Reversing Camera: The New One (Part 2)


This entry is part 16 of 19 in the series Subaru Legacy
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Bit of a pause on the reversing camera for the DIY in-car screen. I managed to crack the touchscreen and had to get a replacement, which took a while (for me to be bothered). Camera now all at home in its 3D-printed enclosure and ready to be installed.

Camera all fininshed and ready to be put on the car. The green thing is the adapter from Pi Camera ribbon wire to HDMI cable.

To Seal or Not to Seal?

The printed enclosure is not air or watertight. I debated whether to make it so or not.

The argument for making it water-tight is (so long as it is!):

  1. The components ought not to really corrode,
  2. No moisture on the lens (and so on the image)
  3. Technically all the electronics etc of the car are ‘inside’, which is why the old camera mount has a rubber silicone gasket and wire seal – I have retained both of these. If I did not make the enclosure weather tight I would be breaking this seal politically introducing water into the car interior causing corrosion, problems with electronics, smells (?)

And for the No-Seal argument:

  1. I invariably will not be able to make a 100% seal, maybe 99.95%! Water gets in the 0.05% pinhole and cannot get/dry out of the 99.95%.
  2. Off-gassing (or out-gassing) of sealants, plastics etc within the enclosure. Its apparently what causes that difficult-to-get-rid-off haze on the inside face of your car windscreen: volatile chemicals coming out the various materials of the car interior and settling on the glass face. In the camera enclosure, the haze might form on the lens and transparent protection window, and a mission to open up and get it off.

I went for sealing:

  • Coated the enclosure with ABS-juice to give a more homogenous surface than the print corduroy.
  • Sprayed with primer, black spray paint, and then clear lacquer.
  • Copious amounts of black silicone sealant.

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