Question on replacing backup camera the lazy way

[wowly]

Own a 03 Runner. Old backup worked greatly until recently it crapped out. Bought a cheap Amazon replacement. Did not feel like to take out the head unit and all that, so simply cut the existing feed wire and new camera wire.

There are 3 inner wires, red/black/yellow. Old and new matched. Soldered the wires (see picture) per their color. Turned on the unit and no picture. Just a black screen :shrug:. I know the camera has power because it's quite hot. Put in reverse, the same blank screen (with normal warning words by Pioneer). Reset the head unit, still no picture. Anyone tried replacing the backup camera and ran into similar issue?

My old backup camera is BOYO/Vision VTL300. New camera is Yanees.

Image is here:
IMG-9257 — ImgBB

 

[ElectroBoy]

Own a 03 Runner. Old backup worked greatly until recently it crapped out. Bought a cheap Amazon replacement. Did not feel like to take out the head unit and all that, so simply cut the existing feed wire and new camera wire.

There are 3 inner wires, red/black/yellow. Old and new matched. Soldered the wires (see picture) per their color. Turned on the unit and no picture. Just a black screen :shrug:. I know the camera has power because it's quite hot. Put in reverse, the same blank screen (with normal warning words by Pioneer). Reset the head unit, still no picture. Anyone tried replacing the backup camera and ran into similar issue?

My old backup camera is BOYO/Vision VTL300. New camera is Yanees.

Image is here:
IMG-9257 — ImgBB

First of all, you need to know if you actually have a known good camera. You should have connected it and it’s cable harness directly into your head unit to test it. If you didn’t do that you don’t really know where your original failure is. But most likely it was a faulty camera.

Are you sure your soldering job is good? And the connections are correct? The camera should have power/Gnd leads and a coaxial cable (with inner & outer conductors) for the video. Soldering and splicing coax isn’t easy. You sure you did this correctly?

 

[wowly]

Thanks for the feedback EB!

I ordered a replacement camera and will see.

Regarding soldering, because the previous camera (even though different brand) had the same feed wires (yellow/red/black), my assumption is that, by soldering the same colored wires together, the new camera should function.

My solder skill is not great. The wires were quite thin so it took me a while to solder them. Not perfect. I may go for solder + shrink wrap approach when the replacement arrives.

Of course, for the replacement camera, I will test if it is good before proceed.

Let me know if I miss anything. I will post updates later.

 

[MikeinNH67]

Sadly you can never trust the colors on these Chinese cameras.

 

[wowly]

Received a new camera last week and just had time to install it. It was a success.

The camera model I bought is this one:
Amazon.com: Backup Camera for Car, Niloghap Pure Copper Cable Universal HD 720P IP69K Waterproof Star Light Night Vision Rear View Parking Vehicle Camera for Car Pickup Truck SUV RV Van: Car Electronics

First thing I did was to verify the quality of the new camera. Connected the power directly to the car battery. RCA cable to an old TV. Verified!

Next it's wiring. There are too many online videos on how to take things apart. First thing I did was to confirm the existing power and RCA feed were according to the color of the wires. Once confirmed, rest is wiring. In short,
new camera's power red => existing red,
new camera's RCA yellow => existing yellow
new camera's RCA black + power black => existing black

I used combination of solder and shrink wrap. No issue this time.

If anyone is in search of replacing their existing back up camera, hope this helps.

 

[ElectroBoy]

Received a new camera last week and just had time to install it. It was a success.

The camera model I bought is this one:
Amazon.com: Backup Camera for Car, Niloghap Pure Copper Cable Universal HD 720P IP69K Waterproof Star Light Night Vision Rear View Parking Vehicle Camera for Car Pickup Truck SUV RV Van: Car Electronics

First thing I did was to verify the quality of the new camera. Connected the power directly to the car battery. RCA cable to an old TV. Verified!

Next it's wiring. There are too many online videos on how to take things apart. First thing I did was to confirm the existing power and RCA feed were according to the color of the wires. Once confirmed, rest is wiring. In short,
new camera's power red => existing red,
new camera's RCA yellow => existing yellow
new camera's RCA black + power black => existing black

I used combination of solder and shrink wrap. No issue this time.

If anyone is in search of replacing their existing back up camera, hope this helps.

Good job. Now get out there and back up. :hatsoff: