Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 06-19-2016, 02:11 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: South Portland, ME, USA
Posts: 28
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Chevy P-30
Engine: Chevy 454 Big Block
Rearview/Backup Camera Feed/Proximity Sensors

To keep myself busy between farm work and daydreaming about reuniting with my bus, I have been messing around with an Arduino, some ultra sonic sensors, and a small solar array. Last year, I was buying oil or something at wally world and I stumbled across a Back-up Video Camera Installation Kit for automobiles. I thought it might be a neat project for the bus, whether I build one from scratch or use one out of a box. Now, I've been experimenting with ultrasonic sensors and realized I can program a system to set off an alarm when I am about to back into something. Basically, with Arduinos and Raspberry Pi's out now, there is a whole bunch of cool stuff that we can make to modify our rigs! So, do I want to try making one of these setups myself or buy some prefab equipment out of a box? What would be more fun, cost less, and/or be more reliable? I don't know, I have never had a back up camera or proximity alert system. Do you? Anybody had something like that, that would like to review or comment on it? I might just make one for the sake of doing a tutorial on here, we'll see. Tell me about your set up, camera or "warning, warning, you are about to back into your mailbox, again!" Cheers!

mightymainermite is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-2016, 08:03 AM   #2
Bus Crazy
 
turf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Colorado
Posts: 2,356
Year: 1993
Coachwork: bluebird
Engine: 5.9 Cummins, Allison AT1545
Rated Cap: 2
ive never messed with arduino or rasberry pi, but i have a friend that's big into them. sure fun things to design and play around with.

his message of the system is that it can do anything, just not very well.

you can find back systems in a lot of price ranges from that walmart one on up. i'd go with a finished system.
__________________
.
Turfmobile Build Thread
turf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-2016, 09:14 AM   #3
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,753
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
I use the PI's foir all kinds of cool stuff.. I never went the direction of arduino.. I built my own boards using a ATMEL based chip from zbasic.net.. these chips had everythign I need on board .. the main boards I buolt are sub-controllers for the HVAC system in my house.. they talk the special language of my A/C units and concentrate the data into my main controller where it is thenm controllable from my Home automation system...

the Arduino is more flexible than the PI for base electronics projects as you have access to more pins and functions.. the PI GPIO is not nearly are flexible.. However the PI is an excellent candidate for the UI portion of your project... sensors can connect to an arduino and then communicate with a PI where the PI handles your user interface.. write a nice QT gui and you are set...

I love building and playing with this stuff... a partially Glass cockpit is part of what my Bus project will become... namely the driver console switch panels will all be glass when done... likely using a PI and touchscreens as the UI for it.. and on the back-end more likely some custom boards I put together.. though tere are more and more pre-made boards for the PI, I may look into some of those..

oh and the sutff I hsve built with my micro controllers and PI's works quite well... it all comes down to whether you want to tinkler and hack something together that like the post above works but not well.. or whether you spend the time asnd effort asnd engineer a system... I take the latter approach and as a result the stuff using the above mentioned boards works very well!..

my Zbasic HVAC sub controllers have been in servce 7 years now and still going.. I rthink I reboot them on average once every 2 years.. show me a windows computer that can do that... the PI which is a MID controller has been in service 3 years now... I rebooted it twice now I think... both times to perform security updates..

I say build away and enjoy the fun of making it yourself and learning rather than just go buy one off the shelf..

