[blackwood]

Updated the install again!

Moved the power switch to the armrest 12V socket and cut a hole in the tray and installed the rocker switch in there.



I moved the 12V socket to under the rear center console, plugged in a usb adapter and some cables and tucked them on the sides so back seat riders have usb-c.

[blackwood]

Originally Posted by TeinBMW

Hey!

Could you draw out how you solved this. I'm having the same issue but having a hard time following how you wired everything.

Appreciate it!
Thank you

For sure! Are you working with the Mr12Volt, and just want a reverse cam that activates when you reverse? Or would you want it anytime switchable? multiple cameras? is your car manual or auto? and do you have parking sensors?

[blackwood]

If your head unit is setup to receive the reverse camera signal, I would take away the relay, the connection to the reverse light blue/black wire, the connection to the battery, and wire it up exactly as shown in their diagram.

Just use the blue cable for power by connecting to red piggy back, and connect the obvious yellow video, then connect other red piggy backs as shown to bring power all the way to the camera from that blue wire. They show the ground not even connected, so you may not even need to connect that.

If you have an automatic, I think the CANBUS should send the head unit signal when it goes to reverse, so you don't need to tap into the reverse light.

And I had trouble trying to use a relay hooked up to my battery, but when I connected using the head units 12V supply wire, it worked great.

Also, don't know if you're using T-taps for the wiring, but if you are I would recommend getting a good crimp tool and using spade terminals instead.

If you tried the connections they recommend in the diagram and it didn't work, there may be options in the head unit software you should change. Like REVERSE CAMERA: 'OE / AFTERMARKET', REVERSE CONDITION: 'GEAR POSITION / REVERSE STATE'. Something like that maybe.

[blackwood]

Yes, as long as your blue line just represents the piggy back red wire that runs with your yellow video, that is correct. That red wire that's inside the yellow video wire is just a bridge from the blue CCD 12V wire, to the 'red camera power supply line'.

The extra 'Reverse' labeled wire from your head unit is most likely for manual cars who need to tap into the reverse light blue/black wire because on manual cars the CANBUS does not send the gear position signal to the head unit. (I don't know if that's true for all cars, but I'm pretty sure that's how ours work.) Using that wire would be when you would use the 'REVERSE STATE' option in the software so it knows to look for that head unit's reverse wire's signal, instead of expecting it from the CANBUS.

[blackwood]

Just to be extra clear, there should be no 'extra' wires connected besides what's in the diagram.

The blue drawn line here simply represents the path that the power that is being provided from the blue CCD 12V wire travels, through the red piggyback wire within the yellow video wire, to the camera power supply line.

When your CANBUS tells the head unit it's in reverse, it should send power to that blue wire, down the blue path, firing up your camera, whose signal is then sent down the yellow video wire to your head unit.

[blackwood]

Also, just thought of this, your head unit wire is asking for CCD, so you might make sure the camera you're connecting is CCD and not CMOS or AHD or something different, but I'm not really sure if that's even an issue or anything, just something to look into if connecting it this way doesn't work out.

Also, those little piggy back wires aren't the best, if it doesn't work when you connect it, you might also try a separate wire that bypasses the piggyback. (kind of like your blue line drawing, but if the red piggyback wires on the yellow cable were erased)

[blackwood]

Awesome, that's CCD, I bet you get it working today! Fingers crossed!

[blackwood]

"Wired the red power off the camera to the red piggyback off the yellow RCA going to my camera.

Still have black screen.

Wired the red power off the camera and the red piggyback off the yellow RCA to the camera directly to the CCD 12V of the head unit."

The wording here confuses me a little bit. The first sentence makes it seem like you are connecting both ends to the camera.

and the second descriptions makes it sound like you're connecting the camera and the piggy back to the CCD 12V.

Just want to make sure you're connecting everything correctly.

[blackwood]

Also, do you know which version of that screen you purchased?

On the link you provided I see version Linux, K3, K8, and Z1. It says that only K8 and Z1 support 1080p cameras and the Linux and K3 versions do not.

[blackwood]

You might be creating weird power loops or something by overcomplicating this.

You should not connect the piggy back wire if you have attached another wire.

[blackwood]

If you have an extra wire, try connecting it like the green wire in this picture.

Completely bypass the piggy wires, do not connect the red piggy backs on the yellow RCA to anything if you are using an extra wire like the green wire shown here.

[blackwood]

Okay these cameras are pretty simple, if it's getting power and connected to the RCA yellow input, I would bet your software settings just aren't correct. Have you gone through all the different settings and tried each one?

Do you have a tv or something else with a yellow RCA input you could power the camera with a battery and plug it in to that to test it?

Do you have a tap-a-fuse you could tap the acc fuse and power it through that?


Does the camera show up when you put it in Reverse with the engine off?

[blackwood]

Have you tried the 'Original' camera setting?"

I would try that, and then try the 'Aftermarket 2' and the 'Internal 360' stuff, all of the different software settings.

Or do you have a link to the manual maybe where it describes the functions of the different camera options in the software?

[blackwood]

My original issue I think, was that I was tapping into the reverse light for power / signal, but I don't think that wire provided a solid continuous 12V.

Either that or using T-taps just didn't get me a solid enough connection.

Then I hooked up the relay like you did, and was only getting video when the engine was off and it was in reverse.

