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Old 18th October 2013, 00:28   #1
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Rearview Camera Video Issue

Hi Folks,

I recently changed by Tucson's rearview camera to a new one (NTSC) with IR night vision capabilities. The camera is connected to my Pioneer touchscreen HU.
The picture displayed has a lot of disturbance, sometimes the picture goes black and white, sometimes there are diagonal lines displayed on the whole screen, sometimes there are horizontal lines etc. The earlier camera (PAL) was working fine.

To troubleshoot the problem and to isolate if it is a camera issue, i removed the camera from the car and connected it to the AV input of my TV and power for the camera drawn from my DTH set top box 12V SMPS power supply. The picture displayed was absolutely clear.

Now i suspect the car's varying voltage as the reason for the issue and also due to the fact that the camera may not be having a voltage regulator/filter.

I have also observed one more thing, whenever i turn the head-lights on, the picture stablizes to a better one than the one when the head-light on off.

Have posted a video of the same on youtube at the following link :



I also came across this when searching for the problem on google and this one is from a buying guide on ebay :

Automotive Power Source
One of the most serious questions for most users of these systems, isn't whether or not the system they purchase will work with their vehicle --- it's how well and how long will it work with their vehicle? Many of the lower quality systems (including many sold on eBay) do not include any type of voltage regulator or filtering circuit. The lack of such a circuit will cause the constant varying voltage produced by the vehicle's electrical system to either damage the system, or at a minimum, produce serious variations in picture quality.

If the system you're considering doesn't specifically state that it has a voltage regulator or filter, then it probably doesn't.

Nearly all rear view camera systems will work on any vehicle that operates from 12 volts DC --- that's nearly every late model car, pickup truck, sport utility vehicle, recreational vehicle, and trailer. However, there are exceptions to this rule, including some specialty vehicles, as well as many commercial and military vehicles. Some rear view camera systems are capable of operating at a variety of voltages, usually either 12 to 24 volts DC, or 12 to 32 volts DC.


Are there any low power small form factor 12V-14V DC to 12V DC converters available which i could use to power the camera ? What else could i check to troubleshoot the problem ?
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Old 18th October 2013, 08:51   #2
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Re: Rearview Camera Video Issue

Quote:
Originally Posted by kamal.sn View Post
Hi Folks,
Are there any low power small form factor 12V-14V DC to 12V DC converters available which i could use to power the camera ? What else could i check to troubleshoot the problem ?
The camera is powered by the current drawn from the reversing lights circuit.
You would need to place the filter in series to the camera.
That said, I could not find anything commercially available. So the next best is a DIY - you can look for reference circuit designs from the net. Preference would be for SMPS type circuits - as heat dissipation is minimal.
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Old 18th October 2013, 09:36   #3
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Re: Rearview Camera Video Issue

Hi Kamal,
There is nothing much to worry here. This is a common problem with pioneer AVH. What can be generally suspected?
1) Power
2) Video cable
3) Camera
I changed the power cable, replaced the video cable and nothing helped

The issues are almost similar as the symptoms you have mentioned. The least you can suspect is your Pioneer HU, but the real culprit can be the HU itself. It is simple,Go to your camera setting , change the video input mode from Auto to your camera system (NTSC, PAL etc..) and it should work fine. All the best
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Old 18th October 2013, 13:29   #4
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Re: Rearview Camera Video Issue

The earlier camera was of PAL picture output and the new one outputs the picture in the NTSC format . Change the car HU display settings to NTSC or AUTO. Look up the manual . If no settings change possible you must fit IR PAL camera instead of IR NTSC camera . The reason the camera worked on your TV was beacause the TV can automatically switch the picture input when connected to a external AV source from PAL to NTSC . Check wiki for the difference between PAL and NTSC . We use Phase Alternate Line in India whereas America uses National Standards Television Committee to broadcast their TV signals .
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Old 19th October 2013, 17:35   #5
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Re: Rearview Camera Video Issue

Quote:
Originally Posted by decode View Post
Hi Kamal,
There is nothing much to worry here. This is a common problem with pioneer AVH. What can be generally suspected?
1) Power
2) Video cable
3) Camera
I changed the power cable, replaced the video cable and nothing helped

The issues are almost similar as the symptoms you have mentioned. The least you can suspect is your Pioneer HU, but the real culprit can be the HU itself. It is simple,Go to your camera setting , change the video input mode from Auto to your camera system (NTSC, PAL etc..) and it should work fine. All the best
Thanks, but that was the first thing i tried. The video quality is the same with both 'NTSC' and 'Auto' settings.

Quote:
Originally Posted by anky View Post
The earlier camera was of PAL picture output and the new one outputs the picture in the NTSC format . Change the car HU display settings to NTSC or AUTO. Look up the manual . If no settings change possible you must fit IR PAL camera instead of IR NTSC camera . The reason the camera worked on your TV was beacause the TV can automatically switch the picture input when connected to a external AV source from PAL to NTSC . Check wiki for the difference between PAL and NTSC . We use Phase Alternate Line in India whereas America uses National Standards Television Committee to broadcast their TV signals .
The HU supports multiple formats like PAL, PAL-M, PAL-N, SECAM and NTSC and also Auto configuration based on the video input format. I have tried all the relevant settings but video quality is the same.
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Old 19th October 2013, 17:39   #6
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Re: Rearview Camera Video Issue

Quote:
Originally Posted by joybhowmik View Post
The camera is powered by the current drawn from the reversing lights circuit.
You would need to place the filter in series to the camera.
That said, I could not find anything commercially available. So the next best is a DIY - you can look for reference circuit designs from the net. Preference would be for SMPS type circuits - as heat dissipation is minimal.
Yes, i tried searching ebay.com and there are DC-to-DC converters/stabilizers available but all of them require that the input voltage is at least 2 volts higher than the output voltage for proper operation. I guess i have to fabricate one by myself.
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Old 19th October 2013, 18:37   #7
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Re: Rearview Camera Video Issue

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Originally Posted by kamal.sn View Post
I guess i have to fabricate one by myself.
See if this is useful - but you would need to source the chip itself- which can be quite an uphill struggle.
Since you are in Delhi -an option is to consider a day of chip hunting at Bhagirath Place.
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