Reversing camera

by rventhusiast Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:50 am

Hi everyone, since last time out a few weeks ago the reversing camera on our 2013 A/S Mercedes based Worcester has stopped working. Switch the ignition on and the screen lights up faintly with vertical lines but then gradually fades to dark. In reverse it may do the same but often just remains dark. It will not switch in at all with remote.

I'm not too worried about reversing as I'm well used to using wing mirrors for this on large vehicles but I do like it on when we tow the car as this can't be seen through the wing mirrors.

Anyone had/resolved this problem or any suggestions as to what to check?

Thanks, David

by Guest Fri Feb 21, 2020 11:03 am

Do you know if you have a hard wired or wireless system. If hard wired you could try to disconnect the camera. I suspect the monitor may show a blue screen if you do this and that could possibly narrow the fault down to the camera. I have a Garmin wireless camera on my 2018 Broadway that has suddenly decided to flip the image horizontally. Garmin have sent a replacement but the weather has stopped me from fitting.

by rventhusiast Fri Feb 21, 2020 12:20 pm

I'm fairly sure it is hard wired - original equipment supplied by A/S. Can't see an easy way to get at the back of the camera so are the connections at the monitor? David

by Guest Fri Feb 21, 2020 1:26 pm

Not sure of how the camera is mounted on your vehicle. Mines is fixed to a black plate that also holds the high level brake light. I needed to remove the screws holding the brake light to the plate and then use a thin scraper to prise the plate off. It is fixed with sealant. I've fitted a couple of hard wired cameras in the past and they have usually come with a short fly lead fitted with a socket/plug. There is usually a longer lead then connected between the monitor and this fly lead

by rventhusiast Fri Feb 21, 2020 2:55 pm

Thanks for your replies. The camera is fixed directly to the top fibreglass panel about 50mm above the LED brake light strip and there are no visible fastenings on the exterior. Internally, there is a bathroom mirror attached to a wooden backboard which probably comes off to reveal the electrics - the mirror itself has blue LED's set into it so must be fed from behind too. The camera is not one in a metal box frame but a very small (only about 30mm) black housing. David

by rventhusiast Sat Feb 22, 2020 9:59 am

Had the mirror and surround off the back wall and, as expected, there are wires exiting from a 50mm hole in the wall to supply the mirror LED's. Inside the hole there is also a black cable but I cannot see any joint or move it one way or the other. Cannot find anywhere else that may give me access to the camera or wiring.

David

by Guest Sat Feb 22, 2020 12:12 pm

My next thought would be to unscrew the camera from the vehicle and check if there is any slack in the cable. If you have access to an endoscope then that would be an option to view the wiring. Unfortunately there appears to be very little collective info on the forum regarding cameras. My own post has 'received zero replies and the search engine does not contribute much either. You may need to contact a/s for wiring arrangements,but my own experience of that was not great. I still think that it's unlikely that there is a continuous cable run between monitor and camera without connectors.

by Sparks Sun Feb 23, 2020 4:46 pm

Hi David.
Unfortunately you will have to cut another hole in the wall immediately behind the camera as it is retained in position by a single nut screwed on from the back as you can see from the attached photo.

att

by rventhusiast Sun Feb 23, 2020 4:55 pm

Ahh that makes sense now. Thats quite a long tail lead so I wonder if I have another go at pulling the cable through the hole behind the mirror just to check if it is a loose connection before I go down the path of talking to DRW at Harrogate about replacing the system with their dual lens Sony camera.

David

by Sparks Sun Feb 23, 2020 5:01 pm

Before you start pulling have a look at what I found behind my camera, you may finish up in a worse position than you are now.

by Liam Sun Feb 23, 2020 5:17 pm

rventhusiast wrote:Hi everyone, since last time out a few weeks ago the reversing camera on our 2013 A/S Mercedes based Worcester has stopped working. Switch the ignition on and the screen lights up faintly with vertical lines but then gradually fades to dark. In reverse it may do the same but often just remains dark. It will not switch in at all with remote.

I'm not too worried about reversing as I'm well used to using wing mirrors for this on large vehicles but I do like it on when we tow the car as this can't be seen through the wing mirrors.

Anyone had/resolved this problem or any suggestions as to what to check?

