ND-BC2 use w/ 5th wheel RV

[kingclan]

Hello,

 

I just purchased a Z2 package which included the ND-BC2. I would like to mount it on the rear of my 5th wheel camper to monitor our bikes on the rear (I have this fear I'll lose them and cause a massive pileup) and help when backing into campsite (since my wife doesn't get the fact if she can't see me in the mirrors, I can't see her). Anyway, has anyone done this?

 

I've got a few questions.

 

1) It is better/easier to extend the RCA portion of the cable or the Pioneer "proprietary" portion (after the power supply)?

 

2) Should I power it from inside the vehicle or from the camper? If I do from the camper, I think I'll put a switch to turn if off when not in use. Does continuous power to the camera's shorten their life?

 

3) Does anyone have a good example/idea how to make a quick connect/disconnect at the truck (like the 7 way trailer plug) for a camera connection? I'd thought of using a 4 way trailer plug for this. Would that affect video quality?

 

Thanks for any ideas!

Chris

[propman07]

Hello-

 

1) My guess would be to extend the connection after the Pioneer power supply. This would be easier to do, although I don't know how far you plan on extending the connection.

 

2) I would power it from inside of the vehicle.

 

3) I think that if you wired it into a 4 way plug, that should not affect the video quality. Give it a try, and post back on how things work out.

 

Good luck.

[kingclan]

Thanks for the reply. I will follow your suggestions on the power and extending the video connection. My guess is I'll need to extend the connection about 35-40' to reach the back of the trailer from the back of the truck.

 

I will work on putting this together and let you know how it works out.

 

Thanks again!

Chris

[kingclan]

Just a follow-up to let you know how this worked out.

 

I used 4 conductor 18 gauge stranded cable to extend the video camera to mount on the rear of the camper. I cut the molex (I think) connector off of the lead going to the camera. I soldered it onto one end of the cable and ran the cable from the interface box inside the dash, back along the frame rail to the bed stake pocket. I mounted a 4-way trailer connector there and soldered the cable to 3 pins of my choosing (pos, neg and video (I assume).

 

I mounted the camera high on the center of the rear of the trailer. I ran the camera lead through existing molding along the rear of the trailer to one corner, down the corner and under the trailer.

 

There I soldered the remaining camera lead to my "extension" cable. I ran the completed cable along the underside of the trailer and up and through the pin box. There I left myself about 6' of excess and soldered the other end of the 4-way trailer connector to it. I shrink-wrapped everything and put most of it all in wire loom.

 

It works great! No loose of video quaility compared to the factory setup (short cable) and it is very helpful to have a rear view to keep track of the bikes and see when it is safe to backup at fuel stops and such.

 

Now when I hitch up I just connect the normal 7-way for my lights/brakes/battery and then this new 4-way for the camera.

 

Thanks for the advice propman.

 

Chris

[propman07]

Hey Chris-

 

It sounds like you got it to work out. I'm glad that there was no loss of video quality. Pretty slick idea, if you ask me, to use the 4 way trailer connector.

 

Good job, and thanks for posting back your success story.