Rear View Video Onstar Mirror with a Twist

[VegasNate]

I know these mirrors have been around for a long time so nothing too spectacular about them. I have chosen to not use a back up camera as they are intended and have done this:

http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo67/NateTejeda/9215d4a4.jpg

I thought I had everything done but I have run into an issue with the video feed shutting off after a period of time and won't come back until you shut the car off and restart. I have bypassed the backup lamp supply voltage and jumpered it to the ignition so that the video feed would stay on all the time. It works like I said for about 2 minutes then shuts off. Not sure what to try next......

Pics of how I started:

http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo67/NateTejeda/3249340a.jpg

I had to add this into the 16pin connector
http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo67/NateTejeda/4f11b8cb.jpg


Maybe Onstar is messing things up. Anybody have any ideas??!!

[Greg@PacePerformance]

What is the mirror from I will see if I can find anything

[VegasNate]

What is the mirror from I will see if I can find anything

It is an 09-10-11 Silverado Sierra Autodim Backup Camera Mirror

[Greg@PacePerformance]

Still looking but pulled this real quick


Rearview Camera System Always On
•Ignition OFF, disconnect the harness connector X1 at the rearview camera.
•Engine running, transmission in PARK, verify a test lamp does not illuminate between the control circuit X1 terminal 3 and ground.
⇒ If the test lamp illuminates, test the control circuit for a short to voltage. If the circuit tests normal, refer to Backup Lamps Malfunction.

•If all circuits test normal, test or replace the rearview camera.
Rearview Camera System Does Not Display
•Ignition OFF, disconnect the harness connectors X1 and X2 at the rearview camera.
•Test for less than 10 Ω between the ground circuit X1 terminal 2 and ground.
⇒ If greater than the specified range, test the ground circuit for an open/high resistance.

•Engine running, verify a test lamp illuminates between the ignition circuit X2 terminal 4 and ground.
⇒ If the test lamp does not illuminate, test the ignition circuit for a short to ground or an open/high resistance.

•Park brake applied, transmission in REVERSE, engine running, verify a test lamp illuminates between control circuit X1 terminal 3 and ground.
⇒ If test lamp does not illuminate, test the control circuit for a short to ground or an open/high resistance. If the circuit tests normal, replace the BCM.

•Ignition OFF, disconnect the harness connector at the inside rearview mirror.
•Test for less than 10 Ω between the ground circuit terminal 8 and ground.
⇒ If greater than the specified range, test the ground circuit for an open/high resistance.

•Park brake applied, transmission in REVERSE, engine running, test for B+ between the control terminal 9 and ground.
⇒ If less than the specified value, test the control circuit for an open/high resistance. If the circuit tests normal, refer to Backup Lamps Malfunction.

•Engine running, test for less than 1 V between the following signal circuit terminals at the rearview camera harness connector and ground:
• Signal (+) circuit X2 terminal 1

• Signal (-) circuit X1 terminal 1

⇒ If greater than the specified range, test the signal circuit for a short to voltage.

•Test for infinite resistance between the following circuit terminals at the rearview camera harness connector and ground:
• Signal (+) circuit X2 terminal 1

• Signal (-) circuit X1 terminal 1

⇒ If not the specified value, test the circuit for a short to ground.

•Test for less than 2 Ω between the signal (+) circuit X2 terminal 1 at the rearview camera harness connector and the signal (+) circuit terminal 6 at the inside rearview mirror harness connector.
⇒ If greater than the specified range, test the signal circuit for an open/high resistance.

•Test for less than 2 Ω between the signal (-) circuit X1 terminal 1 at the rearview camera harness connector and the signal (-) circuit terminal 7 at the inside rearview mirror harness connector.
⇒ If greater than the specified range, test the signal circuit for an open/high resistance.

•If all circuits test normal, test or replace the rearview camera.
•Engine running, transmission in REVERSE, verify a clear rear vision image is displayed on the inside rearview mirror.
⇒ If a clear rear vision image is not displayed, replace the inside rearview mirror.

