Camera System For Big Blue

[Nothing Special]

Thanks, Bob. I thought about that and then found this line in the Pormido description of the mirror: "Both front & rearview image can be switched from straight to mirroring, so you can read the plates easily". And if they are truly "working on to exchange the front camera with waterproof camera" then I hope they'll ensure that option is still available.

So I'm hoping to be an early adopter/beta tester on the new mirror. I think it'll be everything I need.

And, speaking of that, I was in a new Merc C300 recently and it has what looks like an iPad attached to the dash and the rearview camera displays there. Looking at the display, it isn't as wide as the Pormido 12" mirror, and while it is higher I think it is the width that is needed. I really don't need a good view of the sky, but I do need a good view of the things to the left and right. I have high hopes for this mirror.

A lot of the vehicles I see in YouTube videos have a large collection of devices mounted to the dash: tablets, phones, etc. There are a number of mounts available to do that, some mounting a single device, others having a rail where you can mount several devices. That way you can be running nav (maybe even a couple of nav systems at once), a bluetooth camera or two (or three) and your music all at the same time. Not something I've ever been interested in so I haven't paid attention to brands or anything, but if you are willing to move away from the display being in the mirror head you have a lot of options. (It does give the appearance of being in a police cruiser...)

[Gary Lewis]

A lot of the vehicles I see in YouTube videos have a large collection of devices mounted to the dash: tablets, phones, etc. There are a number of mounts available to do that, some mounting a single device, others having a rail where you can mount several devices. That way you can be running nav (maybe even a couple of nav systems at once), a bluetooth camera or two (or three) and your music all at the same time. Not something I've ever been interested in so I haven't paid attention to brands or anything, but if you are willing to move away from the display being in the mirror head you have a lot of options. (It does give the appearance of being in a police cruiser...)

Yes, I've seen those as well. And that's the look I'm trying to stay away from.

I want it to look like it came from the factory that way. Integrated. Like the headliner/Highliner, the F600 radio bezel and switches, etc. So to me the mirror display is the perfect solution. I hope they come through with it.

[kramttocs]

Yes, I've seen those as well. And that's the look I'm trying to stay away from.

I want it to look like it came from the factory that way. Integrated. Like the headliner/Highliner, the F600 radio bezel and switches, etc. So to me the mirror display is the perfect solution. I hope they come through with it.

I know this isn't what you are looking for but just mentioning it since related. Atoto, the brand of the head unit and backup camera I have, offers a panoramic view setup using AC-SC3601. Never tried it as the simple backup camera is enough for me and doesn't seem to be focused enough for your needs but it's something.

[Gary Lewis]

I know this isn't what you are looking for but just mentioning it since related. Atoto, the brand of the head unit and backup camera I have, offers a panoramic view setup using AC-SC3601. Never tried it as the simple backup camera is enough for me and doesn't seem to be focused enough for your needs but it's something.

Scott - That's a really interesting system:

• Traditional solutions for having a surround view parking system is that car owners have to install 4 cameras to different sides of the vehicle and it's too difficult and expensive for installation. ATOTO AC-SC3601 uses only one camera and it means you can install it like installing a common backup camera. You can watch the video to learn more:

• There is a operation system running on the inner chip hardware for continuously processing the images (receiving, storing, calculating,stitching) sent from camera,so it can help rebuild a dynamic,simulative but almost same-size ratio surroundings view (where the barriers, other vehicles, or your vehicle is). So it can compete a real 360-degree Bird's-eye view parking system, however with only single camera and a fraction amount of cost;

• ATOTO AC-SC3601 is quite helpful for driver to park large vehicles (full size sedan/SUV,van, light trucks) in a narrow or small space. This product supports reversing into parking space, including parallel, perpendicular parking, and angled parking, but it DOES NOT work for forward parking; ※[On selected S8 models, the feature has been integrated into the Android car stereo system, please choose AC-HD03 camera instead ]

• It can work with all the indash car monitor, rearview monitor, or on-dash monitor, as long as they have standard RCA type video input that is specified as reversed camera input. The difference in installation is, its control unit requires power supply, which is the same as powering an car stereo. You can connect the power wires ( +12v battery,+12v accessory, & ground) of ATOTO AC-SC3601 to car fuse box, or these wires that go to your car stereo as alternative if you can't find the car fuse box;

