Back up camera?

[SparkevBlogspot]

Wow, I didn't know the display is using NTSC composite video. That opens up all kinds of possibilities of other fun stuff like external DVD players and raspberry pi with wireless obd. Can anyone confirm that it's NTSC composite?

You should remove your personal email and instead ask to private message you (PM).

 

[bicycleguy]

Yes, it is definitely NTSC composite video.

 

[Nashco]

A video showing how this works and where tapped in and modified things would go a really long way. This sounds like it's executed similar to the HappyTV I tried (earlier in this thread), but less elegant and not plug-and-play.

Bryce

 

[mattvv]

I don't have a video. But I used the method padavos mentioned with https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Q65ZIK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it works perfectly!

Thanks for the awesome post.

 

[SparkMoore]

Has anyone taken pictures or video of this yet. Just got my camera and wanting to try it out. Looking for how to remove the various panels without damaging them, and the routing of the wires from the camera exterior, to the car interior, to the reverse lights, and to the screen. Pics would be great. Video would be awesome. I'll take some myself today, if I can. I don't have a garage, and its been raining a lot lately. I may have to postpone if the weather doesn't cooperate.

 

[GladstoneCoach]

Any thoughts on a good aftermarket back-up camera for this application? It appears that the one from Amazon listed in the earlier post is over 3" tall at the lens - is there a lower profile one anyone would care to recommend? Any thoughts on the functionality of the Infrared night-vision of the Esky EC135-05 vs. the white LEDs in the "updated" one - Esky EC135-35? (looks to have a lower, more subdued profile as well)

Esky EC135-05 - https://www.amazon.com/Esky-EC135-05-Waterproof-Definition-Infrared/dp/B005Q65ZIK
Esky EC135-35 - https://www.amazon.com/Esky180-Viewing-High-Definition-Vehicle-Support/dp/B013OLWDW4

A specific relay or relay standard would be helpful to make sure you've got an appropriate (size / function / compatibility / etc.) component. Anybody have one to recommend?

This sounds like a great, easy to implement (relatively) solution. A good parts list and I'm off to collect the necessary components to give this a try!

Thanks padavos!

 

[SparkMoore]

I did this install last weekend. It took me 8 hours on day one and six hours on day two. You can blame at least half of that time on it being the first time I did it and being a perfectionist. I didn't like the way it ended up on day one, so I re-did some of it on day two. Thanks to padavos for figuring out how to wire it up and making that part easy. Here are a couple of things to note.

1. If you buy the license plate style camera (which I did), it gets in the way of the latch that opens the tailgate. I've been thinking about mounting it at the bottom of the license plate, but in order to make the wiring look clean, I would have to install it upside down. Not sure if it will somehow compensate the video to go the other way, or if it would show the video upside down. Wondering if I reverse the polarity on the camera signal wires, what would that do to the video that displays on the screen?

2. The hardest part of the whole job is getting the wiring from the outside of the car to the reverse light. It took me two hours just to open up all the panels on the tailgate so I could work in there. The reason was that in order to remove the panel on the outside of the tailgate that has the chevy bowtie logo on it, you have to remove the windshield wiper arm. Mine was stuck. Two hours later, I had it off. At that point, I had access and visibility to both the inside and the outside channels on the tailgate.

3. There is a channel along the perimeter of the tailgate between the glass and the sheet metal. You can snake the wiring through there (behind the defroster plug) and through the rubber boot that has the car's other wiring going through it. That gets you into the rear driver side light compartment. That sounds simple, but that was about the hardest thing to do. You can pull back the plastic paneling on the inside of the car by removing a couple of fasteners. Once in there, connecting up to the reverse light is pretty simple, although it took me a while to figure out which wires I had to tap into. I forget how I did it, and the picture I took wasn't very clear, so I can't tell you which wires it was.

4. Snaking the wiring up to the front is pretty easy. There is some plastic paneling along the door sill that is relatively easy to pull up. There is a channel underneath that carries the car's other wiring. You don't have to pull the paneling all the way off to get it through there. It helps to have a snaking tool to pull the wire through.

5. At the front, the hardest part is working with the little tiny blue wire you have to cut. Don't make a mistake here, cause you'll run out of extra wire very quickly. The wire is smaller than 22 gauge, making most wire strippers useless. I had to strip the wire by hand, and messed up a couple of times. In the end, I barely got it to connect.

6. Day two for me was mostly the result of initially using a wireless module for the video. The first day, I did all of the above and only wired the power to the reverse light, but the video was wireless. I was unhappy with how glitchy the wireless signal was, so on day two, I removed the wireless module and hard wired the video signal. My advice, skip the wireless option. Unless you want your camera to be on all the time, you still need to get the power signal from the reverse light. Snaking the wires to the reverse light is the hardest part of the whole job, but not much harder to do two wires, versus one. Spare yourself the re-do, and just hard wire the video too.