[VegasNate]

Based on the above, I'm thinking the video signal is getting lost and not able to resync until power is cycled on the mirror. Leaning towards an issue with the "display out" app but need to investigate further. Thanks for the info Greg!

[LDM]

So this is what you were up to. I have no idea what it could be, but are you sure it's an issue with the mirror and not the iPad that's shutting off the video? Do you have another video source you could hook up to troubleshoot?

[VegasNate]

I think the problem is that this is an auto dim mirror too and my 16 pin connector has no wire going to that pin for auto dim.

[Panzer Leader]

Well Nate, if you ever figure it out (And I know you will) I would love just to have the mirror with just the backup display capability. BTW does that mirror also have the compass? Not critical but just wondering.

[zepcom]

We have that same mirror in our Traverse... I think that's the new way they do the vim/rear-view-camera setup. Our g8's (stock config) obviously have the "speed lockout" over 2mph. Well, the traverse rear camera works up to ~10mph in reverse (don't ask me how I know, lol) but definately also has that timeout timer.

I wonder if there's a timer chip within the electronics of the mirror assembly that cuts the video feed after a timeout. Like to prevent people from watching DVD movies in their mirror and stuff. Seems like GM has gotten smarter, or dumber, depending on how you look at things.

I'd be hesitant to jumper the dim circuit, but it would be beneficial to see the schematics of the circuit board inside that mirror to see if it's possible to bypass that timer issue.

As with everything, Nate, keep at it. You'll figure it out I'm sure!

Good luck!

--zep

[Greg@PacePerformance]

Here is the schematic for the mirror
11089

Also here is the mirror pin out, but I guess you already have it.
1-4 -- -- Not Used

5 0.35 GY 1690 Automatic Day/Night Mirror Signal (DF5 with DL3 or DL4)

6 0.35 GY/D-BU 7641 Camera Video Signal (+) (SPO Rearview Camera with DD8 or DRC)
or 0.35 WH 7641 Camera Video Signal (+) (UVC with DD8 or DRC)

7 0.35 GY/OG 7642 Camera Video Signal (-) (SPO Rearview Camera with DD8 or DRC)
or 0.35 D-BU 7642 Camera Video Signal (-) (UVC with DD8 or DRC)

8 0.5 BK 1050 Ground (DF5 or UE1)

9 0.35 D-BU 38 Backup Lamp Relay Control (YE9)

10 -- -- Not Used

11 0.35 D-GN/WH 2514 Keypad Signal (UE1)

12 0.35 L-GN/BK 2515 Keypad Supply Voltage (UE1)

13 0.35 PK 1639 Ignition 1 Voltage (YE9)

14 0.35 YE/BK 2516 Keypad Green LED Signal (UE1)

15 0.35 BN/WH 2517 Keypad Red LED Signal (UE1)

16 0.35 PK 1691 Low Reference (DF5 with DL3 or DL4)

[VegasNate]

OK, it appears that the mirror has a timer for the display that will shut of the video if it is on too long. It is built into the mirror's electronics. The only way to get it back once it shuts off is to reset power to the whole mirror. I need an "automatic" way of reseting power every minute or so.

[Voice of Reason]

This is pretty bad ass. If you get this working I could see it selling for a lot of different GM vehicles, not just us!

[VegasNate]

This is pretty bad ass. If you get this working I could see it selling for a lot of different GM vehicles, not just us!

Yeah, I came across this setup on Camaro5. The Camaros are buying these like crazy. The guy who sells these has great communication and knowledge about these. They are very inexpensive too. I paid just over $200 for the mirror and he sent me the video cable with it too at no extra charge. I've seen these sell between 4-800 dollars other places.

[tbully]

OK, it appears that the mirror has a timer for the display that will shut of the video if it is on too long. It is built into the mirror's electronics. The only way to get it back once it shuts off is to reset power to the whole mirror. I need an "automatic" way of reseting power every minute or so.

Quick and dirty way would be to use a TDR (time delay relay) of some sort but the more elegant way would just be to build a circuit from an LM555 or something similar. (doesn't have to be terribly accurate of course) Keep us updated!

Does it have the compass? I was thinking about adding an "auto dim" to my car this summer but may go this route instead.......