• Notifications: 1. Since the ATOTO AC-SC3601 parking system uses only one camera for surrounding view, the rebuilt surrounding view is not real image of the surroundings (but it is live/dynamic image). There is another area in the reversing display to show the real image of the rear surroundings (only rear view);2.The surrounding view functin DOES NOT work on a vehicle that has trailer, or a vehicle that has protrusion part (like tow hook) in the back;

How it creates a birds-eye view from one camera befuddles me. That's a really slick trick. Janey's car does the birds-eye view using 4 cameras and it is a really useful function. However, the text I emboldened says it isn't going to work for Big Blue. Man, that would be cool to have a birds-eye view!

[Bruce moose4x4]

Scott - That's a really interesting system:

• Traditional solutions for having a surround view parking system is that car owners have to install 4 cameras to different sides of the vehicle and it's too difficult and expensive for installation. ATOTO AC-SC3601 uses only one camera and it means you can install it like installing a common backup camera. You can watch the video to learn more:

• There is a operation system running on the inner chip hardware for continuously processing the images (receiving, storing, calculating,stitching) sent from camera,so it can help rebuild a dynamic,simulative but almost same-size ratio surroundings view (where the barriers, other vehicles, or your vehicle is). So it can compete a real 360-degree Bird's-eye view parking system, however with only single camera and a fraction amount of cost;

• ATOTO AC-SC3601 is quite helpful for driver to park large vehicles (full size sedan/SUV,van, light trucks) in a narrow or small space. This product supports reversing into parking space, including parallel, perpendicular parking, and angled parking, but it DOES NOT work for forward parking; ※[On selected S8 models, the feature has been integrated into the Android car stereo system, please choose AC-HD03 camera instead ]

• It can work with all the indash car monitor, rearview monitor, or on-dash monitor, as long as they have standard RCA type video input that is specified as reversed camera input. The difference in installation is, its control unit requires power supply, which is the same as powering an car stereo. You can connect the power wires ( +12v battery,+12v accessory, & ground) of ATOTO AC-SC3601 to car fuse box, or these wires that go to your car stereo as alternative if you can't find the car fuse box;

• Notifications: 1. Since the ATOTO AC-SC3601 parking system uses only one camera for surrounding view, the rebuilt surrounding view is not real image of the surroundings (but it is live/dynamic image). There is another area in the reversing display to show the real image of the rear surroundings (only rear view);2.The surrounding view functin DOES NOT work on a vehicle that has trailer, or a vehicle that has protrusion part (like tow hook) in the back;

How it creates a birds-eye view from one camera befuddles me. That's a really slick trick. Janey's car does the birds-eye view using 4 cameras and it is a really useful function. However, the text I emboldened says it isn't going to work for Big Blue. Man, that would be cool to have a birds-eye view!

Gary, saw this on Springfield Missouri Facebook Marketplace.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/408867057454164/

Not sure if it will work or not. I know nothing about cameras and such.

Thought it would look stock on the front grill.

[Gary Lewis]

Gary, saw this on Springfield Missouri Facebook Marketplace.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/408867057454164/

Not sure if it will work or not. I know nothing about cameras and such.

Thought it would look stock on the front grill.

That’s cool! It would look stock.

My 2015 has one of those. I wonder if it would work with the Pormido system.

[Gary Lewis]

That’s cool! It would look stock.

My 2015 has one of those. I wonder if it would work with the Pormido system.

Time for an update on this saga.

The vendor, Pormido, is coming out with a 4K mirror/camera combo on the 20th and I could get one for testing. However it will still only have one weatherproof camera, which is for the rear, and a separate camera for the front that is not weatherproof and is to go on the inside of the windshield.

They've offered me one for testing, but I've declined and will await someone coming out with a unit with two weatherproof cameras. The reason is that I've realized that my plan to buy a second weatherproof camera, install it on the front bumper, and use a toggle switch to pick which one was fed to the mirror was going to be fiddly to use. That's because the rear camera is usually reversed and you don't want the front camera to be reversed. So I'd have to go into the menu on the mirror and turn reversing off each time I wanted to use the front camera, or remember that everything would be backwards. And that isn't something I want to do.

So, if anyone spots a nice mirror with two weatherproof cameras, please let me know.

