Purchased a camera/LCD for mirror deletion, need recs
 

Hey all,
Been following for a while and have made much progress off your labors, so thanks! :thumbup:

I just purchased a 3.5" LCD [eBay# 110818388041] and wide angle camera [eBay# 190656429609] off eBay for a total cost of $41.72 shipped, hoping to delete my passenger mirror.

I plan to utilize the power from the power mirror (yes power!) that is already there and wire everything in and mount on the door.

My only question is recommendations on what to use to fill the hole where the mirror was? And possibly protecting the camera if wiring is exposed. I was thinking fiberglass, but I have no experience, plus it doesn't have to be pretty, just keep the water out and hold the camera in place. I am hoping not to modify the existing mirror, if it needs to go back on or I can't see well enough with the setup.

I have a decent amount of tools, so any recommendations are welcome :)

I placed some images on my website, so you know what I am working with. They can be found here: davewigstone.com/?p=256

I also plan on doing a write-up/how-to (video) once I make a decision and find the time to do it, so any insight is welcome.

Have you seen Neil's video cameras? If not, this may be of some help.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...s-2969-17.html

Trim something up the right shape, clean the surfaces, and use windshield urethane to glue it in. (3M Window Weld is a Godsend in my line of work.) Use gloves, rags, and lacquer thinner on for smoothing/cleaning. Just position it right the first time. You do not want to have to remove it again.


Also, I would imagine your power mirror circuits to be normally open.

My current LCD screens are LED backlit, and they are a *lot* better than the first set I had:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post242809

I hadn't seen that post, thanks, I'll check it out.

I started making a template last night (as my internet was down, hence the delayed reply). But I was thinking of actually using bolts and bolt them in. Then possibly using a piece of plastic to "bend" around the cam, I think the windshield urethane may come in handy there.

Yeah I was thinking about that last night, they probably are, so if I must I'll have to run a 12V through my door.

Wow your setup is nice, I only glanced at it but will definitely spend some time going through the posts on that thread this AM.

I live by the saying you get what you pay for, so I am not expecting much out of the initial purchase, but if it does what's expected (for a month) I'll be happy and willing to buy a higher quality setup, maybe $60 :D

OK two three things accomplished in 24 hours!

A. Installed 20/10/70 lower air dam! You can also kinda see the upper dam block.
http://www.davewigstone.com/uploads/IMG_0056-1000.jpg
Another angle:
http://www.davewigstone.com/uploads/IMG_0058-1000.jpg

B. Camera came (not an accomplishment, more of an event), super happy with the wiring and mounting setup, so I went ahead and located some coroplast, and made a block for the passenger mirror, see C.
http://www.davewigstone.com/uploads/IMG_0059-1000.jpg

C. Cut, painted, and installed the coroplast filler for the passenger camera (tape will come off once silicone firms up.
http://www.davewigstone.com/uploads/IMG_0068-1000.jpg

Once the screen comes I will determine the best location for the camera install, but at this point the most likely location is the mirror, but front right fender is a possibility as well... We'll see.

Also read all of Neil's thread. WOW. 1 word -determined- I got some great ideas. Cut and painted some caps for the holes in my front hubcaps, and started forming a template for rear wheel areas (for lack of a better term at this time~ it's late)

Also one more thing, I have an aftermarket headlights and front bumper, so the seams aren't exactly tight. So while at Menards I saw something that may work, flex PVC. Seen below. The size purchased will depend on the gaps that are being filled, but I picked up 1/2" OD, cost ~$2.00 for 10'.
http://www.davewigstone.com/uploads/IMG_0037-1000.jpg

And here's the gap to be filled, upper left of the headlight.
http://www.davewigstone.com/uploads/IMG_0027-1000.jpg

Now the nice thing about this PVC, is that is it is quite mailable and can be manipulated to fit the gap.
http://www.davewigstone.com/uploads/IMG_0030-1000.jpg

Nice, clean and cheap!

Now if your car isn't black like mine and you are worried about the color, pick up the clear type, you won't see it as much.

OK guys, finally got the chance to install the setup I purchased! And for your viewing pleasure a couple road tests! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPzOZvDEP4E

-Dave

If your monitor works well enough when it is in direct sunshine and hot, then you'll be fine. It might be cooler and have less glare if the monitor was up at the top of the 'A' pillar, out of the sun.

I like your camera -- is it sealed or could the camera be rotated 90 degrees within the housing?

Well the screen has performed very well in its current location considering the past three days have been 95+ here. I did need to re-attach it will silicone as the double sided tape that came with it wasn't holding. And yes I agree, the A pillar would have been better but I wanted keep all the wiring in the door.
The camera does not rotate, but fortunately I am able to rotate the picture on the screen, so it works out just the same

Having the camera mounted sideways like you have done is a good idea, not only is it very aerodynamic but it also makes for a good viewing angle, without too much unneeded distractions from too wide of a angle lens.
Good mod, and not too expensive.
If i was voting , and i am:D, i will give you a 10 out of 10 score, for a economical aerodynamically useful mod.

Appreciate it thanks :thumbup:

I just noticed in the video that the camera is not mirrored, mirrored meaning for reverse cameras they mirror the image so it appears as it would threw a rear view mirror, in your video it would show the car going in the opposite direction. Kind hard to wrap your head around at first. I just learned this yesterday when i ordered two side view cameras, the salesman explained that i would want a mirrored camera for rear view use and a non mirrored camera for forward facing placement use.
Could be your screen has a feature to toggle between mirrored and non-mirrored views?

