mikeucla

Are you planning on using the AUX input in the center console? Or the one on the back of the headunit? And are you going to run the video wire underneath your car?

One of the things I like about the camera install is that you really don't need to run any wires from the front to the back of the car. I did everything in the trunk area, behind the trunk liner. I'm not the greatest and taking things apart and putting them back together, so I don't trust myself enough to gut my car and put it back together. The thing is, I guess at some point I would need to if I wanted to control the DVD from the cabin. The camera doesn't really need to be controlled.

Guess I just need to be patient and wait for the DIY from Phisig, and if I think it's too complicated for me, I may have to pass. It's really more of a benefit to the passengers than for me anyway. I should be looking at the road, not watching movies.

still, it'd be cool to have the option of watching tv/dvd in the car!

Rapmaster0

Yeah, I am going to use the aux input in the center console. It shouldn't be that hard now, all I need to do is get the molex connector.

studville

Thanks a lot for the post, PhiSigBrotha, it's much appreciated.

Anyone want to mention a few camera and/or DVD player recommendations (w/ links and prices)

This one is really pricey.. but it's a start

$242

http://www.autoanything.com/licensep...A2316A0A0.aspx

mikeucla

http://cgi.ebay.com/PIONEER-ND-BC2-U...QQcmdZViewItem

This camera is arguably the best one available at the moment. pioneer nd-bc2. It was released a few months ago. Look around and you should be able to get it for $180, maybe less. Widest viewing angle I've seen yet (135 degrees horizontal and 100 degrees vertical), plus CCD instead of the cheap CMOS. It has a low light setting that automatically adjusts to current lighting conditions. even in low light conditions, you can see fine, especially since the light from the reverse lights is bright, and this camera picks it up really nice. this camera also has its own fuse. setup is really straightforward. it's a great camera if you're willing to spend a little extra. my

Rapmaster0

As much as I looked, I can't find the Female RCA plug on RadioShack or anywhere else. Anyone know where I can get it?

mikeucla

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family

this is what i used. works like a charm. i just soldered some speaker wire to it. i think center prong was video, outside prong was ground. double check with phisig's diy.

Reach

mikeucla, are you using that camera? Would you mind taking a few pictures of its output on the screen? (literally, snap photos of the screen with it on) so I can see how good it is? I've been dying to see one in person, but this would be almost as good.

I'm using the new Wendy's cam. Its also CCD and even smaller than the ND-BC2. Just a tad cheaper too at around $140 shipped. I posted a thread with some pics of it a while ago.

mikeucla

Hi Reach,

No problem. When I get home later tonight I'll snap some pics and post them here.

If the camera you have is already CCD with a wide angle lens, then it probably isn't worth the upgrade. Although I think it's pretty cool that the camera comes with it's own fuse.

The ND-BC2 is definitely bigger than I'd like it to be. Not exactly stealth, which is what I wanted, but it works fine so I'm not complaining.

Reach

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...2&postcount=45

mikeucla

Based on the pictures you posted, I really don't think I could tell any differences between the two cameras. The vertical angle on the pioneer might be a smidge better, not sure. I'll post my pics when I get home later tonight so you can compare for yourself. The wendy cam is definitely smaller, though, so I think your install looks cleaner.

mikeucla

Here are some pics of the camera and its output. I apologize for the poor quality, I am definitely not a photographer. In my opinion, the photos don't do it justice. reach's photos are much better. I would say that the quality of the output on both cameras is equal, based on comparing what I see on my car's screen and reach's photos. I do think the vertical angle is a bit better on the pioneer, though.

i think the wendy cam wins in the size department though, and reach's install is a much closer to a subtle, stealth install.

the rounded edges at the bottom of the screen are my bumper.

Nogard13

Hey guys, I just bought my Wendy's cam this weekend and will be installing it this week. I have a question that will help me a great deal when installing.

First of all, I want to drill into the plastic peace where the reverse lights are located vice using double-sided tape. I think it's better to do it that way and the piece should not be that expensive to replace if it gets messed up. Anywho, I'd like to know how to remove it so I can drill it in the house. Anyone ever removed it before?

Thanks guys.

