italynstylion
Well-Known Member
I've been talking about doing this for a long time. Had a few ideas of how to make it work with my Nexus 9 tablet setup but the project never really got off the ground. Recently I bought a Kenwood DMX7704S headunit because it has Android Auto, which I've grown to love. I also bought it because it has not one...but TWO camera inputs on the back of it. Combine that with the fact the Tacoma has it's own embedded rear view camera that displays in the rear view mirror (100% independent from the stereo) and this would give me 3 cameras in the truck.
Wonderful.
Great.
Good.
Now let's get to work.
Step 1: Get a good warm-up in before you start working. This includes the garage. Fucking 18 degrees outside and I don't care if the electricity bill will be high. I'm not working in the cold.
Step 2: Make some indestructible cables for your cameras. You'll need a signal cable and one for power. My cameras were cheap on Amazon but came with very long RCA style connector cables so I used those. The power cable I soldered myself. Then I wrapped the entire 15ft length of each cable in electrical tape to bind them together and protect them. I then used a flex style sheath around them to prevent any type of abrasion from wearing through the cable.
Step 3: Run those cables Ninja style. Making your own hole to exit the vehicle is effective. However, bonus points are awarded for those who find ways to use existing holes....partially because those holes come with existing grommets.
Step 4: Run your cables up to the headunit. I tapped the power from the stereo harness to run the cameras. They are so low wattage it pretty much makes no difference so there's no need to fuse them individually. This is a great time to install the headunit. Actually, that's a lie. There's no great time to install a headunit. Never. Not ever. This picture is one that reminds me of why I went with a tablet install last time. Way less wires. But whatever; progress march on.
Step 5: Start mounting cameras. I did the front one first. We'll discuss why in a moment. The front was pretty easy. I pretty much took a center spot in the lower grill section of the truck. The camera is hard to see in the picture but I promise it's there. You can see the cable terminations below the bumper ready to be finished. Once I mounted it permanently I used electrical tape on the connections followed by heat shrink. I wanted it to be water proof.....because....reasons.
Step 6: Note the placement of the orange bucket in the last picture. If using a camera with a wide angle lens you'll be able to see a LOT of the area directly below the front bumper. This is perfect for those times you're going up a steep hill and can't see anything but the sky.
Step 7: This is a work in progress and I may need some advice from y'all. I have the second cable coiled up and secured under the truck because I've not decided on placement for the camera yet. My original intent was to get a clean shot of the rear diff since it's the lowest point of the entire truck and tends to get hung up more than anything else. However, that's easier said than done. I'm looking for a good mounting point. I may even have to make one. I'm still not decided if the camera should face the rear of the truck and look at the diff so you can see objects as they approach the diff OR if I should mount it behind the diff looking forward. One thing that occurred to me is the diff moves up and down and keeping it in view could be a challenge. A possible solution to that would be to mount the camera to the diff. However, not sure how clean that would stay....
Open to feedback and happy to answer any questions you guys have. Cheers!
Wonderful.
Great.
Good.
Now let's get to work.
Step 1: Get a good warm-up in before you start working. This includes the garage. Fucking 18 degrees outside and I don't care if the electricity bill will be high. I'm not working in the cold.
Step 2: Make some indestructible cables for your cameras. You'll need a signal cable and one for power. My cameras were cheap on Amazon but came with very long RCA style connector cables so I used those. The power cable I soldered myself. Then I wrapped the entire 15ft length of each cable in electrical tape to bind them together and protect them. I then used a flex style sheath around them to prevent any type of abrasion from wearing through the cable.
Step 3: Run those cables Ninja style. Making your own hole to exit the vehicle is effective. However, bonus points are awarded for those who find ways to use existing holes....partially because those holes come with existing grommets.
Step 4: Run your cables up to the headunit. I tapped the power from the stereo harness to run the cameras. They are so low wattage it pretty much makes no difference so there's no need to fuse them individually. This is a great time to install the headunit. Actually, that's a lie. There's no great time to install a headunit. Never. Not ever. This picture is one that reminds me of why I went with a tablet install last time. Way less wires. But whatever; progress march on.
Step 5: Start mounting cameras. I did the front one first. We'll discuss why in a moment. The front was pretty easy. I pretty much took a center spot in the lower grill section of the truck. The camera is hard to see in the picture but I promise it's there. You can see the cable terminations below the bumper ready to be finished. Once I mounted it permanently I used electrical tape on the connections followed by heat shrink. I wanted it to be water proof.....because....reasons.
Step 6: Note the placement of the orange bucket in the last picture. If using a camera with a wide angle lens you'll be able to see a LOT of the area directly below the front bumper. This is perfect for those times you're going up a steep hill and can't see anything but the sky.
Step 7: This is a work in progress and I may need some advice from y'all. I have the second cable coiled up and secured under the truck because I've not decided on placement for the camera yet. My original intent was to get a clean shot of the rear diff since it's the lowest point of the entire truck and tends to get hung up more than anything else. However, that's easier said than done. I'm looking for a good mounting point. I may even have to make one. I'm still not decided if the camera should face the rear of the truck and look at the diff so you can see objects as they approach the diff OR if I should mount it behind the diff looking forward. One thing that occurred to me is the diff moves up and down and keeping it in view could be a challenge. A possible solution to that would be to mount the camera to the diff. However, not sure how clean that would stay....
Open to feedback and happy to answer any questions you guys have. Cheers!
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I just hit the front camera and I saw the other side of the drop and pointed where to go. I mounted mine above the winch in front and in my rear swingout in the rear. 