7. One final note. I drilled a hole to get the wiring from the outside of the car to the inside. I couldn't figure out a way to do it without drilling. If anyone has come up with a solution, please post.

Good luck.

 

[bicycleguy]

SparkMoore,

Good job!

I'm curious as to why you didn't use the camera and routing technique earlier in this same thread, starting around page six:
http://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=12111#p12111

 

[SparkMoore]

Mostly because I didn't feel like reading through 13 pages of comments and didn't know that was in there. In hindsight, that might have been faster, but maybe not. In any case, I got some feedback that installing the camera off-center was not ideal, and I would probably have looked for an alternative anyway. That, plus I wasn't sure any of this would work, so I bought the cheapest camera I could find so I wouldn't be into it for a lot of money if I didn't like it. The license plate camera I bought cost less than $10 with free shipping and included a wireless module, which I thought might save me some time. When looking for cameras, I didn't come across the one in that link. All the ones that I found were way more expensive. I may go back and look for an alternative later. I'm considering trying to mount it under the center stop light, but worried that the light from the brake light would affect the video quality.

 

[didget69]

Not a backup camera, but a Bluetooth Backup Sensor device -

https://fensens.com/

Not really legal in North Carolina, as it obscures the license plate at the bottom where 'NORTH CAROLINA' is stamped into plate.

bnc

 

[sTeeve]

Here's some pics of installing the camera solder found at: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/hot-...A-AVEO-CRUZE-CAPTIVA-BUICK-GL8/553378821.html

The light bulb holder is not correct.

So I propose to cut the original on the black line

and glue the piece onto the new camera-bulb holder like so.

Seems to work ok !

So, I bought this same camera... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/hot...8/553378821.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.QKCiSJ

...and it looks like this:

So, I installed it:

Fits like factory. Hmmph. Running the wires may not be so much fun; I'll get to that later. I was surprised, however, that the camera assembly fit, the license plate light socket transferred as if factory. My concern is the aim of the camera. It looks as if it will point at the ground. I'd be happy to be wrong. I have tested the camera and it is functional; however, that test was not with the camera installed in the hatch. So, that's next.

I'll prolly have the wiring done by the shop that installed my sunroof, then I'll ship my head unit off to WAMS for programming. That should get me the wiring harness necessary to make this almost plug and play.

At least, that's what I think it will be. Happy to entertain thoughts, comments, criticism, beer...

-Bob K.

 

[Firemom233]

Just wanted to add to this thread that I will be getting this set up (https://www.amazon.com/AUTO-VOX-Rearview-Recorder-Micro-SD-Included/dp/B01LXAI5LP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490108716&sr=8-1&keywords=auto-vox+m2+1080p+hd+dual+lens+rearview+mirror+dash+cam) today and was wondering why any of you that wanted a rearview camera didn't also get something along these lines?

I just got my Spark EV last week and have really missed having that back up camera since my previous 2 cars had it. Even though this car is tiny I'd still like to have one so I'm going to give this a go. I like that it has the built in dash cam too so I can get rid of that from my front windshield and I've read that if you don't hook the wires up to the wires for your reverse you can have that camera active at any given time (think the Chevy Bolt that has that feature in the premiere trim model) Pretty cool and I'm hoping it works good enough for me!

Has this thread only been about trying to get it hooked into be able to broadcast to the center stack and that's why this type hasn't been brought up?

Also for anyone interested, someone posted a link to that wireless Pearl back up camera earlier in this thread and I just thought I would mention that it is on sale right now so instead of $499 it has dropped to $425. (I still think it's outrageous!) You can find it here...(https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-RearVision-Wireless-Obstacle-Reverse/dp/B01M065WRC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490109101&sr=8-1&keywords=pearl+backup+camera)

(Please excuse the fact that I don't know how to post the url in these forums!)

 

[JeffTAC4]

My concern is the aim of the camera. It looks as if it will point at the ground. I'd be happy to be wrong. I have tested the camera and it is functional; however, that test was not with the camera installed in the hatch. So, that's next.

sTeeve, how did it turn out? Is the camera angled too low? Do you have any pictures of it working?

 

[sTeeve]

My concern is the aim of the camera. It looks as if it will point at the ground. I'd be happy to be wrong. I have tested the camera and it is functional; however, that test was not with the camera installed in the hatch. So, that's next.

sTeeve, how did it turn out? Is the camera angled too low? Do you have any pictures of it working?

I'm going to assume that I'll make an "ass" out of j"u"st me and say that I didn't test the camera installed in the car. Since the description of the camera included the Aveo (kissing cousin of the Spark), I assumed it would work.

I really didn't have any way of testing the camera in the car, anyway. I *did* test it outside of the car. It worked fine, displaying its image on my 42" plasma TV. It does have static "parking lines", or whatever they're called.

