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Tesla says it can't be done: But it can: new higher resolution rear camera

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#181
HankLloydRight said:
If you have small hands you can reach in through the left pull down handle that pops out and reach the cable. You also have to be pretty good at disconnecting those Farkar connectors with one hand. But it can be done!
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, the child protective services joke! Now I remember.

Akikiki said:
Oh no, certainly do not intend to gloss over removal. Can't gloss over anything on a Tesla. Everything take three times longer than one would think.



Yes, Hank is right again - as usual. Using a trim removal tool the first time, you can pop the "pull cup" (what Tesla calls it) out on one side and with skinny hands ready in and access the connector.

To reduce the quantity of feet of cable running between the camera, have you considered hijacking the cable running from the liftgate to the front of the car and using that as the feed from the center console to the switch? I am suggesting instead of running another long group of differing lengths to the front, that you mount the switch in the trunk or liftgate and connect both camera to the switch at the back of the car.

When we mounted the rear camera on the front of the car and the switch under that dash, the switch is "halfway" between the two camera. Enough though there are multiple (long and short) segments of cable used the lengths are about the same.

Mounting the switch at the back of the car, and using the already installed car's liftgate to front of the car's cable to feed the console from the switch might reduce the total lengh of cable on all three segments because you won't need to run a second very long cable to the front, to feed the trailer camera.

I realize I am probably confusing you. There's three non-video connections you need, 12V, ground and 12v power from the backup lights. You have all three of those in the trunk are (well, 12V power from backup is in liftgate) but that's as easy as getting all three same at the front of the car.

Am I making sense?

I want to also add, that I have been watching your thread and progress on adding the camera to the trailer. I think this is a fascinating project. Its a real education. I am always excited by something else we can do to a Tesla. I hope you are successful. And I believe you are going to be successful. I am glad to be a little part of it.
Click to expand...

More in a bit, but thank you both. I had to remove the whole trimset because my thick mitts wouldn't fit into the pull cup hole. I'm already sliced to bits as well, no need for more carnage. Still working. The S camera doesn't work plug and play, so I am toying some more with cable lengths. Here's how my night looks:
IMG_3665.JPG
 
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#182
Well its "Tesla-plug&play". Which means "sort-of-Plug & play - Tesla style". You can generally just plug a camera into the switch or the car's feed to the center console and it will come one. However, the last screen being displayed has to be the setting the switch was setting at. The switch defaults to "front cam" not rear. But it won't reset to default unless you remove its power and power it back up. Which bring me to another idea, just in case you need to force that. You could add a remote controlled single pole 12 switch (Amazon <$16) if you need a convenient way to force power off the front cam switch and back on.

Those of us that installed artsci's Lighted Rear Applique ( a couple of times) are becoming real pros at removing and re-installing the big-black plastic U shaped trim inside the liftgate to get to some of these wires. That's how we know what's there. Its a lot of fun to put it back when you are working by your lonesome. In the category of let me save time and just get a chopstick and poke myself in the eye.
 
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#184
Soooo, that's from trying the A version camera on the trailer and the C on the liftgate?

We are so smart at this, we need to stretch the operation a little more.

artsci is considering a production run of the switch. Wouldn't it be cool, if we could get a 3rd or 4th port for a 3rd or 4th camera added to the switch? Then you could have view inside the trailer and out the back window or from top looking at stuff behind you.

Finally, let me use this opportunity to remind people working on the Tesla rear/backup camera stuff. These cables are directional. If at first you don't succeed, - turn the cable around and try it the other way. Pays off to remember this.
 
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#186
ohmman, I know there's an issue with using the B camera and a long cable on a newer S. I found it worked with a short cable, but not a long cable. I was happy to figure out my solution was go back to the A camera from a '13-'14.

In your case, you swapped your C for your A to get it to work with a long one, right? Is there a chance that that it could have been that one of your cable was reversed? After all these cables are directional. no marking, but they only work in one direction. Is there a chance that the C camera would work with a long cable, but in your testing one of the cables to give you the long segment was reversed? This would be very useful info.
 