Reach

Nogard13, just remove one of your taillights (you'll have to do it anyway for the install) and you will see how easy that trim piece is to remove. It is held in place by 4 pop clips, and comes right out. The edges of it are tucked under the tail lights when they are installed, which is why it seems so seamless. I do applaud acura for subtle pieces of good design like on this trim piece.

mikeucla: thanks for the pics! I really have been wanting to see one "in action". Like you, I also like being able to see my bumper in the pics, so you have an absolute idea of how much distance you have when backing into spaces and up against walls. If you look in mine, I tilted mine down until I had a solid line of bumper just barely visible across the bottom of the screen. Check out EurTSX admiring it:

vthree

iTrader: (1)

has anyone tried this one?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Car-Rear-View-Ba...QQcmdZViewItem
it has infrared?

Nogard13

Thanks man, will do.

Hey, about taking the liner off the trunk, the round pieces just screw out or have to be pulled out?

mikeucla

Anytime, glad to be of help. The people on this board have really helped me out.

There are three screws that you can use a philips for, and there are six clips that need to be pulled out. If it's your first time pulling these clips, you have to use some force, but the clips are strong and won't break. I hesitated at first, because I thought I was pulling pretty hard and they weren't coming out. But after you get them out the first time, it gets easier each successive time. I had to do it a couple of times because I started with a cheapo camera and later replaced it with a nicer one.

egprelude

iTrader: (1)

Nice work.

I can't wait to try this.

Nogard13

Crap, well, the trip piece I wanted to drill through has a metal piece behind it so that idea is out.

I do have a question about running it through the license plate lights, tho. Were you guys able to get them to snap back into place or did you have to drill a hole in the plastic to get them to go back into place?

Reach

I didn't route my cable thru the license plate light. Those are a very tight fit and you won't get a cable through there without cutting / drilling one. I didn't want to do that.

I removed my passenger side taillight and made a small notch in the metal to the side of one of the big holes where the rear view part of the fixture is. This allowed me to slide the cable through the notch, and route it behind the taillight, over the trim piece, down the license plate light-hole, and to the camera.

Nogard13

Hey guys, here is what it looks like right now. I'm going to re-route that cable so that it's out of the way sometime this week (if I don't get too lazy).

Any suggestions, with pics, would be great.

Here are some pics:

MeHoo

like "vthree" asked.. anyone try this one yet?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Car-Rear-View-Ba...QQcmdZViewItem

seems too cheap to be good, but you never know. downside is its only available from a seller in hong kong.

Would the TSX Navi display the IR cameras ok do you think? I dont much care about IR, i just want a flatter looking camera. no offense but those cameras on swivels stick out like a sore thumb and i'd have that ripped off by some kids for sure.

oh and i think its weird that they say this in their listing:
"We will ship worldwide except the following regions: APO/FPO, Italy, China, Hong Kong, Mac Indonesia, Ukraine, Russia."
when they are from hong kong...

mikeucla

I ran the cable through the license plate lights without a problem. It was a tight fit, but it still snapped back into place. I popped out the plastic body colored trim piece and took out the license plate light, ran the cable through, got rid of the slack, then popped back in both the body colored trim piece and the license plate light.

I don't have that camera, but I saw pictures of its output, and I gotta say, it's pretty bad. The infrared basically looks black and white, with a green hue. I think the daytime output is ok. I'd try to get a ccd camera over a cmos one. I've had both and the difference in quality is night and day. If you're not willing to spend more money though, the cmos camera is good enough to do what you need for this mod, and brings the overall cost for this mod way down. good luck with whatever you decide!

MeHoo

no thats ok, just wanted an opinion. Thanks man. CCD it is.

kiubowei

I followed PhiSigBrotha's instructions (great, btw) and just finished my backup camera installation.

Thanks PhiSigBrotha!

