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BACK UP CAMERA FOR 2012 PRIUS two TOUCH SCREEN- NON NAV

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by man2ing, Jul 4, 2012.

  1. Wes_33073

    Wes_33073 Junior Member

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    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Got ahold of a 2010 repair manual. Yes... My car is a 2013... but the 2010 was all I could find. The information appears to be relevant to my situation. Here is what I found:

    The connector in the driver kickpanel with the 4 wires is called "LR1" and the connector in the headliner is called "VR1"

    At LR1 connector in kick panel:
    pin 32 is white and is "CA+"
    pin 34 is red and is "V+"
    pin 35 is black and is "V-"
    pin 33 is orange and is "CGND"
    ========================================================
    The notes below are valid only "with Rear View Monitor System"
    ========================================================
    CGND: This is a SHIELD GROUND. Voltage to body should be below 1V
    V-: This is a GROUND. Voltage to body should be below 1V

    V+: TV camera image signal "when power switch on (IG) and shift lever in R".

    CA+: TV camera power supply. Voltage to body should be between 5.5 and 7V "when power switch on (IG) and shift lever in R"
    ========================================================

    So, it says CA+ should be ~6V when in reverse. What is doesn't say is, what voltage CA+ should be when NOT in reverse.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. nelsc

    nelsc New Member

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    No I looked at mine and the pins where in it.
    Not sure why mine did or yours did not?
     
  3. Yay123

    Yay123 Junior Member

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    not a EE here.... but just want to ask if:

    So something like this Camera
    SONY CCD CAR REAR VIEW REVERSE CAMERA FOR TOYOTA PRIUS 2012

    plus beatsonic harness
    Beat-Sonic BCUS2 Back-up Camera Interface

    may do the job?
     
  4. Dan4500

    Dan4500 Junior Member

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    Don't know about the camera as there was no link to it. Be careful with the Beatsonic cable. Looked it up and it has about $5 in parts. At retail. It speaks as being usable with 12 volt cameras. There is nothing to indicate it converts the 6 volts to 12 which would be necessary if the camera you list is 12 volts.

    I found Beatsonic to be super inflated pricing. Worse than Toyota dealers. Also pulling the HU is not super tough but is a pain.
     
  5. Wes_33073

    Wes_33073 Junior Member

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    Two
    Got my 6VDC relay today, and everything is wired up and working fine.
    I hooked up the voltmeter for further tests and, the 6V mystery is solved... my revised observations:

    IF VIDEO SIGNAL IS NOT SENT TO HU:
    Upon startup the 6V wire goes to 6V and then a few seconds later goes to 0V, and stays that way.

    IF VIDEO SIGNAL IS SENT TO HU:
    Upon startup the 6V wire goes to 6V and stays that way FOR ONE MINUTE. Then it goes to 0V.
    Upon entering reverse, the 6V wire goes to 6V. Upon leaving reverse (entering drive, or park, etc) the 6V wire will stay at 6V FOR ONE MINUTE. Then it goes to 0V.
    If you turn off the car, the 6V wire will go to 0V immediately.

    Thanks again for everyone's help in getting this done!
     
  6. our1vue

    our1vue Member

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    2012 Prius
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    I just love happy endings :)
     
  7. Chuck815

    Chuck815 Junior Member

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  8. Firephoenix1980

    Firephoenix1980 Junior Member

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    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Thanks Dan for your great write up, I do have to admit that the whole relay conversation still confuses me, I know I need one and diagrams are posted but I can't seem to wrap my head around it, let alone build one from scratch, it's quite frustrating for someone who doesn't really have technical expertise like me.
     
  9. our1vue

    our1vue Member

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    FirePhoenix1980,
    Dan4500 (and others) have been great in figuring out what the Prius is doing and how to hitch up the camera. It turns out, there are more than 1 way to get a rear view camera to work. Depending on how "technically challenged" :) you are may lead you to choose one method over another. The easiest is to get a 6V camera from a old prius and use that.
    The next step up is the 12V camera and the 6V relay. I think they sell solid state relays that will eliminate the need for you to build your own. But it think it is cheaper to build your own (with Dan's instructions). The next step up is to get a 3.3V camera and make 6V to 3.3V converter. Turns out it is easy to convert 6V to 3.3V than to convert 6V to 12 V. The converter only contains 3 parts and should be easy to build (at least I thought it was pretty easy once I saw one built)
    To tell the truth, I'm more worried about being able to remove all the interior panels than do the wiring.
     