[zepcom]

I would think that if you inserted a time-delay relay somewhere in the path of pin13 (ignition voltage) you could "reboot it" inline. Or at least for the testing phase is put a momentary switch (normally closed, momentary break circuit when pressed kinda thing) in there or something like that, then design a custom solution sometime later.

Pin 16 (Low Reference Signal) interests me too.... wonder if that taps into the CAN bus or something for a timer signal? That's just a guess, but interesting none the least.

Gotta wonder if GM did that to F with us, or if they did it for legitimate reasons. As in, if the LCD is left active for a long time, does the casing or face get hot to the touch? Maybe GM decided on this design limitation due to external factors like that. (or to prevent screen burn in like the old pac man games!)

Wouldn't it be awesome if you could integrate a "reset" procedure by pressing one of the unused onstar buttons integrated with the mirror. Hmmmm... something like "Activate".

[VegasNate]

Quick and dirty way would be to use a TDR (time delay relay) of some sort but the more elegant way would just be to build a circuit from an LM555 or something similar. (doesn't have to be terribly accurate of course) Keep us updated!

Does it have the compass? I was thinking about adding an "auto dim" to my car this summer but may go this route instead.......

It doesn't have the compass but if the display can remain on then you could run navigation from your video device. That's what I had planned on doing....

[VegasNate]

I would think that if you inserted a time-delay relay somewhere in the path of pin13 (ignition voltage) you could "reboot it" inline. Or at least for the testing phase is put a momentary switch (normally closed, momentary break circuit when pressed kinda thing) in there or something like that, then design a custom solution sometime later.

Pin 16 (Low Reference Signal) interests me too.... wonder if that taps into the CAN bus or something for a timer signal? That's just a guess, but interesting none the least.

Gotta wonder if GM did that to F with us, or if they did it for legitimate reasons. As in, if the LCD is left active for a long time, does the casing or face get hot to the touch? Maybe GM decided on this design limitation due to external factors like that. (or to prevent screen burn in like the old pac man games!)

Wouldn't it be awesome if you could integrate a "reset" procedure by pressing one of the unused onstar buttons integrated with the mirror. Hmmmm... something like "Activate".

Yeah, I'll probably do a momentary switch for now until I can get more into it later. I have the Nitrous plate that fits in the center dash so I now have a purpose for that too.

[Napalm]

OK, it appears that the mirror has a timer for the display that will shut of the video if it is on too long. It is built into the mirror's electronics. The only way to get it back once it shuts off is to reset power to the whole mirror. I need an "automatic" way of reseting power every minute or so.

I was about to post, 'i bet there is a timer in the circuit board" One option. put a timer circuit of your own on the powerline to reset every minute or so. course your display will blink at you. Other go into the circuit board and jumper the timing circuit. which I bet in on the power circuit side or on the power circuit for the back light.

[tbully]

I was about to post, 'i bet there is a timer in the circuit board" One option. put a timer circuit of your own on the powerline to reset every minute or so. course your display will blink at you. Other go into the circuit board and jumper the timing circuit. which I bet in on the power circuit side or on the power circuit for the back light.

My fear is it's probably not a "timer circuit" but a micro routine that puts the thing to sleep after X seconds. It would be interesting to see a schematic or even the physical board. It if it is an external timer, you're right, it'd be very easy to jump / bypass. The problem with resetting B+ is that the screen will blink and maybe even be dark for a few seconds during the reset. (stated above)

[It's A G8!]

Nate I went over to the camaro5 website and read all the posts. Since you have tried this. Is this a plug and play kit that also works for the G8's? I just want a back up camera.

[VegasNate]

Nate I went over to the camaro5 website and read all the posts. Since you have tried this. Is this a plug and play kit that also works for the G8's? I just want a back up camera.

Yes, you just add the positive and negative video connections into the 16 pin connector and run the video cable to your rear camera. I also removed the 2 airbag sensors per recommended by the seller.

[It's A G8!]

Which air bag sensors are these?

[ghodge]

Nate,

How easy was it to run the cable? What path did you take?