#187
@Akikiki - yes, allow me to provide a quick summary here.

Initially, I connected in the following order:
  1. New C Camera
  2. 100-6782-00-E Female/Female 53.5"
  3. 100-6781-00-E Male/Male 144"
  4. 100-6780-00-D Female/Female 65.5"
  5. 100-6781-00-E Male/Male 144"
  6. 100-6780-00-D Female/Female 65.5"
  7. Existing liftback harness for my Model X
This did not work. I tried unplugging and replugging, checked connections, etc. No luck, which is when I posted here.

After the helpful recommendations, I took the A camera out of my Model S (and broke the clear tail light segment in the appliqué in the process :( ), and hooked it up in the camper. Initially, same result, which was a black screen. I unplugged it and prepared to plug it into the connector at #6, wondering whether that would be close enough. As I was about to do so, I looked out of the window of the camper and saw "Camera Not Available" on the screen of my X, which wasn't a message I'd seen before; I'd seen a black screen without a message. So I went back and plugged it in, and voilà! The image appeared. I disconnected and reconnected a couple of times and the image repeatedly came back.

At this time, I've reassembled my X and S into "drivable" condition, since they will be needed for their primary purpose, transport, tomorrow. This weekend, I plan to permanently install the camera on the back of the Airstream and try to assemble the X liftgate such that it's easy to transfer between the liftgate camera and the Airstream camera while hitching/unhitching.

I hope this is helpful. It shows that the camera signal from an A camera can make it through an additional 6 connections and 472.5" of cabling over the existing harness. Useful data? Probably not, but I'm absolutely thrilled that this is going to work out. No mirror extensions for me, and less aero drag. Not to mention an eye in the back of the camper when backing up. :)
 
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#188
Wonderful. Amazing and wonderful. BTW, in newer S, the applique does not have a clear lens in it for the reverse. Actually, I think someone said, that's with the applque reverse lens, there's two/double lens. Tesla removed that lens in later versions to eliminate the moisture that was forming in some cars. I recommend you leave it out.

You accomplished an amazing feat. Take a bow.
 
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#189
ohmman said:
You understand correctly. The new camera is a C.

By "just plugging in the new cam at the liftgate's cable" you seem to be either glossing over the removal of all of the liftback trim, or I'm overthinking the project. Is there an easier way to get to that connector?
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I have a pre-refresh 2016 with what I assume to be a 'B' revision camera. I was wanting to drop the 'C' revision in there anyway. Would you like to trade?
 
#192
Akikiki said:
FYI, I've had a B and ohmman has a C. We both had the same issue until we swapped to an older camera. From those experiences, I believe that a C and B are so close to the same, neither will help with the extended length issue on newer cars.
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There is one thing that may contradict this. The stock camera on my 2016 X currently works despite being extended with a 12' and 65.5" cable. It's possible my early X has the old A camera, so that could explain it (and would also imply that I should have just swapped that one instead of opening the S!)

I'll take a peek at the label later today.
 
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#193
ohmman said:
There is one thing that may contradict this. The stock camera on my 2016 X currently works despite being extended with a 12' and 65.5" cable. It's possible my early X has the old A camera, so that could explain it (and would also imply that I should have just swapped that one instead of opening the S!)

I'll take a peek at the label later today.
Click to expand...

Good point. Hope to hear from you. Going forward all this will help others.
 
#195
Yes, people have tried. The signal from the rear camera is entirely non-standard, and nobody has been able to reverse engineer it (AFAIK) .

There's also the problem of switching between the rear and accessory camera, of which there is (now) only one solution -- Artsci's front camera switch kit, which is no longer in production, although he is keeping a list of interested people in case he can get a second run produced. See: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/thr...image-on-the-touch-screen.91451/#post-2122980

If you can get your hands on one of these kits (not easy), it's is by far the best mod I've done to the car. It could easily be re-purposed to be a kiddy-cam.
 
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