hzhao

The surrand view module is about $140 from eBay, the BeatSonic switch is $200. I paid for two mirrors with camera from China salvage for about $220. you can use any after market front camera. I start with one from Amazon for about $12, later switched OEM front camera mainly for the appearance.

BTW, the surround module come with 4 cameras. You can use them if you are willing to drill the holes into the mirror housing. If you use the supplied camera, the actually calibration process is a bit easier due to their camera view angles.

Ramacher

iTrader: (1)

Are you saying I can use an aftermarket camera with the OEM surround view to add driver's side camera? I currently have front and passenger cameras, camera button on steering wheel, LDA, AHB and all that jazz. All I'm missing is Driver's side camera :/

Pics in the thread here: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...upport-12.html

hzhao

No. GX configuration does not provide surround view function. In order to do the surround view, you will need an after market surround view module, as I have listed in my original post. With that module, you can use just about any cameras.

RussianGx

I am about to start same journey. Thank you for being first!
Great job!
Question I have for you:
Does your turn signals turn on the side views left and right accordingly ?

hzhao

It is an option feature with the 360 view module that I have installed. However, I did not use that feature. Personally, I am not in favoring of such function. It is far more distraction in my opinion that it is practical. But that is just me, others may find it useful.

NorioTa

HzHao,
I am new to the forum, but have been studying your description of using the Beatsonic Front Camera Selector: CS5EP, that is the one recommended for Lexus GX460.
I also purchased a 360 bird's eye view camera system (Weivision I found on Amazon, a Youtube video by a creator named "Motocheeze" installed it on his Jeep and it worked amazingly well, but he had no presexisting OEM rearview camera system, he intalled one himself before upgrading to the 360 system.)

, I see you obtained OEM cameras and spliced them and adjusted the voltages from 12 to 6 V on all of them because the OEM cameras can only handle 6 Volts, and I assume you routed ALL the camera inputs to the 360 surround camera processor.

Now that I am setting up the wiring, I realized that you probably routed all the 4 camera inputs to the 360 surround Processor, and since it only has one RCA video output, I assume you probably hooked up the single RCA output To the "Rear view" part of the Beatsonic switcher, and left the "Front Camera" RCA input for the Beatsonic unconnected.

So Basically, what I mean to say is that the Beatsonic front camera switch allows you to make the surround view appear whenever you press the button for the rear view, as well as acrtivated when you put car in reverse, but there is no image when you cycle through the first button press that accesses the input from a "front camera", because there is nothing connected to that input, unless you bought another single camera and mounted it next to the OEM camera on the front.

Is that correct?
Norio

hzhao

I actually routed 360 view module output and split to both Beatsonics front and rear inputs. Also the reverse trigger signal to 360 module. This way, when I activate the camera view with beatsonic switch, you will see the 360 view with main window showing the front camera view. When I engage the reverse, the main window will show the rear view camera. The reason is I have my 360 module default to front camera and switch the rear camera when there is the reverse trigger presents.

Hope that helps.

mattds

i hope this isn't highjacking the thread....i have a 2016 luxary with the 5 camera's (or maybe it's 3...but i can see in front of each wheel) does the OP or anyknow what if it's possible to improve the image quality? front off roading the vehicle switches to a front only view on the whole screen...and it's very helpful...but its a pretty low res image....

NorioTa

Oh, I see, you used a Y-splitter to split and duplicate the 360 camera output to both front and back inputs to the Beatsonic CS5EP box, and then connected the red "Trigger" wire on the Rear View camera extension to the Rear Backup light?
or was there a specific wire on the Beatsonic interface harness you tapped into to provide the trigger signal?

Thank you, this is becoming more clear.
I had designed a front camera bypass switch using an A/B RCA stereo switch to overcome Beatsonic problem of loss of camera function if the main battery is disconnedted, but I think I might not have to do that because of what you describe.
One of the problems with the Beatsonic system recently described in a Youtube video by Beatsonic is that if the battery is disconnected, the rearview and frontview is totally disabled and you have to open up the console to get to the CS5EP box and disconnect the front and recreate a direct connection from the rear camera output to the Nav Screen. My simple switch would just recreate that direct connection for the system to sense the video signal, and was going to be located in the center armrest cubby so I don't have to open the Nav console every time.

So anyway, is there a PIN on the nav harnesses that needs to be tapped into to provide the reverse signal or in the shfter? I have the back of the GX460 tailgate open, so I suppose I could do a T-Tap into the Reverse Lights...

Norio

NorioTa

You're lucky to have the 4 Cameras as OEM, but with any of these systems, even aftermarket, the resolution is limited by the OEM Navigation screen quality. That is what I am expecting with my camera system to be limited by my OEM Nav screen, but we will see.

The Weivision system I bought supposedly has the HD Sony 225 sensors with possible 2560 x 1440 Vid resolution, but Effective output of 1280 x 960. When I hooked it up to my flatscreen TV in the living room it was a little grainy, and I expect the image to be even worse with the Nav Unit Video screen. So this is a problem with the screen resolution, but I suspect your OEM cameras from 2016, as well as being Toyota, slow to adopt newer technologies (like Carplay). are lower resolution as well.

This is a problem with most Lexus models as described by Beatsonic when they are demonstrating viewing Youtube or iTunes videos on the mobile iPhone DVD/Nav bypass screen mirroring systems.

Norio

2chains

Do these cameras act as parking monitors?

hzhao

You can tap the reverse signal from the beatsonic harness, it is actually labeled on their interface, where the connector located. I think it is the brown wire but could not be for sure. You don’t want to tap directly into the reverse light which is a pulse load voltage rather constant 12v. If you have to use the reverse light voltage as source, you will need to use a relay to do so, meaning using light to trigger the relay, and connect ACC power to relay for reverse signal to 360 module.

hzhao

For 2016, the Driver Support Package in US market only provide front and passage side cameras for off road function, not birds view as traditional parking aid. For Canadian Exexutive Tech package, there is also the driver side camera, which also only aid in MTS off road use, not parking Aid. The quality is limited to OEM processes and screen res which is limited to 800x600 pixels. No improvement there unfortunately.

hzhao

Only 2020+ model years has the OEM option of Surround view parking assist.

NorioTa

That's GREAT to hear, I can tap into the Beatsonic Reverse Out lead (Brown) ! I will use a positap to tap into it.

Thanks so much for your help!

Norio