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blind spot and flat tv modifications

Yahoo Message Number: 4463
Thanks for your response. I'm currently staying in SanDiego for the winter, but I will be going home to Salt Lake City in a couple of weeks. At home I have access to my PC, a better computer with the capability to sending you some digital photos.
If any of you want photos of the TV modification or the blind spot camera arrangement, just send me your E-mail address and I will send you the photos sometime around the second week in April.
I'm sorry, my flat screen is a 22" not 24". I must have had a senior moment! Remember that all TV's are (or should be) measured diagonally.
The oak factory opening for the existing 20" TV's is 19 3/4" wide by 18 1/4" high. That opening allows the TV and speakers, controls, case, etc.
The TV I used is a Panasonic 22" LCD. The exact screen size is 19" by 11" and they call it a 22" flat screen. It measures 22" diagonally, therefore will fit exactly into the factory 20" opening. The difference in height can be used for a DVD player since it only takes up 2 1/2" height.
I took the entire vinyl covered cabinet out of the motor home. It can be easily removed by taking all of the mounting screws out. I then removed the vinyl covering and padding and set it aside. Next I measured the depth required and cut the plywood off from the leading edge, approximately 8". The next step was to modify the wood opening to mount the flat screen, leaving holes in the side for controls and the bottom for speakers. The vinyl covering was reapplied with padding. Glue, staples, etc. The toughest part was the bezel, or oak opening. I found that by flipping it upside-down it worked! I also had to fit a filler piece onto the top to cover the hole access hole in the headliner and onto the driver side to fill in the cabinet. What the heck, the photos will show you lots more. I did cheat a little, because I had a lot of wood left from an earlier project where I removed the built-in dinette and replaced it with two armless chairs. Much more comfortable than sliding in and out of the dinette. (Obviously, I have a dinette slide, not a galley slide).
Blind spot camera: First off, I have to admit that the color rear view camera sounds nifty, but isn't as great as I had anticipated. It seems to me that the color is very sensitive to extreme light and is washed out when you are in direct sunlight. It's great in lower light conditions. Black and white seems to have the ability to deliver greater resolution and is easier to adjust. If I had it to do all over again, I would have installed a larger dash monitor and left the black and white camera alone, but that's what this forum is all about. Maybe I can save someone the trouble.
As to the blind spot setup, It's great and easy to install! Small cameras and monitors are available in many places. Just be sure to get the "mirror image" camera. Conventional cameras won't reverse the image which is mandatory for this application. Many auto electronic suppliers have mirror image cameras available in different sizes. This new electronic age we are in with TV and VCR combinations for mini-vans and sport-utility cars is mind-boggling. Go to the internet and look under "back-up camera" and you will find several sites.
My camera is about 1 1/2" square and was easily mounted in a 1/4" acrylic housing. Acrylic is easily cut with a bench or radial arm saw and can be bonded together with a weld-type glue purchased at the plastic store.
It's easy to mount a camera on the passenger side just above the headlight bezel, in front of the door, facing down the coach. Wiring is easily accessed through the large access panel over the steps. I tapped a 12v circuit that was constantly hot and I use the on/off switch on the monitor.
The monitor mounting is really up to you. There are some nifty monitors available (usually at the same internet sites) that come with a butterfly mount and require no modification. In my case, I made one out of plywood and covered it with matching vinyl, so it looks like part of the dash board.
Back in the old days, they called guys like me Rube Goldberg, or something similar. What the heck, if you want photos, let me know. My personal E-mail is Larry.hanson@...
Larry Intrigue 10762