I think the issue there was that when the engine is off the battery was providing its 12V, but once the engine is started the battery is being used by other sources and doesn't provide that constant 12V.

I was worried that the T-taps weren't connecting solid enough, so I switch to crimping spade terminals around this point.

Then I connected camera power directly to the Mr12Volt '12V camera' wire and the camera was getting that nice clean constant 12V and ran like a champ. (Since mine is manual, I also had to connect the 'reverse trigger' wire on the Mr12Volt to the reverse light in the back of the car, since my CANBUS doesn't send the signal).

------------------------------
This section doesn't really matter for your install, so feel free to ignore, just wanted to be thorough and explain this part since I talked about this and shared pictures earlier in this post

It worked great being triggered when I reversed, but I needed it on longer sometimes so I changed it up to activate through a switch.

I disconnected from the 12V camera wire on the Mr12Volt and powered it through the fuse box, adding a tap-a-fuse to the 12V ACC 30amp fuse. Then I connected a switch between the 'trigger' wire on the Mr12Volt and the fuse tap. That way the camera is always getting power through the fuse tap, but it doesn't activate unless I flip the switch. (I actually ended up adding a front camera too, and another switch to change between the two cameras and to deactivate power to the cameras when I wasn't using them, but adding those details might overcomplicate this post a bit too much, if it isn't overcomplicated enough already lol)
---------------------------------

So the issue for me was trying to use power through reverse wires and the battery.

For me, I have to power it through the head unit 12V wire, or the fuse box for that steady 12V.

So in my opinion, if you are absolutely sure you are following the wiring diagrams correctly (which I'm honestly not sure about, some of your phrasing makes it seem like you might be making extra unnecessary connections), possible issues are

1. Using T-taps or some unreliable form of wiring connections. Have you yanked your connections to make sure they are very secure? Do you have a multimeter you can test your connections with?

2. I can't find a manual for your head unit, so who knows if there are other wires or settings that should be used or adjusted.

3. Camera is defective (could check using another screen with an RCA input, this would check the RCA cable too, that could have been damaged at some point)

4. Head unit is defective, damaged, connected improperly, needs firmware update, or is incompatible with that camera.

5. Sanity check solution, there isn't anything covering the camera like a sticker or peel or something right?

[blackwood]

"I have both the red piggyback wires and the camera positive wire going to the CCD 12."

Just to be absolutely clear, nothing should have 2 or more wires connected to it.

Each connection should simply be 1 wire, connecting to 1 wire.

(The camera only needs 1 wire of power going to it, and then 1 wire of video going back to screen)


How are you joining your connections? T-taps? Terminals? just twisting and praying?

[blackwood]

Another thing you could try is adding a new wire between the 'trigger' wire coming off of your screen/head unit, and running that to the back and connecting to the blue/black reverse light wire.

Without an owner's manual, I don't really know how your specific head unit/screen handles knowing whether or not the reverse condition is being met. Maybe yours doesn't actually connect to the CANBUS like others do, and connecting the 'trigger' wire is required even though it's an automatic.

For my unit, I would have to change the 'Reverse Condition' setting if I switch from using that 'trigger' wire or not, so I'm not sure if after you try attaching the trigger wire, if you will need to change anything software wise, but this is another thing to try.

[blackwood]

Also, the diagram doesn't mention grounding it.

The yellow RCA could be handling the grounding, so you could be causing issues when you connect that black wire to ground.

[blackwood]

Originally Posted by TeinBMW

I have.

the original camera setting turns on the stock idrive screen.

The internal 360 is like a birds eye setup

and the aftermarket 2 is the same as aftermarket but without the PDC split screen.

Going to try a different camera.

Still no luck?

[opjose]

How do these cameras respond to the PWM voltage that the car puts out to the lights?

[blackwood]

Originally Posted by TeinBMW

Well camera and head unit are all good. Using t-taps was the issue. My head unit was not giving out any power so didn't attach the trigger wire from the head unit to nothing. Video RCA cable from camera attached to head unit RCA cable, no trigger attached at all. Power from camera soldered to the reverse light wire and ground left alone and boom it works.

Me using the t-taps was the issue.

Thank you so much for helping.

Wow, lol, I brought that up pretty early on in this thread, not to mention it was literally my #1 opinion on what the issue was.

"Also, don't know if you're using T-taps for the wiring, but if you are I would recommend getting a good crimp tool and using spade terminals instead."

and

"So in my opinion. . .possible issues are

1. Using T-taps or some unreliable form of wiring connections. Have you yanked your connections to make sure they are very secure? Do you have a multimeter you can test your connections with?"

and then you straight up ignored my question,

"How are you joining your connections? T-taps? Terminals? just twisting and praying?"

Honestly kind of feels like you wasted my time not taking my advice seriously, but it's all good. Hopefully now you understand the t-taps are no good.

[blackwood]

Originally Posted by opjose

How do these cameras respond to the PWM voltage that the car puts out to the lights?

As I said 2 weeks ago, "My original issue I think, was that I was tapping into the reverse light for power / signal, but I don't think that wire provided a solid continuous 12V."

and as Tein seems to have realized after (ignoring my advice and) having a mechanic try to install it using the rear light for power and is now experiencing video drop out,

I would say the cameras don't respond very well to the PWM voltage the car puts out to the lights.