A Note About Back Up Camera Installation

garrywadams

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I wired in an on-off-on switch from the 6v power source and connected one side to the CAMERA BIT0 and the other to CAMERA BIT1. It didn't do anything on the camera when I flipped the switch either way, so I pulled off my switch and checked the pins with my multi meter. Strangely enough, when the camera is powered up, I get 6v on both the BIT0 and BIT1 lines, even when they are not connected to anything else.

Has anyone successfully got the 3 separate views by wiring in a switch to the BIT0 and BIT1 lines? I've seen several places reference the idea of doing it the way it's described above, but I haven't seen anywhere that it's successfully been done. I wonder if there's more to it than just putting voltage on those pins.
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bikejog

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So you wired BIT0 to one side of the switch and BIT1 to the other side of the same switch? That doesn't toggle between 6V and 0V. That toggles between 6V and floating.

But the fact that you measured 6V on both BIT0/BIT1 is interesting. Do you know if BIT0 and BIT1 goes thru any of the harness you're using? I'm wondering if the 6V on BIT0/BIT1 came from the aftermarket harness you're using? If BIT0 and BIT1 is all OEM wiring and are not connected to anything now, then that means the camera circuit pulls those pins up to 6V when the camera is on. Which means you just need to connect BIT0 or BIT1 to GND to change the view. However, if the 6V is supplied by the aftermarket harness, then you need to remove that 6V source on BIT0/BIT1 first. Then measure what voltage you get on BIT0/BIT1.
 
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garrywadams

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I'm confident that BIT0 and BIT1 aren't connected to anything in the aftermarket harness because I spliced them directly to go into my 3-way switch. Right now, they are going to my switch and only to my switch as I haven't finished the splice back into the harness.

I hadn't considered that maybe the factory camera is putting voltage on those lines and waiting for it to ground to switch views. I'll have to test that and see what happens when I ground BIT0 or BIT1 while the camera is on. That wold be really easy as all I would have to do is connect the 3rd pin on my switch to ground instead of 6v.

Thanks.
 

garrywadams

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Eureka!

I just confirmed that grounding BIT0 results in the "normal" view and grounding BIT1 results in the "top down" view, while leaving both open results in the "fish eye" view. I'll have to crack open my dash this weekend and move the center pin on my 3 way switch to ground instead of the 6v camera power.


Thanks for the input and suggestion!
 

garrywadams

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Here's a complete summary for anyone interested in replicating the setup. As I said, I've seen it discussed in many places, but never actually confirmed that someone has successfully got all 3 factory camera views working with an aftermarket HU.

I started with a 3-way switch. I bought a 5 pack on Amazon for about $3.
Honda Civic 10th gen A Note About Back Up Camera Installation Screenshot 2021-05-22 11.08.59 AM


Then I pulled out one of the spare accessory switch slots from the left side of the dash. They just snap out when you pinch the back. I used my dremel tool to cut out a rectangle opening the right size for the switch to snap into.
Honda Civic 10th gen A Note About Back Up Camera Installation PXL_20210320_024232288

Honda Civic 10th gen A Note About Back Up Camera Installation PXL_20210320_024159721

Honda Civic 10th gen A Note About Back Up Camera Installation PXL_20210320_023332638

Honda Civic 10th gen A Note About Back Up Camera Installation PXL_20210320_023346523


Then I ran three separate 18 gauge wires from the spot where the switch would be mounted, through the molding around the steering column, and into the HU cavity. One I spliced into BIT0, one into BIT1, and one into GND. On the end where the switch goes, I terminated them to female blade connectors to plug into the switch.
Honda Civic 10th gen A Note About Back Up Camera Installation PXL_20210320_023414254


Then I connected the one running to GND to the center pole of the switch, and BIT0 and BIT1 to either side. Now when the switch is in the middle/off position, BIT1 and BIT0 are left open. They receive voltage from the main camera itself. When putting the switch in the first "on" position, it grounds BIT0 and when putting the switch in the second "on" position, it grounds BIT1. Having the switch in the "Off" position toggles to the default "fish eye" view, and the two "On" positions each enable the other two modes.

You can see it all in action here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/E5eEdNnwwK4kdngu7
(I realized after recording that I swapped the BIT0 and BIT1 descriptions in the video, but the order is irrelevant to the setup. Each position on the switch is tied to one or the other, so you can toggle it either way.)

I didn't get a picture of it, but it's worth noting that I also have a delayed-release relay wired in to the camera voltage power supply. I picked it up here:
https://www.qualitymobilevideo.com/bu509td.html
It doesn't affect the 3 different views, but it does keep my camera from cutting out while it's in use (which is a problem with some aftermarket NAV wiring harnesses) and allows me to check my rear bumper and make adjustments to my parking job while the camera stays on (for about 10 seconds) after taking the car out of reverse.

Overall, I'm super happy with the setup; wireless AA, retaining the factory camera with 3 camera views, and a bigger screen with full multimedia support. It has taken me a while to get all of this figured out, so hopefully this information is useful to someone else!
 
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Chris B.

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Could you get away with just grounding the BIT0 to stay on the “normal” view?
 

garrywadams

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Could you get away with just grounding the BIT0 to stay on the “normal” view?
Yeah, that should work too. If you're more interested in keeping a single view, but hate the fisheye (which was going to be my fallback if this didn't work) you could just ground out the BIT0. I wanted to keep all 3 views functional, so I opted to go for the switch. It's a little more invovled, but I am super happy with the results.
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