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pilsburypie



Member Since: 19 Jul 2021
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 173

United Kingdom 2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Corris Grey
Reverse camera not automatic
I’ve had a mission installing my kenwood dmx5020dabs head unit….. more to come on that….

I purchased the optimill number plate light camera and the “piggy back loom”

It’s wired into the reverse light, and seems to work when I select camera from the head unit then put it in reverse. But not automatically. I was hoping no matter what screen I was on, it would automatically go to camera when put in reverse. Am I missing something. Reverse clearly triggers the signal because if I select camera and I’m not in reverse I get no signal.

Picture is a bit average… some interference lines. But, heegh, if I could get it to auto come on I’d be happy
Post #938161 18th Jan 2022 1:36pm
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Martin
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Member Since: 02 Apr 2007
Location: Hook Norton
Posts: 6480

United Kingdom 2015 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Montalcino Red
Is the reverse light signal wired to the purple/white wire on the headunit?  1988 90 Td5 NAS soft top
2015 D90 XS SW
Post #938162 18th Jan 2022 1:45pm
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pilsburypie



Member Since: 19 Jul 2021
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 173

United Kingdom 2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Corris Grey
Kind of yes…. The optimill main wiring is a single rca cable that plugs into the rear harness and the back of the head unit. There is a thin little red wire a few inches long that sticks out this yellow rca plug. On the head unit end it’s connected to the purple reverse wire. At the back, that wire is connected to nothing! Not sure on that bit….. should that single red wire go anywhere?

However, as mentioned, there is definitely a reverse trigger going on somewhere as when I select camera from the menu there is no signal till I put the car into reverse.

Click image to enlarge
Post #938173 18th Jan 2022 3:15pm
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rallysteve



Member Since: 10 Feb 2014
Location: Cumbria
Posts: 2199

United Kingdom 2002 Defender 110 Td5 DCPU Keswick Green
By the sounds of it you have connected the power supply of the camera to the reversing light. That little red wire needs to also be connected to the reversing light circuit so the head unit gets the reverse signal to switch source too.

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Post #938174 18th Jan 2022 3:20pm
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pilsburypie



Member Since: 19 Jul 2021
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 173

United Kingdom 2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Corris Grey
Right. So just connect that little red wire to the reverse light red wire?
Post #938175 18th Jan 2022 3:25pm
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Martin
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Member Since: 02 Apr 2007
Location: Hook Norton
Posts: 6480

United Kingdom 2015 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Montalcino Red
yes  1988 90 Td5 NAS soft top
2015 D90 XS SW
Post #938177 18th Jan 2022 3:37pm
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pilsburypie



Member Since: 19 Jul 2021
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 173

United Kingdom 2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Corris Grey
I’ll do that later and report back. Thumbs Up
Post #938179 18th Jan 2022 4:00pm
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custom90



Member Since: 21 Jan 2010
Location: South West, England.
Posts: 19572

United Kingdom 
On mine I have a supply to it so I can have it always on, but there is a trigger also which detects reverse to put it on the HU.

If I remover rightly the supply is ignition live so only on with ignition and the the trigger goes to the HU rear.
So that on the HU you can select camera to be on say for a trailer without reverse selected and also triggered so when reverse is selected it puts it on screen automatically.

So ignition fused live (only on with ignition to camera) and fused reverse trigger to HU rear harness.

That red wire is the supply connection, if you connect that to reverse you’ll be powering the camera by the reverse power supply and only when reverse is selected and you’ll have no auto trigger to the head as that connection is in the harness to the rear of the HU.

That’s what I remember.
So you need a trigger fused from reverse to the HU rear harness connection and a ignition live fused feed to the camera to power it.

My system is fairly complicated but you can have the camera only with HU on by using a relay from a fused ignition switches supply and switched and triggered by the blue (fused) remote off the rear of the HU.
The camera will likely only need a 1A or 2A fuse. The HU blue remote 12v switching would be best 250mA glass cartridge fast blow fused at the back of the HU.
Which will protect the HU circuits, and handle the single relay coil load of typically under 180mA.

For your purposes I would power camera from ignition on fused supply somewhere, and take a fused trigger feed from the reverse to the HU rear.
Then you will have camera always on with ignition, so you can put it on with HU manually and will come on screen auto with reverse selected.

Only difference with my own is that the camera will only come of if the HU is on when I want it which just saves a small bit of power and also I have a separate isolating switch too which is for various reasons so I can power up my Head Unit without Amps being on and all sorts of other items.
The HU rear harness wiring details will be in the manual you had with it or online if you look it up.
The wire is ‘reverse’, I think on mine it was purple but check in manual**

This is live, so fuse near reverse light say 1A then run and connect to this HU rear connection.
It just tells the HU to display the camera on screen as it detects reverse being selected by the live feed. Diesel$ Live$ Matter. ⛽️🛢️👨‍🔧🧰⚙️ RED, WHITE & BOOST! 🇬🇧
Post #938182 18th Jan 2022 4:12pm
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pilsburypie



Member Since: 19 Jul 2021
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 173

United Kingdom 2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Corris Grey
Thanks custom90steve. I’m going to have to reread that a few times I think.

