Reverse Camera

[1wheelonly]

hi byzan, the canbus isnt used for the camera side of things, just an anologe pal/ntcs signal, however, audi being audi, we require an interface which is can bus connected to the rns-e, so its CAMERA to INTERFACE, INTERFACE to RNS-E, nothings simple hey. lol

 

[Woorlord]

yes mate, just replied to you, gone over it a bit more in the pm mate.
any probs ring me, i sent you my number.
a very nice mod, youll be pleased with it,along with the picture quality.

I will add the RNS-E-C2 Reverse Signal wire as required for auto-switching.

 

[mattyboyc]

Looks great Lee, i wonder if i could get one of these to work with my kenwood system?

 

[1wheelonly]

hi matt,
if you have a composite video in then yeh, easy mod mate

 

[Woorlord]

>>Camera<< I used was £28 from Fleabay/China - delivered - so one of the cheaper mods if you already have video input capability on your ICE.
Looks to have the same video overlay as 1wheelonly.
Note that this camera gives out an NTSC picture.

 

[Broken Byzan]

I asked the supplier of the camera for a PAL camera, same price £28 deliverd works well with my Pie in ear HU

 

[1wheelonly]

same camera as i have, same seller, i couldnt justify the cost of the oem one when i could buy 4 of these for the same money.
its never skipped a beat and im very please with the results.
ive fitted a few now for people and they are all very pleased, just shows that the dearest isnt always the better option..

 

[mattyboyc]

hi matt,
if you have a composite video in then yeh, easy mod mate

I'll have to have a look at the destructions!!

 

[1wheelonly]

whats the model number matt ???

 

[mattyboyc]

whats the model number matt ???

DNX 5220

 

[mattyboyc]

right just had a look in the instructions for my head unit and it has a socket that says " rear view camera visual input" so thats a start,it also has a setting in the menu that says " sets a method to switch to the rear view camera video display, "on" switches to the rear view camera video display when engaging the shift knob of car to reverse" ( not sure how it knows the car is in reverse ), so is it just a case of buying this camera
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220601724891&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT ( thanks woorlord ), connecting the power lead to the reverse lights and pluging into the back of the head unit? or is there a bit more to it?
As said i am just a little unsure as to how the unit knows the car is in reverse, i'm going to try setting the settings on the head unit to "on" selecting reverse and see if it gives me a blank screen or any message ect.I presume it picks up a signal when power goes to the camera.

 

[1wheelonly]

im guessing your headunit will have a signal wire on the loom aswell, this will need connecting up to something thats giving you a signal when reverse is selected, i used the reverse light, woorlord hasnt had to as hes got a auto so can pinch a signal from there.

 

[Woorlord]

Reverse Switch signal for both Auto and Manual boxes should eventually go to the same point and work on a simple switch principle which is connected to 12v at the gear box end - this is then fed into the car and the common direct point it connects to is:
RED Connector 17d/Pin 15, blue/red wire in Plenum chamber (i.e. next to the Engine ECU).

Not the easiest place to get to and you may want to just tap into the actual Reverse Light feed!

My camera power is connected to the reverse light signal in the boot - i.e. camera only on when reverse selected.
The reverse light cable to the rear is also coloured blue/red.

 

[mattyboyc]

I've just looked at the wiring harness in the manual and ther is a purple/white wire that says is the reverse sensor wire, " connect to the vehicle's reverse lamp harness when using the optional rear view camera", so by that i take it if i connect this and the power for the camera to the reverse light wire where it connects to the light cluster this should send the signal to switch the display to camera and also power up the camera when the reverse lights come on?

 

[Woorlord]

I've just looked at the wiring harness in the manual and ther is a purple/white wire that says is the reverse sensor wire, " connect to the vehicle's reverse lamp harness when using the optional rear view camera", so by that i take it if i connect this and the power for the camera to the reverse light wire where it connects to the light cluster this should send the signal to switch the display to camera and also power up the camera when the reverse lights come on?

