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Rear View Camera & Monitor Replacement 1993 Foretravel U240

June 14, 2010, 07:03:40 pm

Tim at RVCams (http://www.rvcams.com/) was an invaluable resource--advice as well as camera and monitor.

CAMERA: Remove the rear camera access panel in the bedroom overhead, then the 2 nuts holding the camera along with two quick disconnects. Note: newer designs are secured differently. Then used the outer dimensions of the camera bezel to make two mounting plates for the new camera from .075" aluminum, painted white.  One plate on the outside of the coach, the other on the inside. The fiberglass cap is "squeezed" between the plates.  Took 30 minutes to make the plates with hack saw, hole saw (for camera wiring), and drill press.

I replaced the original Javalina B&W camera with a Voyager VCCS150.  Tim also supplied a camera wiring to RCA adapter.  So, to hook it up to existing coach wiring, cut and attach 12 VDC + and - (red and black). Buy an adapter from RCA (camera end) to BNC (coach wiring) at any electronics store. The VCCS is quite an improvement— much larger viewing area (horizontal and vertical), is color and has infrared so you can see the toad/behind you at night.

The new camera will work with the old monitor, but obviously will not be color.  Note: on our model year, OE was for straight image camera and reverse image monitor.  You HAVE to retain this configuration so the tank gauges display properly. Newer coaches have a reverse image camera and straight image monitor.  Both camera and monitor I used can be set for either.

MONITOR: I wanted an LCD monitor that flush mounted in the dash, NOT an "add on" on top of the old monitor. Said another way, I wanted to retain the "look" of the dash, not have it look like a bubble gum and bailing wire solution.  Totevision (http://www.totevision.com/) makes high-end commercial grade monitors for security systems, etc.  Their LCD-560R is a flush mounted LED/LCD color monitor with cut-out dimensions of: 5.5" W X 5.25" H.  Dimension to outside of bezel are 6.7" W X 5.6" H.  The outside dimensions are perfect for replacing the Javalina monitor.

To remove the old monitor, remove the fuse to the monitor system, then the 6 screws holding the monitor in place.  Remove the two screws holding the power supply to the top case of the monitor and then the electric gang plug.  The old monitor then comes right out.

The new monitor dimensions require trimming a little off the sides of the opening in the dash and removing to above and below the silver bezel above/below the old monitor hole.  IMPORTANT:  I understand there are three different dash panel materials on different models/years Foretravels.  Ours has a rigid plastic dash panel, so easy to cut with razor knife and hack saw (15 minutes).  Others have an aluminum dash panel—a little harder to work with, but no big deal.  And the newer ones have illumination built into the dash panel—DO NOT CUT THIS STYLE. After sizing the opening, I predrilled and used 4 stainless steel screws to secure the new monitor.

Connect the new monitor: use the original 12 VDC + and – (red and black).  The Javalina Audit "brain" has a BNC OUT that originally went to the gang connector on the Javalina monitor.  Replace it with a 2-3' BNC to BNC cable and BNC to RCA adapter (New monitor video IN is RCA). Discard the other three wires which went to the dimmer for the old monitor.  I removed the dimmer switch and just put in a small black trim button in the hole.

Turn it on and enjoy!
 

On Edit: And you can see it flush mounted in the original hole if you look below and to the right of the TV in my post on this thread:  http://foreforums.com/index.php?topic=9618.0

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Re: Rear View Camera & Monitor Replacement 1993 Foretravel U240

Reply #1 – June 14, 2010, 07:08:42 pm

Thanks, Brett...invaluable stuff!

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Re: Rear View Camera & Monitor Replacement 1993 Foretravel U240

Reply #2 – June 15, 2010, 12:50:01 pm

As long as the monitor has a contrast control.  Which it appears to.

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Re: Rear View Camera & Monitor Replacement 1993 Foretravel U240

Reply #3 – June 15, 2010, 01:29:18 pm

Thanks Brett, 

Great and timely topic for me.  My camera/monitor system has been almost worthless since I bought the coach.  Replacing the camera didn't help.  Furthermore, my tank monitoring system was very flaky in spite of replacing the black and grey sensors, and doing a recalibration, at FOT last Fall.  They worked fine for a few months.