Yes good point, and one I considered when the screen was purchased. And it does do what you are saying, maybe in the video it is not as clear. But when I froze the frame the front end was on the screen and the rear was in the window.

But yes having a screen what allows you to rotate the image is a definite must for this mod

So, are you satisfied with the quality of this camera/monitor setup? Is it working well for you?
Seems like 40 bucks is a steal.
Would you surmise that this setup would work well as a center rear view mirror replacement, if the back window was blocked by, oh I don't know, a boat tail or something? ;)

@Tango Charlie - Yes, so far I am quite happy. And yes I do think it would work great for a center mirror replacement!
My wife's truck (Traverse) has a rear view mirror, and when you throw it in reverse a screen appears in the mirror, which is connected to a camera on the back end. Which is very similar to my setup, and would work well for you, I think.

Do you think this would work on the passenger side of the vehicle also? I have a GPS with a 3.5" screen but I am having a hard time deciding if the screen would be large enough for mirror replacement purposes.

@HydroJim-
I originally purchashed my setup for what you are trying to do, and in my opinion, mounting the 3.5" LCD on the passenger door maybe too small to work (see) well. Plus you'll have to deal with more glare issues. I would recommend mounting the screen as close to you as possible, maybe to the right of the steering wheel? I would also assume the first place you mount it may not be the final location, so keep that in mind as well. It may take some time to get used too, but in the long run it will work much better IMO. The coroplast I used was white on one side (which I painted) and red on the other, so whenever I looked over for the mirror, I saw red, and knew it wasn't there!
Even with the camera setup I am still doing shoulder checks, safety first, plus it is soo wide anlge, if there is a car there that means I will hit it, so I still rely on my rear view a lot, watching traffic, especialy if I plan on merging or changing lanes.

Also if you or anyone lese wants some more video I will happliy shoot whatever you need to help make your build/decision easier! (Time permitting) So let me know :)

-Dave

I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. To combat glare issues, you could build a three sided box that extends from the LCD about 2 inches out on the top and sides which would block light from those angles but still allow you to clearly see the LCD through your tunnel of vision. Hopefully, you can visual what I'm struggling to describe :confused:

No, I know exactly what you mean, since I am into pro-video I assume you mean something like this-
http://static.bhphoto.com/images/largeimages/835407.jpg
Vello 3.5" LCD Hood LHV-3.5 B&H Photo Video

I agree, that may work, but like I said, you may have a hard time seeing it with that size, 3.5". Can't wait to see what you come up with tho! Good luck and let us know if you need any help!
:thumbup:
-Dave

Hi Dave,

What is the angle of view on your video camera? On mine, it is well over 120 degrees, which is good for eliminating blind spots, but it shrinks the relative size of vehicles, making it harder to judge distance. I think that 90-100 degrees would be about ideal.

Is the camera 4:3 aspect ratio? I happened into an interesting tweak: the 7" monitors I'm using are 16:10 and they have a manual switch toggling between 4:3 and 16:10, and by using the wide aspect, it "re-expands" the width of the image a bit, making the fisheye / barrel distortion less pronounced on the horizontal axis, anyway. This makes the vehicle behind me slightly more to scale.

Depending on the location of the monitor, I also found that at night they are reflected on the windshield. You probably have avoided this by placing the monitor where you have. If it could be installed up at the top of the 'A' pillar, that would alleviate the need for a hood, and avoid any reflections at night. (Inexpensive LCD monitors have low contrast ratios and "leak" a fair bit of light that is visible at night. My first set were bad, and the second set are better at this.)

blackcivic96- wow, that's exactly what I was imagining. I probably won't be working on this for a while because I'm still in high school and insurance, gas, and car maintenance is enough of a strain on my wallet. I try to save up a good amount before I do mods and right now I have to make sure I'll have enough to cover my bills before I indulge in any...added expenses ;)

Hey Neil-
My camera is 110 degrees, and yes it is very wide. It would be nice to find a "cheap" happy medium.
As you probably have read, I got these cheap, just to see what they could do. With the screen I am able to adjust the rotation (which thankfully is retained between shut-offs) and the brightness and contrast, which is not held. And though it takes some getting used to I am almost at the point of confidence...

@HydroJim
Yea I hear ya, no worries, if I was doing this in HS I would have saved a ton of money in the long run, and yes bills come first, ugghh. You may want to just pull the mirrors? I was and still am comfortable running with only my rear view, but your neck can get a kink :D

For all- I ultimately got the idea after watching some TX2K12 videos on YouTube- See the below at about 0:06, I still think my install is more aero and prob a lot cheaper IMO :thumbup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjLB9y4fn3Y

-Dave

Now that you have had more time using this set up, notice anything bad about? I'm really interested in the night time performance because I was thinking of using this set-up to replace all 3 of my mirrors eventually.

@HydroJim

Unfortunately I don't do much night driving, but had the opportunity to drive at dusk tonight. This will perform very similar to how your mirrors do. If lit, like on the highway, you can see fairly well. If not lit, you see headlights (two bright dots), like with regular mirrors. I was actually surprised when driving west tonight at dusk, it was quite bright in the east.

I will happily shoot a video,time permitting, but I feel it may not be a true representation, as your eyes work much differently than a camera.
Let me know and I'll see if I can shoot what you are looking for, but I wouldn't get your hopes up :)

-Dave