Alternate Power For Camera

[toyboy1980]

Hey guys. I installed a rearview cam, along with my AVIC Z-120BT about a month ago. Wired the cam to the driver's side reverse light wire for power.

Since my HU supports the option to view my cam all the time, I'd like to have it powered on all the time.

Question: Is there a "hot with ignition" wire somewhere in the rear of the car? Or, what are my options?

I have the BA amp, and also an aftermarket amp back there, if it makes any difference.

[badazss]

Hi there
I have a pioneer avid z1 in my silverado and I had to run the reverse wire to the head unit so it turns on there is a wire that is for he reverse power
Hope this helps

[toyboy1980]

Originally Posted by badazss

Hi there
I have a pioneer avid z1 in my silverado and I had to run the reverse wire to the head unit so it turns on there is a wire that is for he reverse power
Hope this helps

Thanks, I'll check that out. In a perfect world, I'd love to just be able to find a hot wire in the back of the car somewhere, and avoid running another lead all the way up front.

[toyboy1980]

Originally Posted by bigaudiofanatic

So your looking at viewing the rear camera even when the car is off? The best wire to use is the red wire on the back of the head unit sense it is easy to find and you know it will be hot. However this will not do anything unless your head unit is booted up which in tern means your audio system has to be on as well.

No, I wouldn't need it to be on when the car is off. There has GOT to be something I could tap into in the back of the car, other than the battery. Maybe a power lead on the BA amp or something?

[Camaro2SSRS]

Originally Posted by toyboy1980

No, I wouldn't need it to be on when the car is off. There has GOT to be something I could tap into in the back of the car, other than the battery. Maybe a power lead on the BA amp or something?

I had mine wired so it's available anytime I want, not just when I'm backing up. I can even split screen NAV/Camera.

When I first picked it up after the install, it wasn't setup for anytime use. I mentioned to the installer that I had asked for anytime use and it took him less than 5 minutes to make the change for me right there.

I wish I could tell you how they did it, but at least you know it can be done without adding any additional wiring.

[toyboy1980]

Originally Posted by Camaro2SSRS

I had mine wired so it's available anytime I want, not just when I'm backing up. I can even split screen NAV/Camera.

When I first picked it up after the install, it wasn't setup for anytime use. I mentioned to the installer that I had asked for anytime use and it took him less than 5 minutes to make the change for me right there.

I wish I could tell you how they did it, but at least you know it can be done without adding any additional wiring.

Hmmm...if he really did it in less than 5 minutes, he definitely didn't run a wire from the back of the car to the front of the car. It sure seems like there HAS to be switched power for the BA amp. Maybe somebody that knows will comment.

[tbone587]

You could run it the factory amp turn on wire if you really wanted, but you would probably want to trigger a relay so it didnt draw too much power. The camera wont really draw power unless its displaying video, so you can hook it directly the battery if you wanted to.

[toyboy1980]

Originally Posted by tbone587

You could run it the factory amp turn on wire if you really wanted, but you would probably want to trigger a relay so it didnt draw too much power. The camera wont really draw power unless its displaying video, so you can hook it directly the battery if you wanted to.

As far as going straight to the battery goes, wouldn't it kill the battery over an extended period of time without the car running?

[toyboy1980]

Originally Posted by bigaudiofanatic

Something small like a camera will not kill a large battery in a short period of time.

If you want power to your camera all the time when the car is turned on and not just when your in revers your going to have to either wire it to one of the fallowing for easy setup, 12 volt accessory outlet, yellow wire in back of the head unit, amp turn on lead, setup a relay to power it "unnecessary.

I guess I didn't realize that there was power traveling through the "amp turn on lead" wire. Always thought it was just a signal or something. Ha.

[tbone587]

Only reason i was recomending a relay is just in case the factory amp turn on wire doesnt have enough juice to power the camera. U would use that as a trigger wire, and the main power source would be from the battery.

[toyboy1980]

Wound up tapping into the white wire going into the factory amp. Was reading a wiring chart and saw that listed as "Factory Amp Turn-On", so I figured I'd give it a shot. Works great, and actually seems to be giving me cleaner video. When I was tapped into the reverse lights, I always had slow moving horizontal lines (interference) in the image. That's gone now. Anyway, thanks for the ideas and comments y'all. Problem solved!

[iMONEY]

Originally Posted by toyboy1980

Wound up tapping into the white wire going into the factory amp. Was reading a wiring chart and saw that listed as "Factory Amp Turn-On", so I figured I'd give it a shot. Works great, and actually seems to be giving me cleaner video. When I was tapped into the reverse lights, I always had slow moving horizontal lines (interference) in the image. That's gone now. Anyway, thanks for the ideas and comments y'all. Problem solved!

Thanks I'll do the same. Where did you run the ground wire? To the battery?

[iMONEY]

If I run the cam power wire to battery will it constantly be on even with car off thus killing the battery?

[toyboy1980]

Originally Posted by iMONEY

If I run the cam power wire to battery will it constantly be on even with car off thus killing the battery?

It doesn't draw much power, but yes I imagine it would over a long period of inactivity with your car. It just doesn't seem like a good idea to have anything constantly drawing off the battery. Probably just asking for trouble down the road.

The white wire on the BA amp solution is working great for me. To answer your question, I just ran the ground wire to the bolt that holds the BA amp down. It's bolted directly to the chassis. Like I said before, it's working great, and it actually cleared up some interference I was getting before.