Lights, Camera, ACTION!

[mjncad]

I finally got mad at myself for letting this interrelated trio of projects languish and got it done before weed season arrives. The pictures and descriptions describe adequately what I was working on. View albums in order of links provided below. Thanks,

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjncad/FrontPosts

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjncad/Headliner

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjncad/LightsCameraACTION

 

[cubowner]

WOW Amazing job where did you learn to that kind of wiring work?

 

[mjncad]

Thanks Cubowner. That's my first wiring harness I've ever done on a vehicle. I applied and adapted a number of techniques used on buildings I've learned over the years for this application; primarily the central ground bus instead of using local chassis ground connections.

I could have done the clothesline wiring harness mock-up trick that some hot rodders use, and then build the harness on the bench; but I chose to run one wire at a time and mark it off the wiring diagram I drew up for this project. The upside to this is that I made sure each wire was long enough, and the downside is that I used a lot of cable ties at intermediate stages of installation that got cut off and discarded. Fortunately cable ties are cheap.

Now I just need to do more actual field use to dial in the lights and camera. I already think I'll be moving the camera lower, and I'll get an additional regular view camera to supplement the wide angle unit on there now.

 

[wedge40]

I just have one question. Will you come to my place and make my garage look like your's? I have to go outside just to change my mind.
I'm impressed and very jealous.
Nice job.

Wedge

 

[SkunkWerX]

mjncad,

Beautiful work!!! Looks "better than factory".

You are now in a fine position to make windshield, rear window and door panels for winter?? how about it? Future project?

 

[Hammy]

Amazing! Now all you need is navigation and you can sell your truck.

Your work really does look better then factory. Very impressive.

Craig

 

[mjncad]

I just have one question. Will you come to my place and make my garage look like your's? I have to go outside just to change my mind.
I'm impressed and very jealous.
Nice job.

Wedge

Wedge:

I want an outbuilding and one is planned for our new property as I'm tired of playing musical cars, etc to work in the garage. Anytime I work on the tractor I have to do it when my wife is at work and clean up before she gets home so she can park her car in the garage, or I have to leave my car outside. I had the loader on our back concrete patio while I was doing all of the wiring fun, and I kept expecting our worthless HOA to write me up.

Thanks for the compliment, it is most appreciated.

 

[mjncad]

mjncad,

Beautiful work!!! Looks "better than factory".

You are now in a fine position to make windshield, rear window and door panels for winter?? how about it? Future project?

That's the eventual goal...to make a cab. Now that I have a space heater I can use in the garage, I can do work out there as long as it doesn't get too cold outside as my garage is uninsulated and bare frame.

I try my best to make stuff look factory given my tool inventory. Thanks for the kudos.

 

[mjncad]

Amazing! Now all you need is navigation and you can sell your truck.

Your work really does look better then factory. Very impressive.

Craig

All my vehicles have two kinds of navigation systems...gray matter, and folding 2-D navigation (a.k.a. maps).

Thanks Craig for the kind words.

 

[MJPetersen]

WOW that was alot of very nice work. That looks just great. It will benefit you greatly that you can see what you are doing. What's next full cab and AC?

I know that making all those small parts for the front posts can be as time consuming as making big pieces.

Mike

 

[Kendrick]

Sweet job there. i hope to in the probably distant future do somthing of the likes to my tractor. If my elect tech degree teaches me enough I would put a gps & auto piolet hammy it is all a matter of expense I could put a nano-ITX pc in there hooked up to enough electronics and such it could drive its self. now if i could get it to plow the snow for me is another story. I do know it could with some work hay my field for me.

I hope to put 1 or 2 cameras in front and 2 in the back 1 lower wide angle and 1 higher narow angle. will have to see though how that works out may need to reverse that to see what i want. I am intrested in the power consumption you have going on there. Are you using leds or somthing to keep the electric needs down?

 

[mjncad]

WOW that was alot of very nice work. That looks just great. It will benefit you greatly that you can see what you are doing. What's next full cab and AC?

I know that making all those small parts for the front posts can be as time consuming as making big pieces.

Mike

I hope to build a full cab eventually. AC would be great; but I think it would be too much HP drain on the 26HP Yanmar engine. Plus there is so little room for a compressor to be installed in the engine bay. Adding heat won't be much trouble as there are plenty of aftermarket heaters out there and running the hoses wouldn't be difficult either.

 

[mjncad]

I hope to put 1 or 2 cameras in front and 2 in the back 1 lower wide angle and 1 higher narow angle. will have to see though how that works out may need to reverse that to see what i want. I am intrested in the power consumption you have going on there. Are you using leds or somthing to keep the electric needs down?

The camera on there now is a 120-degree unit, and I just ordered a 53-degree view angle camera that will supplement the wide angle one. I'd like to add a camera looking at the bucket's front edge, and side cameras for working near fence lines and the like. A bucket view camera would be tricky as it needs to be close enough to be useful, yet out of the way from falling debris, and resistant to vibration. I see Radio Shack has an A/V switch for four video inputs. The monitor I have has two video inputs, so in theory with 2 four input A/V switches I could have eight cameras hanging off the tractor. Overkill? Yes! Cool? Yes! I do know that at some point I will move the camera lower to get less of a drastic angle of view; but I want to add a top-n-tilt before I move the camera down.

Since I just got the stuff up and running, I haven't had a chance to look at the actual power consumption in detail yet. I may put LED's in the dome lights, PTO lights, flashers, and dash lights to lower the power requirements a bit. Whether the LED's would lower the power consumption enough to justify their cost is unknown at this time.

However, looking at the wiring diagram I made; the camera draws 0.16 amps, and the monitor draws between 0.77 and 0.9 amps according to the rating plates on the equipment. Each dome light draws 1.04 amps.

 

[bx24]

mjncad- Very nice!

What is / was your source for the fold down screen and cameras?

 

[mjncad]

mjncad- Very nice!

What is / was your source for the fold down screen and cameras?

Ebay, and if you would like particular store names, please let me know.

 

[bx24]

Any info would be great. What do I search on .... "fold down screens"?

 

[mjncad]

bx24:

I got the cameras from a guy calling himself Kawamall, and the monitor from a guy calling himself Visioncazone. Kawamall's ebay web site is a bit convoluted to put it politely. I haven't been to Visioncazone's ebay web site since I bought the monitor. When I was monitor shopping I looked for a monitor only with a two video inputs. I could care less about a radio and DVD player in an open station tractor.

I would search for "backup cameras" and "mobile video" and see what pops up.

Feel free to ask more questions as I'll do my best to answer them.

 

[bx24]

Thanks and I think you are missing out on a great opportunity to watch DVDs while your otherwise working. I am the same way.

Ah, if only we were women ... we could multi-task! (I won't speak about any of the other attributes that would accompany the transformation .... )

 

[mfrost]

You've got way to much time on you hands. Outstanding Job !!!!

 

[mjncad]

You've got way to much time on you hands. Outstanding Job !!!!

You're not the first person to say that, nor do I expect you to be the last.