Reversing camera retrofit - connecting up

[NikTheGeek]

I've done the hard bit tonight. I've fitted the camera in place of the boot switch. Routed the rca cable to the front of the car near the glove box. Now the wiring up bit.

 

Firstly, each end of the rca plug has a little red fly lead. Which looks like it would be +12v. Except, the camera end also has a 12v socket and a supplied fly lead that plugs in to this with +12v and -12v red and black wires.

 

So where do I take the 12v feed from and do I use the 12v socket at the camera end?

 

Secondly, I have the right connectors for the head unit end, but which pins in which socket do they go in?

 

Any help gratefully received as I'm nearly there

[SashaGrace]

The spare red cable on the yellow tipped RCA is the reverse gear feed which isn’t needed. The pins you need on the back of the radio are 6 and 12 of the blue connector in the quadlock. The power you can take from the rear wiper motor. Positive to pin 1 and negative to pin 4 or ground.

[NikTheGeek]

21 minutes ago, SashaGrace said:

The spare red cable on the yellow tipped RCA is the reverse gear feed which isn’t needed. The pins you need on the back of the radio are 6 and 12 of the blue connector in the quadlock. The power you can take from the rear wiper motor. Positive to pin 1 and negative to pin 4 or ground.

 

Brilliant thank you. If I hadn't had too much gin already, I'd go out and finish it off. Best not. I'll leave it till tomorrow!

 

Cheers SashaGrace

 

Nick

[NikTheGeek]

Oh, what's the little loops for that I can cut for lines? If I cut them, do I get the reversing lines or not? It doesn't mention them in the instructions.

[J.R.]

Thanks to Sasha from me also, I had been staring at the cables in my hand wondering what the flylead was for.

 

Great tip re the rear wiper motor, I presume that connection is always live with ignition on?

 

If the power lead (red RCA connector) is wired to the rear screen motor, if the yellow RCA extension lead is plugged into the reversing camera socket on the head unit (mines a Chinese one) then what is the bit about the connections on the blue quadlock connector? not that i know what one of those is. I presume the head unit needs to be told that reverse gear is selected so as to switch to the camera feed, is there already a wire in the loom to the head unit for that? Is it perhaps already in the multi-plug and therefore nothing to be done?

 

Forgive my ignorance, I used to specify and install CCTV systems in a previous life but as far as vehicle audio-visual systems are concerned I have a vertical learning curve!

 

Sasha you have already saved me no end of time and head scratching, thanks!

Edited 24 May, 2019 by J.R.

[NikTheGeek]

5 minutes ago, J.R. said:

Thanks to Sasha from me also, I had been staring at the cables in my hand wondering what the flylead was for.

 

Great tip re the rear wiper motor, I presume that connection is always live with ignition on?

 

If the power lead (red RCA connector) is wired to the rear screen motor, if the yellow RCA extension lead is plugged into the reversing camera socket on the head unit (mines a Chinese one) then what is the bit about the connections on the blue quadlock connector? not that i know what one of those is. I presume the head unit needs to be told that reverse gear is selected so as to switch to the camera feed, is there already a wire in the loom to the head unit for that? Is it perhaps already in the multi-plug and therefore nothing to be done?

 

Forgive my ignorance, I used to specify and install CCTV systems in a previous life but as far as vehicle audio-visual systems are concerned I have a vertical learning curve!

 

Sasha you have already saved me no end of time and head scratching, thanks!

I know this. You cut one rca plug off and then stip the wires and connect them to pins that go in to the connector on the back of the head unit in the glove box.

 

You'll need 2 of these (but you get a load in the pack): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TE-CONNECTIVITY-AMP-963715-1-CONTACT-SOCKET-20-AWG-CRIMP-Price-for-10/171641862721

 

Nick

[NikTheGeek]

Does it matter which way round pins 6 and 12 are? I'd normally think that was a stupid question, but I don't know with a video feed.

 

tnx

 

Nick

[J.R.]

Is that regarding a factory fitted head unit?

 

My Chinese one has a seperate multiplug with a series of short wires to connect to including a rear cam in RCA socket, there is also one for the reversing light signal, however it might know that reverse is selected via the Canbus, I will just connect it, power it up and select reverse, if nothing happens then I will connect the reversing signal wire to 12v and expect the camera view to be displayed.

 

at that point I will have one question, do I have to connect the red slave cable at the rear to the reversing lights or is there a feed in the proximity of the radio?

