Rear camera has sound - no picture

Ron-in-Tn · 01-31-2007, 01:46 PM

After sitting in a storage lot for about a month, I went down to run through things and check everything out. I found that my rear camera has sound, but no picture...regardless of which input setting I select or whether I put the tranmission in reverse or just simply turn on the camera....no go. It worked fine right before I parked it at the lot. I didn't see anything physically wrong with the camera or the monitor...any ideas?

Ron-in-Tn · 01-31-2007, 01:46 PM

After sitting in a storage lot for about a month, I went down to run through things and check everything out. I found that my rear camera has sound, but no picture...regardless of which input setting I select or whether I put the tranmission in reverse or just simply turn on the camera....no go. It worked fine right before I parked it at the lot. I didn't see anything physically wrong with the camera or the monitor...any ideas?

CHIPPYSGT · 01-31-2007, 01:54 PM

Did you happen to bump the contrast or tint knob by chance? Don't ask me how I know to check that!

Maybe a mud dobbers nest, etc. over the lens.

John_Canfield · 01-31-2007, 01:59 PM

This gets me going once in a while also - sometimes the cats hit the on/off switch so it takes me a few seconds to figure out what's going on.

Ron-in-Tn · 01-31-2007, 02:17 PM

Yeah...checked all of the switches...checked to see if there might be something covering the camera lens..all good. Wondering if maybe a squirrel didn't get up in there and chew on the cable.

peter griffin · 01-31-2007, 02:38 PM

if it is a sony I have been reading that they are having problems...

Big J · 01-31-2007, 03:24 PM

I just replaced the Sony camera on my 2004 Adventurer. Seems a good many people are having trouble with the Sony's from that time frame.

tomsm · 01-31-2007, 04:31 PM

Count me among those that have replaced their Sony cam. Call Tim at rvcams. He has the replacements and is good to work with. Unfortunately, it's gonna cost $225.

If you want to make sure it's the camera and not the cable, dismount it, take it inside and plug it directly into the monitor. That's what it took to convince me, because mine, like yours, failed for no obvious reason.

Gary N. · 01-31-2007, 06:14 PM

Our Sony cam quite too. It was replaced under warranty last spring and has been fine since.

Ron-in-Tn · 01-31-2007, 07:24 PM

Well, it's now at the dealership and in their hands. I think it is a Sony though it's quite possible that it just went out. The $225 for a replacemet isn't as bad as I thought....was guessing if I had to buy a new one it was going to run around $400. Going from an ocean boat to an RV...seems the only thing that changes is who you pay for the repairs. They say boat has always stood for...Bring On Another Thousand....anyone know the true meaning of RV...or maybe it's COACH that has the hidden meaning...lol

McDuff · 02-01-2007, 05:05 AM

COACH - Count Out Another Couple Hundred?

Ron-in-Tn · 02-01-2007, 05:29 AM

lol...I knew there had to be one...I love that.

Ron-in-Tn · 02-01-2007, 12:54 PM

Well, the dealer just called and said the camera and the monitor are fine and that the problem is in the cable somewhere....will update more when I know it. Wanna bet it fell victim to the nasty little chewing habbits of a squirrel...

Duner · 02-07-2007, 09:29 PM

Coming home last Sunday, my Sony rear camera quit. The picture turned into a kalidescope of colors, mostly with the whites washing out the details. Called parts dept at Lichtsinn Motors in Iowa, their price was $329 for the camera. Called rvcams.com and ordered one today for $225. My model number is VCB-MH3 and is 3 yrs old. That model has been discontinued and is replaced by vcb-rv2mh. I'm hoping this newer model will be more robust. Dave at rvcams said that lots of Sony cameras are failing and they are selling about 30 month.

Ron-in-Tn -
My guess on the cable problem is the connector just inside the rear cap. The Sony has about 2ft pigtail and the connector is mated to the 65 ft cable run to the front. Part of the installation is to wrap the connector junction with tape to keep out the moisture. The Winne factory did a lousy job of taping mine and I could see some rust on the metal. If I was in a wetter part of the country, that would have been a problem just waiting to happen.

