Alright so I bought the Roadmaster VR3 wireless parking camera system but am having issues installing the actual camera section.

They say to connect the camera to the reverse break lights as per their instructions:
http://www.roadmasterusa.com/manuals/vrbcs300wca_eng.pdf

However, I am really not sure how to do this. Could someone please help me with this?

PLEASE AND THANK YOU! :)

Man youve been a busy bee. Do you have an auto or stick?

Man youve been a busy bee. Do you have an auto or stick?

Auto

Actually it doesnt matter, I was thinking you were going to connect it to the revers switch but duh, not what the directions say. On either side of the license plate there are reverse lights, just figure out what two wires go to them and that is what you are hooking it up to.

Actually it doesnt matter, I was thinking you were going to connect it to the revers switch but duh, not what the directions say. On either side of the license plate there are reverse lights, just figure out what two wires go to them and that is what you are hooking it up to.

I'm having issues removing the trunk lining to accessthe lghts... I think I can pry it away and maybe hold it in place and access what I believe is the reverse light, but it looks like a clip into the bulb. Where would I tap into it?

Can someone please confirm that the lights directly adjacent to the license plate is the back-up lights (white)?
http://i19.tinypic.com/4dytx6v.jpg

Assuming so, this is the lights from the inside of the trunk lid. It looks like a green and black wire - I assume the green is the power and black is ground?
http://i17.tinypic.com/3y28r9c.jpg

How do I remove it from the light, and how could anyone recommend the best way to attach (splice?) my own power + ground into that circuit?

Can someone please confirm that the lights directly adjacent to the license plate is the back-up lights (white)?
http://i19.tinypic.com/4dytx6v.jpg
Assuming so, this is the lights from the inside of the trunk lid. It looks like a green and black wire - I assume the green is the power and black is ground?
http://i17.tinypic.com/3y28r9c.jpg
How do I remove it from the light, and how could anyone recommend the best way to attach (splice?) my own power + ground into that circuit?
Yes, on both counts. You can tap directly into the green and black wires with T-taps or in-line taps. No need to remove the lights. As for the trunk liner, almost all of the clips that hold it (along its perimeter) have centers that unscrew (with a light touch, as Princess pointed out previously) so that the clips just come loose. The only exceptions are the 2 right next to the hinge brackets. I ended up just prying those off and leaving them off when I was done.

With regard to routing the wires into the trunk, I removed the plastic clip/plug right above the plate, in between the license plate lights, and pushed the wire through the hole. I also left this plug out when I was done, since there's no good way to put it back with the wire(s) in place. Just secure the wire well so it doesn't rub and vibrate against the edge of the hole too much.

Did you get this from Target? I just saw something like this a few minutes ago while I was there.

Did you get this from Target? I just saw something like this a few minutes ago while I was there.
Costco had these for $90 a little while back. I was tempted to get one to mount in the garage (with the monitor in the car), so that I can "see" the car as it came in and get myself aligned with the walls; sort of an advanced "parking assist." Since it's wireless, it would be a pretty simple install (just need a 12VDC source inside the garage for the camera). Our garage is so tiny that you'd be tempted to crawl in and out through the moonroof because there's not much room to open the doors.

Hmmmmn... An S2K would fit nicely in there, though...... :thmsup:

Did you get this from Target? I just saw something like this a few minutes ago while I was there.

If I had a Target in Canada, maybe :). It's the Roadmaster VR3 wireless parking system. I bought it at walmart... gonna hook it up and see how it is. If I like, I will return and get online for 50%+ off :)

Costco had these for $90 a little while back. I was tempted to get one to mount in the garage (with the monitor in the car), so that I can "see" the car as it came in and get myself aligned with the walls; sort of an advanced "parking assist." Since it's wireless, it would be a pretty simple install (just need a 12VDC source inside the garage for the camera). Our garage is so tiny that you'd be tempted to crawl in and out through the moonroof because there's not much room to open the doors.