 

I will just have to have a play I guess!

[SashaGrace]

1 hour ago, NikTheGeek said:

Does it matter which way round pins 6 and 12 are? I'd normally think that was a stupid question, but I don't know with a video feed.

 

tnx

 

Nick

Yes it does, it should be positive to pin 6 and negative to pin 12.

 

52 minutes ago, J.R. said:

Is that regarding a factory fitted head unit?

 

My Chinese one has a seperate multiplug with a series of short wires to connect to including a rear cam in RCA socket, there is also one for the reversing light signal, however it might know that reverse is selected via the Canbus, I will just connect it, power it up and select reverse, if nothing happens then I will connect the reversing signal wire to 12v and expect the camera view to be displayed.

 

at that point I will have one question, do I have to connect the red slave cable at the rear to the reversing lights or is there a feed in the proximity of the radio?

 

I will just have to have a play I guess!

I don’t know how an aftermarket one would do it but an OEM one takes the signal from the reverse gear selector and park sensor display to turn the camera on. If you run the coding then the screen will be black in reverse until the camera is connected to display a feed.

[ScoutCJB]

This is next on my hit list .... any install pics?

[JohnnyType2]

14 hours ago, ScoutCJB said:

This is next on my hit list .... any install pics?

 

the android unit or the camera?

[ScoutCJB]

Reversing camera

[NikTheGeek]

Fitted it. Routed the cable (that was a job), put the pins in the blue multiplug (thanks @SashaGrace) but it doesn't work.

 

I gather it needs coding. I have obdeleven if someone could point me in the right direction? I found a thread that said STG 5F Byte 19 bit 4 to 1, but that's all Greek to me. Actually Greek would make more sense as I speak some

 

thanks in advance for any help

 

Nick

[NikTheGeek]

22 minutes ago, NikTheGeek said:

Fitted it. Routed the cable (that was a job), put the pins in the blue multiplug (thanks @SashaGrace) but it doesn't work.

 

I gather it needs coding. I have obdeleven if someone could point me in the right direction? I found a thread that said STG 5F Byte 19 bit 4 to 1, but that's all Greek to me. Actually Greek would make more sense as I speak some

 

thanks in advance for any help

 

Nick

Found it in SashaGrace's thread here:

 

[J.R.]

Fitted mine today, now realise that the Chinese thing I have bought is not Android although I cant see what functionality it lacks, anyway the camera was plug n play, i did nothing regarding the reverse light/switch connection, the head unit got its signal via the canbus.

 

It works really well and I now have a visual image of the parking sensors which I did not have before.

 

The OCD in me is going to open up the screw holes and if needed file down the casing so that it can sit at the correct angle to have a view perfectly aligned with the vehicle axis.

 

Thanks again to Sasha for the tip regarding connection to the rear wiper, I have yet to adapt to modern canbus systems where units have a permanent 12v supply and are switched via the canbus.

[SashaGrace]

You enter 5F Infotainment, scroll down to Long Coding and then you can scroll down the text to the box that says Byte 19 Bit 4 ‘reverse camera low’ and tick enabled.

[mrreach_69]

Firstly apologies for not previously introducing myself, but I'm a long term lurker in need of a bit of assistance please 😊. I've fitted a reversing camera, routed the cables to the front & have released the infotainment unit but would like to know if there should be enough slack in the cables to pull the unit out before disconnecting? Or do you need to disconnect the plugs before the unit can be pulled out? Doesn't feel like it wants to come out without disconnecting but seems a bit of a faff to have to try and release them beforehand.

[NikTheGeek]

There should be enough slack to reach around the left and disconnect the multiplug. Then there is enough slack in the multiplug to allow you to release the blue connector ready for your pins. I just did it the other day and the hardest part was routing the cable from the back to the front. The wiring up was positively easy after that!!

 

 

[NikTheGeek]

I'll add some pictures I took that might help anyone else - I know there are better write-ups:

 

So firstly, remove the tailgate inside using a trim tool. You can then see the back of the boot button. Disconnect the power cable to it and remove it. My boot button clipped in: Oct 2015 and this one https://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/0.html?spm=a2g0s.9042647.0.0.62e74c4drAiRcg&orderId=101743979729515&productId=32964908529 so disconnect it and then release the clips so it pops out. Pop the new one in.

