fzinla Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Hello, I am installing a rear view camera and monitor and would like to avoid getting power from the battery directly just in case I forget to turn the system off. I am installing a switch in the handle bar for on/off but would like the switch to be energized only when the ignition key is turned on. I do not think I can use the AUX power supply because I am already using that for a phone charger and it is pulling 1 Amp. The AUX limit is 2 Amps (24W max) and I am pretty sure the monitor and camera will draw more than 1A (maybe more than 20 watts). If you guys think the Aux can handle lit that would make my life easier otherwise, what circuit (and from where) can I tap to to get electricity. I was thinking the small running daylight but I am afraid that does not have enough power rating either. Sorry if this is a little strange but it really is an easy project just need some guidance from you guys the FZ07 experts. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalsteve Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 I'd love to see pictures of this project!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fzinla Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 10 minutes ago, digitalsteve said: I'd love to see pictures of this project!! I will take a few. If I do not get any replies I will go for the Aux supply and change the fuse to a higher rating. I was thinking about using the headlight circuit since I installed an HID projector that draws power directly from the battery but I am not sure if that will affect the HID projector because one input for the HID ballast is the output of the OEM circuit (the plug for the lightbulb)... There are a lot of options and can go as crazy as installing a generator or solar panels but I want to do this project the simplest way possible without effecting anything else. Do you guys think if I change the Aux fuse to more Amps I can power the camera and the monitor off of it? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fzinla Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 I think I got it I am going to use a Relay that is connected to any of the circuits that are connected to the ignition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 On 10/1/2017 at 2:03 PM, fzinla said: I think I got it I am going to use a Relay that is connected to any of the circuits that are connected to the ignition Yep, That's what I was thinking. You may want to see if you can find a place for a volt meter just to keep watch on the battery. Sounds like a fun project. Probable a dumb question, but what's the compelling reason for the rear view camera? Make sure you have a spare relay as they are a mechanical device... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 I put a car rear view camera on a bike for a long trip and found it almost totally useless. The angle is so wide that once anything was more than about 10m behind it was close to invisible. Couldn't even see my girlfriends headlight during the day. If you can get a narrower angle camera it might work but then you won't see to the sides when they are in another lane. It was an experiment worth trying but proved in my case not to be useful. Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fzinla Posted October 5, 2017 Author Share Posted October 5, 2017 2 hours ago, gregjet said: I put a car rear view camera on a bike for a long trip and found it almost totally useless. The angle is so wide that once anything was more than about 10m behind it was close to invisible. Couldn't even see my girlfriends headlight during the day. If you can get a narrower angle camera it might work but then you won't see to the sides when they are in another lane. It was an experiment worth trying but proved in my case not to be useful. Thank you for the info. I thought that might be an issue so I did some research and found a was to either make or alter the lens to change the view angle. I have measured the diameter of the radius of curvature of the lens that came with the camera that I have. Once I do I can figure out the view angle and work around modeling what angle would work for me and take it from there. I really enjoy these project. The end product, even though important, is not always the only thing that matters with these exercises; the experiments, the trial and error, and the problem solving aspects are my favorite part of the process. 5 hours ago, Zephyr said: Yep, That's what I was thinking. You may want to see if you can find a place for a volt meter just to keep watch on the battery. Sounds like a fun project. Probable a dumb question, but what's the compelling reason for the rear view camera? Make sure you have a spare relay as they are a mechanical device... Thank you for the Relay advice. I only have one but I will invest in another one. The reason behind the camera is safety. When on the freeway going freeway speeds, I have turning to look to the side/behind me because of the effect of the wind. Hopefully with the camera I do not have to. I will of course need to ensure all the blind spots are covered by the camera. Plus I think it is kind of cool for the next version (when I have more money to spend lol) I am going to look into the Vikutti materials and change the plastic that is on top of the screen of the camera display. From my understanding one of the materials in the Vikutti family looks like a mirror against a black surface but is see thru