i may have missed it, but, the camera in your third brake light. is that camera the one that shows the view of inside your bed in the first picture? assuming it is, the other view looks like the tailgate mounted one (didn't see a pic, and again maybe i missed it, but is that the OEM camera?)

i don't have any OEM cameras (04) so i think im going to order that camera you linked, and do the same brake light mount. then figure out something else for the back (i want one for the hitch also)

 

also, if you don't mind when you have a moment, could you get a pic showing the size difference from the stock mirror to the new one? i currently have one of those cheap clip-on mirrors attached to my stock mirror, because the stock mirror was too narrow and i didn't like how i couldn't see the entire back glass out of it. i'm curious if this mirror is taller than the stock one.

here is the difference i'm talking about on mine. it'd be hard to go back to a more narrow mirror after what i'm used to now lol. i do like your setup though with the dual screens, and i've thought about running one for a long time, just never bought one. i think i'm def going to do this soon after seeing your setup and the detail you went into describing the install and all the parts you used. i really appreciate that as well. saved me a ton of research!

 

The cam in the brake light (right view in mirror) is the one I added. The stock camera is in my tailgate latch. I will take a comparison pic when I get home tonight. The stock cam is nowhere near the quality of the $10 cam in the brake light. It might be because my stock cam is old and tired.

 

Here is the old mirror and the new one. I have no way to turn the monitor on the old one on, but it's image does not take up as much of the screen as it could. The viewing area (reflection) is substantially larger.

 

What does the middle button do, in between the left hand and the right hand screen buttons? The button I'm curious about has an icon that looks like a sun burst, or a lamp. Is there a reading light under the mirror? Or is that an "electrochromic" feature?

 

That's the brightness. From left to right, power, left monitors selection, brightness, right monitors selection. And it is an auto darkening mirror. The clarity on the glass is top notch. Even through my 5% tint on the back glass, I can see.

 

Thanks acecase. I'd rep you again for following up on each and every person's question, but I have to spread reps around first.


So, I went to your mirror link the other day, and you know how it goes... if a little is good, then more is better. And lo and behold, I saw a mirror that had not just two, but three screens.


Hmmm, a camera on in the 3rd brake light on gooseneck hitch, a camera on the license plate for the bumper hitch, and, a camera in the tailgate handle (or on a Ford emblem) for just general viewing while backing. So what made you decide on the two screen version, over the three screen version of mirror? Did the three screens appear too small? Now that you have the two screen version in real life, as opposed to just looking at product photos, do you wish you had gotten the three screen version, as the screen size of the two screen is more than enough... and bigger than you thought?


Does aspect ratio and perspective, relative to the camera's rendering, play any part in the decision, so that images aren't squished, or stretched, or distorted in some fashion that effects how distances are perceived?

 

Well to be honest, a couple of things. They have mirros with Gps and obdii displays. But what do you really need? I have an excellent Garmin that sits in the lower left corner. The only view it blocks is of the hood. So I don't need a gps. The dual screen supports four camera inputs. The brake light shows the whole bed. The bed handle shows the hitch and everything around the back of the truck. The two large displays allow for very clear images of what's going on. I did not want to end up with the small Ford sized image again, not did I want a mirror the size of a Peterbilt tower set. I also did not want to spend any more that I had to. I know that with any wide angle lens, perspective is screwed. So the larger the image the less the smaller areas are warped. I really only need to see two things: I need to see alignment and I need to see when the hitch covers the ball.

Think of it like this. I grew up in Beaufort SC. I had a 24' offshore boat. It took 4' of water to float clean. That's to the bottom of the outboard. Now I moved to Jackson on the Savannah River. It AVERAGES six feet deep. Is more better? Or is something smaller more versatile?

I picked what worked for me. I have two unused cam ports and I have no idea what to do with them. What else do I need to see? The driveshaft maybe? If I pulled the same trailer all the time I might have a cam on the back of it. But why? I have been backing trailers for 30 years. It is not going to help me. I wanted to be able to see the gooseneck hitch and the drawbar. I can. And that is very nice.

 

Ah HA! The sentence that I highlighted in bold was very instructive to me.

I've never had a rear view mirror with a screen in it, so I have no perspective with which to compare. It sounds like you had a Ford mirror that had a monitor built in, and that monitor was too small, or at least, you prefer the larger screen size of the double monitor pair in the mirror you selected. That's critical to know experience that I would not have without you sharing yours. Thanks for taking the time "to be honest".

I forgot that the two screen mirror has 4 inputs. I take it that the screen buttons to the left and right of the brightness controls not only turn the screens on and off, but also toggle between two inputs each?

 

You would be correct on both accounts. The factory mirror had a single 2" display on the left. It was not enough to see anything out of and my factory mirror (and cam) was tired. A couple of posts above you can see the factory vs the new. Even though the screen is off, you can see how worn out mine was.

The new mirror has four inputs divided into left and right, and input and camera for each. It has two reverse triggers that trigger the left and right inputs if connected. The left and right camera feeds can only be accessed with the toggles. Here is an overview of the buttons:

Power: on and off
First toggle: left input, left camera, off.
Middle sun icon:. Brightness
Second toggle: right input, right camera, off

The mirror will display the left and right input anytime the reverse trigger sees 12v, provided an input is connected. You can also select these anytime to "live check" your load. This is evident in another pic I posted of me rolling and checking the trailer.

The only two issues I have are more of just me than anything.
1) the mirror is halfway smart. If you turn the display to off, it at stays off, even through power cycles. This can be helpful if I only want to see the backup cam and not the bed. Say I want the rearview and the natrual reflection.

2) both the mirror and the factory backup cam have guidelines. So I have two sets of lines on the factory display. As I said before, doesn't bother me cause I don't use them. I just need to see the hitch, which I can.

Let me know if you need any more information.

 

Again and again, awesome information.


Another surprise to me detail you mentioned is that there are 4 inputs, but two are "camera" and two are "video". I don't understand the physical connection/wiring/jackport difference between "camera" and "video".

Prior to you mentioning them as distinct types of inputs, I had assumed that all 4 inputs were the same... and looked like yellow composite RCA female jack ports into which I could plug in ANY type of NTSC compatible visual device. But that's not the case is it?

So what is the form factor for the so called "camera" inputs? It sounds like I would have to buy a camera that can connect to this form factor... but I don't know what it is. The last time I purchased video cameras for a vehicle, the cameras (Sony) cost over $500 each, with no infrared, and the connection form factor was the yellow RCA composite male plug. This was well over a decade ago, and obviously things have changed since.

As I try to piece together a system built around the two screen 4 port (well, 2 camera and 2 video port) rear view monitor, I remain a bit confused about how a camera connects to the camera port... and what that connection looks like. Is it hard spliced? Is it a digital line? Fiber Optic? Coaxial? It doesn't seem like it is Composite, or if it is, is it a different composite port form factor than RCA?

 

thanks for the pics of the new and old mirrors!!

 

They are all RCA type NTSC format, that is just how they label them. I wanted you or anyone else to have a detailed understanding of the connections and cycles because the instructions leave you to figure that out.

 

No problem. Hope it helps your buying descion.

 

Understood.


And you also pointed out exactly why I'm asking YOU these questions, rather than waiting to see what instructions might come with the unit, if any. You speak our language, you've done it successfully, and you know what you are talking about.

The same can't be said of many of my interactions with a typical imported products company's "customer service" line, if they even have one, nor with the cryptic hieroglyphic "instructions" included as Xeroxed afterthoughts in poorly translated English (if any words are used at all).