Hello, first time poster.

 

Overview

 

I received a BW 4.3 TFT LCD Rear car parking monitor with camera (Amazon) for Christmas. I have managed to install both the camera and monitor to my Octavia and the system works when the ignition is on and reverse gear is selected. The camera powers on and displays its output to the TFT monitor, but when you start the engine and select reverse gear there is no display on the video monitor. Help!

 

Details

 

The system is comprised of two parts: a monitor and video display unit, both require 12v to work.

 

1) I connected the camera to the rear bumper and connected the power wire from the camera to the reverse light power supply. 

 

2) I connected the video monitor display to my dashboard and connected the power wire to a 12v fuse box located behind the dashboard.

 

When i turn on the ignition and select reverse, the camera switches on and displays its output to the TFT screen on the dashboard. In short, it all works!

 

But (This is the problem)

 

When I turn on the engine and select reverse gear there is no display to the TFT monitor: It does not power on. 

 

Has anyone experienced a similar issue when connecting any type of electronic equipment to their Skoda's internal 12v power supply?

 

I would be very grateful for any replies/comments as I am rather stuck and would like to get the unit working.

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

John

Running a camera off the reverse lights is not recommended due to the canbus circuit.

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/306871-power-for-aftermarket-reverse-camera/

 

 

Also, how have you powered the screen up? Obviously when you start the engine, the alternator runs, so depending on where you connected it up, you could be getting 14v.

Hi Softscoop, thank you for your very quick reply. You provided some helpful points, I have been under my Skoda for most of today. If I could ask for further help:

 

1) Where would you recommend connecting the camera to? If not the reverse lights, bearing in mind I only want the display unit to work when I am in a reverse gear. I do not want the display to be on permanently. 

 

2) How have you powered the screen? I connected the Screen's power supply to the fuse box behind the dash panel. Schematic on page 196 on the owner's manual. I connected it to fuse number 8.

 

Owners manual: https://mediaportal.skoda-auto.com/resource/documentation/manuals/en/Octavia/05-2012/Manual/A5_Octavia_OwnersManual.pdf

 

3) I see your point re the screen not working as it is getting too much voltage (14 volts). Do you think this is the cause of the problem?

 

4) Do you know where I can tap into a 12v power source close to the front dash, as this is where the display will sit. Obviously I cannot connect it directly to the car battery as it will drain the battery.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

John

BUMP

 

Does anyone have any ideas? Much appreciated. 

What is fuse number 8? According to the manual it's unused.

 

Have a look here as this shows installing a switched live connection via a piggy back fuse. Suggested one is fuse 41 as that is switched live for the rear wiper.

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/265343-dash-cam-12v-multi-adaptor-hidden-install-driver-storage-compartment/

Have you checked the voltages at the two connection points with a multimeter, it might give you some insight to what the cause is.

I have checked the voltages in both the fuse box to the right of the steering wheel and the box under the bonnet. All fuses test at 12 volts when the ignition is on, but increase to 14 volts when the engine is on.

 

Bearing in mind the display and camera require 12 Volts, is the display and camera getting too much voltage and that is why it is not turning on when the engine is on? To reiterate, the camera and display both work fine when ignition is on and they are receiving 12 volts.

 

People have posted comments about the Canbus system, but after some reading I still do not understand how this works.

 

With regard to Softscoops comments, I does not seem to matter which fuse we use as they all increase to 14 Volts when the engine is.

 

Both the camera and screen work with just the ignition on. But, I need it to work when the engine is on.

 

Going slightly mad, so any ideas would help.

I'd expect the parking camera to happily work at near 14v as all cars should hit that when running.

 

Does anything change at the reverse light connector with the engine started (harder to check on your own I appreciate).

 

There really aren't many places for this to go wrong so I'm most curious. Where are you grounding it to?

Hi Langers2k, I will have the information tomorrow morning and will update this post then.

 

I purchased the kit for my Dad for Xmas (Yip, it is early January and it is still not working ; he is away tonight but back tomorrow morning so I will ask him to test the reverse light connector and ask him where he grounded it to. Unfortunately my car knowledge is Zero, I just help with the testing!

 

Thanks for helping out.

Hi Langers2k, I am grounding the camera to an earth wire near the reverse light.

 

Will need a bit longer to test what happens at the reverse light when the engine is on.

 

Thanks for helping out.

Just checked the reverse light connector when the engine is on and it is getting 12 Volts whereas all the fuses at the front of the car get 14 Volts when the engine is running. Might be able to do some more testing late afternoon.

 

Thanks for the help.

The problem with the reverse light connector is it's not just a normal electrical connection controlled by relays like old style cars.

 

It's a digital circuit monitored and electronically switched by the control unit.

Hi Softscoop, thanks for replying again. If the reverse light connection is a problem due to the control unit, do you know where else I can pick up a 12v connection close to the boot of the car? Preferably a connection that is only active when you put the car into reverse. I don't want the camera and screen to be active all the time, as it will be a bit of a distraction, as the screen is planted on the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel.

 

Thanks for your help.

For the first time since Xmas the camera and video monitor work, albeit they are on all the time. One last goal to overcome, to have them on only in reverse.

