Bringing the M1031 into 21st century...backup cam and cupholders

I hope the back up cam is not on the ban list never know what big bro is goen to ban next.lol

mkcoen said:

Sometimes you get a really big one though that'd just get stuck in the brush guard. Like a Michael Moore or Rosie O'Donnel type and you have to back up quickly (hence the camera) and you don't want it damaged while you're getting away.

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I will say this with absolutely no political affilitation or undertone...

If you did run one of those clowns with the M1031 and they didn't go down permanently, backing up and taking a second stab at it wouldn't not require a back up cam...the target is large enough.

Postman dropped the package off today!

I'm impressed, just appears to have some muted colors, not a real issue. I have yet to install, just tested inside.

18 feet of video extension wire seems adequate if using the holes under the seats.

Tomorrow, the AC compressor should be arriving. I have to modify the clutch armature for a 3 piece flex coupling as it is externally balanced.

My setup was delivered today too. Racing home to check it out.

I like the stuff. The kids already staked a claim on vid2 for gaming. The monitor instruction leave much to be desired. It has a blue aux wire. Anyone know its purpose?

Blue wire is accessory hot. So it will run with the ignition on ACC.

Yes, documentation is lacking, for the price and made in China, what do you expect?

At dusk, the IR illumination is good for about 50 feet. Which is more than adequate for blackout ops. The IR LEDs do give a faint red glow but no real illumination.

Blue wire when fed 12v will automatically switch the monitor to one of the inputs as a back up cam. Blue wire should be spliced into reverse light circuit. I dont need this because my monitor is on all the time.

Keith_J said:

Postman dropped the package off today!

I'm impressed, just appears to have some muted colors, not a real issue. I have yet to install, just tested inside.

18 feet of video extension wire seems adequate if using the holes under the seats.

Tomorrow, the AC compressor should be arriving. I have to modify the clutch armature for a 3 piece flex coupling as it is externally balanced.

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Be sure to post up your AC build!!!

I'm still on the fence about the evaporator unit. I found a 14k BTU/hour evaporator that will fit behind the seat. Could route air through ducts up the corners to registers. Or I could go with a small under dash unit angled up to allow transfer case to operate. I will make mockups of the evaporator before purchase to see what is best.

The compressor is a smaller unit so the motor will run in its peak efficiency which is about 2/3 of the speed at maximum power. That RPM is also the peak efficiency of the compressor, a coefficient of performance of 2.1 meaning for every watt of motor power, 2.1 watts of heat will be removed. About 3800 Watts, well over a ton of refrigeration. The motor will operate at nearly constant speed, meaning potential refrigeration will not depend on engine speed. So the condenser must be far over-sized, otherwise it would need additional radiator airflow.

I estimate total cost of $600. With a LOT of work on my part

After preliminary design of the electric compressor, I have settled on a frame of 10" square that is 21" long. This means it will live nicely on the passenger side frame rail. Plus it will have VERY SHORT electrical runs. And pretty short refrigerant line runs.

Got the camera mounted, high and above the center marker light. A little relief on the back of the light housing provided space to route the cable, then it follows the wire for the lights to the front of the box. There is a hole in the floor here for a radio rack, it then goes to the existing hole in the floor of the cab, under the seat. Still have about 2 feet of slack. Since I am mounting the video on the dash, the wire on the display is plenty long.

On the comfort side, the AC condenser and evaporator are mounted. The compressor bracket needs bolting tabs welded on, then mounting to the frame under the cab. Plumbing and electrical will be next week.

FINALLY got the electrical system installed. But I'm having issues with over-voltage, about 14.6 which is causing the video to drop out. Also, the picture quality is poor while running. So I used a 12 volt SLA battery to power it, this restored the quality and no drop out.

So, tomorrow, I will check the alternator's diodes and if that is fine, install a voltage regulator and filter in the power circuit to the camera.

All wires are hidden, running between the mat and pad. It works great, I can see the lines in a dark parking lot. Cars on my tail seem to wash out with the headlights but with the high mounting, it isn't a problem.

Now onto the air conditioning.

Looking forward to the 1st test drive. Of course we need cooler weather or A/C, which ever is easier.

Maybe run the A/C unit off the PTO with an electric clutch?

Love the camera!

bshupe said:

Maybe run the A/C unit off the PTO with an electric clutch?

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No air conditioning at traffic lights. Yes, I pondered that. Far better to drive it electrically because the compressor will run at constant speed.

In automotive systems driven off the crank, the change in performance from idle to cruise engine speeds can be great.

Fixed the electrical noise problem and the over-volt condition with a 4 ohm, 130 microhenry coil I made with 100 turns of 32 gauge magnet wire wound around a 3/4" x 3/4" tube form.

There is still some screen distortion at idle but no noise. Guess it is a bit of voltage depression, pulling 20 turns or so off the coil might reduce that but it might pose issues with noise. I'll keep it as is.


After running it at night for 15 minutes, the camera is still shutting down for a second or two every few seconds. The IR illumination is probably the cause. I'm only getting 1.4 volt reduction off the choke coil, will probably have to go with a higher impedance coil.

IMHO, the IR LEDs are overheating the CMOS camera, causing it to shut down. It runs fine during the day when the photocell in the camera keeps the IR LEDs off.

Update: Had to replace the camera after the case broke. The replacement is working great. Now need a wireless camera for the trailer: