Well, I completed the camera install on the rig Saturday. The install was not too bad, after a few initial problems. Replacing the rear camera was easy, just unplug the b/w camera and plug in the color cam. Removing the dash cover was easy (thanks to the advice I got here) and removal of the old monitor was easy. The b/w monitor was huge compared to the new LCD monitor.
One of the problems came when I inspected the back of the two monitors. The new monitor plug was way different, and came with a relay box that all of the various cords plugged into. I have to say that the instruction manual that came with the new system left a lot to be desired. It only showed how the new system hooked up, with no reference as to where the needed wires would come from. IE: there are three "trigger" leads that connect to the relay box, and all are specifically marked. However, nothing indicates what wire or circut is going to supply the needed power to connect to that trigger. So if you need a lead from a left turn signal to hook to the left turn trigger, you are on your own to figure out what wire is going to supply that power.
Forutately, Winnebago took care of that for me. I already had to cut off the power lead to the old monitor to hook up the new configured plug which was completely different. Winne had tagged all of the leads as to which was power, ground, and reverse trigger, so the hook up was pretty straight forward.
The turn signal triggers gave me heart burn for a while until I realized that Winne had a seperate set of leads taped to the existing power leads for the old monitor. A quick check with a tester confirmed that I had power in the leads when I turned on the turn signal. What a relief!! I cut off the existing plug and connected them to the new trigger leads to the new relay.
The next issue was how to mount the new monitor in the old monitor space. The old monitor has a huge metal bracket that held the deep tube monitor in the propper position. It is so substantial that Winne uses portions of that bracket to support various other dash mounted switches and braces. Included with the new Voyager system is a mounting suppport with a square mounting plate on both sides. A swivel joint and a thumb screw are in the middle to facilitate mounting the monitor at any angle. To provide the solid surface for the mount, I cut a 2" by 7" piece of hardwood and screwed it into the existing bracket side supports. I attached the new mount to the back of the LCD monitor, and positioned it so it was snug against the top of the opening left by the old b/w monitor. When I snapped on the "sun visor" that is supplied on the top of the LCD monitor, it fit perfectly in the opening, as far as width is concerned. It did however leave about a 3/4" gap at the bottom of the monitor that I have not figured out what to do with yet.
Note: the wood shelf I used to mount the bracket that holds the monitor provided an excellent place to mount the 3"X5"X1" relay box that all of the various cables mount into. I mounted the relay box to the bottom of the shelf prior installing the shelf into the existing bracket. It made it simple to hook up the 5 cables necessary to run the system.
The last part was mounting the side cams. I had some head scratching moments trying to figure out where to mount the fairly long (approx 4") camera pods. I settled on mounting them just under the level of the headlights. It made for a simple install, as the holes were drilled into the front cap and made the wires accessable from the bottom of the RV. To ensure that the mounting location was going to be acceptable before I drilled the holes, I taped the cameras to the side of the MH and hooked them up to the monitor so I could test the field of view. The location worked great, and the field of view that the cameras provide is amazing. To run the camera leads into the dash area of the RV, I drilled a hole into the bottom of the 12 volt access panel that sits just above the generator. I encased the camera leads in plastic wire sheaths, and filled the extra space in the bottom of the 12 volt access panel with expanding foam.
The whole project took about 8 hours to do by myself, and if I had to do it again could be done in half the time. This is great mod, and buying the system from RV Cams.com was reasonable. Hope this helps if anyone else is thinking of upgrading your existing system.
Sarge
Linear Mode
