mikejkay Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I am posting this as a separate post so that it is easier to find. RESULT! Just had an email from Hobby to confirm that 2014 onwards Siestas have pre-installed wiring (which I knew). B-) The bit that I didn't know was the the wires terminate beneath the glove compartment in the dash on the passenger side. Four screws, lift out the glove compartment, grovel about a bit and bingo! The email stated that the cable is gray (sic) but the one I found is black. Terminates in a 4 pin female plug similar to those used on cameras and TV's. Now all I have to do is finfd the other (rear) end and work out how to attach the signal wires to my dash display :Dks to Hobby P.S. Full marks to Hobby for providing the answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 The relevant Hobby brochure says "Third brake light and preparation for reversing camera The third braking light in LED technology ensures safety on the roads. Pre-installed, interior cable ducts make it easier to subsequently install a reversing camera.” Hopefully the rear cable-ducting that will contain the reversing-camera cable should be straightforward to identify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted November 17, 2014 Author Share Posted November 17, 2014 Derek Uzzell - 2014-11-17 6:25 PM The relevant Hobby brochure says "Third brake light and preparation for reversing camera The third braking light in LED technology ensures safety on the roads. Pre-installed, interior cable ducts make it easier to subsequently install a reversing camera.” Hopefully the rear cable-ducting that will contain the reversing-camera cable should be straightforward to identify. I had assumed that the cable would be behind the high level brake light. I certainly hope so. Wii find out tomorrow :-D I did not see your quote in the Hobby brochure. Is it the 2015 brochure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 The plug turns out to be an S-Video male. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 mikejkay - 2014-11-17 7:40 PM Derek Uzzell - 2014-11-17 6:25 PM The relevant Hobby brochure says "Third brake light and preparation for reversing camera The third braking light in LED technology ensures safety on the roads. Pre-installed, interior cable ducts make it easier to subsequently install a reversing camera.” Hopefully the rear cable-ducting that will contain the reversing-camera cable should be straightforward to identify. I had assumed that the cable would be behind the high level brake light. I certainly hope so. Wii find out tomorrow :-D I did not see your quote in the Hobby brochure. Is it the 2015 brochure? The quote may be in the 2015 brochure, but I found it here http://tinyurl.com/neze2f4 which is footnoted as relating to “SIESTA Motorhomes 2014”. It’s shown at the top of Page 23. If you were expecting to access the reversing-camera cable by removing the high-level brake light, you may be out of luck. If the brake light on your Siesta is similar to the one fitted to my 2005 Hobby, it will be attached by a screw at each end but will also have a strong self-adhesive backing. Behind my Hobby’s brake light there was no access aperture, just a tiny hole in the outer skin of the (hollow) rear body-panel through which the brake light’s power-supply cable had been led. There was no slack in the cable and no way of establishing the cable’s route to the brake light. My Hobby’s high-level brake light’s operation became unpredictable and, if I had not sold the motorhome, I would have replaced the light. But the only way to have done this would have been to run cabling from the new brake light into the motorhome’s interior and then out again to connect to a low-level brake light. I mentioned the brake light fault at the dealership that used to service the vehicle, complaining about the difficulty of carrying out what should be a relatively simple replacement task. “Welcome to the wonderful world of motorhomes” was the reply. I never forgave Hobby for this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 mikejkay - 2014-11-18 1:24 AM The plug turns out to be an S-Video male. A much more positive connection than 'Phono Plugs'. Good on them, hope the other end turns up where you want it to. ;-) Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 Derek Uzzell - 2014-11-18 9:22 AM mikejkay - 2014-11-17 7:40 PM Derek Uzzell - 2014-11-17 6:25 PM The relevant Hobby brochure says "Third brake light and preparation for reversing camera The third braking light in LED technology ensures safety on the roads. Pre-installed, interior cable ducts make it easier to subsequently install a reversing camera.” Hopefully the rear cable-ducting that will contain the reversing-camera cable should be straightforward to identify. I had assumed that the cable would be behind the high level brake light. I certainly hope so. Wii find out tomorrow :-D I did not see your quote in the Hobby brochure. Is it the 2015 brochure? The quote may be in the 2015 brochure, but I found it here http://tinyurl.com/neze2f4 which is footnoted as relating to “SIESTA Motorhomes 2014”. It’s shown at the top of Page 23. If you were expecting to access the reversing-camera cable by removing the high-level brake light, you may be out of luck. If the brake light on your Siesta is similar to the one fitted to my 2005 