Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

2nd run of camera switch that show a front image on the touch screen

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Akikiki,

Thanks for the info. I was told the holes, brackets, etc. to mount parking sensors showed up on the Model S in early 2014, but that not all units got the sensors until about November that year and before that they were options. I think mine - which has the Tech package - rolled off the line in May 2014 and i saw in other posts that listed ranges of VINs that included the sensors and they were after mine. I'll know soon enough when I pick it up on the 7th.

In any case, I agree the front facing camera tied into the 17" display is probably the best enhancement one could make to a Model S, so I remain interested, although I am a little concerned about being a good enough DIY guy to do the install. The electronics don't worry me - it's the auto body work, but I see lots of good advice in these threads and think i can work my way through . I plan on installing a front and rear dashcam DIY-style based on information in these forums as well.

Are you kamaaina or a transplanted haole? I lived in Aiea for 4 years while in the military - great life! Miss the water and all the good Hawaiian traditions.

Mankirk

Mankirk, Me? I'm transplanted haole - 30 years. I'm a redneck and a cracker. Never lost my southern drawl though. I know Aiea well. Aiea Bowl, Koa House, yep. I'm near Valley of the Temples.

I had one of the first '13's to get the parking sensors. Even the Service Center staff was surprised to see them. I'll be keeping an eye open for your comment regarding yours.

I am hoping all this didn't mislead you. There's no auto body work. When you run the video cable to the front, its threading it under the front fender and down under the hood under plastic panels to expose above the lower grille.
 
Installing this is no more time consuming or complicated than installing a dashcam. It's nowhere near "gutting it". Sure, a few panels have to come off, but they're made to do that, and pop right back on. There's nothing to be scared about, and it can't be said enough: This *is* the best mod ever for Model S/X. Even at $1000 (which it won't be), it's still worth it. The first time you (or some other driver) doesn't slam into a parking curb and damaging your front bumper, it would have paid for itself several times over.



Not needed.. I used two pieces of 3M Dual Lock fasters- $5 at Home Depot. Never had a problem.

View attachment 233387



It's not two different things.. it's a $15 ready-made power plug. The OBDII port is already in the car in the driver's footwell area.



It won't be $350 because Tesla doesn't sell them new anymore (I think, I could be wrong). But as mentioned above, find someone parting out a car and get one for $50, tops.
Thanks - this helps calm the OCD in me. As you can tell by my shopping list, I'm not at all clear what I'm shopping for. Don't know what a OBD2 really is or what to plug into it.
How does one find the "parted out" camera or the china cable? and know you got the right thing?
 
AZ Desert Driver - see my last post in this thread for a possibly less expensive source for the camera on Amazon, but their are also periodic postings in the TMC forums, the Teslarati forums, and on eBay for these units being parted out from damaged vehicles.

As far as the OBD2 connector - I can help with that. OBD - On Board Diagnostics - is an auto industry standard connector for various signal feeds from your vehicle that is used by service technicians and their diagnostic computers to analyze issues with your car. Whenever you have your current car serviced, a technician probably hooks up to your OBD2 connector to see what "codes" his computer throws off about your car's systems. The OBD2 connector also have 12v power and a ground, so it's the perfect single point to get to seeveral circuits in the car. The best part about the Model S OBD2 is that it lies right below the driver's left hand on the interior side wall to the left of the steering wheel, so access is easy.
 
I just re-read the 2014 posts by ArtSci. He has really done a lot of work on this and has been wonderfully clear as to what is needed. Just not clear enough for my thick skull. What I want is a box that I can take to an installer and say "here is box, a wad of cash, a video link and please don't hurt my car". I looked at the Superbat site - and yes they have lots of cables, but I can't figure out which of their offerings I need. I don't have a clue as to who is parting out Teslas. If anyone is up to the task, I'll pay you for shopping for me.
 
  • Like
  • Helpful
Reactions: KyleDay and Akikiki
AZ Desert Driver - see my last post in this thread for a possibly less expensive source for the camera on Amazon, but their are also periodic postings in the TMC forums, the Teslarati forums, and on eBay for these units being parted out from damaged vehicles.