Sounds correct.

 

[Woorlord]

Completed the >>Reversing Camera<< retrofit today, and here are some pics and notes......

I decided to removed the Saloon Boot latch strip as the left license plate screw was well and truly corroded in and required drilling out - unfortunately I managed to break the metal srtip when centre punching and managed to crack the metal - OK my own fault - new part £27.34 from Audi - strangely enough the item was in stock as apparently a very common problem with corroded screws. Part No. was 8E0 827 576.

Here is the boot catch strip rebuilt salvaging remaining parts from old one:

And you can see the camera unit fitted in the left licese plate light position.
I decided to source Stainless Steel A2 screws (M3 x 20mm Cap Head) which utilise a 2.5mm Allen key - applied a little amount of grease too so hopefully no more corroded license plate screws.

Close-up below...

The contact assembly for the license plate lights will actually slip out as you may need to open the square hole to get the lump in the cable through. I used a 1/2inch oval file for this.
With the camera cables poked through, this is the reverse of the boot catch assembly.....

I fed the video cable from behind my glove box to the rear of the car. Took the boot floor carpet panel out and left rear (as viewed from back) side panel out in boot. This allowed me to cut into the Red/Blue wire for the power for the reverse camera, i.e. select reverse - reverse lights on - camera on. Got a ground for the camera too by splicing into the rear light loom. Fed the two separate power cables and video cable (less phono plug) through boot hinge grommet and into boot lid - space is tight but a little silicon grease helped push the cables through. Refitted all grommets. With the two power cables soldered in-line the dedicated camera power cable plug and reattached the phono video male plug - used heat shrink as necessary.

All cables now present behind the number plate inside the boot lid.....

Refitted the boot lid catch and barrel lock and connected the cables. At this point I checked the DIS for bulb errors as the Camera utilises a LED cluster as opposed to the expected Bayonet bulb. As I am still using an OEM License plate light on the right side there are no DIS bulb errors. Wires all connected up:

From the outside and a little assistance from Photoshop in severely brightening the picture you can make out the camera from behind (see red arrow)......

And with the lights on and a slightly different angle + Photoshop brightening.....

Ran the video cable into my RNS-E Multimedia box - Selected TV and Reverse and I have a rear view camera.
Okay - Coded the RNS-E Channel 4 from 0 to 1 and nothing happens whilst listening to the Radio and putting the car in reverse - no picture switching!
As per a earlier thread above the RNS-E requires a physical reverse +12v signal into C2 (RVSL) of the RNS-E.
A couple of years back I retrofitted an Auto Dimming Mirror which requires a reverse +12v signal. I had access to this behind my fuse box from a wire which drops out of the plenum chamber where the reverse signal can be found - RED Connector 17d/Pin 15, blue/red wire in Plenum chamber (i.e. next to the Engine ECU).

Not the easiest place to get to and you may want to just tap into the actual Reverse Light feed to the bulbs - Vehicle Electrical System Control Module, T23/5 or T23/8 (blue/red wires). The connector T23 is black connector that plugs into your "VES Control Module" under your steering wheel set back to the right slightly, behind your lights switch and fuse box and around the relays, mounted in a flat orientation. Whip off the cover above the pedals and below the steering wheel cowling.

Or you could run a cable back with the video cable from the reverse light.

Fitted the extra RVSL C2 wire this morning and all works fine:

and a close up.......

I checked the "Reverse PDC" beeper and it goes to solid tone when an object is at the red line - checked against a brick wall ~ 300mm.

Auto-switching works a treat.

What next?

At the moment the Reverse Camera video feed is plugged into my media box so I would have to disconnect this if I wanted to use my Video i-Pod or other video source. I have ordered various components to make up a auto-relay-switch box using the RVSL signal so no unplugging will be necessary - I will post this up when I have done this.