[BigBrother-84]

Time for an update on this saga.

The vendor, Pormido, is coming out with a 4K mirror/camera combo on the 20th and I could get one for testing. However it will still only have one weatherproof camera, which is for the rear, and a separate camera for the front that is not weatherproof and is to go on the inside of the windshield.

They've offered me one for testing, but I've declined and will await someone coming out with a unit with two weatherproof cameras. The reason is that I've realized that my plan to buy a second weatherproof camera, install it on the front bumper, and use a toggle switch to pick which one was fed to the mirror was going to be fiddly to use. That's because the rear camera is usually reversed and you don't want the front camera to be reversed. So I'd have to go into the menu on the mirror and turn reversing off each time I wanted to use the front camera, or remember that everything would be backwards. And that isn't something I want to do.

So, if anyone spots a nice mirror with two weatherproof cameras, please let me know.

This is the mirror/camera I installed on Big Brother.

Fortunately, the wire length was just enough for this "long" Crew Cab run.

Very usefull for my needs, but the image quality is not as clear as my other "modern" vehicles, when comparing (2018 Chevy Volt and 2019 GMC Terrain). Not sure if it depends of my mirror/monitor or camera choices.

I'll come back with more precise info (number of possible cameras, mirror dimensions, camera image actual size, etc):

[Gary Lewis]

This is the mirror/camera I installed on Big Brother.

Fortunately, the wire length was just enough for this "long" Crew Cab run.

Very usefull for my needs, but the image quality is not as clear as my other "modern" vehicles, when comparing (2018 Chevy Volt and 2019 GMC Terrain). Not sure if it depends of my mirror/monitor or camera choices.

I'll come back with more precise info (number of possible cameras, mirror dimensions, camera image actual size, etc):

Jeff - Thanks. Turns out that your system isn't the latest tech, which is probably why you said "the image quality is not as clear as my other "modern" vehicles". The one I'd been looking at is a 12" unit and has 2.5K resolution, and the same company is coming out with a 4K unit in two weeks. And as I understand it, those specs mean that the new one will have 4000 pixels across it, the current one has 2500 pixels side/side, and yours has 1280 pixels. And my guess is that your newer vehicles have the higher resolution as well.

However, yours has the 3 camera inputs using simple RCA jacks, and that makes it much easier to use than some of the more recent ones which have proprietary connectors on them, forcing you to use their cameras. But, the instructions on yours don't say how to wire the camera(s), other than to plug their outputs into the yellow RCA connectors. So you still have to supply them with power, which isn't shown. Right?

Also, where did you get yours? I found yours at iBeam, and they want $582 for it, although Best Buy has it for $409. But the later ones are more like $260.

So I'm really confused and conflicted. I want to install one, but it has to have two weatherproof cameras. However, I'd really like to have the higher resolution of the later systems.

Today I sent Wolfbox an email telling them what I'm looking for. We'll see what they say - if anything.

[grumpin]

Jeff - Thanks. Turns out that your system isn't the latest tech, which is probably why you said "the image quality is not as clear as my other "modern" vehicles". The one I'd been looking at is a 12" unit and has 2.5K resolution, and the same company is coming out with a 4K unit in two weeks. And as I understand it, those specs mean that the new one will have 4000 pixels across it, the current one has 2500 pixels side/side, and yours has 1280 pixels. And my guess is that your newer vehicles have the higher resolution as well.

However, yours has the 3 camera inputs using simple RCA jacks, and that makes it much easier to use than some of the more recent ones which have proprietary connectors on them, forcing you to use their cameras. But, the instructions on yours don't say how to wire the camera(s), other than to plug their outputs into the yellow RCA connectors. So you still have to supply them with power, which isn't shown. Right?

Also, where did you get yours? I found yours at iBeam, and they want $582 for it, although Best Buy has it for $409. But the later ones are more like $260.

So I'm really confused and conflicted. I want to install one, but it has to have two weatherproof cameras. However, I'd really like to have the higher resolution of the later systems.

Today I sent Wolfbox an email telling them what I'm looking for. We'll see what they say - if anything.

Gary, I noticed this truck has a front and rear camera by Kenwood. Thought I’d post it up to see if it is something you could use.

https://klamath.craigslist.org/cto/d/merrill-2002-ford-f350-crew-cab-4x4/7416997911.html