Thanks, David

If the camera is faulty then a hole will have be trepanned in the wall directly behind the camera in order to gain access to it.
Our generation of vans are hard wired and for some reason, (ease of assembly at the time of build I guess), the camera and its connecting wires are laid in place before the inner walls are secured leaving no means of access thereafter other than drilling a hole.
My camera failed a while back and I had to replace it but the monitor did show a message "No Signal" - so perhaps you should check that it is not your monitor that has failed!
I believe AS do have stocks of both camera and monitors (if you wish to replace like with like) - at least they did 12 months ago when mine was replaced.

by Guest Sun Feb 23, 2020 5:30 pm

Given how the camera is attached to the body it does seem a bit nuts that a/s did not provide an access cover. I agree that pulling the cable might not be a good idea. I was all set to drill an access hole in the cupboard on my Broadway to find the camera connection. After a bit of thought I decided against this and tackled access from the outside. Glad I did as all the spare cable was coiled up between the external body and the cover plate for the brake light.

by Sparks Sun Feb 23, 2020 6:00 pm

Just a thought, if you remove the interior light in the cab you will have access to the wiring to the monitor, you will find a filter/fuse box and an unused cable to the monitor, try changing the cable from the camera to the spare monitor cable, if the monitor is at fault this may overcome the problem.
Good Luck.

by rventhusiast Sun Feb 23, 2020 6:11 pm

Thanks for that Sparks - will try that and having another go behind the mirror before deciding on a replacement. Given the positioning of the mirror on this layout you would have thought there would be decent access to the camera and brake light.

David

by Kemerton-bath Sun Feb 23, 2020 8:39 pm

David,

I recently had to replace the camera on the Kemerton and although the installation was different (being a PVC) the camera was the type shown in the picture by Sparks, even down to the jack plug. From the experience of several of us on the forum it would seem that particular camera model is reaching the end of its life on vans of the 2013/14/15 age range.

Assuming it is the same type of camera, be aware that it operates on 3.3V and will have an in-line voltage regulator somewhere in the cable to step down from 12V. Mine was near to the camera but others have found it nearer to the monitor. Given the difficulty in cable access that you refer to at the camera end, it may be that your regulator is nearer to the monitor. Those of us with PVCs have found some or all of the camera connections under a piece of removable plastic trim (2 screws) on the wheel arch next to the drivers footwell. Whether that applies to coachbuilt vans I have no idea, others can advise no doubt. Sadly AS are not consistent in their cable installations.

I wrote up my experience of replacing the camera at the link below and, like others here, I can recommend DRW Electronics for supplying a replacement camera. He used to supply reversing systems to AS so may be able to offer advice on installation details.

https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/t31467-replacing-the-factory-fitted-reversing-camera

Finally, you mention that the remote no longer works. Neither does ours, so its failure to operate is not an indication that the monitor has failed. I described my failure mode in the thread linked above and was confident enough that it was a camera failure and not a problem with the monitor, which proved to be the case.

Tim

by Kemerton-bath Sun Feb 23, 2020 9:05 pm

A further thought regarding cable access near the camera ... wondered whether the brake light fitting is used as a means of accessing camera connectiions. Reading the thread linked below prompted the thought, although the camera in that case is a wireless model.

https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/t31651-avtex-tourer-one-with-bc-30-camera

Tim

by inspiredron Sun Feb 23, 2020 9:35 pm

It may be a wireless camera but it would still need 12V power.

by rventhusiast Thu Feb 27, 2020 10:40 am

Followed sparks suggestion about checking behind the interior light - yes there are two input leads to the filter/fuse box (AV1 and AV2) and mine was already connected to AV2 - changed them over but made no difference. Disconnected output lead to monitor as Liam suggests that if the camera has failed the monitor screen would be blue with 'No Signal' indicated but the monitor remains black - it is not even lighting up with the vertical lines now. Think I'll give DRW a ring for their view before deciding whether to just try replacing the camera or the whole system.

