The Dodge Turns the Big Twenty (Part 2) – Back Up Camera Time!

To rehash: the Dodge is getting older, I’m driving more, and I think it is time I should have some pretty and shiny stuff in life. I’ve earned it. And I don’t need to wear a dress that shows my shoulders.

Well, make that modern functionality. The Dodge is a big boy, and I’m tired of using my mirrors every time I have to back up (it seems parking spaces keep getting smaller….)

Now backup cameras in cars were first introduced into the US market as an option. In 1991. For …… Nissan’s flagship Infiniti Q45 sedan. Wow. A LONG time ago.

And since 2018, these cameras have become required for all vehicles sold in the US and Canada. All thanks to those great people in government that want to save us from ourselves (who also made those pain-in-the-ass tire pressure monitors required in 2007).

I looked into what the aftermarket had to offer a while back. But I didn’t want to splice into the wiring harness to provide power to the camera. Or run a wire to the monitor in the cab. But it looks like the technology has been evolving.

So I picked up a kit to try out. The camera is wireless AND battery-powered. Hmmmmm. The monitor runs off a USB-C and the standard 12-volt port.

The quality and refresh rate seems workable. And who can go wrong with the green/yellow/red lines to follow?

The camera is a simple water-tight bar that is meant to use the license plate frame bolts. Yeah, I don’t like this for two reasons.

The first is obvious. At least in the state of WA, this is going to partially cover the year and month tabs. Probably wouldn’t trigger (as a primary) traffic stop, but who wants to pull the thing off just to stick on new tabs?

Secondly, the internal rechargeable battery has its USB-C charge port on the BACK side of the camera. Kind of a pain to pull it off just to charge the thing occasionally.

My solution was to mount some rare earth Neodymium magnet discs to the back of the camera. Six seemed like enough. I gave them a vinyl cover so as not to scratch the paint.

I like the angle of a little higher mount for backing, and the camera integrates fairly well in the tailgate style lines.

With ample clearance for the gate to drop, I ran some tests and liked the view from the cab monitor.

As for the monitor, I don’t want to just glue it on the dash. A backup camera is not something you use all of the time. So I wanted to integrate it into the interior configuration in a way that didn’t stand out too much and is removable.

So I made this mount to slip into the sunglass holder under the radio console. Took a couple of precise cuts from the compound miter saw.

I wanted to keep the magnetic attachment plate on the back of the monitor, so went with a steel washer and some more neo-magnets.

After some testing, I found where I wanted the display to sit. Still have more playing around to do, but the angle is right and it pretty much is out of my way. Good for the occasional use I expect. Can tweak more as I go.

I found a nice short USB cord with elbows. Keeps me from having wires dangling everywhere. A bonus is the adapter I’m using in the cigarette socket has a secondary USB-C port so I can charge my phone at the same time.

Bonus x2 is it shows the current voltage of the truck. So next time my alternator or voltage regulator fails, I’ll be the first to know!

It’s pretty cool being able to back up the truck now without having to swing the head from mirror to mirror. Although I still do of course. But how could I make this little camera setup truly universal?

Well, since the camera itself has a self-contained rechargeable battery, what would happen if I did the same thing for the monitor?

It didn’t take long to find a sleek and compact 10,000mAh power bank on eBay that was about the same size as the monitor/display.

Using some two-part epoxy that adheres to both metal and plastic well, I bonded a large metal washer to the front and back.

By adding a few more neo magnets, I can now actually sandwich the power bank between the magnetic mount and the monitor screen. Pretty cool.

The washer spacing between the monitor and the power bank was just enough to rap the excess power cord for a nice and neat finish.

And because I bought some extra USB-C cables with 90-degree ends, I get a fairly streamlined display/power package.

The magnetic suction cup window sucker base can be put pretty much anywhere. I just threw it in the middle for testing. I figured Nancy’s Santa Fe was a good beta vehicle for the proof of concept. That and I don’t have another vehicle to test it on. After all, if need a backup camera in a Nissan Figaro, you should be walking.

And as you can see, it worked like a charm. The rear hatch has a curve to it, so the camera is too high. Amazing what I can do with a lot of very strong little magnets! Best magic in the world. Second only to mirrors. Those two things fascinate the curiosity of my ever-present child within.

So now I have a truly universal backup camera that I can attach to any vehicle. The battery life for the camera itself is about ten months to a year and recharges in about three hours.

The power bank for the monitor will last probably longer, given that the camera currently only fires on for ninety seconds at a time. And I drive forward a lot more than back up.

Just can’t wait to see where I can try out next. Who knows, maybe it will be something really really cool. One thing I AM sure of: is that it will be another post!