A backup camera for $50!!!!!!!!!!!

[94BULLITT]

I've added three pics of my installed monitor to give folks an idea of the quality of the images I'm getting. Monitor and camera are the ones Roger linked to at the top of this thread.

The pics were taken with the tractor idling, with a cell-phone camera in bright sunlight (cabbed tractor). The implement under the guide lines is a box blade. The horse trailer in the second pic was about 25-30 feet away. The monitor is mounted to the dash/cowling with four small screws, using the mount that came with the monitor. I sandwiched the included neoprene pad between the dash and mount, but left the protective paper on the dash-side so as not to make it permanent. No idea how long a $28 monitor will last! BTW, vibration has surprisingly not been an issue at all for me, even at full throttle over rough terrain. YMMV.

Thanks for sharing the pictures. I have been wanting to take some pictures of the monitor with objects at different distances so people could so the quality of the monitor but your pictures are great.

 

[PILOON]

A while back I said that I'd mount a camera since you guys planted the seed.
It is done!
I used the self adhesive swivel base that came with the monitor and stuck it center on my glass windshield.
Again using 3M sticky I rear high mounted the camera with a little mini roof to keep snow off of the camera as my main usage will be to blow snow this winter without getting a sore neck.
Results are as expected, good view bright etc.
Was also pleased to find that I could use a previous owned camera for a front mounting maybe on the bucket for using with the forks.
I did have to lengthen come wires and find a suitable connector to mate the power input.
I powered up and test drove satisfactorily.
My only concern is cold weather as I did notice the 'operating temp range' to be outside of our cold Quebec winters but on the other hand that might just not be a problem as it could be that testing was done down to that low a temp, also I have heat in my cab. Time will tell.
No pics but if I did they are just like what were shown by 3point..

I had to order directly from China as Amazon would not ship to Canada.
As they stated shipping was about 20 days but it arrived in my mail box 'duty and tax free' for a total cost of a tad over $55.

 

[PILOON]

duplicated on its own!

 

[Threepoint]

I was thinking about trying this monitor: Amazon.com: 800x480 Resolution 7 Inch Widescreen In-Car LCD Monitor Compatible with Headrest or Stand: Computers & Accessories Pretty much the same one, but the resolution is now doubled to 800x480. Thoughts?

Cord, did you get your original monitor sorted out, or try the higher-resolution one you linked too? I'm quite happy with the sharpness of my 480 x 234 model for $28, but now that I see how well the system works, the second one looks like an even better way to go for just $21 more. Wondering if there might be any trade off in functionality with the higher resolution, other than initial cost. Probably uses slightly more power, but that shouldn't be an issue with a tractor or truck.

 

[Threepoint]

A while back I said that I'd mount a camera since you guys planted the seed.
It is done!
I used the self adhesive swivel base that came with the monitor and stuck it center on my glass windshield.
Again using 3M sticky I rear high mounted the camera with a little mini roof to keep snow off of the camera as my main usage will be to blow snow this winter without getting a sore neck.
Results are as expected, good view bright etc.
Was also pleased to find that I could use a previous owned camera for a front mounting maybe on the bucket for using with the forks.
I did have to lengthen come wires and find a suitable connector to mate the power input.
I powered up and test drove satisfactorily.
My only concern is cold weather as I did notice the 'operating temp range' to be outside of our cold Quebec winters but on the other hand that might just not be a problem as it could be that testing was done down to that low a temp, also I have heat in my cab. Time will tell.
No pics but if I did they are just like what were shown by 3point..

I had to order directly from China as Amazon would not ship to Canada.
As they stated shipping was about 20 days but it arrived in my mail box 'duty and tax free' for a total cost of a tad over $55.

Piloon, well done! Curious to see how well the self-adhesive neoprene pad stays stuck to the windshield glass over time.

Until you mentioned it, I hadn't thought to look at the operating temperature range for the monitor. It will be interesting to see what effect really cold weather has on operation, since the range is 0 to 80 C (32 to 176 F), and "storage" range (not sure what that means) is -10 to 80 C (14 to 176 F).

 

[Fallon]

LCDs get really sluggish or stop working when cold. Liquid Crystal Display... You can imagine what happens to the liquid part in the cold. Never seen one die from cold but have seen a good few not work until they warm up.

 

[breadtrk]

This is why Cab guys have them and the Hot/Cold guys don't.

 

[Threepoint]

This is why Cab guys have them and the Hot/Cold guys don't.

Now that I see how well the monitor works for less than $30 in a cab, I'd be inclined to try it with an open station. The big problems would be moisture and dust. Temperature wise, only the lower end of the operating range would a factor vs. cab use, 32 F in the case of that particular monitor. Below that, there would be a fall off in performance as the liquid crystals become more sluggish. But that still leaves lots of days in the year when it would be nice to have.

Out of curiosity, I've slipped a clear baggy over my monitor to see how it affects resolution. Surprisingly it's still excellent. The camera itself is waterproof, with an operating range of -4 F to 140 F.

 

[Threepoint]

Cord, did you get your original monitor sorted out, or try the higher-resolution one you linked too? I'm quite happy with the sharpness of my 480 x 234 model for $28, but now that I see how well the system works, the second one looks like an even better way to go for just $21 more. Wondering if there might be any trade off in functionality with the higher resolution, other than initial cost. Probably uses slightly more power, but that shouldn't be an issue with a tractor or truck.

Further to my quoted post, I've studied the features on the higher-resolution monitor again, and realize that it doesn't seem to support two video cameras. If not, that's a pretty big trade-off for anyone who thinks they might want to add a second camera for the FEL.

 

[twotater]

I really like this idea. Great job.