A couple of pieces of info:

1 - I bought this camera in ebay;
REAR-VIEW CCD COLOR CAMERA LICENSE PLATE FRAME VTL120
(http://cgi.ebay.com/REAR-VIEW-CCD-CO...QQcmdZViewItem )

2 - I got the molex components directly from molex as samples (free! )

Molex location for parts - you need to ask for the housing and the terminal pins as separate items (order several of them, if you order 1 pin, they send you 1 pin )

- Terminal Housing (prod code = 22013087): (http://www.molex.com/cgi-bin/bv/mole...cts&Lang=en-US


- Terminal Pins (prod code= 8500114): (http://www.molex.com/cgi-bin/bv/mole...cts&Lang=en-us

GF

dwest1023

Thanks to all with this mod. I just finished my backup install. I got the pioneer camera, and the install looks factory. Will post pictures later. The Molex connector cost me $10( the shipping was more than the connector) and I had a $45 reward point bonus for Buy.com so the camera cost me around$160 or so. Since I made up the connector before hand the install was was easy and fast. There are no exposed wire and I mounted my camera to the side of the tag. I think it looks much better there. I was concerned that I did not have the hidden look, but the install looks very OEM. I must say it is a very nice and easy mod.

Reach

Glad you got it all hooked up dwest. Image quality is nice with that one, right? Should be better than that real oem one you have.

dwest1023

The RL OEM camera is pretty good. The pioneer camera has a super wide angle, much more than what is needed to park with. Just for everyones information, the connector that is used for the camera is also the plug the dealer uses to reset the Navi reader. So if you ever need to have that done, make sure you unplug the camera before you go. I put the latest updated Navi disk in my car and tried to put the original back in, but you cannot go back. Had to make a trip to Radley's. The tech had a jumper connector he plugs into the place the camera goes, to reset. Those that have an 06 and up, the camera mod is really neat, and somewhat cheap mod to do. I wish I could have gotten the Wendy's cam for a lower price. The interface that comes with the pioneer makes it an easier install though.

dwest1023

Shot with Canon PowerShot S10 at 2007-07-13




Shot with Canon PowerShot S10 at 2007-07-13

cutmasterj

Thanks PhiSigBrotha for the DIY on this. I installed this camera (http://gooddeals18.zoovy.com/product/SHKL110) this evening and everything works perfectly.

jay427

I am really interested in this mod and I've read everything in this thread. The problem I'm having is choosing a camera. I like to always go for the best, so I'm considering the Pioneer. I just don't know if the Wendy's cam is basically the same thing in a smaller package. Any comments would be appreciated...thanks!

dwest1023

If the Wendy's cam is available, that would be my choice as it is cheaper and smaller. I have seen the Wendy cam and its hard to tell any difference between the two if at all. I only bought th pioneer because the Wendy came was not available and I had a store credit from buy.com so that bought the price of the camera down a bit for me.
Hope I gave you some good information.

Yamadr6

Wendy's cam? I tried searching this all over the web and I get nothing.
Could someone tell me who make this Wendy's cam?
I just got a 2007 TSX last week and this is the one mod I need to make. I got spoiled with my FX350 having this backup cam and now I want one on the TXS. Please advice.

I think the pioneer is too big. I want the hidden look.
Thanks

mikeucla

my guess is that wendy is the name of the ebay seller that sells the camera. her username on ebay is swm902. do an advanced search on ebay and look for items from seller swm902. hopefully you'll find one.

i agree, wendy's cam makes for a more subtle, stealth install. i have the pioneer, and i think image quality is identical (both are awesome). the one advantage of the pioneer is the slightly larger viewing angle. i think the horizontal angle is similar, but the vertical angle is definitely a little larger.

jay427

I think this is the Wendy's cam. The only question I really have is that someone here mentioned that there was a series 2 Wendy's cam. Is this it?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SMALL...spagenameZWDVW

jonesmtta4

One that works with the Wendy backup cam. What's a fair price? $15-20? I can pay via PayPal if you'd like. If you live in So. Cal. (SF Valley) and are available to do the install too, that would be ideal. Let me know. Thanks!

LaZiEx626

that is nice

1slicktL

i have a extra one that i never used i sell it to you for 15 shipped let me know

jonesmtta4

If it works, I'll take it.

Hit me back and we'll exchange info: mike.d.jones@umusic.com

Thanks!

mltk53

what does this mean? 12v remote turn on lead?

Reach

He was referring to using a relay to have the power-on from the aftermarket DVD send its signal to the navi using this cable. It could be done with an extra relay and some diodes.