 

[1wheelonly]

copy ................ paste ...... lmfao

 

[Woorlord]

copy ................ paste ...... lmfao

Just thought I will consolidate all the contributing install aspects in a summary - hope that is OK - seemed pointless starting a new thread for something already covered.

 

[quattrojames]

Another neat install :thumbsup:

I was in a car with RNSe yesterday, and I was surprised how much it tidies up and modernises the cabin, I think I may have to add it to my increasing wish list ......

 

[1wheelonly]

Just thought I will consolidate all the contributing install aspects in a summary - hope that is OK - seemed pointless starting a new thread for something already covered.

Only messing with ya woorlord !!!!! im not that shallow matey, lol.
i wasnt the first to do it by a long shot, and at least you took the time to do a write up and pics, which is great, nice, tidy install mate, worth doing isnt it, even with buying the interface, it still works out cheaper than reverse sensors doesnt it.

james,
you should deffo get the rns-e mate, as you say, it does complete the interior of the car

 

[Broken Byzan]

That's a good write up with pics. Fits much better to the B6 than the B5. The boot strip requires more modding on the B5 and the connectors for the Reg plate do not line up either so i soldered some wires onto them and connected to the OE boot loom.


I just thought it would put this here to provide a tad of info in case anyone with an older car fancies it too.

 

[Woorlord]

Only messing with ya woorlord !!!!! im not that shallow matey, lol.
i wasnt the first to do it by a long shot, and at least you took the time to do a write up and pics, which is great, nice, tidy install mate, worth doing isnt it, even with buying the interface, it still works out cheaper than reverse sensors doesnt it.

james,
you should deffo get the rns-e mate, as you say, it does complete the interior of the car

Thanks - It was a case I have the multimedia interface and after having that, this is a very cheap and satisfying retrofit. Nice to be able to squeeze another function out of the RNS-E that is there if not dormant - thanks to Lamborghini I think?

James - yep you got to get one too!

.......Fits much better to the B6 than the B5. The boot strip requires more modding on the B5 and the connectors for the Reg plate do not line up either so i soldered some wires onto them and connected to the OE boot loom.......

Did you have problems with the LED light working occasionally when the camera was fitted?

IMO the license plate light connectors are about 2mm too short to give a 100% every time connection - I could move the back assembly around a little to make it work but it seemed to me that the connections just needed a little extension.
Thought it was a simple quality control issue on this relatively cheap camera - perhaps it's a more wide spread issue?

I have now found the picture I took of my simple fix,

I friction fit (pliers) some 4mm female non-insulated spade connectors with the crimp end cut off - gives alot more connection metal for the electrical connection.

And also below is the slight oval filing required for the connectors to fit through,

Not shown in any pictures - I also ran around the mating edge of the camera unit a bead of clear silicon bathroom sealant to offer some resistance against water ingress to the contact area.

 

[Woorlord]

With a single input Video Multimedia Interface there is no facility to have a Reverse Camera and another Video input connected at the same time - you have to physically change the video input connections.

My solution is to utilise a relay triggered by the Reverse switching signal that needs to be fed to the RNS-E when you have a reversing camera fitted.

The circuit:

I utilised the diode D1 as a precaution, Relays produce "back emf" when the coil is energised and this can damage transistor based circuitry in the RNS-E or other car module. D1 is a IN4001, but could be any simple switching rectifier diode.

Built the circuit on a small piece of veroboard to fit into a small box I sourced along with the coloured phono connectors, I had the relay, diodes, cables, already........

I replaced my originally mounted Multimedia Interface for this new switch box and have place the MI out of site behind the glove box. The ground for the relay I picked up from the Glove box light (Audi Brown wire). The red wire you can see connects to the RVSL wire from the RNS-E/Reverse Switch feed.

View of the back of the glovebox, the yellow phone is for the reversing camera video connection....

And the finished view looking into the glovebox......

