# Back-up Cam - Reverse lights only getting 9 volts



## dougfalk (Apr 14, 2009)

I've got everything wired up and my camera requires 12 volts or it won't work. When i test the voltage for my reverse lights (car on, in reverse, trunk closed) i'm only receiving 9 volts. Has anyone come across this problem? 

The camera i am installing. 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CCD-Reverse...t=Car_Audio_Video&hash=item3a683c7e64&vxp=mtr


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## DarthBajan (Oct 22, 2008)

dougfalk said:


> I've got everything wired up and my camera requires 12 volts or it won't work. When i test the voltage for my reverse lights (car on, in reverse, trunk closed) i'm only receiving 9 volts. Has anyone come across this problem?
> 
> The camera i am installing.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/CCD-Reverse...t=Car_Audio_Video&hash=item3a683c7e64&vxp=mtr


 Wire it to the trunk light. That's what I did when I had one in my B6. You might also need an engine noise suppressor if there are lines on your video image once you're all done.


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## MTJ061289 (Feb 12, 2012)

hmm, now that is clever. i had wanted the one that fits in the trunk handle, but this is surprisingly enticing giving the price. Be sure to give us something of a review when you get it all in and working!


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## dougfalk (Apr 14, 2009)

To be honest, this is my second one. I had the same problem the first time i installed it but i ended up hooking it up to something that always had power and i'm guessing i burnt out the camera. 

The truck light only comes on when the trunk lid is opened tho. are we talking about the same light? ride side along the back of the trunk? I've alos already put the bumper back on. I could take it off/run and extension. I'll have to test to see the voltage on that trunk light. 

As for the review of the camera, i really like it. Only problem is it burnt out because it was ON all the time. Downside with this camera has got to be the wiring for the power of the camera. These wires are thin. Hard to strip without losing copper strands.


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## MTJ061289 (Feb 12, 2012)

im surprised that the rear light is only getting 9v... im curious if perhaps theres a difference with the car being running and not? 


my led reverse lights will come on momentarily and the shut off when in reverse but not running (occasionally) but when running i never have a problem. may i suggest checking the voltage with the car running, having someone holding the clutch in for you? 

let me know if it helps


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## MTJ061289 (Feb 12, 2012)

i just noticed you did say car on, you did mean running correct?


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## dougfalk (Apr 14, 2009)

Ya I meant running. Without it running its down around 3 volts.


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## MTJ061289 (Feb 12, 2012)

well that is a pickle isnt it. 
im just thinking out loud here; but what about running power from the fuse box, tap the power from the back up lights to run a relay? car in reverse, relay in action and powers up the back up camera?


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## dougfalk (Apr 14, 2009)

Sounds like a lot of work to be honest. More than I should have to be putting in here. I got two other options. Run my power to the right side and tap the cigarette lighter or tap BOTH sets of reverse lights. But that's not really all that smart. 

OR figured out why this damn thing is only getting 9 volts. Upsetting.


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## MTJ061289 (Feb 12, 2012)

well i mean you have to run the signal wire back anyway, so take power from there, or like you said maybe a cig lighter near the back with the relay to turn it on and off from the back up lights. does seem like a puzzle though. makes me want to go out and check my back up lights


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## dougfalk (Apr 14, 2009)

Haha, i know what you mean. And i could have sworn that i had 12 volts back there yesterday when i was testing everything. suddenly i'm down to 9. Don't know what the deal is. 

My video wire is already routed from the first time.


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## MTJ061289 (Feb 12, 2012)

ah which makes sense not wanting to do it again. 

well if anything there's got to be something there you can draw a constant 12v from for use with a relay if anything. 

is it possible you fiddled with vagcom to change it?


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## dougfalk (Apr 14, 2009)

no, i didn't change anything with vagcom. I wouldn't go that far. I'm taking the cigarette lighter approach. Found a power cord i can hack up. It'll do the job for now.


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## dougfalk (Apr 14, 2009)

Wired it up to the 12v Cigarette Lighter. It'll have to do. Would like to get this resolved eventually but for now this works. The video is really crisp on my AVIC. Thanks for your contributions.


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## DavidPaul (Nov 28, 2009)

dougfalk said:


> I've got everything wired up and my camera requires 12 volts or it won't work. When i test the voltage for my reverse lights (car on, in reverse, trunk closed) i'm only receiving 9 volts. Has anyone come across this problem?
> 
> The camera i am installing.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/CCD-Reverse...t=Car_Audio_Video&hash=item3a683c7e64&vxp=mtr


 Just fishing here. 

How old is your battery?