Hobby, it will be attached by a screw at each end but will also have a strong self-adhesive backing. Behind my Hobby’s brake light there was no access aperture, just a tiny hole in the outer skin of the (hollow) rear body-panel through which the brake light’s power-supply cable had been led. There was no slack in the cable and no way of establishing the cable’s route to the brake light. My Hobby’s high-level brake light’s operation became unpredictable and, if I had not sold the motorhome, I would have replaced the light. But the only way to have done this would have been to run cabling from the new brake light into the motorhome’s interior and then out again to connect to a low-level brake light. I mentioned the brake light fault at the dealership that used to service the vehicle, complaining about the difficulty of carrying out what should be a relatively simple replacement task. “Welcome to the wonderful world of motorhomes” was the reply. I never forgave Hobby for this... Interesting that this brochure refers to ducting and not cabling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 Derek Uzzell - 2014-11-17 6:25 PM I mentioned the brake light fault at the dealership that used to service the vehicle, complaining about the difficulty of carrying out what should be a relatively simple replacement task. “Welcome to the wonderful world of motorhomes” was the reply. I never forgave Hobby for this... After another email and a very quick response from Hobby I have found the rear end og the cable. There is a inconspicuous plug in the back wall of the overhead locker. This just pulls off and behind is the cable. I had to pull it fairly and one end came free and I was able easily to pull it through the hole. This end of the cable terminates in a 7 pin S-video female plug. I don't know why there should be a 7 pin at one end and a 4 pin at the other 8-) , presumably only 4 wires are used. The 4 pin S-video plug fits the 7 pin socket. I can now play with a temporary setuo for the camera (s). I intend to use two cameras manually switched at the dash. The third wire will be common and the fourth wire will be +12v, taken to the fuse box. Looking good :-D . Hobby seem to have listened. I think that your grouse should have been directed at the dealer. I am becoming increasingly disillusioned with the breed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 The brake-light was OK for about seven years, when its LEDs seemed to become voltage sensitive. The light was Hella-made and its power cable was integral and sealed into the light unit. I couldn’t find the other end of the cable (not that I looked too hard) so I couldn’t check whether the problem lay with the light itself (almost certainly) or a poor connection at the end of the cable (possibly). I’m not sure why you might think the dealership I mentioned should be at fault in any way. The dealership was not a Hobby agent and the motorhome was years out of warranty. The motorhome was at the dealership for its annual vehicle service and MOT and I drew the attention of the MOT tester to the brake-light, saying that - when the vehicle’s motor was running - the light usually illuminated reasonably brightly and would that be adequate to pass the test as, otherwise, I’d ‘disconnect’ the light (ie. cut the cable). He checked the light and agreed it worked well enough (with the motor running) to pass. I didn’t ask the dealership for advice and (as they were well aware) there was no chance that I’d be getting them to carry out the replacement. I don’t think Hobby is worse than other motorcaravan manufacturers when it comes to what could be an easy cheap repair task turning into a lengthy expensive procedure. When a problem that needs addressing occurs outside the warranty period, it’s the motorhome owner who picks up the bill, but more often than not its the repairer that gets the criticism. I suppose I could blame Hella for not making the cable removable from the brake-light, or for Hobby for choosing to fit a brake-light with an integrated cable, but I don’t see why I should blame a motorhome dealership over such things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 I thought that you were objecting to the comment “Welcome to the wonderful world of motorhomes” 8-) I can understand the use of sealed units, after all water ingress is the kiss of death if it remains undetected. Anyway, I am pleased with the responses That I have had from Hobby, for better than Chausson and infinitely better than Swift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted November 24, 2014 Author Share Posted November 24, 2014 On closer inspection the 7 pin plug at the rear end of the van turns out to be 6 pins with a locating lug. Nor is it S-video! I have cut it off and find that the cable is 5 wires with a braided cover. The wires are not very substantial and I am concerned that they will not cope with the current draw of the camera. I therefore propose to double up the wires for the positive power feed (4 wires/2 supplies), use the braiding for the negative and join together the two camera feeds to use a single wire. The common camera output would be connected to the braiding. I will then use a dash mounted switch, as suggested previously, switch the positive power leads and thus choose which camera output to view. Does any, more knowledgeable :-D , contributer see any reason why this would not work or would not be adviseable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Did you do a continuity check between the two plugs before you cut it off ??. ie. Is it the correct plug/wires ? the camera does not draw much current, and the others are signal wires, they have no need to be heavy duty. only going by my own setup, no great 'depth' of knowledge. