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Rearview Camera OEM style installed!!

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Old 06-18-2006, 04:19 PM
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gt3
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Default Rearview Camera OEM style installed!!

After doing months of research and waiting for the camera part to arrive, I finally completed my rearview camera install. I wanted to have a rearview camera that is small and inconspicuous, similar to the newer OEM Lexus (e.g. IS350) or Infiniti (e.g. FX45) ones. I also wanted to mount it in a similar fashion as those OEM ones. I didn't want to drill my license plate or use a license frame camera.

I chose the Panasonic CY-RC50KD for its small size (only 21mm tall). However, it is not available in the States, so I had to order it from Japan, which cost about $270! Actually Alpine and Eclipse also make very small rearview cameras. The Eclipse BEC-105 is just slightly bigger and is available readily in the US. However, the USDM one will only work with Eclipse HU's (I have a Kenwood). I really wanted the Alpine one but it cost about another $100!!!

I installed the camera next to the hatch release button above the license plate. There is not enough room due to the license plate lights, so I had to modify the light housing and rotate it 180 degrees to give more room for the camera. I had to make my own metal bracket to mount the camera.

Overall I am very pleased with the final results. Here are some pics:
Attached Thumbnails Rearview Camera OEM style installed!!-cam.jpg   Rearview Camera OEM style installed!!-rvcam1.jpg   Rearview Camera OEM style installed!!-rvcam2.jpg   Rearview Camera OEM style installed!!-rvcam3.jpg  

Last edited by gt3; 06-18-2006 at 04:39 PM.
Old 06-18-2006, 04:21 PM
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Mike Wazowski
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very cool
Old 06-18-2006, 04:23 PM
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Here are some shots of the camera video on the monitor screen. The screen is stretched so to give a better field of vision. I had it wire so the camera is always on, but the headunit will switch to the rear cam when I put the car in reverse. I can also view it while driving via the video in on the HU. The bottom of the screen shows the edge of my bumper. The camera actually works pretty well in low light settings (see 2nd pic from left). I can finally back up into a parking space without worrying about hitting the wall or concrete block!!!
Attached Thumbnails Rearview Camera OEM style installed!!-rvcam4.jpg   Rearview Camera OEM style installed!!-rvcam6.jpg   Rearview Camera OEM style installed!!-rvcam7.jpg   Rearview Camera OEM style installed!!-rvcam5.jpg  

Last edited by gt3; 06-18-2006 at 04:28 PM.
Old 06-18-2006, 04:29 PM
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Originally Posted by USN HM 350Z
very cool
Thanks USN HM 350Z...you were so quick before I can post the additional pics!!!
Old 06-18-2006, 05:24 PM
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Roggan
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Very cool, nice install!

Would be even cooler if you installed an infra red camera in the front of the car for night vision and use that on the top screen and have the rear view on the lower one

/Roger
Old 06-19-2006, 12:04 AM
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Originally Posted by Roggan
Very cool, nice install!

Would be even cooler if you installed an infra red camera in the front of the car for night vision and use that on the top screen and have the rear view on the lower one

/Roger
Thanks Roger!! Don't give me any more ideas because they will end up being more projects I thought I was done with the AV stuff for a while!!

P.S. Love your Nismo V2 kit!!!
Old 06-19-2006, 12:29 AM
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nbdyfcnsqnc
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Wow, nice job! That camera is tiny!

How did you make it work only when in reverse? Does it go through a computer or what?
Old 06-19-2006, 06:21 AM
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Originally Posted by nbdyfcnsqnc
Wow, nice job! That camera is tiny!

