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Reverse Camera Install Locations

265K views 352 replies 103 participants last post by  Rickna 
#1 ·
just purchased a Dynavin V5 and am looking into reverse cameras and location points. I have a ZHP sedan which leaves me really with only two options for a semi-stealth install: under the lip/handle above the rear license plate frame or angled up from under the rear diffuser.

I think under the rear diffuser will be less noticeable though have not looked into how to get the wires ran back into the cabin without having to drill a hole..I'm sure there's a factory point of entry somewhere.
 

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#3 ·


does that camera fit directly into where the license plate light goes/is that a built in light for the license plate? what is the model of the camera?

BTW saw your posts on the Dynavin forums before..actually told a coworker today about the N64 install you did with the Dynavin
 
#4 · (Edited)
I wish I could say that it "fit" but, sadly, it required a good bit of modification to get it to slide into the spot where the license plate bulb/housing goes. The camera is a bit to thick to fit in the housing so, in order to get it in there, we had to modify it a little. The modifications included shaving down the backing of the housing and then shaving down the "clips" that hold it in place. That said, after the modifciations, it sits in there perfectly and even includes an LED light to illuminate the plate. It also looks practically invisibile back there.

And I filmed this for you to demonstrate the picture which is actually really stellar. Keep in mind this is in a dimly lit parking garage. The lines represent one foot intervals which is actually far more accurate than I would have guessed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckrDiAClGgM&feature=player_embedded

As for where I got it, it was off ebay. Just look for bmw e46 back up camera like this : http://cgi.ebay.com/Car-Rear-View-R...Accessories&hash=item3a5ef4c2c9#ht_5332wt_913

 
#5 ·
I actually have an extra camera (same as above) for sale if youre looking for one. If you have a file then its really easy to see what needs to be shaved down (you only need to shave down an edge IF you have a coupe, if its a sedan then there is no fitment issue). Thats the most involved part of the process though. Totally worth it (I have the same cam installed on my car, looks stealth/oem).
 
#6 ·
I just got mine the other day. it is an accele or acelle, something like that. it was recommended by a friend who runs an audio shop and uses them all the time. it is held on with double sided tape, which I was leary about, but you just use 3m adhesive promoter and it will stay on forever. So I just need to drill a small 1/8" hole to pass the wire through and will rtv from the inside before I put the lip back together.

I will take pics later and post them up.
 
#8 ·
dang, wish I could before you do yours. but doesn't look like I am getting the dynavin until next week since I am on the east coast and Jeff is on the west. I am out of town tomorrow and saturday for a football game and tonight I have to finish an auto/manual tranny conversion. if I have some time tomorrow morning before I leave, I will see what I can do to temporarily mount it and take pics of the unit.
 
#10 ·
I'm about to buy a Dynavin v5, so this thread is a useful read!

Questions for you guys:
1) I bought some LED license plate lights (attached to the whole housing), which I like and don't want to get rid of. Is there a reverse camera that doesn't replace the license plate housing, but instead mounts into the area between the two (left and right) license plate light housings? I noticed there's an area between that you basically grab to open the trunk.
2) As someone who stays away from anything electrical/electricity-related, how difficult is it to power the reverse cams with the brake lights? Is it just a matter of splicing 2 wires, or what? Anyone have a DIY up that I can refer to for that part?
3) How difficult is it to cleanly run the video cable from the trunk of my e46 sedan to the dash (well, essentially to the back of the Dynavin unit)
 
#15 ·
Same place the others have? The others install it where the license plate lights go. Do you mean between the two license plate light, or rather under the rear diffuser or whatever?

Also:
- How easily does this plug into, say a Dynavin v5? In the pics you provided, I don't see a yellow video cable allowing it to plug into a receiver.
- Does it work at night/have night-vision?
- Does it show the 1 foot intervals that another pic/video showed? I suppose that has more to do with the software of the interface it's plugging into?
- Finally, where does yours get its power from?

Thanks for the help on this! =)
 
#16 · (Edited)
^ok, sorry I didn't give more info. between this thread and the others, most people put them in the location of the license plate lights. I am going to put it in the same general area. obviously I don't have to remove one of the factory lights, so I am going to put it off to the side. probably driver side and I will test it angled a couple different ways to see what works best before I do a final mount. does that make more sense? hope so. for example, the first post in the thread, he posted a rear pic with two arrows. the upper arrow points to the general location I am talking about, but mine would be on the driver side. That is what I am thinking.

on the hookup, I didn't take pics of the rest of the stuff. just figured showing the camera was enough to get an idea of another design. there is another harness that plugs into the end of that small connector on the end of the harness of the camera. then there is a video RCA plug to plug into the dynavin and there is trigger and ground.

so yes, plugs in very easy to the dynavin or I wouldn't have purchased it.
not sure about the night vision, obviously will find out.
not sure about the intervals
answered above about power.

sorry, don't know everything about it, but trust my buddy. how often will I really rely on it? probably not much, more cool factor and if I do need assistance hopefully it will help. sorry, not a very good review or anything right now so let me get it installed and I will report back.

http://www.iatft.com/pages/detail_rvc1100.html
 
#17 ·
The last thing you should do is apologize.

