Really quite good. The camera is small and mirrors the image correctly. It even puts coloured lines on, but they aren't that useful, even though they've had a go at parallax correction; the start of the red zone varies from 30cm on the ground to around 10cm at the bumper.
Installation was interesting with the cable provided with the camera. A combined power and video with a phono. The power cable has a smaller 2.1mm barrel plug. The umbilical from boot to car is a bit tight, but a bit of water based conduit lubricant sorted that. Then snaking it through the car is fairly straight forward. I was a bit time constrained, so the monitor is loose in a change tray, and the lot is powered off a cigar plug. The camera is about 20mm diametre. It is readily obvious sticking down about 20mm from the trim above the number plate. It doesn't protrude at all. I could have hacked the plastic panel that it sits on, next to the plate lights, but it would still be visible by about 10mm.
Works well and I can just see the tow ball and the bumper about a metre either side at the closest, and about 3-4m away up to 1.2m high.
Another hour or so spent trying to find the reversing light wiring. The lamp is set into the bumper on the right side. You can't replace the lamp or get the fitting out without removing the bumper. Thanks Renault. You didn't learn from all the negative feedback received when you so 'cleverly' required the removal of the front wheel on the Laguna? to change the headlight. The wiring (pink + black at the light), it turns out, snakes inside the bumper, picking up the reversing sensors and the fog light, then comes inside on the left side. From the installation manual for the tow bar, it looks like the fog light and stop light are hard wired from the front. The reversing lamp is too. The connector is just by the rear left passenger door - remove the trim that starts in the boot - 4 screws. If you already had a main dealer install the tow bar, then expect all the clips that hold the panel to the car to be broken too. Thanks Renault. €400 well spent for a waster in a grey boiler suit who can't be arsed to go to the stores and get a handful of clips. Well, it's not written in the instructions. I note the instructions are pictures with no words, so that might explain it.
The cable from the camera was split out and + & - wired up. The -ve to a handy chassis bolt and the positive to the reversing wire - purple/white (not pink, thanks Reno) I think, pushed into the connector and tyrapped it. A 800mA fuse protects it. I might put in a delay timer to keep the camera on for a few seconds after coming out of reverse, as there is a 1.5mm permanent power feed there too protected by a 20A fuse if the tow bar instructions are correct - feed for the trailer canbus unit (1/4" faston). Reverse signal was not available there, despite there being 5 unused terminals!
The voltage on the rev light was 11.5 during normal use (battery about 12.5v) After splicing int he camera (about 0.3A) it dropped to 11.35v. The cable to the monitor is very thin and it was about 10.9 there. The pair operate ok down to 9V and below, but there is a bit of line break creeping in then.
The delay timer I added. Simple RC circuit, transistor and relay
No comments:
Post a Comment