Add a camera to Entune display?

DougsGraphics

DougsGraphics

Well-Known Member
I hunt, fish, explore and photograph the remote back-country a lot. One of my issues is that I rarely have someone with to get out and help spot as I crawl over nasty undercarriage-damaging rock. My last vehicle (and my bank account) suffered on more than one occasion from this situation. This new 2015 TRD Off Road is my first vehicle with a back-up camera, and the Entune display is really pretty good. It has me wondering how hard it would be to add another camera (or two) under the chassis to view what I can't see without stopping, getting out, looking, getting back in, inching forward, stopping, getting out... I have seen a hack on YouTube where a guy added a switch to toggle to the back-up camera at any time (but with no real details), and if that's possible, it shouldn't be that hard to put a selector switch in to choose the camera to view on the display. I like this idea, because most of these solutions require adding another dedicated display for the cameras. I'm not wanting to have to clutter up the dash with such extras, and I'm not planning something so severe I need to view multiple cameras at one time. There are a few cameras made just for this purpose (check out RubiCam, for example) and I'd love to put one or two on the underbelly of my beast.

So, has anyone done this? Anyone have some inside information on the video cabeling/connections in the 2015 TRD Off Road?
 
My wife's Odyssey has a right side cam in addition to the backup. Only one displays at a time, the right side comes on when you use the right signal or when you switch it on manually with a button on the end of the turn signal lever. They both use the same display.

Maybe other Toyo products have something similar, like Lexus or a deluxe model of Camry etc and they use the same Entune head? There might be the hardware you need that is compatible with the Taco in the Toyo parts stream.
 
WiskyT said:
My wife's Odyssey has a right side cam in addition to the backup. Only one displays at a time, the right side comes on when you use the right signal or when you switch it on manually with a button on the end of the turn signal lever. They both use the same display.

Maybe other Toyo products have something similar, like Lexus or a deluxe model of Camry etc and they use the same Entune head? There might be the hardware you need that is compatible with the Taco in the Toyo parts stream.
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I've been looking on Totyota's web, but I don't see that any Toyotas come with this type of option, so I probably have to tie in to a signal line to make the Entune head think that the transmission is in reverse so it displays the camera input, and then tie a selector switch in for whatever cameras I might add so I can toggle between views.

I wonder if I'd get the same line display I get on the back-up camera, or if that is part of the camera itself?
 
I don't know. I googled around a bit and found all kinds of stuff about amplifiers etc and what I quickly concluded was the stuff was way over my head. Part of the problem with this stuff, or maybe it isn't, is that a lot of this stuff is proprietary. I don't know if you can simply plug this cable into that union that has a switch and then run that cable into the Entune head.

That's why I was hoping that there was a multi-camera system already in Toyota's product line.

I found a million useless things that can be added to Entune even when it would be easier to just use a different head. Audio geeks are adding all kinds of hardware that requires all kinds of signal strength adjusting with laptops etc etc to get better sound when they could just get a better head unit. It's like it's own world of tinkering for tinkering sake. One of those guys could probably help you.

I'm surprised with as cheap as the hardware you want, and the usefulness of it, somebody doesn't make a plug in kit to just make it happen. But, based on my online searching, I can't find anything.
 
WiskyT said:
My wife's Odyssey has a right side cam in addition to the backup. Only one displays at a time, the right side comes on when you use the right signal or when you switch it on manually with a button on the end of the turn signal lever. They both use the same display.

Maybe other Toyo products have something similar, like Lexus or a deluxe model of Camry etc and they use the same Entune head? There might be the hardware you need that is compatible with the Taco in the Toyo parts stream.
Click to expand...

Eeeeew odyssey
 
Deisel88 said:
Eeeeew odyssey
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Love it. Fast, comfortable, over 25 mpg on the highway, five of us can go to the beach for a week and my wife can pack the trunk there is so much room in the thing. Honda has a great feature that Toyota should put on their vehicles since it can't cost more than $0.05 per car. If you double click the unlock button on the remote and hold it down, it opens all the windows. You can get the superheated air out of the car while you are still walking across the parking lot. With my Taco, I have to open the door, reach into the pizza oven that the thing is to put the key in the ignition to get the windows open.

I have punked out many BMW etc drivers by pulling away from them on entrance ramps in the thing. Then, once on the interstate and I hit the set button at 70, I yawn while they fly by doing 90. It's not that the Oyssey handles so well, it's the combination of decent handling and the meow factor of the typical BMW owner allows me to smoke them. And yes, I know they are going as fast as they can because they are all over me in my rearview mirror when we are in traffic getting to the ramp.
 
So getting the Entunes to show the camera input whenever you want turns out to be easy, and I've seen done that. I still have to figure out where to tap into the camera leads with a switcher where I tie in all the camera feeds. After I get back from my trip, I will work all that out.
 
WiskyT said:
Love it. Fast, comfortable, over 25 mpg on the highway, five of us can go to the beach for a week and my wife can pack the trunk there is so much room in the thing. Honda has a great feature that Toyota should put on their vehicles since it can't cost more than $0.05 per car. If you double click the unlock button on the remote and hold it down, it opens all the windows. You can get the superheated air out of the car while you are still walking across the parking lot. With my Taco, I have to open the door, reach into the pizza oven that the thing is to put the key in the ignition to get the windows open.

I have punked out many BMW etc drivers by pulling away from them on entrance ramps in the thing. Then, once on the interstate and I hit the set button at 70, I yawn while they fly by doing 90. It's not that the Oyssey handles so well, it's the combination of decent handling and the meow factor of the typical BMW owner allows me to smoke them. And yes, I know they are going as fast as they can because they are all over me in my rearview mirror when we are in traffic getting to the ramp.
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We always take the wife's RAV4 to TX. At 32 MPG with bags in the back,4 people, a/c going and cruise set at 72 I can't complain.
 
Demo Man said:
We always take the wife's RAV4 to TX. At 32 MPG with bags in the back,4 people, a/c going and cruise set at 72 I can't complain.
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Come on nevah getting 32 with wife, kids and all your stuff! AWD?ImageUploadedByTaco Forum1436754419.066783.jpgImageUploadedByTaco Forum1436754434.030224.jpgImageUploadedByTaco Forum1436754450.316477.jpg
If you have AWD it's 29 mpg. With the family and stuff 24-25 maybe?
 
An Odyssee is basically Clint Eastwood or Lee VanCleef compared to a Rav4 which is more like, say, Perez Hilton.
 
WiskyT said:
An Odyssee is basically Clint Eastwood or Lee VanCleef compared to a Rav4 which is more like, say, Perez Hilton.
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Lol. Not even close. They are like comparing apples to oranges. The odyssey is a mini van. Where as you know whisky are the biggest problem on the roads. Why. Because most people who drive them can't drive at all. I'm not saying that's the case with you since I know that you drive for a living just like I do.
 
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