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted November 24, 2014 Author Share Posted November 24, 2014 errr No :-S I'm pretty sure but I will check tomorrow. Both cables were where Hobby said they would be but you are right, I should have checked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 If I understand correctly you are planning to pass 2 video signals down the pre-installed cable. You may find you get interference between the 2 signals. If any of the wires have a silver foil around them use that wire for the video signal. A reversing camera will typically draw less than 200mA so the cables do not have to be large. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 I do intend to pass two signals down the preinstalled cable but not simultaieously. By switching the power to each camera individually only one will be operational at any one time. My dash screen can only display one view. The intention is to use one camera as a rear view camera, to take the place of the rear view mirror, and the other camera when reversing or when towing my small trailer. I have found that I can't see my trailer in my mirrors except for a glimpse when going around corners. I am a bit concerned about using the braiding of the cable for the -ve power and also for the ground of the video signal. If I only use a single wire for each of the video signals then there will not be a problem. I have five wires plus the braiding in total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 mikejkay - 2014-11-25 12:59 PM I do intend to pass two signals down the preinstalled cable but not simultaieously. By switching the power to each camera individually only one will be operational at any one time. My dash screen can only display one view. You will need to switch the video rather than the power. If you leave the un-powered video cable connected it will load the output of the other camera and the monitor will see a lower impedance than the 75 ohm it is designed to work with, you will probably get reflections and ghosting on the picture. If you don't want to run another video cable it would be easy to switch video sources using a small relay. Don't use an automotive relay as the contact resistance will be too high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 Rayjsj - 2014-11-24 6:57 PM Did you do a continuity check between the two plugs before you cut it off ??. Ray Phew! You had me worried there for a moment. 8-) Have checked and do have continuity. Four wires from the rear connect to the four pins at the front. The fifth wire is not connected at all and the braiding connects to the metal casing of the plug. Onwards and upwards :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 lennyhb - 2014-11-25 1:46 PM mikejkay - 2014-11-25 12:59 PM I do intend to pass two signals down the preinstalled cable but not simultaieously. By switching the power to each camera individually only one will be operational at any one time. My dash screen can only display one view. You will need to switch the video rather than the power. If you leave the un-powered video cable connected it will load the output of the other camera and the monitor will see a lower impedance than the 75 ohm it is designed to work with, you will probably get reflections and ghosting on the picture. If you don't want to run another video cable it would be easy to switch video sources using a small relay. Don't use an automotive relay as the contact resistance will be too high. Could I use a DPDT switch to switch power and signal simultaneously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 You can leave the power on, only need to switch the video (that's what I do). I suggested a relay as I didn't think you wanted to run another video cable through the van. Photo on This Thread on what I did on my van, but I ran a twin video cable through the van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 lennyhb - 2014-11-25 3:29 PM You can leave the power on, only need to switch the video (that's what I do). I suggested a relay as I didn't think you wanted to run another video cable through the van. Photo on This Thread on what I did on my van, but I ran a twin video cable through the van. I have reread your earlier contributions and it was your suggestion that led me along the path of having a physical switch to change displays. I'm a bit reluctant to leave the power to both cameras on all the time, it would not be any more difficult to swith both power and signal. Attached is a circuit diagram for my proposal, can you see any reason why this would not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Yes it will work, I leave the cameras on all the time switched by the ignition (used the radio feed), if you switch the power you have a few seconds delay while the camera boots up. I take it you are going to run another video cable through the van? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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