Happy Trails,
Duner

Ron-in-Tn · 02-08-2007, 06:43 AM

Duner....thanks for the info. The dealer eventually determined that my camera was faulty. Apparently the Sony model I have on my 2004 coach is "obsolete" so they are installing an updated version. This must have been pretty good business for Sony...selling thousands of $300-$400 RV cameras that barely last a couple of years. I have to admit....this definately knocks my impression of Sony products back a few notches.

NR4A · 02-11-2007, 04:18 AM

Ours died too - haven't replaced it yet.

Im considering going 2.4 Ghz wireless.

Happy Miles.

Duner · 02-18-2007, 04:53 PM

Got the new one installed and everything is working now. Seems like a lot of us with '04 coaches are having the Sony camera's go out. The new model does not have as big of wide angle view up/down as the one I took out. Before I could see the hitch ball and could see the traffic coming over my enclosed dunebuggy trailer. With this new one I have to give up one or the other 'cause can't get both. Oh darn! If this 2nd Sony quits in 2-3 years, I'll not buy Sony again. I'll cut the special Sony connectors off and use an AudioVox like my last coach.

NR4A - Not sure you will be able to go wireless on the camera because the motors and inverters put out a lot of noise/interference.
Maybe someone can comment that has had some success with a wireless camera.

Happy Trails,
Duner

NR4A · 02-18-2007, 05:10 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">If this 2nd Sony quits in 2-3 years, I'll not buy Sony again. I'll cut the special Sony connectors off and use an AudioVox like my last coach. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I tried to find a pin-out of the Sony connectors in hopes of replacing the failed Sony camera with something else and use the same cables with new connectors.

I emailed the request to Tim at RVCAMS for the pinout. He never replied to my email.

Wireless should work, mounting the camera may be tricky. I still havent decided which way to go yet.

Happy Trails

Sam

Duner · 02-19-2007, 01:04 PM

I have a pdf of the Sony Manual and it does have the DIN connector pinouts. Looking at the connector with the pins facing you and the square key hole/notch at top center, pin1 is at 10 o'clock, counting counter-clockwise with pin 6 at 2 o'clock.
P1 - 8.1 volts Dc input
P2 - Power ground
P3 - Audio output
P4 - Audio ground
P5 - Video ground
P6 - Video output

The pdf manual is 1 meg and unfortunately I don't recall where I downloaded it. If you PM me with your email address I can send it to you. It has the specs for the video/audio signal levels that would allow for a check on compatibility with other camera/monitors.

Happy Trails,
Duner

Ron-in-Tn · 02-27-2007, 04:27 PM

OK...well, here's where we landed with this. Apparently the technicians at Cullum & Maxey in Nashville mis-diognosed the problem and after deciding that there was no problem with the camera, they decided to pull the dash assy. to troubleshoot the monitor...only to decide in the end that the camera was in fact faulty and needed replacement. So, in the end...total bill was $777.00 However, I didn't fuss too much because they did take care of a couple of things that they didn't charge me anything for. First, they took the coach over to the Freightliner dealer to have the exhuast "Campaign" taken care of (see my post on exhaust fumes inside the coach). Then, at Winnebagos request, they took the coach over to a local body shop to get an estimate on repairing some gel coat cracks. Total estimate...$6500.00, only for Winnebago to later decide they were not going to take care of this issue. (I will be posting more on that tomorrow so I can attach pictures.) So, in the end, I didn't feel that they were entirely unfair with the charge...just maybe a little off on how they detailed it out on the billing that made it seem a bit excessive. Their claim on the whole thing was that there is no way to test just the camera itself and that they had to remove the dash to access the monitor in order to "properly" troubleshoot it all out. Now, I'm no Comm. Tech, actually a mechanic by trade, but that seems....well....a little odd to me. No way to test the camera...

I guess that's just one I don't quite buy...but maybe I'm wrong. At any rate, I will more than likely be paying very close attention during any future repairs and probably do a little homework and possibly put a "cap" on certain repairs to hopefully help their Technicians stay on track when troubleshooting problems.