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I have an add on backup camera very neatly installed in my car. I want to replace it with a better, higher resolution camera, but I don't want to hassle with running new wiring through the car. Can I just cut both cameras off their wires instead, and splice the new camera onto the wiring I already have installed? Thanks.

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  • Several things come to mind that need to be checked: 1. do the cameras have short flyleads (30cm or so) which then join to extension cables? 2. do both cameras use the same number of cables? 3. does the type of cable meet the requirements of the new camera ie shielded, size etc?
    – Solar Mike
    May 19, 2019 at 9:43

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I'm working for a automotive supplier, and hat a look in possible ways to test cameras for a single car manufacturer. This was quite interesting. The cameras all look about the same, but are heavily different.

  • Some cameras give an analog video signal via a coaxial cable. This is mainly S-Video with NTSC signal, and can be displayed by your TV (yellow chinch connector). The problem is: S-Video does not support higher resolutions than NTSC / PAL, so there are no higher resolution cameras for this.
    Others use some kind of digital video signal. There are some standards, but you never know which one your camera uses.
  • Some cameras have just three cables: 12V, 0V and a signal from the reverse light to switch them on
    Others are connected to the vehicles CAN bus, and need a message to wake up. This is unlikely for your third party camera
  • Some cameras overlay the video with those green and read guide lines, others don't
  • The angle of view can be very different. When mounted above the license plate, the camera has a high angle of view, when mounted under the roof, it has a lower, to give roughly the same view. And then there are cameras with fisheye lenses, providing a 180° view. If your new camera has a much different angle of view, a higher resolution will not give you anything.

As you see, this is not easy to answer without more details.

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