Hmmmmn... An S2K would fit nicely in there, though...... :thmsup:

If its the same as mine, the camera NEEDS to be hooked up to the reverse lights otherwise they say the camera will burn out (uhh...? lol)

So you'd need some sensor to trigger it on :)

If its the same as mine, the camera NEEDS to be hooked up to the reverse lights otherwise they say the camera will burn out (uhh...? lol)
So you'd need some sensor to trigger it on :)
Good point ... I was concerned about that, too. If I had done this, I would have powered it through one of my X-10 modules. Our Homelink buttons are already programmed to turn lights on and off in the house via X-10. The issue you bring up was one of the things that discouraged me from going forward with this project. Saved myself $90 plus tax, too...... :D

As shown in the picture I took, there is very little wire to tap into, and I didn't have much luck peeling back that tape to expose some more wire.

Any ideas?

As shown in the picture I took, there is very little wire to tap into, and I didn't have much luck peeling back that tape to expose some more wire.

Any ideas?


get a wire splice (like 50 cents at radioshack)

will allow you to connect your wire to it, and then it splices into the orignal wire for you

:thmsup:

Our garage is so tiny that you'd be tempted to crawl in and out through the moonroof because there's not much room to open the doors.
I feel your pain. I find that if I drop off the passengers first, then I can back into the garage and park crooked so that I have lots of extra space to open the door.

As shown in the picture I took, there is very little wire to tap into, and I didn't have much luck peeling back that tape to expose some more wire.
Any ideas?
I found more slack in the wire on the passenger side of the car, so I used that side. You can also temporarily detach the connector from the light housing if that helps. If you cut the tape along the wire loom a little bit (you can feel where the slit is by pushing in with your fingernail), you should be able to pull out enough wire to tap into.

Also, the T-taps attach to the wire at a right angle (instead of parallel, as in the case of in-line taps), so you'll probably find them easier to install in this particular case. I also chose to use T-taps because their 2-piece setup would allow unplugging things temporarily, and reconnecting them later without cutting into the wire again. Hope this helps. :)

I feel your pain. I find that if I drop off the passengers first, then I can back into the garage and park crooked so that I have lots of extra space to open the door.
I guess we both have typical SF/Peninsula garages. Letting passengers out before driving in has worked well for me, too, but it's not a good option when it's raining. Oh, well, what else can we do..... :)

I just bought one of these thingers tonight for the Odyssey so I'll be playing with it this weekend...

By the way, I'd also suggest aiming the camera down enough so you can see your rear bumper along the bottom of your video display. That way, you can estimate how far you are from objects behind you.

Ben -- Did you go to Costco? Do they still have them? I have friends who might be interested, too.

By the way, I'd also suggest aiming the camera down enough so you can see your rear bumper along the bottom of your video display. That way, you can estimate how far you are from objects behind you.

Ben -- Did you go to Costco? Do they still have them? I have friends who might be interested, too.
I thought of this but the camera attaches to the license plate so I think it will be hard to fix the angle. I'm hoping that the camera will have a wide enough angle that it will be able to see the rear bumper as it is, but I highly doubt it.

Yeah I got it at Costco. Someone on OdyClub mentioned its available at WalMart as well if your friends live closer to one of those.

I might have to call on you this weekend to help me out with the install :D

I might have to call on you this weekend to help me out with the install :D
Sounds like fun! And maybe while we're at it, we can also figure out the wiring for my interior LED's. :thmsup:

I thought of this but the camera attaches to the license plate so I think it will be hard to fix the angle.

While I haven't hooked it up yet, it comes with some special attachments or something that allow you to adjust the angle...

Alright so I just gave it another shot... There is definitely not enough wire exposed and the electrical tape is very difficult to remove.

Any suggestions? Or does someone know how I could remove the wires from the terminal that is plugged into the lights?

Did you try the light on the passenger side? As I recall, that's where the wiring harness ends, and that last stretch only contains those 2 wires and has enough slack. Just use an exacto knife to cut the tape along the slit in the wire loom.