The "new" video and audio inputs are mounted in the black box and are noramlly fed by my i-Pod 30GB Video located under the armrest. If for what ever reason I want to plug in an alternative video/audio source, (Portable DVD / Sky!?) - just go to the glove box.
Whatever I plug in or do not, the reverse camera always takes priority when reverse is selected.

You can also see my previous AUX-audio-in sockets which can still be selected via the RNS-E.

Tested the system and auto switching works a treat!
Watching a film, select reverse, film audio stays on, video switched to reverse camera, out of reverse switches back to the film.

 

[NHN]

I like that little mod, very neat indeed.

 

[itsmeagain]

prices vairey on the cameras, think kufatech sell them and audi do oem ones obviously, ebay also offers varients, so the range from around £30 to £130.
an interface is also required for the rns-e to recieve video signals, there around £90 to £150.
fitting it wasnt to bad, running the cables to the front is always fun, getting the number plate out is a pain as the screws holding them in are *****.
vagcom is also required, along with repair wires, connecter blocks etc etc.

i can offer fitting or supply and fit if anyones interested, obviously this will depend on what kit you already have in your car at presant.

Hi mate, can you pm me with a price to supply and fit. I will supply the interface. also I need the B7 rears fitting when you have the time.

 

[khalil]

me from the a3 8p section
great work there , looks really nice, me also wanting to do this to my a3 (8p)
i have already retrofitted the rnse and a dvd player (with vim)

now if i was to do this mod is there a splitter that i can use to split the video signal?

2nd question the power cables, me thinking that it has a earth and 12v and thats all? so you earth it and tap the 12v from the revesing light cable, so which wire goes to the RFSL?

many thanks if anyone can help

 

[Woorlord]

me from the a3 8p section
great work there , looks really nice, me also wanting to do this to my a3 (8p)
i have already retrofitted the rnse and a dvd player (with vim)

now if i was to do this mod is there a splitter that i can use to split the video signal?

2nd question the power cables, me thinking that it has a earth and 12v and thats all? so you earth it and tap the 12v from the revesing light cable, so which wire goes to the RFSL?

many thanks if anyone can help

Video Spliter? You mean Video Distribution Amplifier to put your video feed up on other monitors as well as the RNS-E, like say headrest monitors? They exist and I'm sure someone who has headrest monitors can advise on their particular VDA they have. What you can;t do is feed two monitors from one signal by wiring in parallel - this messes up the video input impedance - what you get is a really dim unwatchable picture. Not sure what else you mean by video splitter if this is not the case?

RFSL (C2)? You can use the signal from the rear reversing lights or from the Power module on the A4 for the RNS-E C2 RVSL signal - Probably similar on A3? See my post #56 it advises what signal sources there are on the A4.

 

[khalil]

thanks mate for your reply,
i was thinking more of this for the video signal, (1 will be for the dvd player and 1 for the reversing camera)RCA PHONO CABLE LEAD AV AUDIO VIDEO Y SPLITTER ADAPTER on eBay (end time 20-Sep-10 10:55:06 BST) something like that, will it work or will it mess up the picture quailty?

yes on a3 its called RFSL its block C pin 2(reverse +12V)
so for the camera power i am tapping it from the reversing light AND also running the same 12V source to RFSL? is that right
thanks

 

[Woorlord]

thanks mate for your reply,
i was thinking more of this for the video signal, (1 will be for the dvd player and 1 for the reversing camera)RCA PHONO CABLE LEAD AV AUDIO VIDEO Y SPLITTER ADAPTER on eBay (end time 20-Sep-10 10:55:06 BST) something like that, will it work or will it mess up the picture quailty?

yes on a3 its called RFSL its block C pin 2(reverse +12V)
so for the camera power i am tapping it from the reversing light AND also running the same 12V source to RFSL? is that right
thanks

You are still not clear with regards to "splitter" - please explain?
Or do you mean put the DVD on one female input of this Ebay splitter and the reverse camera on the other then feed this through a multimedia adapter to the RNS-E - if Yes then you are going to have major problems and probably no picture plus may damage any of the source devices!
May I suggest you read the previous thread #63, with pictures, which achieves auto-source selection in the proper way by physically switching between the inputs when required with no picture quality degradation.