How did you make it work only when in reverse? Does it go through a computer or what?
The Kenwood HU has a dedicated rear cam input which is triggered by the reverse lamp wire. You can also wire the camera to that same wire so it will only turn on when you have the car in reverse. However, I just wired it to the ignition so the camera stays on even when the car is going forward. I split the video signal to two to feed both the rear cam input and the video in input on my HU.
Old 06-19-2006, 06:26 AM
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Nice !!!
Old 09-11-2006, 02:30 AM
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luke79
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Originally Posted by gt3
After doing months of research and waiting for the camera part to arrive, I finally completed my rearview camera install. I wanted to have a rearview camera that is small and inconspicuous, similar to the newer OEM Lexus (e.g. IS350) or Infiniti (e.g. FX45) ones. I also wanted to mount it in a similar fashion as those OEM ones. I didn't want to drill my license plate or use a license frame camera.

I chose the Panasonic CY-RC50KD for its small size (only 21mm tall). However, it is not available in the States, so I had to order it from Japan, which cost about $270! Actually Alpine and Eclipse also make very small rearview cameras. The Eclipse BEC-105 is just slightly bigger and is available readily in the US. However, the USDM one will only work with Eclipse HU's (I have a Kenwood). I really wanted the Alpine one but it cost about another $100!!!

I installed the camera next to the hatch release button above the license plate. There is not enough room due to the license plate lights, so I had to modify the light housing and rotate it 180 degrees to give more room for the camera. I had to make my own metal bracket to mount the camera.

Overall I am very pleased with the final results. Here are some pics:

I can't read japanese, so can this camera do mirroring, is it water proof? Where did you bought it from? thanks!
luke

Last edited by luke79; 09-11-2006 at 07:33 AM.
Old 09-11-2006, 07:11 AM
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Nice install!!
Old 09-11-2006, 01:01 PM
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Looks familure.
Old 09-11-2006, 01:03 PM
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BhashaZ
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Originally Posted by Paul350Z


Looks familure.
More info? Does it have RCA?

And great install gt3!
Old 09-11-2006, 03:23 PM
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drifter23
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Nice and clean install.
Old 09-11-2006, 04:51 PM
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gt3
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Originally Posted by luke79
I can't read japanese, so can this camera do mirroring, is it water proof? Where did you bought it from? thanks!
luke
Yes, I think the camera output a mirrored image. I don't know if it is water proof but I think it is designed to stand up to the elements. I ordered it from a company japan-direct.com as a special order. It took me about 2 months to get. You can pretty much get any Japanese gadget from them. Good luck!
Old 09-11-2006, 05:03 PM
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Originally Posted by BhashaZ
More info? Does it have RCA?

And great install gt3!
$37 e-bay mirror vision with RCA connectors for both video (yellow) and audio (red). I cut the microphone off as I wasn't interested in listening to my exhaust. The quality isn't equal to a $500 camcorder but works well enough for as much as I watch it.



Old 09-11-2006, 06:09 PM
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hmm I need to get one of those
Old 09-11-2006, 11:54 PM
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luke79
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Originally Posted by gt3
Yes, I think the camera output a mirrored image. I don't know if it is water proof but I think it is designed to stand up to the elements. I ordered it from a company japan-direct.com as a special order. It took me about 2 months to get. You can pretty much get any Japanese gadget from them. Good luck!
if you splitted the video signal to feed the rear cam input and the video in input on your HU, and the image is mirrored for both signals this means that the image is already mirrored by the cam, otherwise it could mean that the HU was mirroring the image, but I think it's not the case. Am I right?

BTW, I drop an email to japan-direct.com to have a quotation
Old 09-12-2006, 06:49 AM
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I've got the quotation: $284 for the Panasonic camera... holy sh*t...

dgt3, do this cam has rca and can be connected to any rca video input like DVD HU have, or needs something else?

Last edited by luke79; 09-12-2006 at 07:04 AM.
Old 09-12-2006, 08:24 PM
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Originally Posted by luke79
if you splitted the video signal to feed the rear cam input and the video in input on your HU, and the image is mirrored for both signals this means that the image is already mirrored by the cam, otherwise it could mean that the HU was mirroring the image, but I think it's not the case. Am I right?

BTW, I drop an email to japan-direct.com to have a quotation
Yes, the image will be mirrored for both video inputs! The HU has mirroring capability but I didn't need it.


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