As far as the OBD2 connector - I can help with that. OBD - On Board Diagnostics - is an auto industry standard connector for various signal feeds from your vehicle that is used by service technicians and their diagnostic computers to analyze issues with your car. Whenever you have your current car serviced, a technician probably hooks up to your OBD2 connector to see what "codes" his computer throws off about your car's systems. The OBD2 connector also have 12v power and a ground, so it's the perfect single point to get to seeveral circuits in the car. The best part about the Model S OBD2 is that it lies right below the driver's left hand on the interior side wall to the left of the steering wheel, so access is easy.
Geeze - if YOU don't know if the Amazon camera will work...how is a putz like me going to answer it with certainty?
 
Can anyone on this thread verify for me this camera will work for the front unit on this project? Seems like a deal.... maybe too much of a deal.

Amazon.com: Tesla 1006773-00-F Rear-View Camera & Harness: Home Audio & Theater.

I'll find out next week -- I just ordered one and I'll try it out and let you know. I also have one of the $78 "new" high-resolution Tesla cameras and I'll try that out also and report back the results.

Thanks - this helps calm the OCD in me. As you can tell by my shopping list, I'm not at all clear what I'm shopping for. Don't know what a OBD2 really is or what to plug into it.
How does one find the "parted out" camera or the china cable? and know you got the right thing?

You don't need the "china" cables at all -- they ended up not working, but you can get all the needed cables (I think three or four) directly from Tesla, although they are a bit longer.
 
Last edited:
Hanklloyd, The china cables do work. There was a trick that we didn't know back then when we were poop-pooping on them. They have polarity. There's a distinct direction for the cables. While testing a friend's white switch, I tried her Tesla cables and my Tesla and China cables. I had marked my China cables as bad. When tested in the proper data stream direction, they work. Reverse them, they do not. I passed this info to artsci a few months ago. He too was not aware. Never occurred to us to try that back then. And when I tried my Tesla versions of the cables, same effect - depends on proper direction.

The reason we were ordering the china cables was because the Tesla versions were in short supply. Tesla was not getting enough. The Tesla cables were about the same price but were backordered. So artsci found a source that would make the china sets. These days its just cheap and easier to order the Tesla version.

Here's the Tesla part numbers for the cables we used. I still have the receipt. Tesla might have replaced these numbers, I don't know.
We needed three cables. Two of one cable, the short one. And one that was extra long to reach to the front from the dash.

(2 ea) CABLE, HSD, LIFTGATE, CAM 1 1006780-00-D Female/Female 65.5" $23.12
(1 ea) CABLE, HSD, BODY MAIN, CAM 1006781-00-E Male/Male 144" $25.68

I too am curious if that camera on Amazon will work. It might, but its not the exact part number of the $ 350 one we were buying in '14. That part number was Part # 1006773-00-E The Amazon is 1006773-00-F. So based on Tesla part number method, this might be just a slightly different (could be better) version of that one we used.

Hank, what's the part number on the $78 one you have? There's at least two, 1061269-00-1-B and 1061269-99-1-C. In Jan '17 I bought "B" based on artsci's thread "Tesla says it can't be done..." And that's the one I was using when I was reinstalling the kit on my '17 S. The B would not work with long cables. I've got the original China and Tesla cables. Some 144" long and an extra set of short ones. No matter what I did, the "B" camera would not work with any long cable, however, worked fine with the short cables. During the third attempt to re-install the kit on my '17, on a hunch I tried the old $ 350 camera. It worked fine. Switched back to the $78 B and didn't work. I remounted the old one, and it works great. This is the reason, I believe on newer cars and using the longer cable for the front we are going to need the old camera. Can you see what version of the $ 78 one you have?
 
Last edited:
It should work, but it is the lower resolution camera, not the newer higher resolution camera.
DavidB, I think you are correct. But even lower resolution,its the HD version that came with the '13-'15 cars with Tech Package. Back in '13 the first Model S that didn't have the Tech pack had an 720p analogue version. So this is an HD. I think the version today is low-light and higher resolution. Could it be 4K, I don't know.

That Amazon company selling them is not an electronic or automotive supplier. Looks like they might have just had a small batch of surplus from somewhere. They are almost gone already.
 
I can't check today, but I'll get back to you tomorrow. I've tried reversing the Tesla cables, and they seem to work in either direction for me. Possibly the China cables are different.