Thanks,

George

[VegasNate]

Which air bag sensors are these?

They are for the passenger air bag on/off. It doesn't disable the airbag or throw any codes.

[VegasNate]

Nate,

How easy was it to run the cable? What path did you take?

Thanks,

George

I went from the mirror into the headliner over to and down the passenger apillar and under the glovebox to the Ipad. You will need to remove the 2 trim pieces by the glovebox too. It's not too hard.

[Boss Hogg]

Nate, any truth to the rumor that you are going to replace your windshield with a 60" 3D Plasma? ;)

[ghodge]

Thanks Nate,

The cable routing doesn't sound bad. What are the dimensions of the display area? The display area looks square. If the area isn't big enough, I may just use it for backup camera purposes. I can't find specs anywhere for these Gentex mirrors.

[VegasNate]

Nate, any truth to the rumor that you are going to replace your windshield with a 60" 3D Plasma? ;)

No, but you will like my next project once I get this figured out. It will be a bit more " stealthy" though...

[VegasNate]

Thanks Nate,

The cable routing doesn't sound bad. What are the dimensions of the display area? The display area looks square. If the area isn't big enough, I may just use it for backup camera purposes. I can't find specs anywhere for these Gentex mirrors.

It's about 3.5" wide and 21/4" tall(the display)

[It's A G8!]

How much was the kit?

[VegasNate]

How much was the kit?

$210 shipped with the video cable

[It's A G8!]

$210 shipped with the video cable

What all did you get for that price? Mirror and cables only?

[VegasNate]

What all did you get for that price? Mirror and cables only?

Yup, you get the back up camera of your choice to hook into it separately.

[VegasNate]

A little "action" video of operation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC7Uz8QRJ1U

[LDM]

The video's not long enough to tell but did you get the timer issue figured out?

[VegasNate]

The video's not long enough to tell but did you get the timer issue figured out?

Not yet. I will soon(I hope)

[ghodge]

I can't wait to crack open the one I ordered this morning.:)

[Panzer Leader]

Nate, you have to be at the National Meet. Just out of curiosity What would be the install time on a mirror with only the backup camera option?

[GTPprix]

I've got ten of these mirrors brand new to hack apart CHEAP if you guys need them, I need to dump the firmware and get that timer deleted.

[Napalm]

I've got ten of these mirrors brand new to hack apart CHEAP if you guys need them, I need to dump the firmware and get that timer deleted.

I was about to ask if chris had one of these. soft/firmware, its a great thing. sometimes.

[VegasNate]

Nate, you have to be at the National Meet. Just out of curiosity What would be the install time on a mirror with only the backup camera option?

I would say 2-3 hours taking your time.

[Panzer Leader]

thanks

[GTPprix]

I was about to ask if chris had one of these. soft/firmware, its a great thing. sometimes.

Yup bought a bunch BRAND NEW for $150 you guys can have them for that if you want 'em.

[VegasNate]

Yup bought a bunch BRAND NEW for $150 you guys can have them for that if you want 'em.

Heck of a deal right there! Does somebody need to buy one in order to get the programming changed or how can we get that done?

[GTPprix]

Working on one right now on the bench, I'll see what I can come up with.

[VegasNate]

Working on one right now on the bench, I'll see what I can come up with.

Awesome!

[GTPprix]

Have you powered one of these up without a camera? I just did and applied 12V to the backup pin and the light just blinks, is that how yours reacts when the camera is active?

[VegasNate]

Have you powered one of these up without a camera? I just did and applied 12V to the backup pin and the light just blinks, is that how yours reacts when the camera is active?

Yes, it will blink slowly if no video is being detected. Fast blinking is when it shuts off the video display after so long.

[GTPprix]

Ok some notes from today, the timeout timer is exactly 3 minutes LOL

the unit contains two boards, one for the I/O functions and one for the Display. Between the two there are two micro controllers, the one we should be concerned with is a Microchip PIC16F648A. Unfortunately this chip is buried under the ledge of the secondary display board so its going to be difficult to access as I dont see any JTAG points (there are JTAG points for the Display board; DOH!) I'll do some more looking this weekend if I get some time but I think its doable :)

[VegasNate]

Cool, thanks for doing this.

