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Rear-View Camera Install
Installing a rear-view backup monitor
Steve Temple / autoMedia.com
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Have you ever tried to hook up to a trailer without someone spotting for you? If you avoided scratching your paint or dinging the hitch, consider yourself a talented estimator of distance. For the rest of us, though, a rear-view camera can make this task and others much easier.
Benefits
In recent years, proximity sensors that beep when you back up too close to an obstacle have become a popular factory option on SUVs and other large vehicles. Problem is, the device doesn't tell you what's back there, and only some indicate just how close you are to hitting something or, even worse, someone. A rear-view camera is actually a better alternative. Not only does it let you see what might be blocking your rearward path, but also can serve as a security measure for spotting intruders lurking behind your vehicle and a safety measure to help avoid hitting a child or animal.
In some cases the rear-view camera is mounted at the top edge of the roof, so it has a bird's eye view of any objects behind the rear bumper. On this particular vehicle, though, the owner didn't want to drill into the sheetmetal, so we opted for putting Hind Sight color CCD bullet-type camera in the plastic bumper cover. Actually, you can install the camera in just about any location you wish, and use the angled controller rings to aim it in the desired direction. (In fact, we once saw an owner of a sport compact who had eight—yes, eight—cameras installed at various locations, with a spit-screen setup on a large monitor.
Housing
You probably don't need anything that elaborate (or voyeuristic) on your truck or SUV, however. The housing for the 3.5-inch screen included with Vizualogic's Hind Sight Backup Monitor System fits right over the support for the rear-view mirror within easy sight of the driver without impeding forward visibility. We should note that the monitor required a bit of adjustment when fitting it into the plastic housing. You may need to elongate or widen the screw holes with a drill bit or reamer, but not so much that they are bigger than the washers for screws.
Normally the camera comes on when the gearshift lever is in reverse (by linking the system to the wiring backup lights), but the vehicle's owner requested a manual override switch as well (not a bad idea for the security aspect already mentioned). That step required drilling a hole in the dash for the switch (not included, but readily available at most electronics supply stores). We also had to install a diode in the wiring harness to prevent the manual switch from activating the circuit for the backup lights. The diode is a small, in-line electrical component that acts like a check valve for current, keeping it from flowing in more than one direction.
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The Hind Sight Backup Monitor System includes a bullet-type color CCD camera with angled controller rings, along with a 3.5-inch LCD monitor and A/V control module with connecting cable.
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Drill a 1 1/8-inch hole in the desired mounting location for the bullet-type camera lense.
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Angled rings provided with the system allow the camera to be pointed in the correct direction for maximum range of viewing.
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Route the camera's cable into the cargo area. Be sure to use some sort of rubber washer or sleeve to protect it from chafing.
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In order to adjust the monitor in its housing, you may need to ream out the screw holes slightly.
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The housing for the monitor fits neatly over the support for the rear-view mirror, and attaches with double-sided tape to the windshield.
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Use plumber's fishing tape or coat hanger wire to feed the monitor cable above the headliner and back to the cargo area where the A/V control module will be installed.
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Double-sided tape used for attaching body trim is a quick, easy and secure way to fasten the A/V module to your vehicle's sheetmetal.
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The A/V module has to be wired into the vehicle's 12-volt backup light, so the camera is activated when the transmission shifts into reverse.
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In order to install a manual override switch, a diode was added to the system as well to prevent the switch from feeding live current to the backup lights. The switch and diode are not included with the Hind Sight system.
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Here's the completed wiring of A/V module in the cargo area of the Ford Expedition. Note the paint scraped off where the grounding wire attaches to the sheetmetal. The vehicle's plastic-cover panels for the interior will conceal the unit.
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Installing the manual switch adds a fair amount of time to this project. The dash has to be removed to access the power supply behind the audio system.
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After drilling a hole for the dash-mounted toggle switch, it is then wired into the harness for the camera system.
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Smile for the camera! You now can spot anyone or anything lurking or playing behind your bumper.
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