Did you try the light on the passenger side? As I recall, that's where the wiring harness ends, and that last stretch only contains those 2 wires and has enough slack. Just use an exacto knife to cut the tape along the slit in the wire loom.

Both sides look identical. I can try an exacto knife to remove the tape...

:confused: ... I wonder if your car is built the same way mine is ... Where are you located? I can't imagine that Honda would have a different wiring harness for your car, and have it routed a different way, too. :dunno:

Can you post a picture?

:confused: ... I wonder if your car is built the same way mine is ... Where are you located? I can't imagine that Honda would have a different wiring harness for your car, and have it routed a different way, too. :dunno:

Can you post a picture?

In Ontario, Canada... They at least look pretty ****ing damn identical..

What would u like a picture of?

Just curious to see where and how the wiring enters each reverse light on your car. I'm pretty sure the harness comes in from only one side (driver's side on my car), so the two sides should not be identical; the wire loom approaches from the opposite direction for one of them.

EDIT: The wires I tapped into were the ones going to connector 4, circled in red below:

EDIT: The wires I tapped into were the ones going to connector 4, circled in red below:

It's a tad difficult to know for sure, but I think those are the ones I am trying to tape into...

My local auto store (Canadian Tire) sells these:
http://www.textrail.com/images/product/84.jpg

They are self-tapping connector... but that looks like it would just cut right through the wire. Anybody used these?

Those would work; They're a very common way to tap into existing wires. They work well as long as you have the correct size for the wire gauge you're connecting to. You could also try T-taps; they're narrower, good for tight spaces.

Either way, yes, they do slice right through the insulation then wrap over/around the existing conductor(s) inside. This is why I prefer T-taps; You connect to them separately via a male spade connector (usually come in the package as a "matching" set), so if you ever need to detach things, you can pull the spade connector out and reattach it later without cutting into the wire again.

Got mine done and it was a piece of cake. Took me probably 20 minutes to get the camera working. See my post at OdyClub, too long to reproduce

http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=350654#post350654

Looks good, Ben! :thmsup: That's basically the same way I mounted the camera on our Accord, except that I centered it since there is a convienient gap for it right in between the two license plate lights. Then I bought a black license plate frame to help the camera "blend" in so it's not too noticeable.

Wanted to ask, though ... Do you notice a lag between the time the camera is powered on and when an image actually shows up on the display? Or is it more or less instantaneous? Just wondering how quickly it picks up the wireless signal...

It lags a couple of seconds, longer in bright sunlight waiting for the camera to adjust to light conditions. It hasn't bothered me yet but then again I haven't really parked the thing backwards yet.

Ody only has one plate light...I would have liked to mount it in the middle but ehh it's good enough for now. I can always get creative later, the tape doesn't really feel permanent.

A delay of a couple of seconds doesn't seem too bad. I may still consider buying one, if Costco still has them.

And yeah, I noticed the single license plate light. Seems like you did the next best thing, though. It should still work just fine that way. And if the double-sided tape comes off, you could always pick up the heavy-duty type; That stuff really sticks well. I have some in the garage if you need some. :)

And yeah, I noticed the single license plate light. Seems like you did the next best thing, though. It should still work just fine that way. If the double-sided tape comes off, you could always pick up the heavy-duty type; That stuff really sticks well. I have some in the garage if you need some. :)
Thanks, I looked around at OSH and Kragen and both places seemed to have more or less the same stuff. I think right now it's holding pretty well to the painted metal but not so well to the smooth plastic pieces. We'll see how it holds up to continued washing of the car and the extreme heat of DC/SSF/SB :lmao:

Okay so I just need one final piece of info! :)
http://i17.tinypic.com/3y28r9c.jpg

What gauge wire is that?

It's either 20 or 22awg.... It's a little hard to tell from pics without a ruler.... Is it a trunk light wire?

It's either 20 or 22awg.... It's a little hard to tell from pics without a ruler.... Is it a trunk light wire?

It's the wires running to the reverse (white) lights in my 2007. On another forum they told me 16-18 :S... they had like a choice between 14-18 and 18-22 or something... hmmm