otherwise. I think it is some sort of Pizo-electric material maybe??!! Not sure but I remember working with such a material a couple years ago for a work project. If that does not work well then the next step (more expensive of course) is to use a photo-electric material. Not sure where to get those from but I do know they exist. Well at least I am putting my engineering degree to good use lol has nothing to do with what I studied but at least I am using tools I learned in school quite a few years ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Never thought about freeway head checks... Sadly we do not have freeways here. There's only one place where the speed limit is 60 and few others where it is 50. Mostly 45 & 30 just about everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Just use that aux connector to switch the relay when the key is on and then power all of that stuff with thru the big contacts in the relay. You could add a voltmeter or whatever else there as well as long as you run say, 14g wire from the battery (12g would be overkill, unless yer gonna power really loud horns). My little LED voltmeter is powered directly from that 2 amp Aux plug. Don't forget to fuse that side of the relay as well - preferably as close to the battery as possible - A 5A fuse will likely be enough, but you could easily go 10A Or - you could just try it directly w/o the relay. If it draws more than 2 Amps, the fuse will blow. That's what it's there for, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 The big advantage if you can get it to work is the rearview can be closer to line of sight. If you have a motorcycle that vibrates badly it will be a crisp image. I started the project for mine because my girlfriend's KTM690 Duke vibrated the mirrors ao badly she couldn't see anything in them ( at all). We ended going to bar end mirrors that don't displace the image as much as stalk ones. Would have been good to get a camera or cameras that worked though. You would be surprised how much noise the mirrors generate. During the testing it was the first thing I noticed ( besides the fact you couldn't see anything because of the angle). I reckon 70 to 90 degree cone for the lens angle would be OK but it is a guess. A zoom of 120 to 30 would be best ( again a guess). The rearview current darw was tiny. I think it was less than an amp (oled display helps). But more resolution will prob draw more. I didn't even relay it just a fuse. Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fzinla Posted November 6, 2017 Author Share Posted November 6, 2017 Update: The HID light is so much better than the stock bulb. It works beautifully and really bright. The GPS had been helpful as it reduces the fatigue because I ne longer have to look down to see the GPS directions on my phone. The direction are right there I just have to look without turning my head. The big surprise is the Rear View Camera. I thought it would be helpful with the blind spots but it is so much more than that. I have such good visibility of behind that I recently realized that I no longer use the rear view mirrors. Looking at the screen gives me a holistic view of what is behind me. No more blind spots, I can keep an eye on my buddies when riding in groups, I can see the cars behind me in my lane and the two other lanes on each side without turning my head. The range is pretty good as well as I am able to see much further behind than with the mirrors alone and the picture is not just a portion of what is behind but the whole thing. Most importantly the Rear View Camera has enabled me to keep an eye out on folks behind me when I slow down or come to a stop to make sure they do see me, are slowing down and if not I can move far enough to not get rear ended. I used a rather cheap Camera (less than $40 for Camera and Screen) because I just wanted to see the result without spending a lot of money. The camera works great and I do not think I will change it to a better one. The camera did come with white LEDs around the lens to illuminate the path behind. This is a Rear View Camera for cars; they are usually turned on once the driver shifts to reverse and that is it. I now have a white tail light of sorts. You can see it in the video. A better camera would have had Infra-Red but not the one I bought lol I do not need the light because when I am riding at night, the LEDs are not necessary because I do not need the 10 to 20ft behind me to be illuminated... I can either turn them off by opening the camera and cutting their power, grind them out, paint them black or try to paint them red. Do I even need to do such a thing? Is such a white tail light illegal? Please let me know your thoughts and I hope you enjoy the video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 For the illumination ring on the camera. Get one of the red plastic reflectors from an auto shop , cut a hole for the lens and make a red cover for them. Then it would be red and perfectly legal. Do you know what the rear view camera angle is? Measuring the curvature of one side of a lens won't give you the focal point ( angle). I forgot the angle of the one I used ( completely useless except for a few meters behind), but If there are ones with better angles I might give it a try again. I love the screen mounting! I put mine in the middle behind the windscreen but up there makes it much more stealth. Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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