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## danielg1028 (Apr 1, 2013)

Could any part of what you're testing be wired in series? That would cause a voltage drop.


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## dougfalk (Apr 14, 2009)

danielg1028 said:


> Could any part of what you're testing be wired in series? That would cause a voltage drop.


 From where i was testing no, i wasn't expecting any voltage drop.I don't think anything was wired in series. i didn't trak all the way back but it looked like a single dedicated wire coming from up front. I believe others have installed this without an issue. At least i have to assume. I haven't wired anything extra to cause a drop. 



DavidPaul said:


> How old is your battery?


 Good thinking. I thought of this at the beginning but shrugged it off before i had checked all that i have. Now it seems like a likely scenario. The battery is 4 years i believe. I didn't buy the car new so i can't be certain but i would think its the original battery. It's an '09 CC.


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## NRGCC (Apr 9, 2013)

dougfalk said:


> Good thinking. I thought of this at the beginning but shrugged it off before i had checked all that i have. Now it seems like a likely scenario. The battery is 4 years i believe. I didn't buy the car new so i can't be certain but i would think its the original battery. It's an '09 CC.


 If you have access to Carfax, the history will show if the dealer ever changed the battery. When I was shopping for CC's.. it seems almost every single one has had its battery changed around 15 to 20K miles. Or.. better yet.. call any VW dealer and they should be able to pull up a service history for your car's VIN and tell you if the battery's been changed.


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## DavidPaul (Nov 28, 2009)

dougfalk said:


> Good thinking. I thought of this at the beginning but shrugged it off before i had checked all that i have. Now it seems like a likely scenario. The battery is 4 years i believe. I didn't buy the car new so i can't be certain but i would think its the original battery. It's an '09 CC.


 The reason I asked is because, just last week, I had to replace the battery in my 09 CC, VR6 as it wasn't holding a charge for more than 3 days. If I didn't use the CC for 3 days or longer, it wouldn't start. 

I was also having problems with my back up camera in that most of the time, it would not come on, even with the engine running. 

After the new battery, camera is working flawlessly. These cameras need every bit of 12 volts to work.


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## NRGCC (Apr 9, 2013)

I'm installing my backup camera as well today. Haven't measured the backup lights voltage but I'm sure it'll probably be 12 as well. If I may ask.. where are the wires you tapped into ? In the trunk.. maybe on the left side of the car somewhere ? Or did go IN the lid ?


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## b6driver (Jun 1, 2006)

NRGCC said:


> I'm installing my backup camera as well today. Haven't measured the backup lights voltage but I'm sure it'll probably be 12 as well. If I may ask.. where are the wires you tapped into ? In the trunk.. maybe on the left side of the car somewhere ? Or did go IN the lid ?


 I tapped mine to the 12v socket on the passenger side of the trunk


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## NRGCC (Apr 9, 2013)

b6driver said:


> I tapped mine to the 12v socket on the passenger side of the trunk


 Won't that power on the camera all the time ?


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## b6driver (Jun 1, 2006)

NRGCC said:


> Won't that power on the camera all the time ?


 when the car is on, yes. I figured that it had no moving parts, just basically a light sensor, and is cheap (ebay); so I'm not worried about the wear on the camera. The way I had it wired, I can do a replacement in less than 2 minutes if I have to. 

The problem I had with tapping into the reverse light is that when the car is not started, there is 12 plus volts on the line, but for some reason once the engine is running, there is not enough voltage for the camera to run as described by the issue in this thread. 

The 'correct' way to fix this is to run a relay from the 12v to the camera and use the reverse light as the trigger. 


edit: just to be clear, I have a license plate light camera, not the 'logo' cam


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## NRGCC (Apr 9, 2013)

So I ran my camera too today. Of course, I ran into the same problem as you. The way I solved it, for now, is to run a relay on the backup light line. Problem is. the relay turns on/off very quickly because of the pulsed output of the CECM (J519?) module. Solved THAT, by adding a 470uF capacitor in parallel with the relay's coil. But, I'm solving it the right way as soon as my "hid anti flicker" module comes in from Ebay. It's basically a FET transistor, a couple of resistors and a small capacitor that drive the relay for you. Seems more safe to me and for 6.99 it was worth not building my own. 

Anyway, I tapped into pin 1 of the B connector on the J519 module under the driver's side dash. Very easy to get to that connector, once you take the plastic panel under the dash off. Pin 1 is what goes to one of the backup lights, so it saves from having to run a line all the way from the back of the car to the front under the dash, where I have all the of the wiring of my rearview mirror monitor setup + front camera and now.. rear camera. It's sweet


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