Guys,

I have been searching all over...Is there any mod available to enable the rearview camera w/o being in reverse gear?

Thanks,
-A

 

y.....

 

it's probably doable but very hard?

 

just go into diagnostic mode.

turn off radio
hold SETTING
turn volume **** a few spins

 

So you can check out the peeps behind you? Actually IDK but thats my guess.

 

That would be pretty helpful if you think about...

 

i hate it when people stop like 2 inches behind me when i'm at a light or a stop sign... really annoys me

 

I'd guess that it is wired so that the camera activates when it gets a signal that the reverse lights are on. Wire it so that the camera always receives a signal instead of when the reverse lights get power. This is just a guess.

 

its gotta be doable.

all you need to do is find out which wire is sending the signal to the screen to turn on the camera, then wire a constant signal to it with a switch.

it may work 1 of 2 ways, when you put the car in reverse, it may send a signal to the screen to just switch inputs, meaning the camera is always on. OR when in reverse it may send a signal to the camera to turn on which then signals the screen to switch inputs. Im betting its the 1st one though.

 

this won't work, he'll need to add a switch...if u put constant power to the camera, u won't be able to use ur nav/stereo, etc

 

i'm almost 100% sure when u put the gear in reverse, it grounds the reverse lights, and the camera is tapped into this ground wire...and once the head units receives the signal that the camera is on, it'll automatically switch over to that input (so the camera has priority input)...i highly doubt the camera is on all the time...

remember, this is a car, not a space shuttle....manufacturers like to keep things simple to cut down on r&d time....

 

Do you think it goes to ground when put into reverse, or it's constantly grounded and only gets the positive signal along with the lights when in reverse?

 

yeah it could be either way, my last car i put a cam and had it powered on all the time, then if i put reverse it switched to cam input.

but actually you may be right, cause at night when i backup the light sensitivity takes a couple seconds to adjust so i can see anything.

that makes it simpler tho, all you have to do is tap a 12volt signal into the camera power wire with a switch. done.

 

usually the switch grounds the wire...the positive is constant

i know it's somewhat confusing...but u gotta understand how electricity works, most people think it runs positive to negative....but in actual reality, it runs negative to positive...

 

it's actually quite simple...find ur wire harness in ur trunk lid...find out which wire is positive and negative for the camera....i guess if u have an voltmeter, u would confirm which is the switched wire (the positive or negative)....tap into the switched wire, run it into ur cabin, add a 3-pin switch and a ground wire, and viola, ur done!

with this setup, ur camera will turn on when ur in reverse...or it can turn on with the flick of a switch