FYI - it's possible to add a reverse camera for $20.

[MmmDieselFumes]

I ordered and installed my beat-sonic camera kit this weekend, but couldn't get the dang thing to turn on. Thanks for posting those pictures, I might try your wiring method to cut down on the wires and see if I can get the dang thing to work.

A couple questions though:

1.) On your reverse trigger wire, you only need to run one from the Pink wire at the connection by the kick panel to the 2nd from the right (top row) pin? Is this a "hot" (12v) wire, or is it just supplying a closed signal? I'd be nice to figure out a way to force the head-unit into "reverse-mode" to test what component in my setup is giving me grief.

2.) The two RCA wires plugged into the empty plug is whatever just what supplies the video signal to the headunit (ideally, I could plug in any working RCA signal [ie, a dvd player] just to test that the signal is working?

3.) The camera is essentially powered all the time when the ignition is on (to where I can run the hot & ground to somewhere closer to the trunk lid, instead of trying to run the power wires all the way to the head unit)?

Just trying to figure out some ways of testing what the heck is going on with my own system...

Thanks!

[SloS13]

Originally Posted by MmmDieselFumes

1.) On your reverse trigger wire, you only need to run one from the Pink wire at the connection by the kick panel to the 2nd from the right (top row) pin? Is this a "hot" (12v) wire, or is it just supplying a closed signal? I'd be nice to figure out a way to force the head-unit into "reverse-mode" to test what component in my setup is giving me grief.

I started out trying to use the pink wire but if you read through the thread, for whatever reason my pink wire was constant 12v in ACC whether I was in reverse or not, so instead I used the reverse light wire for this purpose.

Originally Posted by MmmDieselFumes

2.) The two RCA wires plugged into the empty plug is whatever just what supplies the video signal to the headunit (ideally, I could plug in any working RCA signal [ie, a dvd player] just to test that the signal is working?

You are correct, as long as the HU is getting the 12v telling it it's in reverse.

Originally Posted by MmmDieselFumes

3.) The camera is essentially powered all the time when the ignition is on (to where I can run the hot & ground to somewhere closer to the trunk lid, instead of trying to run the power wires all the way to the head unit)?

Yes. You can pull 12v from the stereo amplifier. In the near future, I'm going to get the 6v from the head unit to relay the 12v from the amplifier with a relay, so the camera is only on when the car is in reverse.

[MmmDieselFumes]

Originally Posted by SloS13

I started out trying to use the pink wire but if you read through the thread, for whatever reason my pink wire was constant 12v in ACC whether I was in reverse or not, so instead I used the reverse light wire for this purpose.

You are correct, as long as the HU is getting the 12v telling it it's in reverse.

Yes. You can pull 12v from the stereo amplifier. In the near future, I'm going to get the 6v from the head unit to relay the 12v from the amplifier with a relay, so the camera is only on when the car is in reverse.

Awesome, thanks a ton Slo! Gonna try messing with it tomorrow. Thanks again!

[ecko04]

So who's mass producing the harnesses so I can order one?

[MmmDieselFumes]

Anyone see any issues with my wiring that are just dead obvious? Trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with my beatsonic camera setup. I know the reverse signal is hooked up right, and giving voltage, but for some reason it's not throwing my headunit into reverse-camera-display-mode!

[SloS13]

Originally Posted by MmmDieselFumes

Anyone see any issues with my wiring that are just dead obvious? Trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with my beatsonic camera setup. I know the reverse signal is hooked up right, and giving voltage, but for some reason it's not throwing my headunit into reverse-camera-display-mode!

What's with the weird voltages? Is the HU running off of 8v? and only 3.5v making it to the rear?

[MmmDieselFumes]

Originally Posted by SloS13

What's with the weird voltages? Is the HU running off of 8v? and only 3.5v making it to the rear?

I think that beatsonic harness is supposed to bring the 12vdc down to 6vdc for the camera (the little black circuit board that the red and white wires come out of), in which case the 8vdc is probably alright... See how it's still showing 8vdc after the fuse (heading from the HU to the camera)? Well somewhere between the fuse and the 4-pin connector, it drops down to that 3.5vdc. I dunno if the little 4pin connector has another rectifier designed to drop the "6vdc" down to 3.5vdc for the camera to run on since I have no idea what voltage the beatsonic camera is designed to run on.

BUT, I'm confused why if I have to 12v going to the reverse-signal wire on the back of the headunit, why is it not kicking it into reverse mode? It should do that right? To where if it was going into reverse mode, and my camera is bad, it should just switch to a black screen? Or am I off my rocker?

[chadstyle]

The majority of cameras work great on 6 volts...FYI.

[MmmDieselFumes]

Originally Posted by chadstyle

The majority of cameras work great on 6 volts...FYI.

I just spoke with Eric @ Beatsonic. Got some awesome info, thought I'd share it while it's still fresh in my mind.

Apparently once the car is turned on, it (need clarification on whether this is the HU or the harness) goes into "search-mode" for 30 seconds to see if there is a camera installed. If it finds one, via signal to the composite wires, it allows the reverse-signal wire to change the HU to "reverse-mode". If it (again, need clarification on HU or harness) does not see any activity on the composite wires within the first 30 seconds, it drops the voltage to 3.5v, and it will not change the HU to "reverse-mode", even if you're supplying 12v to the reverse-signal wire to the HU.

SO, what I was told to try, is the hook up the camera directly to 12v to try and get the camera to turn on, so the HU will see a signal during the "search-mode" time, and allow the HU to switch to reverse-mode.

If this test works, that means that the camera module is working, and my problem is in the harness adapter I bought. If the test fails, that means that either/both the camera and/or the harness adapter is bad.

Will go out and test this now.

[MmmDieselFumes]

Tested, still not working. But I think I found the problem area. Probably have to have beatsonic send me out a new wire for the camera.

I could probably have it working now, but unfortunately, the cable after the plug is a 4-conductor single wire, so I don't wanna cut into it, separate out the hot wire, then bypass the plug section where I'm loosing voltage...

[SloS13]

Originally Posted by MmmDieselFumes

BUT, I'm confused why if I have to 12v going to the reverse-signal wire on the back of the headunit, why is it not kicking it into reverse mode? It should do that right? To where if it was going into reverse mode, and my camera is bad, it should just switch to a black screen? Or am I off my rocker?

I believe the HU needs to see a "valid" video signal within the first 30 seconds of IG in order for it to display video. You can test this with any device that outputs on RCA.


I tested my camera on my TV before I wired it up, using a UPS battery. If you need 6v, you could use 4xAA, or maybe 2 lipo/life4po cells....or 2xAA and 2xD, or 3xD and 1AAA, or run 120VAC to a 24VDC inverter and regulate it down to 6v with several dozen LEDs. Or if you have an old alternator, hook it up to that and hook up like a stationary bicycle to it with some twine but don't pedal too fast.

[NYCsubaruBRZ]

what kind of video connection does the stock brz head unit have? is it rca? vga? 4pin?