Papa Fittig

I asked on another thread with no responses. Trying to get an advice here.
Please excuse my stupidity, but I am thinking of using the front camera in the bumper and splicing a video cable to add a DVR and therefore use the front camera as a dash camera. If I do not need a high quality HD dash camera video and normal video quality would do, what's wrong with this approach. Why it seems nobody tried this?

plenum

Ok, I'll give this a go.... Would help if you provided a bit more detail, as in what model year 991, .1 or .2, what options, etc. Just helps to know...!

What you describe is not impossible. Assuming you have a front camera and not just a sensor, it is a video signal routed back to the PCM. Tapping-into that cable to route somewhere else like a DVR unit is totally possible. Getting the signal to route to DVR and also continue displaying in the PCM display without any issues with quality or possible errors getting picked-up by the CAN is another matter. Again, totally possible, and NAV-TV and others might actually have an interface cable that would allow for this without issue. But there is also the chance that to do it right you have to open-up the PCM case and that voids warranty on a $3k USD part, so not many owners are going to take that risk.

What I would suggest is taking a look at the NAV-TV interface, which is the one I used on my '14 C4S Rear Camera DIY long time ago. Why look at that? Well, for one it is an Interface Cable/Connector that could be used without having to break the seal on the PCM unit, and I recall that it was capable of supporting both front AND rear cameras (in my case I just went with rear). Here's a link to the DIY: 991 Rear View Camera Install DIY

Papa Fittig

Thanks plenum, very helpful.
I used to have a Nav-TV with Sony front camera on my 2015 GTS. Currently I am talking about my 2014 991.1 TTS. I plan on istalling a front camera with Nav-TV the way I did on my GTS. Same shop. However, when I asked them about doing what I want to do they said that splicing the video is not an easy job. They also were not exactly knowledgeable about Nav-TV offerings which might be helpful. I sure will contact Nav-TV directly. And yes I'd like the camera to be integrated with my PCM while sending a video thread to a DVR.

I sure need to do more homework as I did not even realize that the Video thread going to PCM is a CAN message, or is it? I thought of CAN for what it really is - a Control Area Network which is used for getting sensor readings and controlling the actuators through CAN messages. I did not think of a video data being transmitted through CAN..

plenum

Yeah, definitely talk to NAV-TV. I am pretty-sure that the interface I used in the DIY supported both cameras, and you may find that they support additional output to storage device or something. As for CAN comment -- yeah, technically you are absolutely right. What I was referring-to however is whether there would be any errors thrown for whatever reason because altering wiring, splicing, etc. may cause the car electronics to pick-up unexpected signalling or something along those lines. Just don't know until you try it, but to avoid that as a possibility I would go the route of either a tried-and-true compatibly interface like NAV, or just go with an aftermarket dashcam system and not mess with the PCM/Front cam.

Top Jimmy

My issue with this is what do you do when it gets water/mud/bugs or whatever all over it and fails to record what you want to record? Not sure about others, but I am constantly having to wipe off the back up camera's on all my vehicles at some point. And that doesn't even take into account the poor quality of the camera's used, and the fish eye type lense, that are usually set up to show stuff up close, not further away.

-TJ

StormRune

What front bumper cam? I'm not aware of one.

Papa Fittig

Thanks plenum, CAN concern you have is clear now and I agree, it needs to be thought through.

Papa Fittig

Very true. I think I need to define what exactly my dashcam requirements are - what type of pic quality would be acceptable, do I need to be able to depict other car licence plates, how far away, how much maintenance effort I am willing to put into it, etc.

weespeed

I used a Nav-TV and had my dash cam plugged into the front RCA input.
It worked great. Just press the rear defrost button and the video would switch to my dash cam on the PCM.
Just make sure your dash cam has a video out.
I used the Nav-TV PCM3.1 XG-CAM kit. I'm not using it anymore and have it for sale if anyone is interested.

Top Jimmy

Some folks have the equivalant of a back up camera up front as well so they don't hit curbs or those concrete parking logs when parking, that runs through the PCM. When I had my backup camera installed, they offered to put one up front as well. I declined. Seemed a waste to me.

-TJ

StormRune

Thank you for the reply! From OP's original post it sounded like he was referring to a standard camera... I found myself wondering if he thought maybe the cyclops radar eye for automatic cruise control on some cars was a camera. I could see it being mistaken for one.