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Lowline Reverse Camera Retrofit

Parabola

Go Kart Champion
Location
Black hole sun
Car(s)
15 GTI, 22 Tiguan
After tackling MIB2 upgrade, my next project is retrofit of OEM reverse camera to my 2015 GTI. Just ordered the camera and wiring harness from Ebay. I'd like to hear any feedback from people who have done the same upgrade...particularly interested in wiring, mechanical portion seems straight forward.
 

Parabola

Go Kart Champion
Location
Black hole sun
Car(s)
15 GTI, 22 Tiguan
Does anyone know what are the wire 3 (black) and wire 4 (white) for on the main camera connector? Brown and purple will be connected to existing trunk release andI am assuming the remaining two are the trigger and 12v supply? I have all other wires figured out, these two I am not sure where to connect…can I tap into the reverse light with one of them? This is retrofit for 2015 GTI…
@DV52 what do you think?


6D39B857-37C2-4B2E-9C5B-B5E6DE11E2D6.jpeg


CE76F375-0B4A-4A8D-A1BD-446C9F414E86.jpeg

CF171B35-3197-48E9-AF73-5CF5FEB338AE.jpeg
 

DV52

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Australia
hmm...........the wire colors in your pictures are not familiar to me.

I'm trying to understand what country this car is from. Alas your humorous description for location - "Back hole sun" isn't helping. As an aside and assuming that you live in the milky way galaxy (like me), it's also a technically impossible set of words - because our sun ain't big enough to ever become a black hole. When our sun dies, it will simply shed its outer shell (having gobbled-up Venus and Mars) and it will become a white dwarf.

Where did you source the reverse camera? Maybe this is a North America Region (NAR) golf? On RoW model golf mk7, the wiring diagram for the low-line reverse camera is like this:


So on OEM cameras (called R189), "4bt" in the picture is the 4 x pin connector. Notice the wire colors and notice that pin #3 is not mentioned (so, the pin is not connected to a wire)

Don
 
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Parabola

Go Kart Champion
Location
Black hole sun
Car(s)
15 GTI, 22 Tiguan
hmm...........the wire colors in your pictures are not familiar to me.

I'm trying to understand what country this car is from. Alas your humorous description for location - "Back hole sun" isn't helping. As an aside and assuming that you live in the milky way galaxy (like me), it's also a technically impossible set of words - because our sun ain't big enough to ever become a black hole. When our sun dies, it will simply shed its outer shell (having gobbled-up Venus and Mars) and it will become a white dwarf.

Where did you source the reverse camera? Maybe this is a North America Region (NAR) golf? On RoW model golf mk7, the wiring diagram for the low-line reverse camera is like this:


So on OEM cameras (called R189), "4bt" in the picture is the 4 x pin connector. Notice the wire colors and notice that pin #3 is not mentioned (so, the pin is not connected to a wire)

Don
Thanks for your reply, I am in the US so yes the camera is sourced from North American car. I was confused by the four wires coming out of the 4pin connector, two I have accounted for, third and fourth one...I was not sure which one could I use to tap into reverse light, guess I could've tried both and see which one worked.
In theory I could connect wire no 4 to a reverse light (pin 4 on the right reverse lights) instead of going to BCM?
 
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DV52

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Australia
@Parabola: OK .... because I live in the very deep South - I don't get to see many NAR model cars down here!! ;)

Yes, it's not necessary to connect to the BCM - simply find a suitable pace to splice the wire from pin #4 into the RH reverse light.

