Reverse wireless Camera instead of ashtray

[invjbo]

My car is missing the ashtray and the prices out there to get hold of one is not very tempting. So i found a wireless reverse camera with "nightvision" on ebay. I have mounted the camera in the back next to the license plate light and are testing to see if the screen would fit nicely over the ashtray "hole"

I have only mounted with some black tape to hold it in place while testing out. But i think it could work fine. Anything aiding in vieing rear when reversing is welcome.

[BDA]

Very cool! When I was "finishing" (will it ever really be finished?) my car, I was looking for something cool to put where the ashtray was but in 1999, the only thing I could find was a clock! It isn't expensive or fancy, but it is a good clock. Some day I may put something cooler there and a screen for a backup camera seems like a good choice.


Another thought I've had is an inexpensive smartphone to use for a GPS, clock, music, etc.

[jbcollier]

Good idea!

I started with a DIN receiver with a back-up camera.  Loved the camera, the receiver less so.  So I fit extra gauges and a GPS with a back-up camera.  A back-up camera makes backing up a Europa a piece of cake.

https://jbcollier.smugmug.com/Lotus-Europa/i-bMv9fFR/A

[Jim Hansen]

I was looking at backup cameras but haven't got very far.  My approach would be an android tablet.  Energizing the backups light would be the on/ off sensor.  "Home Assistant" could be the operating system.  I would be interest in keeping this thread alive.  Should I post as new topic?

Jim Hansen
 

[BDA]

It's really up to you. Just show us what you're doing and tell us how you did it! 

[berni29]

Hi

The beeping type are quite effective and do not require any dashboard space. There are two types the electromagnetic which do not require a sensor as such and the ultrasonic. The electromagnetic only works while the car is moving I think.

Edit: Mind you, camera must be better, and that is what this thread is discussing........

Berni

[Cheguava]

I was looking at backup cameras but haven't got very far.  My approach would be an android tablet.  Energizing the backups light would be the on/ off sensor.  "Home Assistant" could be the operating system.  I would be interest in keeping this thread alive.  Should I post as new topic?

Jim Hansen

Hi Jim, this is also something on my wish list. No need for an ash tray these days, and the space would nicely fit a screen for reversing camera and perhaps other purposes (sat-nav for example), but alternatively space for a mobile, although I'm not aware of an app that would interface with reversing cameras, that doesn't mean they don't exist given my distance from the cutting edge of tech.    Would be very interested in your progress, and will post any that I make.

[GavinT]

There's a plethora of aftermarket reversing cameras that include a replacement interior mirror and also clip-on varieties that use the existing mirror. In either case, this would call for a fairly slim one, I'd think.

I've not tried any but they seem like a neat solution. Anyone tried one?

[SKlein]

My plan is to rig up a rear view camera and mount the screen at the radio hole in the dash, so that it replaces or supplements the rear view mirror. I haven't looked into what's available yet. New Corvettes must use them because they are impossible to see out the back too.
I made a small switch panel that I mounted where the ash tray was (I don't have one either). It holds rocker switches for an electric fuel pump and a radiator fan relay ON-override, plus a spare switch position. It looks tackier than I hoped....

[jlmullen2]

A friend just got a C8 Corvette (the new mid-engine one) and I helped him order it. It comes standard with a rear view camera just for reversing. This camera is mounted fairly low near the license plate. At another option level you get a full time rear view camera plus two front view cameras. The rear view camera is mounted at the rear of the roof giving a wider view than a normal camera. All of these cameras synch to the normal rear view mirror mounted on the inside of the windshield. My friend cheaped out and didn't get the option package with the additional cameras (it was an additional $5000). He struggled initially with the massive blind spots but now is pretty comfortable as we took quite a bit of time adjusting the exterior rear view mirrors.

I've been thinking about a rear view camera for my Europa and wonder if mounting the camera on the rear edge of the roof would work. Mounting it on the roof should give a good view of each side as well as the rear. I also thought of mounting the screen where my radio was previously. One area of concern is how to run the power and video wiring from the roof into the interior without hacking up the headliner. i know there are small slit vents at the rear of the roof which provide air to the interior. Just wondering if those could be used to route the wiring?

I'm nowhere close to doing this as I'm still fooling around with replumbing the brakes (removed boosters) and eventually re-installing the engine after I get it back from my engine guy.

Larry Mullen

[BDA]

I have a now discontinued JVC radio that has a small screen for a backup camera. I mounted a camera that is parallel to the ground on the “lip” above the license plate. It works great. I just wish a respectable manufacturer would make a single DIN stereo with a larger screen with android auto support.