Thanks for taking the time to reply! =)
I haven't even gotten my Dynavin yet, and wasn't even considering the 'expense' of a reverse cam, until I came across this thread and though "hey this would be pretty cool?"

Can't wait to hear more about it once you have it installed =)
 
#18 ·
the thing I like about is so far is that I do not need to modify anything. I drill a small hole, put a grommet in, fish the wire, seal any gap in the hole and I am done. everyone else with these others they purchased have had to modify stuff. I will see if I can ask my buddy tomorrow about the night vision and intervals.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I started my camera install tonight and am halfway through due to a slight mishap.
While I was taping the end of the AV cable to a wire to fish the cable through the rubber hose I pulled a bit too tight and snapped off the pin on the AV plug.....fvck!
So now will have to go and buy another AV cable tomorrow so I can finish the job.
This is camera I got, it's a perfect fit due to the depth of the casing being shallow so no modification at all is neccessary.........
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220616227020&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 
#57 ·
Im new to reverse cameras. But does the LED on this camera say on if your driving at night (you have ur headlights on) - or does the light only activate when reverse is selected??
 
#26 ·
You will use one of those red wire taps. Find the reverse light wiring and tsp into the power trough that. I can't remember specifically which wire in that cluster you want to utilize. Peppyr6 helped me with that portion so I will ask him to chime in. I meant to take new pictures but kept helping rather than documenting
 
#27 ·
No worries, did you just cut the reverse light wires or did you take the OEM plug off and connect/solder the camera wires to the ends of the reverse light wires and then slide the wires back into the OEM plug, if so how do you get the wires out of the OEM plug, I can't figure out how to disconnect the wires from the plug..
 
#30 ·
The two wires to tap are brown(ground) and blue/yellow. You also need to remove the glovebox, pull down the fusebox and look up into the compartment to see a black box. Unhook the black box and locate any blue/yellow wire. Use the Dynavin's reverse cam wire (green I think) and tap into the blue/yellow wire (you will need some extension wire as Dynavin wire is only a few inches long.
 
#31 ·
The two wires to tap are brown(ground) and blue/yellow. You also need to remove the glovebox, pull down the fusebox and look up into the compartment to see a black box. Unhook the black box and locate any blue/yellow wire. Use the Dynavin's reverse cam wire (green I think) and tap into the blue/yellow wire (you will need some extension wire as Dynavin wire is only a few inches long.
The only cable I see on the Dynavin for the reverse camera is the rear camera rca cable, there is no other reverse cam wire that I can see.
 
#32 ·
LOVE this mod, def. gonna do this to my sedan. How much does the camera cost?
 
#39 · (Edited)
OK chaps, can one of you knowledgeable guys help me out with one minor issue.
Camera is installed in the number plate light location and fits perfectly, check, power wire to the inbuilt camera LED is spliced into the number plate light wire, check, power wire from the camera is spliced into the reverse light harness, check.

Plugged the supplied video RCA cable into the camera which is then plugged into the reversing camera cable at the back of the Dynavin, check, tested the camera and picture on the Dynavin screen is good, check, however I can only get the picture to come on by manually pressing the camera icon on the Dynavin main screen, it doesn't trigger automatically when I put the car in reverse which I thought by splicing the camera's power wire into the reverse light wiring was supposed to do.
So I have missed something but have no idea what it is.
 
#43 · (Edited)
The camera should also have a signal wire that needs to be run to front of the car along with the rca and plugs into the back of the dynavin, that's what activated the automatic switch over. Have you got that? It should plug into the female bullet connector on the pink wire (I think) in the back of the Dynavin.
 
#44 · (Edited)
The camera should also have a signal wire that needs to be run to front of the car along with the rca and plugs into the back of the dynavin, that's what activated the automatic switch over. Have you got that?
Yes, the supplied 5m camera RCA cable does have a thin wire connected to it at both ends but with no plugs on the ends, just bare wire.

It should plug into the female bullet connector on the pink wire (I think) in the back of the Dynavin.
As shown in the pic, I don't see this additional female "bullet" connector at the back of the Dynavin, only the Rear Camera IN cable

 
#45 ·
darkoz, the extra bullet connector is in the other harness. I saw it last night when I pulled mine out of the box. You know that harness with like 15 bullet connectors on it. connects to the dynavin and factory harness. so yes, it is there, just looking in the wrong place.
 
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