[zepcom]

Ftw!

Sent from my EVO4g using the OEM Tapatalk.

[It's A G8!]

Hey nate can you take a picture of the back of the mirror. I want to see how the wires or adapter looks. Thanks

[VegasNate]

1110711108

[Panzer Leader]

One day Nate, HAL is going to refuse to open your car's doors. LOL You never cease to amaze me on the electronics.

[VegasNate]

One day Nate, HAL is going to refuse to open your car's doors. LOL You never cease to amaze me on the electronics.

You are probably correct. After this gets finished, I have a couple more projects I want to do and both will involve ipad control.

[VegasNate]

Problem solved! This minor setback has led me to create this module which does the following:

1. Bypass the mirror's internal timer that shuts off the video display without needing an external manual switch

2. Allow for 2 video inputs and auto switch between them meaning: you can use the back up camera display as intended when the car is in reverse. The video will then auto switch back to the second video input of your choice( GPS, Ipod, whatever)

http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo67/NateTejeda/2f57eb56.jpg

This is 99% done. I have this installed and working currently in my car. I'm adding the video auto switch feature later this week.

This will work with any GM Onstar video back up mirror that uses the 16pin connector. :)

[zepcom]

VegasNate FTW!

[firemate]

My God...

[GeoffA]

Is there a way to turn the video off so it's not displaying all the time? a button on the mirror itself?

[VegasNate]

Is there a way to turn the video off so it's not displaying all the time? a button on the mirror itself?

Yes, there is a power button on the mirror itself if you want to turn the display off in the day or night if it becomes too distracting.

[VegasNate]

Mmmmm...It works!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW3IEJFNPOY

[GeoffA]

Hahaha " Nothings caught fire"

[GeoffA]

Hey Nate, is there a way to display an anolog gauge reading through this and also be able to switch back to vid?

[VegasNate]

Hey Nate, is there a way to display an anolog gauge reading through this and also be able to switch back to vid?

Hmm...only if you can get it to trasmit the data in composite video form.

[VegasNate]

Here is what a "production" version of this module looks like....

http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo67/NateTejeda/9e30dbb1.jpg

The dimensions are: 5.3" x 2.9" x 1.9" (not too large)

The first one I made was a brick. I was able to trim the fat and make a better, smaller version which allows for more installation options.

I have one out in the wild being tested so stay tuned. I make and program all these by hand so I'll probably just build them when ordered. Probably not a HUGE demand for this.

[ScrapMaker]

Does this module trick the mirror into not cutting the feed after three minutes? Is there any flicker when that happens?

[VegasNate]

Does this module trick the mirror into not cutting the feed after three minutes? Is there any flicker when that happens?

It does accomplish that by resetting power to the lcd about every 2 minutes. The display will momentarily turn off then back on( like a second ) It does not effect anything else on the mirror like Onstar or phone calls.

[zepcom]

I
Hey Nate, is there a way to display an anolog gauge reading through this and also be able to switch back to vid?

My dashboss gauge displays quite nicely on this mirror. Technically the source gauge is 'digital' in that it's an ipad, but it supports native composite video out so it works as expected. I thought you saw this at one of the shows we were at, Geoff?


Ok, tested it without putting pins in the harness, it worked. Question is how in the hell does that white clip come up so I can see what type of pin is being used on the wire? I was able to push it up a little and try to find anything locking it from releasing the existing pins but no dice. Thoughts?

I'd suggest a right angle pick to pry it up.

The little white clip only lifts like an eighth of an inch, but that is all you need. Align the 'barbs' off the video games pins to where it catches, then press the white clip back down, they should be locked in now.

[BAMAGXP]

Thanks Zep. Long time no talk man.. I soldered to heavier guage wire, opened the clip, pushed them in, closed the clip and working perfectly. Works perfect if you only want a backup cam like Nate said. In reverse, turns on, take it out, turns off. But, since I kind of thread jacked, I do recommend buying Nates setup. :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRBjOoktafs&feature=youtu.be