David

by Sparks Thu Feb 27, 2020 4:54 pm

Hi David.
Having experimented with my old VEBA camera and monitor, I think your problem may be at the monitor end of the system. Liam is quite correct, with the system running correctly if you disconnect the camera then you will get the blue screen and 'No Signal' but if you disconnect the wiring into the filter/fuse box then you will get a black screen. If your wiring is like mine was then you could have a faulty connection.
Hope this helps.

by rventhusiast Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:09 pm

Thanks sparks - rand DRW who were very helpful (confirmed the camera systems used by A/S were of the cheaper variety) and gave the same advice about testing the monitor. Whichever lead I disconnected (camera input or filter output) the screen remains black so highly likely that the screen is U/S - and maybe even the camera as well. Even if the camera is ok now it sounds like they coukd give up at any time at this age so it's probably not the best plan to replace the monitor even with a better one - especially as the connectors are likely to be different too. So I think the way to go is either live without it (not a serious problem) or replace it now with the DRW RVS12 twin lens Sony system. I've a birthday coming up maybe my family will think it's a good present!

David

by inspiredron Sun Mar 01, 2020 8:45 am

Last Friday I had s really mucky journey up M40 and M6 with virtually no rear vision apart from what I could see through the door mirrors. I was able to improve matters very marginally by switching on the rear camera which has really awful definition and which I MUST replace.
What I would like to know is how the dual camera setups perform in those conditions. Do they help significantly or does the lens get covered too much by spray to be helpful? I don't expect perfection but it would be good just to be able to see reasonably clear headlights from the vehicles behind even if the actual vehicles were blurred.

by gassygassy Mon Mar 02, 2020 9:37 am

I have now fitted three sets of the dual Sony camera system from DRW. The cameras are a lot better than the VEBA ones originally fitted to A/S. I have a 2015 Nuevo which did not alert me to a concrete bollard, with expensive results. So I chucked the worse-than-useless original fitment camera and fitted the dual system from DRW. I have written the procedure and sent it to MMM for publication but if they don't publish it I will post it here.
Your original fitment wiring will run across the roof inside the insulation in between the ceiling and the outside roof so you can't just run a new cable there. You have to feed the new cable down to the chassis and up at the side of the windscreen. To remove the original camera I had to cut a 43mm dia hole behind it in order to undo the retaining nut. After I had finished I found an exactly matching ceramic tile in a tile shop and stuck it over the hole, so it doesn't notice. If you have a mirror forward from the camera you can just replace it so that's a lot easier. I found an ignition controlled unused 12v supply above the rear view mirror so I used this to power the system - when you turn on the ignition the rear view camera comes on.
If you would like the article I can send it to you if you PM me.
Andrew
If you have a void between the rear fibreglass panel and the interior of the camper then you can feed the new wiring for

by natmat Fri Aug 13, 2021 8:56 am

rventhusiast wrote:Had the mirror and surround off the back wall and, as expected, there are wires exiting from a 50mm hole in the wall to supply the mirror LED's. Inside the hole there is also a black cable but I cannot see any joint or move it one way or the other. Cannot find anywhere else that may give me access to the camera or wiring.

David

Hi David,
I'm having to do the same job to replace the camera myself now.
How did you remove the mirror/surround please?
Nat.

by inspiredron Fri Aug 13, 2021 11:41 pm

inspiredron wrote:Last Friday I had s really mucky journey up M40 and M6 with virtually no rear vision apart from what I could see through the door mirrors. I was able to improve matters very marginally by switching on the rear camera which has really awful definition and which I MUST replace.
What I would like to know is how the dual camera setups perform in those conditions. Do they help significantly or does the lens get covered too much by spray to be helpful? I don't expect perfection but it would be good just to be able to see reasonably clear headlights from the vehicles behind even if the actual vehicles were blurred.

I did fit a dual camera system after posting this and am AMAZED. Yes, in heavy spray the view gets very fogged up but once the spray ceases it clears pretty well. My system was the high Def version with a good monitor from Parkingcameras.com and it even has lines on the reversing camera input which can be calibrated for distance. Best rear view I've had in almost 50 years of tugging and motorhoming!

by lucasg Tue Aug 24, 2021 9:45 am

My reversing camera on the Bourton has packed up too. It’s always been flaky. I have been quoted £750 to replace camera, mirror and a rewire( in case a trapped wire is causing the fail?)
I’ve decided to employ somebody to guide my reverse..it’s cheaper and more reliable

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