Another point worth mentioning is to make sure that the pins for the coaxial video cable are correctly connected at the rear of the MIB - meaning that the sheath of the coax cable (i.e. earth) should be terminated on pin#12 of the Quadlock connector (it's the black wire on "Control unit 1 for information electronics" in my diagram)

Here's the pin numbering for the Quadlock connector on the rear of the MIB - the relevant section for the camera is the section designated L




Don
 
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Parabola

Go Kart Champion
Location
Black hole sun
Car(s)
15 GTI, 22 Tiguan
Thanks for the help, yes I have planned for video cables to be connected to pin 6 and 12 at the back of the quadlock section L. I will have some time this weekend and attempt the retrofit now that I have everything mapped out.
My plan for coding, access the 5F-Information Electr., locate byte 19 and mark bit no 4.
 

mr-fix

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Poland
Car(s)
MK7 2.0TDI Variant
Since RVC low is triggered with reverse light signal, you should also adjust dimmwert value for the reverse light bulb. By default it's set to 89 (if I recall correctly), which means that the bulb is powered with PWM signal with 89% pulse width. This can cause interference on in video signal. Setting this value to 100% should fix the issue, if you experience it.
 

DV52

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Australia
Since RVC low is triggered with reverse light signal, you should also adjust dimmwert value for the reverse light bulb. By default it's set to 89 (if I recall correctly), which means that the bulb is powered with PWM signal with 89% pulse width. This can cause interference on in video signal. Setting this value to 100% should fix the issue, if you experience it.
@mr-fix : Hello again.

With absolutely no offense intended - are you sure about default dimmwert=89?

I have a couple of Yankee Golf mk7s (not mk7.5) in my MQB database and they are both showing Leuchte29RFL RA64-Dimmwert AB 29 =100!!

Don
 

DV52

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Australia
@mr-fix: hmm....... again, I intend no offense, but I find it hard to believe the suggestion in seatcupra.net forum that increasing the dimmwert value beyond 100 for incandescent lamps increases illumination levels.

Based on my understanding of how the BCM manages the operation of the car's 35 x exterior lights, Leuchte-sets are capable of controlling 2 x distinct lamps; incandescent and LED.

The Lasttyp channel setting tells the Leuchte-set which of these lamp types is connected to the lamp-base.
  • If the Lasttyp value has an incandescent setting, the Leuchte-set operates a dimmwert value based on decimal numbering system; being 0-100
  • If the Lasttyp channel value has a LED setting, the Leuchte-set operates a dimmwert value (mostly) on a digital numbering system 0-127, which is equivalent to hex0-hex7F (this is 7 x Bits - I suspect the 8th Bit is dedicated to the value in the dimming direction channel)
So, full lamp illumination (meaning 0% PWM):
  • on incandescent lamps has dimmwert=100, and
  • on LED lamps has dimmert=127.
The two settings give the same 0% PWM for each of the two lamp types

Alas and notwithstanding the observations of those posting on the seatcupra.net forum, increasing the dimmwert value beyond 100 for incandescent lamps can't increase lamp illumination because the voltage waveform has already reached 0% PWM at a setting=100

Don
 
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mr-fix

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Poland
Car(s)
MK7 2.0TDI Variant
I need to take my oscilloscope and check it one day.
It was about 2 years ago, but I remember having issues with my Golf MK7 (2015/16, top xenon, single U-shaped LED DRL). I could not get the DRLs to dim with indicator or to dim when switched to position lights. Turns out that those channels were set to 127 for one of the functions. I assume this caused the BCM to ignore dimming and brightness regulation for those circuits, in effect DRLs could work just with full brightness or be switched off. Setting it from 127 back to 100 fixed the issue.

But again, it was long time ago and I would need to double-check it with an oscilloscope.
 

DV52

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Australia
@mr-fix: yes, I understand - but your "fix" is very different to the suggestion in the seatcupra.net post.

.Your "fix" reduces the dimmert value from 127 to 100 for an LED based Leuchte-set and the seatcupra.net suggestion increases the dimmwert value from 100 to 127 for an incandescent based Leuchte-set.