  10. Firephoenix1980

    Firephoenix1980 Junior Member

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    2013 Prius
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    Two
    Thanks our1vue, since I already have the 12v camera I will try to do the relay option (store bought) but even those are confusing, I saw this in a post earlier, I just want to make sure it's right for this as it says 5v relay:
    5VDC/1A SPDT Micro Relay : Micro Relays | RadioShack.com

     
  11. our1vue

    our1vue Member

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    Firephoenix1980,
    I think we need some EE help for that question. Maybe Wes_33073 can tell us what relay he used. Looking at that relay it says its max operating temp is 55 degrees F. That seems a little low for a car application. One other thing to consider is that this is a mechanical relay not a solid state relay. A solid state relay has no moving parts to wear out unlike a mechanical relay. With a mechanical relay, you may need to replace it in a few years. Of course if you're unlucky your solid state relay could burn out. But in theory the solid state should last longer.
     
  12. Wes_33073

    Wes_33073 Junior Member

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    Relay I used was a 6V relay from Newark.com, catalog number 1432873-1
    1432873-1 - TE CONNECTIVITY / POTTER & BRUMFIELD - AUTOMOTIVE RELAY, SPDT, 6VDC, | Newark. It is 6V with low coil resistance (22.5 Ohm). Not sure what the factory camera would draw, but certainly more than 0.27 Amps.

    For the relay socket / quick-connect, already had a few laying around from parts-express, sorry I don't have a part number. You will want one with a voltage suppression diode or resistor.
     
  13. Wes_33073

    Wes_33073 Junior Member

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    Discovered a small consideration when using the relay method...

    The camera check happens when the car is turned on, OR when the car is put into accessory mode. Whichever comes first.

    So... if you put the car into accessory mode, the 6V wire goes to 6V. This flips the relay, as usual. BUT, since the blue windshield wiper wire does NOT go to 12V at this time, the camera won't power up and the camera signal check will fail. When you later turn the car on, the rear camera won't show up on the screen.

    Not a really big deal, because it is likely that 99.9% of the time you will turn the car ON without first going to accessory mode. Full functionality can be had by (a) modifying the voltage regulator and not using the relay as discussed elsewhere in this thread, or (b) using a different 12V line that is active in Accessory and ON mode.
     
  14. bendersae

    bendersae New Member

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    What are the "normal size" components? Any advantages to this design over using the simple regulator (with diode) from Willco?
     
  15. our1vue

    our1vue Member

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    bendersae,
    I don't know the correct name for my "normal size" components. It is the way they used to make electronic stuff in the 1970's. To work with surface mount technology, you need tweezers and magnifying glasses. My regulator components are easy to handle by hand and no magnifying glasses are needed (well maybe reading glasses if you are over 40 :).
    I thought the regulator method was more energy efficient than the diode, but not being an EE I'm probably completely wrong. Hopefully Willco or Dan4500 can give a definitive answer on diode vs regulator.
    Note: size of my regulator in the picture is 1" wide by 2.5 " long.
     
  16. Dan4500

    Dan4500 Junior Member

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    The regulator is more efficient. But the additional power used with the Zener diode circuit is small and it's only when in reverse. The values given are well within the operating ranges of the components. No issues either way.
     
  17. sang kang

    sang kang New Member

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    Hello, Just to clarify things. The HU looks for the video input and not the 6V power? If this is the case then why not tap a 12V camera to the backup light and let the video signal be sent to the HU?
     
  18. our1vue

    our1vue Member

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    sang kang,
    The problem with that is the HU checks for video when the car is powered on. Normally the car is in Park when it is
    powered on, so the backup lights would be off. So, no power from backup lights means no video signal and the HU thinks there is no camera.
     
  19. sang kang

    sang kang New Member

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    Then why can't the cigarette light's power be sent to the rear 12v camera to power it when the car turn on?
     
  20. our1vue

    our1vue Member

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    sang kang,
    You could hitch up the camera to a power source that is on when the car is on and that would work to tell the HU there is a camera attached. The problem with that is the camera would always be on when the car is on. I don't
    know how many hours the camera is designed to last, but I would bet it would last a lot longer if it is turned on only when the car is in reverse vs all the time the car is on.