With regards to RFSL that is correct as you state.

 

[khalil]

thanks mate,yes thats what i meant with the splitter, if its going to cause me problems that way i might go down the route you went to, cheers mate,

PM sent

 

[khalil]

i got my camera in the post today,
little confussed, the extension video phono lead seems to have a short red wire on it on both ends,
where do they go?

thanks

 

[itsmeagain]

Completed the >>Reversing Camera<< retrofit today, and here are some pics and notes......

I decided to removed the Saloon Boot latch strip as the left license plate screw was well and truly corroded in and required drilling out - unfortunately I managed to break the metal srtip when centre punching and managed to crack the metal - OK my own fault - new part £27.34 from Audi - strangely enough the item was in stock as apparently a very common problem with corroded screws. Part No. was 8E0 827 576.

Here is the boot catch strip rebuilt salvaging remaining parts from old one:

And you can see the camera unit fitted in the left licese plate light position.
I decided to source Stainless Steel A2 screws (M3 x 20mm Cap Head) which utilise a 2.5mm Allen key - applied a little amount of grease too so hopefully no more corroded license plate screws.

Close-up below...

The contact assembly for the license plate lights will actually slip out as you may need to open the square hole to get the lump in the cable through. I used a 1/2inch oval file for this.
With the camera cables poked through, this is the reverse of the boot catch assembly.....

I fed the video cable from behind my glove box to the rear of the car. Took the boot floor carpet panel out and left rear (as viewed from back) side panel out in boot. This allowed me to cut into the Red/Blue wire for the power for the reverse camera, i.e. select reverse - reverse lights on - camera on. Got a ground for the camera too by splicing into the rear light loom. Fed the two separate power cables and video cable (less phono plug) through boot hinge grommet and into boot lid - space is tight but a little silicon grease helped push the cables through. Refitted all grommets. With the two power cables soldered in-line the dedicated camera power cable plug and reattached the phono video male plug - used heat shrink as necessary.

All cables now present behind the number plate inside the boot lid.....

Refitted the boot lid catch and barrel lock and connected the cables. At this point I checked the DIS for bulb errors as the Camera utilises a LED cluster as opposed to the expected Bayonet bulb. As I am still using an OEM License plate light on the right side there are no DIS bulb errors. Wires all connected up:

From the outside and a little assistance from Photoshop in severely brightening the picture you can make out the camera from behind (see red arrow)......

And with the lights on and a slightly different angle + Photoshop brightening.....

Ran the video cable into my RNS-E Multimedia box - Selected TV and Reverse and I have a rear view camera.
Okay - Coded the RNS-E Channel 4 from 0 to 1 and nothing happens whilst listening to the Radio and putting the car in reverse - no picture switching!
As per a earlier thread above the RNS-E requires a physical reverse +12v signal into C2 (RVSL) of the RNS-E.
A couple of years back I retrofitted an Auto Dimming Mirror which requires a reverse +12v signal. I had access to this behind my fuse box from a wire which drops out of the plenum chamber where the reverse signal can be found - RED Connector 17d/Pin 15, blue/red wire in Plenum chamber (i.e. next to the Engine ECU).

Not the easiest place to get to and you may want to just tap into the actual Reverse Light feed to the bulbs - Vehicle Electrical System Control Module, T23/5 or T23/8 (blue/red wires). The connector T23 is black connector that plugs into your "VES Control Module" under your steering wheel set back to the right slightly, behind your lights switch and fuse box and around the relays, mounted in a flat orientation. Whip off the cover above the pedals and below the steering wheel cowling.

Or you could run a cable back with the video cable from the reverse light.