So your fix increases the waveform PWM from 0% to 21.26% (i.e. 100(1-100/127)) and the seatcupra.net suggestion already has PWM =0% with dimmwert=100 (PWM can't be smaller than 0%)

Don
PS: here's my scope trace from a LED based Leuchte-set with dimmwert setting = 75 (i.e. PWM ~40%)
 
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Parabola

Go Kart Champion
Location
Black hole sun
Car(s)
15 GTI, 22 Tiguan
So I completed the installation, everything works, somehow I have managed to destroy left reverse light bulb…filament fell out probably due to my banging on the plastic panel on the rear hatch to seat the clips. Bought the new bulb and the bulb error went away.
I tapped the 12V source right at the Quadlock connector, rather then going to the fuse box and tapped in the right reverse light for the trigger mechanism.

Reverse light tap: ( I did solder the connection and wrapped with electrical tape).
F1135697-4E29-4848-B126-4E47EE90DF94.jpeg


My plan is to get the 7.5A fuse and get connect the 12V feed there. This is what my fuse box looks like now:

28366E1D-355F-4EC4-8F31-336D88F00A6F.jpeg


If I understood correctly F18 slot can be used for reverse camera? It looks like there is nothing there now…
What is the downside of leaving the 12V connection at the Quadlock, I am assuming that circuit is fused as well?

@DV52
@mr-fix

What are your opinions?
 

DV52

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Australia
If I understood correctly F18 slot can be used for reverse camera? It looks like there is nothing there now…
What is the downside of leaving the 12V connection at the Quadlock, I am assuming that circuit is fused as well?

@DV52
@mr-fix

What are your opinions?
hmm.......... so you connected the camera trigger wire to the left-side reverse light? Normally the turn-ON signal for the camera is the right-side reverse light. I don't believe that it matters which side is used for this function.

OK - so here's the thing about voltage supplies on cars - there are basically 2 x types of these voltages which have been industry standardized by the terms "T30" and "T15" by DIN72552

T30 = "hard" battery voltage which is present regardless of the status of the ignition switch
T15 = "switched" battery voltage which is present ONLY when the ignition switch is ON

On the factory wiring, the camera is wired to a T30 voltage. I assume that your connection on the Quadlock was on pin#18 (bottom left-side) in my picture above. If so, this is also a T30 voltage -so the connection should be OK electrically.

I guess the only draw-back with the Quadlock connection is where you physically place the new fuse housing (in case you need to change the fuse later).

But you can really use any T30 fuse position on the fuse-board in your picture as an alternative by plugging-in an add-on-fuse (see you-tube videos). Simply turn-off the ignition switch and test which fuse positions are @ battery volts:


Don
 

Parabola

Go Kart Champion
Location
Black hole sun
Car(s)
15 GTI, 22 Tiguan
hmm.......... so you connected the camera trigger wire to the left-side reverse light? Normally the turn-ON signal for the camera is the right-side reverse light. I don't believe that it matters which side is used for this function.

OK - so here's the thing about voltage supplies on cars - there are basically 2 x types of these voltages which have been industry standardized by the terms "T30" and "T15" by DIN72552

T30 = "hard" battery voltage which is present regardless of the status of the ignition switch
T15 = "switched" battery voltage which is present ONLY when the ignition switch is ON

On the factory wiring, the camera is wired to a T30 voltage. I assume that your connection on the Quadlock was on pin#18 (bottom left-side) in my picture above. If so, this is also a T30 voltage -so the connection should be OK electrically.

I guess the only draw-back with the Quadlock connection is where you physically place the new fuse housing (in case you need to change the fuse later).

But you can really use any T30 fuse position on the fuse-board in your picture as an alternative by plugging-in an add-on-fuse (see you-tube videos). Simply turn-off the ignition switch and test which fuse positions are @ battery volts:


Don

I connected the trigger wire to the right reverse light…left bulb fell out and was damaged during re-installation of the hatch panel, nothing to do with wiring.
Yes, I tapped the 12V at the pin#18 at the Quadlock, just wasn’t sure if I should bother with taking it to the fuse box instead and adding a fuse.
Is the F18 slot in the fuse box constant 12V (T30 voltage)?
 
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