Added a DVR to my coach for better cameras

[Suburbazine]

This is a project which has been a long time coming, the cameras on my coach were being underutilized and the Xite radio made seeing them problematic. I have the standard 360 cameras (Mito) as well as turn (Voyager) and reverse (Riverpark) cameras. The Xite actually only handles the reverse camera, all the rest are connected via an external switcher (Connexx CVS355-01). The left and right turn cameras have always been unusable, with a significant delay between engaging the turn signal and seeing a picture.

Sometimes the Xite would even crash when using the turn signals. Turns out the Connexx has multiple communication paths to the Xite, one via serial so the Xite can manually ask for turn cameras or perimeter cameras. The other path is a simple trigger wire which forces the Xite to switch to the Camera screen so the Connexx can display an image from whichever source triggered it. Turns out, Riverpark doesn't support nor approve of the communication protocols by 3rd party devices and they can directly contribute to instability of the Xite Core. In other words, there are a lot of moving parts for little benefit and big risk in Newmar's current implementation of the Xite and Connexx. With the Connexx removed, the Xite has stopped crashing on camera actions, but it's also not controlling anything besides the rear camera.

So I've been looking at ways to make it work better- which was to make it work like a proper mobile DVR and utilize all the cameras for both security and road safety. There unfortunately aren't a lot of options for this type of system, though- particularly since everything installed is analog. I eventually settled on a Chinese freight vehicle DVR that checked off all the boxes and then some.

Important features- 8 channel 1080P/720P/SD inputs, HDMI and analog outputs, compact and ability to be fitted with storage of choice. It's also got 4 channel I/O (used to trigger turn signal switching) and both Wifi and LTE connectivity. I am only using the Wifi part, but it support AT&T and T-Mobile for cellular if I ever need it. The internet connection lets me connect it to my remotely hosted server for viewing (web or mobile app) and off-site recording (a cool feature but not that useful for me).



Also, being the camera standard is analog, it makes adapting everything already in place extremely easy. My coach uses a mixture of analog Riverpark, Mito and Voyager cameras. All I need to do to bring cameras in is find (or make) an adapter to connect 2 wires. This is nice because Newmar kindly used RCA adapters at the Connexx already, so getting to the 4 pin aviation (video, audio, 12vdc) my DVR uses was very easy. I'm making Voyager to Aviation adapters for the turn signal cameras, which I am replacing with 1080P IR models.

I added an interior-mounted 1080p dashcam to the system as well- it has rather excellent nighttime performance considering the sensor is only a 1st gen Sony Starvis:




Here's a quick video showing how fast the turn signal cams can switch now (SOUND WARNING there is a LOUD buzzer, I also hadn't flipped the cameras in settings yet):
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tjwKJgmfwQYPQsGP9

The system buttons up neatly into the front cabinet on my coach. Side note for Super Star/Supreme Aire owners- the JBL amp is probably rattling around in your front cap, loose, waiting to crack the fiberglass. I mounted mine in the cabinet with the DVR:



I also took this chance to hook up an LDAC-capable Bluetooth receiver to the AV input of the Xite, vastly better sound quality than the Xite's SBC Bluetooth (no high phone volume distortion either!). I hooked the video output of the DVR to the AV input (as well as the HDMI) so I can listen to navigation/music from my phone while still being able to see the cameras. Camera control is handled by the DVR via remote or by mouse, so it's not really geared towards changing while driving. I set my camera views up pre-trip and never alter them, though.


Parts used:
JOINLGO 8-CH GPS Track 4G WiFi 1080N HDD MDVR (the brains of the operation)
JOINLGO NTSC Mode 1080P 2.0MP HD WDR Camera Non-IR (the dashcam)
DALLUX 4 PIN Female to RCA Female Cable (used to connect to existing Newmar adapters)
EKYLIN 16FT 5M Car Video Extension Cable 4-Pin Aviation (used for connecting dashcam as well as making adapter cables for side cameras)
JOINLGO NTSC Mode 1080P 2.0MP Resolution AHD HD Side Camera (turn signal camera)
InnoMaker Bluetooth 5.0 Audio Receiver (for music)



Privacy/Security Note:
This device is manufactured in mainland China, with software provided by Chinese programmers. The seller (JOINLGO) provides a "free" server hosted in mainland China that the unit comes programmed to send data to once connected to the internet. I have briefly assessed mine for "bad behavior" after setting up my own management server using the management software provided by JOINLGO. The DVR only sends traffic to the assigned server in its internal settings with no additional traffic detected so far. The server software also seems to be "clean" with no unknown connections happening. The same goes for the mobile application, at least the Android version as I haven't tested the Apple version. I would not recommend using the "free" server as your data is wholly out of your control and open for aggressive Chinese intelligence gathering. With the comprehensive nature of this DVR, that's a lot of surface area to expose, including your camera footage, location and audio if you install microphones or audio-capable cameras.

[PNWGirl]

This was a fascinating read!!

I am looking to replace my backup camera but also add a camera on each side and one in front. The camera and monitor that I have is OEM.

I am going to AK next year and would like a dash cam that records in 4K to a DVR or to an external SSD. I've no idea if such a beast even exists

I hope that you will keep posting your changes. I am very interesting in reading them.

[RTTLPWR]

Thanks for the great write-up. Looking to implement pretty much the same functionality and this looks straight forward. And thank you for the parts list.


So did you replace the turn signal (Voyager) cameras, but retain all the others?
Does the Connexx still exist in your system?
Do you have a simple wiring diagram/overview of where the components fit in?
'21 Ventana, not a Superstar, but hoping the Newmar components should be "somewhat" similar.

[Suburbazine]

Originally Posted by RTTLPWR

Thanks for the great write-up. Looking to implement pretty much the same functionality and this looks straight forward. And thank you for the parts list.


So did you replace the turn signal (Voyager) cameras, but retain all the others?
Does the Connexx still exist in your system?
Do you have a simple wiring diagram/overview of where the components fit in?
'21 Ventana, not a Superstar, but hoping the Newmar components should be "somewhat" similar.

Correct, I replaced only the Voyager turn signal cameras. They are pretty low quality considering how ridiculously expensive they are. The wire is also problematic as I found, the connection is "weatherproof" except it's not. They have a single o-ring inside that doesn't seal well at all while the alien design on the locking connector precludes adding tape. One of mine was heavily corroded inside (2 years old) and the other was leaking but not yet corroded. The Voyager wire is actually pretty nice, has independent mesh shielding for the video wire along with +12v, negative and audio wires. The Chinese 4-pin aviation wires are nowhere near as nice, with just 4 wires and a foil shield around all of them.

I wound up making adapters from Voyager to Aviation out of IP68 Ethernet connectors, worked out quite nicely. Was a bit difficult to align just 4 wires into 8 holes, but the connectors are shielded and work great. I could even make conversion to CAT6a and just run a very standard shielded wire to every camera position and make an adapter for it.

The Connexx no longer exists, it's fully removed from the system. The incoming trigger wires for Right/Left have all been moved to the trigger inputs on the DVR, which is then programmed to switch video view on demand. I did not map the reverse to a camera input as the rear view is still on the Xite, the camera uses a funky digital+power proprietary communication over coax and I haven't figured out how to replace it yet. I do have the trigger wire between the Xite and DVR Alarm Out connected, but I disabled it because I would rather choose when to see the cameras and when to not see the cameras.

I made a basic diagram for the 8CH DVR, the 4CH version would only have less camera inputs. The 4CH has an advantage over the 8CH in that it can record full 1080P per camera instead of 1080N, the 8CH is processor limited and capped to the lower resolution.