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-   -   My Van with 360° Viewing & Recording (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifications-accessories/155762-my-van-360-viewing-recording.html)

In old times, if a minor incident were to happen on the road, elders' interference with minor judgment was enough to solve the problem.

In present day life, we think too much and feel too little. A person thinks he/she is always right and the other person is wrong. The matter reaches a point, where he or she fights a legal battle to prove his/her innocence in the Court.

Now the time has come for us to be on the safer side while facing such incidents (though I don’t wish such incidents happen to anyone). So, I decided to use a technology which will give me some kind of comfort.

We all know that most vehicles have blind spots. In some tight places we wish someone was out there to guide us. After giving this some thought, I decided to have Right Round Viewing & Recording in my Van.

To select the complete unit, a lot of combinations went through my mind (cost was also a factor).

Finally, I settled for the following units in my project:

1. Front Dash cam with AV out option.
2. Video Triggering unit(Three AV in & one AV out).
3. Three 170-degree viewing angle CCD waterproof camera (one with guider for the rear & other two for the ORVMs).
4. 5-inch monitor with two AV-in options.
5. Wireless video transmitter for reverse camera.
6. Two-way switch.

Each will be explained as we move on.

Presently, recording is restricted to the front view. I may add a DVR for the other three cameras.

Visuals:

Dash cam (Mini DVR 0801) and its placement:


Left door rear view camera (same goes for the right door) - rear camera (near the registration plate):


Triggering unit and its connection (behind the glove box):


Wireless transmitter and its placement (location - rear, where AC hose and AC wiring runs):


Two-way switch wiring:


5-inch Monitor, side viewing, rear viewing and two-way switch:


Working procedure:

Dash cam (basic work, front viewing and recording) -
Dash cam's AV out is useful in two ways:

1. We can have record viewing live through the monitor.
2. While climbing up a steep hill, you can see only the sky through the windscreen. This is where the cam comes into play. It has a rotating option up to 90 degrees. By adjusting the cam angle, we can know what's in front of us by using the monitor.

Waterproof cameras -
Out of the three cameras (mirrored type), the two without guidelines are fixed to outside rear view mirrors. I am using the left door camera as default, other two works by triggering (for front viewing we need to use non mirror type).
Camera coverage is better than rear view mirrors. With the camera’s help, rear viewing is possible through the monitor even with the mirrors closed.

Video transmitter -
I have used a wireless video transmitter for the reverse camera to avoid lengthy AV-out cable.

Video triggering unit -
The unit's AV out, is connected to AV2 of the monitor. AV1 (default) is connected to the left door camera. First triggering AV2 goes to reverse and the last triggering AV3 is connected to the right door camera (optional).

Working highlight -
Left door camera comes to life the moment the ignition is on. Just a glance at the monitor is enough to have a complete side view, without taking my eyes off the road. When the gear stick is put in reverse position, first triggering takes place and the rear viewing camera comes to life. The right door viewing camera comes to life when the second triggering takes place by switching on the right indicator (optional).

Dash cam live is viewed through monitors AV1 (AV2 to AV1 changeable through monitor remote).

My creative madness (mainly having DVR in mind):) -
To switch on the reverse camera directly, I am using an ignition-on connection with a two-way ON-OFF-ON switch. For the rear view I can trigger directly, without the need of reverse triggering.

Creative Idea for you.:D

1. Waterproof camera with at least 140-degree viewing angle.
2. Wireless video transmitter and receiver costing app 12+22=$34/-.

For viewing, monitor or any gadget which has an AV-in option will work. You might need an AV adapter to suit the gadget input.

Remember that the camera and the transmitter need only two connections: positive and negative. The video receiver is placed inside the dash keeping the AV-in cable of the receiver within reach to connect to the monitor or the gadget.

Now comes the fun part. Place the camera with the transmitter where you need to keep vigilance (eg: some moving part near the suspension). If the placement is temporary you can just tape the whole unit up (remember that the transmitter is not waterproof). Grounding can be done next to the camera. Positive can be tapped wherever it is available (power consumption is negligible). This setup helps in monitoring the part while on the move.

