Auto reverse camera

Tha Hombre · 03-17-2004, 04:41 AM

I'm going to be using (as soon as i get my Opus) a 7" Lilliput touchscreen with a weatherproof camera for reversing. I know the lilliput has a plug directly for the use of a camera. My question is this... how can i get to view the reverse camera as soon as i put the car in reverse??

Is there no other option other than pressing a button on the screen to switch modes?

eCar™ · 03-17-2004, 05:11 AM

Don't know exactly how the Lilli switches to A/V input, but I just worked out the same thing using a Cheese Box. I used that because my LCD controller is VGA in only. The Cheese Box converts the A/V signal to VGA.

It was very simple because the button that switches from VGA to A/V input is the latching type. Meaning that when you press the button, it latches two contacts together, and displays the A/V input on the monitor. When you press the button again, it unlatches the contacts, and VGA signal is passed thru.

I took the switch off the Cheese Box. I connected two wires to where the switch used to be, and ran them to a relay. The relay is triggered by the reverse lights on the car, so when you are in reverse, the contacts are made at the Cheese Box.

I added a 3 position switch to allow for; A) Relay gets trigger from reverse lights; B) Relay gets trigger from constant 12V (so I can turn camera on without being in reverse); and C) No signal to relay (so I can be in reverse without the camera being on).

I suspect the Lilli changes from one input to the other by pressing and releasing a button. Then you'd have to press and release again to get back to the other input. Is this the way it works?

doig · 03-17-2004, 06:40 AM

What camera did you end up using out of interest?

eCar™ · 03-17-2004, 06:59 AM

I actually don't have a cam yet. But something like this is probably what I'll use. It will fit in the lens for my third brakelight. Just need to drill a hole in the red brake lens, and glue in a clear piece.

King_Aero · 03-17-2004, 08:09 AM

I would probably not recommend buying the cameras from DigitalWW until you find a decent way to enclose them. The plastic domes are not sturdy and break very easily. Its just my opinion, the cameras are great other then that.

I bought this one. Its already in a solid water proof, metal enclosure.

EDIT: It looks like your already taking care of the enclosure part, but in case you weren't.

eCar™ · 03-17-2004, 08:14 AM

It will be inside my brake light. As protected as the bulbs in there. Should be fine.

Custommx3 · 03-17-2004, 08:37 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by King_Aero

I would probably not recommend buying the cameras from DigitalWW until you find a decent way to enclose them. The plastic domes are not sturdy and break very easily. Its just my opinion, the cameras are great other then that.

I bought this one. Its already in a solid water proof, metal enclosure.

EDIT: It looks like your already taking care of the enclosure part, but in case you weren't.

I bought the same camera, hopefully it will be a good one. I was debating on the IR cams, but went ahead w/ this one.

Dluvr22 · 03-17-2004, 09:25 PM

Hey Ecar I have the infrared version of that camera though I did not buy it from digitalww. I am having a problems because when I connect it to my monitors I do not get any video on the lilliput 7' TS but I do get an image on my Jensen monitors in the headrest. I am stuck right now thinking of how to get this to work

eCar™ · 03-17-2004, 10:36 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Dluvr22

Hey Ecar I have the infrared version of that camera though I did not buy it from digitalww. I am having a problems because when I connect it to my monitors I do not get any video on the lilliput 7' TS but I do get an image on my Jensen monitors in the headrest. I am stuck right now thinking of how to get this to work

Are you connecting the camera directly to the Lilli?

Can you connect something else to the Lilli to see that it's working?

Sway · 03-17-2004, 11:04 PM

just a suggestion but you might want to look into a $20 2.5 LCD Screen Controllers for XBox and use that as a rear view screen as someone suggested in another thread

http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...647&pfp=BROWSE

aoLhaTer · 03-18-2004, 06:42 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Sway

just a suggestion but you might want to look into a $20 2.5 LCD Screen Controllers for XBox and use that as a rear view screen as someone suggested in another thread

http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...647&pfp=BROWSE

id support this idea

id love to have an automatic switching method but it would be complicated

theoretically, you could connect some sort of mechanism to the reverse light (either on dash or tap into the line from the rear lights) and then the mechanims goes "oo theres 'so and so' voltage running over this line, time to switch to x input" then when the wires state returns to normal the video switches back

this is way out of my league though

so id just do a seperate lcd
unfortunately i missed out on this deal

Dluvr22 · 03-18-2004, 08:02 AM

Yes for troubleshoting purposes I connected it directly to the lilliput on Video 2. My computer is on the vga mode and dvd plaver uses video 1. Even when I connect the camera to video 1, I get " no video input" on the screen but when I put the dvd back, It plays. This is frustrating .

ramy_zohair · 01-09-2005, 12:17 AM

Hey eCar. lovely way of connecting a backup camera. It would be much better if u could draw the whole connections diagram.
This must be a sticky then.
Keep up the good work

nsmoller · 01-19-2005, 11:29 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by eCar™

Don't know exactly how the Lilli switches to A/V input, but I just worked out the same thing using a Cheese Box. I used that because my LCD controller is VGA in only. The Cheese Box converts the A/V signal to VGA.

It was very simple because the button that switches from VGA to A/V input is the latching type. Meaning that when you press the button, it latches two contacts together, and displays the A/V input on the monitor. When you press the button again, it unlatches the contacts, and VGA signal is passed thru.

I took the switch off the Cheese Box. I connected two wires to where the switch used to be, and ran them to a relay. The relay is triggered by the reverse lights on the car, so when you are in reverse, the contacts are made at the Cheese Box.

I added a 3 position switch to allow for; A) Relay gets trigger from reverse lights; B) Relay gets trigger from constant 12V (so I can turn camera on without being in reverse); and C) No signal to relay (so I can be in reverse without the camera being on).

I suspect the Lilli changes from one input to the other by pressing and releasing a button. Then you'd have to press and release again to get back to the other input. Is this the way it works?

where does teh switch go
i agree diagrams a must!

aoLhaTer · 01-19-2005, 11:36 PM

See this thread
http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=26031