 

Connect up and wire the +ve to pin 4 and the -ve to pin 1 of the rear wiper (please check this with a multimeter as a previous post has them the other way around, but in my case, as you can see, the red goes to pin 4):

Start to route the cables

 

You don't need to remove the pillar, but if you remove the flexi cable protector from the tailgate to the car, you can get a stiff wire and fish it through the pillar to pick up your cable

Then route through the headlining, again using a stiff wire to fish from the front of the car to the rear and pulling your cable through.

 

Come down the A pillar and in to the back of the radio between the seal and the glovebox.

Remove the radio and unlock and release the black connector. It's tight until that black connector is released. Be careful of the GPS and antenna connectors, they are quite fragile.

Using a screwdriver, release the blue multiplug you then have much more room to work:

Then wire the orange to pin 6 and the black to pin 12. The red wire can be cut off (at each end) as that is the reversing trigger that isn't needed as the head unit does it.

 

Before it will work, it will need coding. Using OBDeleven, it was in the Infotainment section, long coding, byte 19, enable bit 4. But also in Park Pilot there is a tick box for lowline camera.

 

Finished pics:

 

And thanks to @SashaGrace for all her help and the original idea to do it!

 

This isn't meant to steal any credit. Just some pics of how I did it that might help.

Edited 29 May, 2019 by NikTheGeek

[mrreach_69]

Thanks for the additional info, much appreciated!

[J.R.]

Wish I had read this before doing mine.

 

I prefer the boot handle camera to my number plate light one as its central and will probably be correctly aligned, I had to redrill the fixing holes for mine.

 

Also i did not think of running the cable across the headlining, it would have been a lot easier, I came down the C pillar and forward along top side of the boot, down the rear seat side bolster and then along the sill, I was impressed that the cable was exactly the right length!

[lway]

Darn it, my camera arrived last week and was hoping to fit this weekend but it's the one with the two threaded bolts on the Boot handle.

 

Seems like there are two different types, yours that clips in and the threaded bolt one. Will have to take off trim and see which type my car needs (it's a 2015 hatchback).

 

Can you provide link to the clip in one on Ali express, the link above doesn't seem to work, or just post the description so I can search for it.

 

Thanks again for the write up, I too was going to go down the C pillar but might reconsider going along inside the headlining if I can get a long enough guide wire. Can you see the cable at all under the headlining ?

[bigade1]

After doing a great deal of in depth research I took the plunge and settled on this model and highly recommend it:

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/JIAYITIAN-Rear-View-Camera-For-Skoda-Octavia-MK3-A7-5E-2016-2017-2018-2019-Instead-of/32832472217.html

 

Following SashaGrace's thread I've installed it on a 17 plate hatchback and a 16 plate estate just last week. The dimensions are 110mm X 50mm which is the exact measurements for the Octavia from 2016 onwards. If your 2015 handle measures the same then this is the one you need. A straight forward clip in without any bolts. Earlier Octavias are a bit smaller 92mm X 35mm. It took 10 days to arrive, no need to buy any connectors or pins - everything you need is included in the kit except for  heat shrink tubing. Excellent picture results in both day and night. Both NTSC and Pal compliant with static guide lines. For approximately £24 you can't go wrong. I am so pleased with it that I even left a review on aliexpress along with a couple of pictures . 

[NikTheGeek]

My link didn't work as it was to my actual order. Try this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32964908529.html

 

That fits my October 2015 SEL estate.

 

Nick

 

 

[NikTheGeek]

10 hours ago, lway said:

Darn it, my camera arrived last week and was hoping to fit this weekend but it's the one with the two threaded bolts on the Boot handle.

 

Seems like there are two different types, yours that clips in and the threaded bolt one. Will have to take off trim and see which type my car needs (it's a 2015 hatchback).

 

Can you provide link to the clip in one on Ali express, the link above doesn't seem to work, or just post the description so I can search for it.

 

Thanks again for the write up, I too was going to go down the C pillar but might reconsider going along inside the headlining if I can get a long enough guide wire. Can you see the cable at all under the headlining ?

 

No, you wouldn't know. You can't see the cable at all. I started at the rear passenger door and put my hand in the head lining and pushed a stiff wire to the back of the car. Pulled it through and left it dangling. Then moved to the front passenger door and did the same. From there it was down the A pillar to the back of the glove box.

 

I've reposted the link as it appears I posted the link to my actual order so you can't see it unless you sign in! Doh! So here it is again:

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32964908529.html

 

HTH

Nick