Also, I'm not sure what all the hubub is about the hi-res versus lo-res cameras... I don't need 1080P to see that I'm about to hit a curb. We can't even record off these cameras, so having the highest possible resolution is, IMHO, irrelevant. Any of the cameras will do the job perfectly fine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Akikiki and MP3Mike
I can't check today, but I'll get back to you tomorrow. I've tried reversing the Tesla cables, and they seem to work in either direction for me. Possibly the China cables are different.

Also, I'm not sure what all the hubub is about the hi-res versus lo-res cameras... I don't need 1080P to see that I'm about to hit a curb. We can't even record off these cameras, so having the highest possible resolution is, IMHO, irrelevant. Any of the cameras will do the job perfectly fine.

Yes, very good observation about hi-res versus lower-res on these camera. I guess we careover thinking about TVs and such. No need for high res here. The entire point was to see the curb. We are not using it like the Hubble Telescope are we? LOL
 
  • Like
Reactions: HankLloydRight
Yes, very good observation about hi-res versus lower-res on these camera. I guess we careover thinking about TVs and such. No need for high res here. The entire point was to see the curb. We are not using it like the Hubble Telescope are we? LOL
Any one putting together a clear shopping list of compatible parts? Sounds like there is still some tweaking of camera and cables. (and perhaps video of camera mounting). Between Akikiki, ArtSci and HankLW -- I think is is distilling to a credible list. Tell me its just around the corner.

I have an experienced Tesla dash-cam installer that says he wants $350 to do the front cam install. Should I bargain on this?
 
I can't speak 100% to artsci plans. The original switch kit he helped us get included a bluetooth handheld remote controller, that connected to an internal component in the PCB switch, that allowed us to swap the view on the front to rear and rear to front. That's one way to control the current view with less wire running/installing.

If that remote does not come with it, you are going to want your switch to be connected to a backup light signal lead (like the one that turns on the backup lights on the liftgate). On the Model S '13-14, maybe '15's, the original instructions explained and easy place to tap into that. On a '13-14, maybe '15, its just a matter of pulling the kickpad on the right and tapping into a wire under the carpet, then running the wire to the PCB switch on the left side. Read the instructions two or three times, look at the car I estimate it will take 2 hours or less. Just my opinion.

On my '17, that place did not exist. I used the remote from my old kit for a month until a thunderbolt struck me and I realized i could tap into the backup lights in the liftgate. Which now brings me to help you with your question. Installing a wire from the backup lights in the liftgate, running the wire, that is 12v, from the backup lights through the liftgate boot, across the side/back window area, up towards the front of the car, to the dash and under the left side of the dash just to connect it to the "reverse" post on the PCB Switch is going to double the effort to install the front cam completely versus without that connection to the backup lights. So, without that connection, $350 is too much IMO, and with the connection, YES worth the $350. Its worth the $350 to get it installed even after you bought all the parts. I think Hank will continue to agree, its the best most practical mod you can do to your S or X and will help you prevent 5-10 times its value in damage. Again, help you prevent, its not going to do anything unless you are paying attention to the curb/walls.

Knowing what I know about how I benefit every day using the front cam even with the image reversed, yes its worth every dime, including $350 if I did not do it myself. Remember its the rear cam mounted on the front) it does not correct itself. We really don't care that the image is reversed, because we don't care which side 12-24 inches left or right of center of the front bumper/front splitter is close to the curb or wall. You want to know when you get close so you can stop.

Helpful?
 
There's no harm in waiting a little while regarding the cables or a parted out camera or the Amazon camera. Those will be available later even if it take a little while to find a used camera if needed. But if you are interested, get on board with your name for the switch. Any that were for sale from the first run, were sold quickly from someone that didn't use it to someone that wanted it.

Giving Hank the chance to test the one that he has on order will answer that question.
 
I just re-read the 2014 posts by ArtSci. He has really done a lot of work on this and has been wonderfully clear as to what is needed. Just not clear enough for my thick skull. What I want is a box that I can take to an installer and say "here is box, a wad of cash, a video link and please don't hurt my car". I looked at the Superbat site - and yes they have lots of cables, but I can't figure out which of their offerings I need. I don't have a clue as to who is parting out Teslas. If anyone is up to the task, I'll pay you for shopping for me.

When all is said and done, you just buy the camera and cables and take it all to an installer with the modified instructions. For any experienced shop it's a piece of cake.