Front parking-camera project

I was looking to buy a switch that would fit in the existing blank to the right of the steering wheel. I also wanted a 2-color illuminated switch. As it happens I won't need the center-off position, because power will be supplied when I tap the parking brake. I wanted to make it as simple as possible, so once I get it wired, it will be a simple matter of selecting the VTR input, and pressing the parking brake lightly. The red or green light in the rocker switch will light up, telling me which camera is on, and I can select between the two.

 

I'm now finished the project for all intents and purposes. I now have two cameras in addition to the backup camera. To activate either one, I must be traveling slower than 5 mph, and tap slightly on the parking brake pedal to enable this feature. From the "audio" menu, I select the "VTR" source. A two-way rocker-switch is mounted in the dash to the right of the steering wheel, which selects either camera, or in the center position, both are off.

Both composite video leads are teed together into the auxiliary video input of my head unit display. The rocker switch supplies power to one or the other, or neither in the center position. This works very well for turning on either camera. The side camera is mounted under the passenger mirror, and the cable feeds into the bottom of the mirror mount, past the rubber gasket. It looks very neat and almost factory-issue. The double-stick adhesive supplied with the camera was almost useless, therefore a bit of urethane glue held it in place. It also makes it easily removable without affecting the paint. All the wires are tucked away behind the dash and tied out of the way. The main power for both cameras comes from the lighter-socket in the lower center console. The cameras are easily adjustable, as they are basically like an eyeball in a rubber socket. I had to turn the image 90-180 degrees, which was very easy to do by turning the camera in the socket. Both cameras have jumper-loop wires which can be snipped to provide parking lines, and to flip the image to mirror-image, but I saw no reason for doing so.

It's probably not a big deal, but I may eventually install indicator lights in case I leave the rocker-switch on, but in any case, all power to the cameras is off when the car is shut off.

 

The original problem was that in spite of my best efforts, the front spoiler on my Toyota Corolla would collide with obstacles when I parked. It was very difficult to judge distances, and to judge heights. The result was that after a number of such contacts, the spoiler was broken and scuffed, which significantly affected its trade-in value.

A parking sensor would have beeped to tell me the object was there, but I already knew that. The problem was determining whether the spoiler was high enough to clear it or not. I didn't want the same thing happening to my Prius. I've used my front camera now on several occasions, and I'm very pleased with the results.

 

Another update: Both cameras are working exactly as I expected, and I use them frequently when I'm parking. The passenger-side camera doesn't provide a field of view useful for traffic, and only shows a few feet out from the side. It would require some extensive modifications to be incorporated into the right-turn signal, for viewing the blind-spot (as in the Honda) as I had initially conceived.

And the video screen is not disabled over 5 mph as I originally thought; it's more like 1 or 2 mph. To use it for parking, you have to be moving very slowly.

 

I am interested.
It looks like the backup video signal input isn't blocked by the forward speed of the car. Did you tap into the video signal wires from the backup camera? If that's the case, I'd like to see your wiring diagram. I'd also like to know if the backup camera is powered and live all the time, or switches on only when reversing.

Your switch configuration is a bit more complicated than I'd like, and I don't need full-360 camera coverage. I wouldn't mind mounting cameras to cover the blind spots, each activated by the signal lever. I'd like to avoid having the cameras powered-on all the time, or having a special switch to power them on and off. If it's possible to activate each of the cameras using the power-feed alone, and no other special switching, that would be the ideal situation, as far as I'm concerned.

Do you think its possible to have all three cameras ( left and right blind-spots, and backup) wired to the same video input, controlled only by the power supplied to them?

Thanks

 

When you order direct from China through AliExpress, you never know if the descriptions are accurate, or if they simply don't understand what they are describing. It's always a risk, but you do have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and the prices are usually extremely low.

 

M

My best would be about 100 degrees.

 

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