Fitted the extra RVSL C2 wire this morning and all works fine:

and a close up.......

I checked the "Reverse PDC" beeper and it goes to solid tone when an object is at the red line - checked against a brick wall ~ 300mm.

Auto-switching works a treat.

What next?

At the moment the Reverse Camera video feed is plugged into my media box so I would have to disconnect this if I wanted to use my Video i-Pod or other video source. I have ordered various components to make up a auto-relay-switch box using the RVSL signal so no unplugging will be necessary - I will post this up when I have done this.

I broke the Boot Catch Strip on my convertible exactly the same way, trying to remove the screws for the number plate lights. Do you reckon its got the same part number as the saloon. It looks the same on ETKA

 

[Woorlord]

i got my camera in the post today,
little confussed, the extension video phono lead seems to have a short red wire on it on both ends,
where do they go?

thanks

Post a clear picture of what you have and we may be able to advise - otherwise we are guessing!

 

[Woorlord]

I broke the Boot Catch Strip on my convertible exactly the same way, trying to remove the screws for the number plate lights. Do you reckon its got the same part number as the saloon. It looks the same on ETKA

The metal strip can be in metal or plastic - with different part numbers.
Mine was metal and Part number 8E0 827 576 3FZ.
A4 Cab seems to be the same part number in ETKA illustration 827-10.

 

[khalil]

thanks mate, ok heres a photo of what i got, me guessing that the black cable with RED & BLACK goes to the revese light and earth, but i dont know where the 2 red wires on both side of the YELLOW phone plug goes, any help please,

 

[Woorlord]

thanks mate, ok heres a photo of what i got, me guessing that the black cable with RED & BLACK goes to the revese light and earth, but i dont know where the 2 red wires on both side of the YELLOW phone plug goes, any help please,

That red wire coming from the yellow plugs is strange? Was not in my camera kit.

Yes - The Black and red that plug into the RED socket are the power cables for the camera - connects to reversing light.
The Yellow phono socket is the video signal.
I would get clarification from the Ebay seller on what is the red wire coming out of the phono leads.

You could also see where this red wire connects to - use a multimeter to check for continuity - does it connect to the phono core or phono screen?
If it connects to neither but is a straight feed through the 5m cable, you could use it to feed the reverse light signal into the RNS-E C2 RVSL connection.
That would make sense.

 

[khalil]

thanks mate, i think i know what it can be, i sliced a little bit off the black cable and i can see the RED wire running trough it,

so is this what i am doing firstly connecting the BLACK power to reverse light,
than connect the RED wire (in phone) to same point
and connect that wire to the RVSL in the RNSE,

so where does the RED wire which comes from your NEW BOX go to? i thought that went to the RVSL?
or am i connecting your RED wire (from your box) and the RED wire from the YELLOW phone to the same point ie RVSL?

thanks so much for your help mate

 

[Woorlord]

thanks mate, i think i know what it can be, i sliced a little bit off the black cable and i can see the RED wire running trough it,

so is this what i am doing firstly connecting the BLACK power to reverse light,
than connect the RED wire (in phone) to same point
and connect that wire to the RVSL in the RNSE,

so where does the RED wire which comes from your NEW BOX go to? i thought that went to the RVSL?
or am i connecting your RED wire (from your box) and the RED wire from the YELLOW phone to the same point ie RVSL?

thanks so much for your help mate

Connect my RED wire (from auto video switch box) and the RED wire from the Yellow phono cable to the RNS-E RVSL. This gets the reverse light signal from the boot and brings it to the front of the car where we need it for the RNS-E and the video switch box.

 

[khalil]

Thanks mate , that clears it all up. Thanks once again for your help

 

[Pabs]

Great write up very helpful, just a quick question about the reverse camera number plate light, i have led number plate lights which are xenon white, what colour is the reverse camera number plate light?? If any one has a pic at night could they post it.. Thanks