Back up Cameras

PP · February 04, 2017, 02:59:34 PM

My backup camera keeps cutting in and out and after checking all the wires I have concluded that the camera is the cause. I went online to ebay and found quite a plethora of cameras to choose from ranging in price from a few dollars up to about $20. None of them have a microphone like my current one, but how do they stand up to use? Am I throwing away a few dollars on junk and just putting off buying something of higher quality down the road? Anyone out there with experience regarding these cheap cameras?

I'm thinking of trying an 8 led color with night vision for $10. bucks.

Looking forward to your responses. Will

PP · February 04, 2017, 06:48:16 PM

Well it looks like the wifey got tired of my cussing and went ahead and ordered me the $10 buck camera. I'll let everyone know what it's like when it gets here. I have a 10" digital color TV mounted in the dash for a monitor that works great. I put a little antenna on it when I want to search for local programming in a new area. It runs on 12V with an internal battery backup and has a/v jacks on the side for external input. HAER brand that I picked up at Bi-Mart several years ago for around $50.

goutoe · February 05, 2017, 07:54:06 AM

I have bought 4 cameras on Ebay ranging from 5 dollars to 50 dollars they all work ok I would definitely get one with a visor on it fwiw>>>> John.

RobSedona · February 06, 2017, 02:27:03 AM

I agree One with a visor as the sun shining on it you can't see. Mine has one and when I 1st put it on I had the visor not covering it good. Had to climb back up and fix it

LOL

Rob

PP · February 06, 2017, 03:23:02 PM

My bus actually has a small housing on the back with a glass lens. I access the housing through a cabinet above the bed to service and/or replace the camera so I don't need a visor on the camera. It's just that every time I replace a camera I have to figure out a new way of mounting it inside the housing, which is stainless steel. I packed it in with foam rubber and duct tape the last time which worked really well. The foam absorbed the vibration of the engine and I was able to have wifey position it exactly where I needed it to point while I watched the monitor.

John, thanks for the encouragement. I'm not concerned about the money so much as the lost time since it can take weeks for some items to arrive. (China) I bought an MP3 player a while back and it took almost 6 weeks to arrive, which turned out to be longer than the player lasted.

PP · February 15, 2017, 04:43:24 PM

UPdate: my new camera arrived today and I got it mounted and wired in and it works GREAT! The image is actually much sharper than the relatively expensive one that quit on me. Looking at the old one, I'm wondering if there was too much vibration for a "home" security camera. I sure will miss listening to the roar of the Detroit coming through the monitor as we go down the road in the future. Maybe I'll have to find me a cheap microphone to mount in the engine bay....

Lin · February 16, 2017, 11:04:18 AM

Which camera did you get?

PP · February 16, 2017, 03:57:13 PM

Lin, It's an 8 LED CMOS Backup HD Camera. I went to the site to see if there was any other info on them and they sold all 37 that were left since I ordered mine. There are some very similar available for $12.65 from a site located in Fremont, California. If time isn't relevant you can get the same cameras directly out of China for less. Mine is approx 1" square, but I noticed the round ones are much cheaper.
HTH

Zephod · February 16, 2017, 05:30:29 PM

I have a cheapass reversing camera from Amazon. I spent more on longer cables for it than on the camera. It flickers badly but shows me what I'm about to mow down. It's only used when reversing.

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PP · February 16, 2017, 05:50:21 PM

Quote from: Zephod on February 16, 2017, 05:30:29 PM
I have a cheapass reversing camera from Amazon. I spent more on longer cables for it than on the camera. It flickers badly but shows me what I'm about to mow down. It's only used when reversing.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I use mine mostly for keeping an eye on the toad. I wanted to see how well it worked in the dark last night and when I flipped on my backup lights I could hear the solenoid click, but no lights. Guess that will be my next project.

The camera performed really well in dusk, but not complete darkness.

Zephod · February 16, 2017, 06:10:44 PM

Quote from: PP on February 16, 2017, 05:50:21 PM
I use mine mostly for keeping an eye on the toad. I wanted to see how well it worked in the dark last night and when I flipped on my backup lights I could hear the solenoid click, but no lights. Guess that will be my next project. The camera performed really well in dusk, but not complete darkness.

Immediate thoughts... fuses, bulbs.

I replaced a few lighting units on my bus.

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