 

1) Changed the Grounding from a ground wire to the car. This had no affect.

 

2) Patched the Camera into the 12 Volt connection from the Boot Light. The camera and monitor now work but they are on permanently.

 

Any ideas on how to get them to work when you are in reverse only?

 

Thanks for all the help.

UPDATE - in that hopefully these posts will be of use to someone else in the future.

 

1. We straight wired the camera monitor/screen from the front of the car to the reverse light we had previously attached the camera to, and now the screen comes on when the ignition is on AND when the engine is on when the car is put into reverse (although there is a bit of interference).

 

Why the camera did not work when we attached it to the same reverse light I do not know. The camera/monitor screen should of come on when the camera was activated by putting the car into reverse.

 

2) Current situation: the camera monitor now only comes on when the car is in reverse (RESULT); the camera itself (connected to the boot light) is now on permanently. (Not Good) I am not sure how long the camera will last if it has a continuous, permanent power supply, as it should only come on for short periods when the car is in reverse. This might not be a problem.

 

Any ideas? 

The interference is from the canbus network.

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/306871-power-for-aftermarket-reverse-camera/?p=3666704

I wouldn't expect the camera being on whenever the car is to be a problem.

 

The only other thing I can think of is perhaps using a relay? This would use the reverse light and ground to switch it on/off, then use the boot light for power for the camera going through the switched side of the relay.

 

I don't know too much about canbus electronics, would that be happy with powering a relay and the reverse lights without issue? Softscoop might be able to add more detail.

There are a few ways to make this work but the best way is to use a relay (not an automotive one) that gets its coil power from the reverse light and the contact can then be used to switch a 12v permanent feed (the light you are using now will be OK) to provide the feed to the camera. Then put the display power back the way you had it. If you need any advice just PM me. This is a relay that should work OK http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/12v-dc-1a-dpdt-miniature-relay-n04aw

 

John

Thank you for all the replies. Will update this post tomorrow with any progress. Will try to get to Maplin to try out Langers2k and Briskodian's idea.

 

Many thanks.

UPDATE

 

With great thanks to JJC, who talked us through how to connect an 8 pin 12V DC 1A DPDT Miniature Relay over the phone, the camera and monitor now work when you shift the car into reverse with the engine turned over.

 

We have some minor interference problems on the display which we think is down to bad soldering on the Relay. We will have another look at this tomorrow.

 

Thanks again for all the replies. Once the camera has been up and working for a day or two without problems, we will post a completion post on the forum.

 

Thanks for al your help.

 

 

 

Hi, I have a powered rear camera.  I have used a standard automotive relay.  The energiser circuit is controlled by the reverse lights.  The power circuit takes its feed from the boot interior light.  The earth wire for the energiser circuit is via the chassis.  Using this method (which I have also recommended to others & has been implemented) has no interference issues and all works as it is supposed to. 

On 1/11/2015 at 13:39, radders567 said:

Hi, I have a powered rear camera.  I have used a standard automotive relay.  The energiser circuit is controlled by the reverse lights.  The power circuit takes its feed from the boot interior light.  The earth wire for the energiser circuit is via the chassis.  Using this method (which I have also recommended to others & has been implemented) has no interference issues and all works as it is supposed to. 

Hi,

i don't understand this point, the camera supposed to take the feed from the reverse light so when you put the car in reverse it triggers the camera and screen to work.

i have exactly the same challenge,

22 hours ago, mikeholroyd said:

I have already answered this same question in the other thread - the feed from the reverse light does NOT trigger the camera AND screen.

We are talking about two totally separate and different setups here - aftermarket and OEM.

 

On both systems - If the camera is powered from the reverse light it will be a "dirty" feed with lots of interference. A much "cleaner" feed is to take the feed from the boot courtesy light which is not monitored by the canbus system. At first, you will think that connecting it to the boot light will make it live all the time - not true as the power to the boot lights (and other interior lights) is cut around 10 minutes after switching the ignition off - leave the doors and boot open, with the ignition off, and you'll see them go out after 10 minutes.

 

Also, you will get interference if you connect to a "random" brown "earth" wire, maybe from the light cluster or another circuit - this is because the said wire is not actually an earth - it is a return wire which simply returns the canbus signal that has powered a circuit back to the control module. To power something this way, you need to use BOTH feed and return from ONE circuit - for example, you use the FEED AND RETURN of the boot light, or the FEED AND RETURN of the rear wiper motor. Do this and the interference is gone.

 

Also, do not be tempted to use a feed from the boot light, and connect the earth to the bodyshell as the boot light will be permanently on because this will divert the canbus input signal to the light direct to earth, rather than back to the controller as it should.

 

@abdallah - for your OEM camera, use EITHER the feed and return from the boot light to power the camera, and the canbus will switch the camera control module when it senses a reverse gear signal, OR use a direct twin core cable from the battery, relay switched from the reverse light input wire. Either way, the camera control module will be ready powered for when it is switched by the canbus reverse signal, and as such will only appear on screen when the car is actually in reverse gear.

 

Mike

Hi Mike,

 

thanks for the quick response.

It is Aftermarket camera and screen therefore I will use the boot light courtesy as you mentioned earlier and give it a try.

thanks once again for the support.