over one pair of wires, they have to use balanced signals, and so need a dedicated twisted pair. The standard for this is something called LVDS ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-voltage_differential_signaling ). Virtually all the aftermarket kits I have seen (including ones I have personally installed) in fact use baseband NTSC video. Nothing wrong with this--a high quality system built this way can be quite good. But I have seen many such systems that claim 1080P, that simply can't be. (It may be a 1080P screen, but not a 1080P picture).

I am certainly not criticizing your choice (and the baseband video made your very clever switching scheme possible). But the OEM 360-degree cameras on our new Transit are just amazing. First system I have seen that are actually better than a human "spotter".

 

[The Eyesore]

Just curious, does the same requirement (balanced cables) apply to 720P? Because I just pulled a video from the SD card and I can confirm that it's HD 720p. Still, I was surprised to see that it wasn't 1080p, but I think the reason is that the DVR is 1080P but the cameras are 720p (I haven't confirmed this, just a suspicion).

However, I can confirm that the cables are neither twisted nor balanced and although the camera connectors have 4 pins, only three wires are being used.

Attached is a screengrab from the video.

 

[Davydd]

This backup camera is standard for MB Sprinters now. The backup camera comes on with reverse or drive if under 10 mph so you can maneuver back and forth. It's a split screen with plan view and with a rear view. The yellow lines represent the wheels and the perimeter width of the van. If you are turning the yellow lines telegraph the curved turn. The plan view white surround in increments turn red if you get to close to an object. The red in the backup view is to gauge closeness of objects on the ground and surroundings so you can park precisely. You can see the shadow of my step/towing bumper that isn't represented in the OEM outline of the van plan view. It's also a warning but I mostly use it to judge where a curb is. This example is where I am back in parking in my garage.

 

[The Eyesore]

I'm spoiled now. I would hate to go back to having the wife guide me into parking spots, checking branches, curbs and bumpers simultaneously.
I think she appreciates the cameras more than I do, for that reason.
Less time spent parking, means more time spent doinking. ;-)

 

[ceoshank88]

Your setup is really clever, especially the roof cam with the momentary switch – a game-changer for tight parking situations. And having those blind spot cameras must be a huge relief in LA traffic.

 

[The Eyesore]

Thanks! (5 months later, lol) I would do it all over again if I had to. Can't live without these cameras.