Has anyone tried a full-sized Backup Monitor?

smyers75

New member
We have a Sprinter Cargo Van at work, used for deliveries.
It has a rear view mirror in the cab, but all you can see is the back of the cab's bulkhead as there is no rear window between the cab and the cargo area.

Today we were talking about adding a backup camera and maybe hook it up to the little dash screen and the boss asked "Why not just mount a full sized flatscreen monitor to the back of the cab in the view of the mirror?"
I thought about it and, other than figuring out a decent camera view angle to replicate looking out a rear window if it had one, I can't see why not.

I found quite a few large monitors that take 12VDC input power for less than $300.
It would be nice to be able to turn my head and see in detail behind me and still use the rear view mirror too.
The monitor would be always on when the van is running.

Has this been tried and failed before, and if so, why would it not work?
 

ECU

2006 T1n 118 Sprinter
Just what is your definition of 'Full Size'? A 50" flat screen just won't fit very well in the dash area. You can buy a 7" screen for around $25.
 
The idea has merit, but the biggest problem I would see is the problem of a washed out display when the sun is streaming in thru the cab windows. Typical monitors seem bright in dimly lit environments but in most cases it doesnt take much sunlight to make them unreadable.

This issue came home to me when I started looking into using a low cost tablet as a "dashboard" in my race car in place of a typical electro-mechanical instrument cluster. Most displays were simply unreadable with any significant light streaming into the cockpit and none could be seen with sunlight directly on the screen. In the end I found the Samsung Nexus 10, which is one of the brightest and most detailed tablet displays available was adequate when recessed into a shrouded custom enclosure to prevent any direct sunlight and limit most reflected incoming light. The Nexus 10 was hardly a low cost tablet and only time and careful shopping on eBay got me a used model at what I considered a low cost (around $100).

The second issue would be what to do at night. I could see where a large monitor facing forward, with a typical backup camera's input, would throw a lot of light toward the windshield, making it hard to see out at night. I think you would almost have to blank the monitor except when in reverse.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
Most fleets that address this issue (like the place i used to work for) just install "regular" reverse camera screens *in place of* the rear-view mirror.
That way it's facing *away* from the sunlight-filled front window, so there's a chance of seeing it. They used to use CRT (old-style glass TVs) screens, too.

--dick
 

smyers75

New member
I was thinking of using a 24" Insignia monitor from Best Buy.
A lot of RV'ers use them because the 110 VAC power supply has 12VDC output, so you can run it on either power in a camper.
The VDC input is tolerant 11~16 volts, and a simple large capacitor takes care of any voltage fluctuations.

After reading the replies, now I'm thinking of mounting a rear view monitor in place of the rear view mirror, and still mounting the 24" on the back of the cab with a splitter.
Hey, he doesn't mind spending the money, so worst case scenario is we don't like it and I get a 'free-to-me' 24" camping monitor to take home :)
 
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SRE

New member
I bought a 12" monitor for $99 on Amazon, it has video/HDMI/VGA inputs. I pulled out the cup holders and mounted a bracket down there for the monitor so it faces up and toward the driver. With a quad mux ($40 on Amazon) you can do 4 cams in a split screen or just choose one that's really big. Watch the resolution, because unless you have a lot of pixels putting four images on one screen doesn't let you see any detail (this $99 monitor is full HD!). I put a cam on the front grill, one on each side, and the standard one in the back. No more yelling back and forth to my wife about where the fence is!
 

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