-Christopher
cadillackid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2018, 08:31 PM   #4
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Tahoe
Posts: 513
Year: 1997
Coachwork: International
Chassis: 3000RE
Engine: T444E w/ MT643
Rated Cap: 84 pass, 40'
Quote:
Originally Posted by mightymainermite View Post
To keep myself busy between farm work and daydreaming about reuniting with my bus, I have been messing around with an Arduino, some ultra sonic sensors, and a small solar array. Last year, I was buying oil or something at wally world and I stumbled across a Back-up Video Camera Installation Kit for automobiles. I thought it might be a neat project for the bus, whether I build one from scratch or use one out of a box. Now, I've been experimenting with ultrasonic sensors and realized I can program a system to set off an alarm when I am about to back into something. Basically, with Arduinos and Raspberry Pi's out now, there is a whole bunch of cool stuff that we can make to modify our rigs! So, do I want to try making one of these setups myself or buy some prefab equipment out of a box? What would be more fun, cost less, and/or be more reliable? I don't know, I have never had a back up camera or proximity alert system. Do you? Anybody had something like that, that would like to review or comment on it? I might just make one for the sake of doing a tutorial on here, we'll see. Tell me about your set up, camera or "warning, warning, you are about to back into your mailbox, again!" Cheers!
The one built into my 2015 Subaru Outback works GREAT. My friend hates the one in her Lexus ? 2014 GXL? I didn't even know off the shelf ones existed.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
__________________
middle aged mom on a learning adventure
2martins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2018, 10:11 PM   #5
Almost There
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Tenino, Wa (20 mi SE of Olympia)
Posts: 69
Year: 1989
Coachwork: Bluebird
Engine: CAT 3208
Rated Cap: 84 pass 36200 gvw
When I had a 36 foot motorhome I had a cheap back-up camera (from Ebay) with a 7" screen. I loved it! I could watch my toad and see the area behind my RV really well. Gave me a much better idea about when cars were to close and it was a huge help when backing that bus.
snonut is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-28-2018, 08:15 AM   #6
Bus Nut
 
Jdawgsfanasty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 973
Quote:
Originally Posted by mightymainermite View Post
To keep myself busy between farm work and daydreaming about reuniting with my bus, I have been messing around with an Arduino, some ultra sonic sensors, and a small solar array. Last year, I was buying oil or something at wally world and I stumbled across a Back-up Video Camera Installation Kit for automobiles. I thought it might be a neat project for the bus, whether I build one from scratch or use one out of a box. Now, I've been experimenting with ultrasonic sensors and realized I can program a system to set off an alarm when I am about to back into something. Basically, with Arduinos and Raspberry Pi's out now, there is a whole bunch of cool stuff that we can make to modify our rigs! So, do I want to try making one of these setups myself or buy some prefab equipment out of a box? What would be more fun, cost less, and/or be more reliable? I don't know, I have never had a back up camera or proximity alert system. Do you? Anybody had something like that, that would like to review or comment on it? I might just make one for the sake of doing a tutorial on here, we'll see. Tell me about your set up, camera or "warning, warning, you are about to back into your mailbox, again!" Cheers!
Cool idea...me, I'd want to incorporate sensors on the sides and activated when I engage the turn signals...make my rig a bit more road friendly...Idk...I'm still trying to get my money right

Sent from my VS500PP using Tapatalk
Jdawgsfanasty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-28-2018, 09:08 AM   #7
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: southern maine
Posts: 114
Year: 2010
Coachwork: Coach & Equipment MFG
Chassis: ford E350 superduty
Engine: 5.4 liter v8
Rated Cap: 7 passenger
i found a camera on Amazon (don't have the link at the moment) that had the radar sensors and a speaker for about 20 bucks.
__________________
2010 ford e350 superduty v8 7 passenger bus
pbeggs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-28-2018, 11:21 AM   #8
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Owasso, OK
Posts: 2,627
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Saf-T-Liner MVP ER
Engine: Cummins 6CTA8.3 Mechanical MD3060
Rated Cap: 46 Coach Seats, 40 foot
Love the sensors we have on the Ford Edge, but I'll put a camera on the bus because it has other benefits too.
__________________
Steve Bracken

Build Thread
Twigg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-28-2018, 02:38 PM   #9
Bus Geek
 
Tango's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
I saw a rig a few years ago in the Big Bend area that sported a half dozen cameras all around. Chap said he did some serious outback/border camping and used the night vision function to monitor perimeter security. Whether coyotes of the fur bearing type...or coyotes of the smuggling type. He also had motion sensing lighting wired into an audible alarm. All backed up by a Winchester 12ga. Like I said...serious.
Tango is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-28-2018, 03:50 PM   #10
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: southern maine
Posts: 114
Year: 2010
Coachwork: Coach & Equipment MFG
Chassis: ford E350 superduty
Engine: 5.4 liter v8
Rated Cap: 7 passenger
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K1A713C...HBKJLMCK&psc=1
__________________
2010 ford e350 superduty v8 7 passenger bus
pbeggs is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:01 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.