I am sending my unit to WAMS http://www.whiteautoandmedia.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=54

See this link for more: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread...MyLink-equiped-Volt-(not-for-pre-MyLink-cars)

Chris from WAMS has chimed-in on this thread; we appreciate his advice and feedback.

I talked with a local installer, and they initially said they could do it, but upon further conversation and research (and I insisted that they research the Spark EV), they backed off and said "you're right, the Spark EV is a no-go for us, so go ahead and send your unit to WAMS; we'll do the wiring and installation of your unit when it returns". They advised me to wait to have them install the wiring until the unit has been programmed by WAMS; that way they could confirm that it works.

So, my unit gets sent tomorrow. I'll post a followup when the install has been completed.

-Bob K.

 

[nikwax]

Just wanted to add to this thread that I will be getting this set up (https://www.amazon.com/AUTO-VOX-Rearview-Recorder-Micro-SD-Included/dp/B01LXAI5LP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490108716&sr=8-1&keywords=auto-vox+m2+1080p+hd+dual+lens+rearview+mirror+dash+cam) today and was wondering why any of you that wanted a rearview camera didn't also get something along these lines?

the wireless Auto Vox: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M260I3Z

 

[sTeeve]

Sent my unit to WAMS 04/27. Received e-mail from WAMS 05/06: "Just an update. We weren’t expecting this unit out of the blue and had to finish the development of the EV version which we completed today. We got your rear camera with optional guidelines (you can turn them off) as well as video in motion from USB to watch movies etc and removal of the majority of the motion locks from the unit. If we had more time we could probably get the vehicle config motion lock removed as well but most people don’t care about this and I’m sure you want your radio back Will be going out Monday!"

Therein ensued an e-mail exchange of me asking questions and WAMS giving me the necessary answers and prudent advice. "Mirrorlink in theory can be installed but its the older version that none of the new phones support from what we’ve seen and its incredibly unstable."

Received unit 05/11. Quick and Dirty Tested it in the car (camera not connected yet). Turned the car ON, MyLink booted up as usual. Shift into R, screen goes dark with message "Service Rear Vision System". There is now a menu selection in "Settings" for turning ON/OFF the parking guidelines.

So, my next task is running the wires from the tailgate to the head unit and connecting the camera + power. I'd really like a plug and play connection, but I'm not so sure that exists. I'll contact a local shop for these next steps (they are waiting for my call).

Moving forward...

-Bob K.

*Update 05/13: Installed unit in car. Forgot to connect USB cable. Fixed that. Took some pictures/video. Scheduled visit to Auto Accents, the shop that installed my sunroof. Will talk to them about running the camera cables from the hatch to the MyLink unit. Looking for a plug and play solution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9u0dP2piOE

*Update 05/15: Project completed by the guys at Auto Accents. They had to "research" the car and the pinouts of the MyLink connector. They ended up using the "padavos" technique (as they described it, they tied into the wires in the usb and aux panel). Made two test video clips, listed below. There is a 1 - 2 second lag when selecting reverse, and a 5 - 6 second lag when exiting reverse:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vOnq7YtTWI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CidPvc9w4Zg

Nighttime view is very good. Me like!
I can live with this! Woo-Hoo!!

 

[Nashco]

Cool! What was the final cost from WAMS?

Bryce

 

[sTeeve]

Cool! What was the final cost from WAMS?

Bryce

$250; $175 for running the cable/connecting the camera.

Yep, way too GD much. :mrgreen:

-Bob K.

 

[SilentGreen]

i was able to add a camera to my 2016 spark ev without programming,
it takes some effort but you will have a nice back up camera for $20

enjoy

Hell to the yes!

Awesome write up. Time to cash in that cup of coins and get this done.

 

[GladstoneCoach]

I installed a back-up camera using the padavos method this past weekend. Everything looks pretty good, back-up camera in reverse, radio in all other shifter positions. I have a couple questions for others who have installed a back-up camera using this technique:

1) the fidelity of the image doesn't seem to match what I've seen in other pics on this board. The camera seemed to be pretty sharp when I plugged it into a monitor to test prior to installing, but looks really grainy in the vehicle. Anyone else notice this or have some suggestions to address this?

2) This is the big one - even with the relay installed to set the circuit back to "normal" when the camera is not powered, there is no ability to play audio through the aux input (except in reverse). I did the wife's car first and this has become an issue when she trys to play tunes through her phone or iPod. The aux input functions fine in reverse - it plays even with the back-up video. The bad news is that she doesn't spend nearly as much time in reverse as she does driving! I don't think asking her to go into "stunt mode" and commute in reverse is a viable solution.

Any thoughts other than disconnecting the camera? (I've got her using bluetooth for the phone, but no bluetooth on her old iPod - which is what she uses more frequently)

Thanks!