Rear view camera installation-pictures!

Hi All!  I'm sure you all share my concern over the lack of a rear view when towing a tall camper.  I found the perfect solution to be a wireless rear view (backup) camera mounted on our R-POD 171.  After some research I selected the PEAK Safety View back-up camera system with 7 inch color LCD monitor, available for $93.00 (now $75.00!) through Amazon.  The system is comprised of a wide angle license plate mounted camera connected to a small transmitter via a 15 foot cable.  The receiver/viewer can be strapped to the car's sun visor and plugs into the cigarette lighter socket.

 

Wiring the camera in our R-171 was straightforward.  A 3/8" hole must be drilled in the license plate bracket just below the light lens to pass the cable through.  You might want to bend down the edge of the license plate in front of the hole to avoid pinching the cable.  The trickiest part is routing the cable from the license bracket to the pass-through storage compartment.  I removed several staples over two to three feet of the back side panel of the storage compartment to allow the panel to be gently flexed to shorten it enough to clear the left hatch frame.  I also cut a notch out of the upper corner of the panel to avoid pinching the cable.  Once you access the wiring, route the cable along the wiring bundle over the hatch frame and through the small hole leading to the water heater compartment.  The water heater compartment is accessed by removing the small plywood panel under the left side of the bed (right side as you view toward the back).  After that the cable can be routed through a large space inder the cabinets to the power converter compartment.  The power converter compartment is accessed by removing the small plywood panel under the left dinette seat cushion.   There is just enough cable length to allow the transmitter to be mounted on the back (cabinet side) of the converter compartment.  The further forward you can place the transmitter the better for good reception, but you want to leave plenty of slack in the cable.

 

This applies specifically to the R-171.  Other models will present different installation challenges.  If you install this system in another model, you might want to post specific cable routing solutions for that model.

 

Powering the camera/transmitter can be made by connecting to ground and tapping a +12 volt cable through a power switch placed on the front panel of the power converter compartment.  I chose to supply power through the unused center pin of the 7 pin trailer connector.  The center pin lead is the unconnected yellow lead in the large steel junction box located on the inside front of the frame.  When I had the electric brake controller installed on my Jeep I had an extra wire routed from the connector's center pin to the Jeep's dash.  I placed a switch on the dash to connect the line to the +12 volt line to the brake controller.  There is some concern over how long back-up cameras can be operated before they overheat.  I think this applies mostly to products that combine the camera and transmitter in one unit.   There is no mention of any such restriction in the PEAK literature, but this switch setup allows me to limit how long the camera is operating just to play it safe.

 

The result is awesome!  I now have this huge wide angle view of all of the traffic behind the trailer.  Of course I have to make allowance for the fact that the wide angle view makes everything look further away than they really are.   

 

I've added pictures of the R-171 installation!