If I have to run more wires it will be a shame. I bought the harness thinking it was a “plug and play” option.
Post #938190 18th Jan 2022 4:45pm
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Martin
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Member Since: 02 Apr 2007
Location: Hook Norton
Posts: 6480

United Kingdom 2015 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Montalcino Red
Your piggy back loom at the back powers the camera up when the gearbox is in reverse. Which is why you only get a camera signal in reverse. The camera powers up and video comes through which is great!

However you *also* need to pass that reverse signal to the headunit, so it automatically changes to the reverse camera view.

That's what the red wire does.

Currently, it's only connected to the headunit end, so the headunit doesn't have an input to switch to the reverse cam.

You need to take the loose red end which is at the camera end, and connect it to the red from the Optimill piggy back loom so it is *also* powered by the reverse signal.  1988 90 Td5 NAS soft top
2015 D90 XS SW


Last edited by Martin on 18th Jan 2022 4:54pm. Edited 1 time in total
Post #938192 18th Jan 2022 4:52pm
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pilsburypie



Member Since: 19 Jul 2021
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 173

United Kingdom 2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Corris Grey
custom90steve wrote:
That red wire is the supply connection, if you connect that to reverse you’ll be powering the camera by the reverse power supply and only when reverse is selected and you’ll have no auto trigger to the head as that connection is in the harness to the rear of the HU.


If it’s connected one end to the head unit purple reverse wire and I then connect the back end to the red reverse light cable won’t that then be like the trigger? The camera clearly has power when reverse is engaged from the piggy back loom purchased with the optimill camera. I’m not so fussed about being always on. Just when reversing and ideally automatically.
Post #938193 18th Jan 2022 4:52pm
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pilsburypie



Member Since: 19 Jul 2021
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 173

United Kingdom 2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Corris Grey
Martin wrote:
Your piggy back loom at the back powers the camera up when the gearbox is in reverse. Which is why you only get a camera signal in reverse.

You *also* need to pass that signal to the headunit, so it automatically changes to the reverse camera view.

That's what the red wire does.

Currently, it's only connected to the headunit end, so the headunit doesn't know to switch to the reverse cam.

You need to connect the loose red end which is the camera end, and connect it to the red from the Optimill piggy back loom so it is *also* powered by the reverse signal.


Think this is my first port of call.
Post #938194 18th Jan 2022 4:54pm
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custom90



Member Since: 21 Jan 2010
Location: South West, England.
Posts: 19572

United Kingdom 
Yes, if you want it that way but only if you’ve got LED reverse light as you are adding an extra load.
It isn’t much but you are adding a further current draw to the circuit. (Though there is probably just enough current headroom available).
Luckily reverse cameras are low current draw, but it would be best if you have LED-reversing lights (ideally) as they draw low current too well below the factory fitted filament bulbs current draw.

You can always change the wiring if you ever wanted, but the HU does need to sense like Martin says that reverse is selected which has the effect of auto turning on the video input onto the HU’s screen.

I took my reverse trigger via a loom that paulmc made up kindly for me on here from the rear plug and play, some others tap into the reverse switch up front but I’m not so keen on that but the choice is yours.

Martin knows more on the specs of the factory wiring than I do, what you are intending to do should be okay you just need the addition of the signal sense from the reverse power supply to the HU rear. Diesel$ Live$ Matter. ⛽️🛢️👨‍🔧🧰⚙️ RED, WHITE & BOOST! 🇬🇧
Post #938199 18th Jan 2022 5:40pm
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Martin
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Member Since: 02 Apr 2007
Location: Hook Norton
Posts: 6480

United Kingdom 2015 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Montalcino Red
A camera will be of the order of 1-2W of additional load, or 5-10% extra on top of a single filament reverse lamp.

Not a problem to add it to the reverse light as your piggy-back loom from Optimill is doing.  1988 90 Td5 NAS soft top
2015 D90 XS SW
Post #938233 18th Jan 2022 9:33pm
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pilsburypie



Member Since: 19 Jul 2021
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 173

United Kingdom 2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Corris Grey
Well done chaps. Simply splicing that red wire in to the reverse red wire has done the trick. Camera on auto when reverse selected.

Thanks all for your great advice. What forums are about. Thumbs Up
Post #938251 18th Jan 2022 11:00pm
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