I hope this thread is useful to you.

Thanks.

IMO, quite an overkill. i don't think the brain can usefully process the amount of visual information that would be relayed through that many cameras and screens while driving.

For the sake of extreme security/evidence recording, I suppose two wide-angle cameras, one front and one in the rear, would be more than enough.

In extremis, narendra has a point. The setup by narendra also monitors the sides... which by the way would have no coverage if there were only front and rear camera albeit wide angle lenses.

Hi,
SS-Traveller,
Good, you brought this point up.I think, my explanation needs more clarity.
Let me try again.
The work of Triggering unit is to reduce driver’s operation. Here, driver doesn't need to operate anything manually. The triggering unit does the work itself. By Default,the left camera switches on when the ignition is on.
When the reverse gear is engaged, the rear camera comes to life. Similarly, if the right indicator is switched on, right camera comes to life(if a 1 Channel DVR is added, all the three cameras can be recorded only one at a time).
Front viewing through the Monitor is optional. Please note, the Dash cam(front) will be recording regardless of whether it is connected to the Monitor or not.

Remember, while moving forward only the left camera will be working.

The two way switch is for my use. While moving forward I can have a rear view or simply record it by triggering directly, using the two way switch( Please see the switch Diagram).

Please let me know if I have overlooked some details. Thanks.

Yes, thanks, that clarifies.

No point in having a single channel recording the videos from different cameras turn-by-turn. Best would be a constant synchronized recording of all channels, without any video feed to the driver (unnecessary distraction) except for the reversing camera (which turns on only on engaging reverse gear). That way, in case of any evidence being necessary (such as in the case of a crash), the synchronized recording will be better documentation of exactly what happened, rather than disjointed video clips.

The technical feasibility of all this is beyond my expertise of course.

I think is a good idea to have a dash cam both in rear as well has in the front to avoid boiling our blood arguing in the middle of the street. But I am not too sure about cameras under the mirror because a. The lens will be prone to external elements like dust, bird droppings etc. b. It would be easy to steal or break it especially with the bikers who try to squeeze in non-existent gaps.

Do share how do you plan to record the feeds and will the playback be a la security monitor view? (multiple feeds synced as per time captured?)

Awesome stuff. Never thought about this ever before. As SST mentioned, i would also prefer having only the reverse camera feed coming on the display while others record without any visuals which might distract the driver.

Regarding the outside cameras, you could create a sun shade kinda thing which would help during monsoon to give a better clarity and avoid rain drops from marring the image.

Hi,
SS-Traveller, Desmosedici, mac187,
Thanks for your thoughts.

I think following Details should answer some of your questions.

The camera used is waterproof & weatherproof. It's fitted bellow the pivot point of the mirror(more likely, a Biker can damage it). The camera is so small & Matt black in color, It’s hardly noticeable. The mirror itself acts as a shade for the camera. You can also fit it to the Car Body, the Lens coverage wouldn't be affected.

If you lose it, it sets you back by 16$. Well,we have to take some risk to have some comfort.:)

DVR product Info-

The DVR which I have chosen (yet to make a hole in my pocket by 66$ bit) has a single AV-in & AV-out, D1 resolution & lastly motion detection recording option.
Regarding time gap recording, you can set it just like any Front dash cam setting.
The DVR will be connected in between Triggering unit’s Video-out & Monitor’s Video in. So, any input from the triggering unit, DVR records it, which can be seen through the Monitor.

Driving forward, rear view recording can be done by manually operating rear camera using two-way switch. Please observe in the Diagram, the wiring done to the switch is not the normal way.
You may ask me, why not just have a pull & push switch for continuity to bypass Gearbox reverse switch. The reverse light stays on if it’s done that way.
Remember you can always turn off the monitor. It doesn't affect the recording.
Expecting your feedback. Thanks.

Around 2010, a Swift was modified down south with cameras as ORVM's and the instrument cluster was replaced with screens, I think it made apperance on TBHP too.
Here are the pics:



Raab rakha.