Thus I am eager to upgrade the whole system, that is replace the camera, Javalina display, AND the Audit box.  It seems that this is beyond the spirit of this thread so I'll start a new topic entitled "Upgrading the Javalina/Audit system"

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Re: Rear View Camera & Monitor Replacement 1993 Foretravel U240

Reply #4 – April 06, 2011, 09:26:10 am

I just finished the monitor upgrade as per Brett's instructions.  Looks great but I have a few comments: the Totevision 560R also comes in an L and LX series (same dimensions).  I bought the R as recommended by Brett.  I looked for it on RVCams website and even searched for it.  Couldn't find it so I figured they didn't sell it any longer and instead went to Totevision's website and found a local distributor.  In any case, I discovered that the L and LX series have dipswitches for the reverse display and a few other controls.  The R just has two wires (a black and a white) instead that according to the directions are control wires for wiring it to a transmission shifter (I think).  There are no dipswitches.  It says something about high or low voltage will cause the display to switch between inputs.  I was unsure how to proceed so I called Tim.  Turns out he does still sell the Totevision and the one model he keeps is stock is the 560R.  I told him I'd buy the camera from him and apologized for not calling him to begin with.  He said to disregard the control wires as any voltage will fry the monitor so now I'm unsure about how or where to hook them up (if one were so inclined).  He explained that the two inputs, which both hang from a pigtail supplied with the unit (which also includes a red & black wire for power) that snaps onto a connector on the back of the unit is all that is needed.  The A input is straight display and the B input is reverse image.  The old Audit unit display connector is a BNC type but on the old monitor side it is just bare wire inserted into a gang connector.  I bought a short piece of standard coax at Radio Shack with BNC adaptors and trashed the old wire.  Note that the inputs on the new unit are the same BNC with the nubs as on the Audit unit.  The adaptors have the slots in the side for twisting around the nubs.  Brett indicated that an RCA adapter was needed for the Totevision connection(s).  This is no longer the case.  Both inputs are BNC.  I found it simpler to connect the camera directly to the A input and the Audit to the B input.  Of course now the selector switch on the dash to toggle between inputs just gives you the Audit display or a blank screen.  The power switch on the dash still functions.  Whenever the monitor is powered up it automatically show the A or camera input.  You have to push the B button on the front of the Totevision to get the Audit display regardless of how you connect it.  All in all a very nice built-in look that appears factory.  The trimming on top and bottom of the opening is to just above the silver trim and the side to side trimming is just inside of the trim for those with the same dash.  The Totevision bezel or face hid my butchery completely.  I used the dimmer switch hole to run a wire from a cigarette lighter plug to a 3 port 12V power supply for my GPS, cell phone charger, etc...that I keep velcro'ed up on the dash as I didn't like it sitting on the slide out tray with all the wires running to it.  I have a weighted stand for the GPS that also sits up on the dash and off the slide tray.  I will be doing a new camera later.           

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Re: Rear View Camera & Monitor Replacement 1993 Foretravel U240

Reply #5 – April 06, 2011, 09:41:50 am

Here are some photos

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Re: Rear View Camera & Monitor Replacement 1993 Foretravel U240

Reply #6 – April 06, 2011, 02:08:53 pm

UPDATE:
Big oops.  Audit is fine on B input but camera image is reversed.  Looks like I need to do the camera upgrade sooner than planned.  Camera on B input is ok though. 

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Re: Rear View Camera & Monitor Replacement 1993 Foretravel U240

Reply #7 – June 19, 2011, 12:07:59 am

Update for anyone buying the Totevision 560R: as stated this model no longer has dipswitches.  Instead there is a black and white wire where the dispswitches used to be.  The directions called for hooking up these wires to some kind of power source but really the whole thing was confusing.  Tim at RVCams told me not to hook those wires to any power as it will destroy the monitor.  I figured that it is probably for hooking up to the transmission so that when reverse is selected it switches to the camera.  I was a little unhappy with the monitor as the correct view only came via Input B but the default was to A, which is a reversed (or not reversed if new camera is added).  To select the Audit you have to push the B button on the monitor.  Long story short I experimented and ended up with the following: select switch on dash set to Audit and removed it, taping it up so that it can't change or short out on something.  I bought a switch that fits the 1" x 1/2" slot and hooked the wires from the totevision to it.  Now it powers up to default A input which is the camera and the switch on the dash now toggles between the camera and the Audit just like the original setup and the other switch (monitor) turns it on and off just as before also.  Now it functions exactly like the original set-up via the dash switches.

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