hello good morning all. I am planning to install 4 cameras in the engineroom of the 43 Ocean. My plan is to connect the cameras to a spare input on my garmin 740s using a RCA vide splitter, which will take the 4 camera inputs and then produce one video output which will connect to the GPS unit. My question is, does anybody know of a RCA video splitter that has automatic switching between inputs. That way the 4 cameras will keep showing up on a running loop. thanks in advance for the help
Trinimax, I can't help with your question. But if you are snaking wires up to the flybridge, let me know how they are run. I need to run some stuff up there and haven't figured out the route yet.
There are several commercially available but most are powered by an AC adapter (transformer). I always want mission critical things like that on DC so I've always searched for ones that use 12VDC after the transformer. We just wired the box into it's own 12VDC breaker without the transformer. If you'll be patient, I will dig through my records tomorrow and see what model I used on YF member Mark Woglom's Lazarra, maybe in the morning? Just got back from the travel nurse getting a battery of shots for an upcoming trip to Liberia to reassemble a boat and feeling a touch out of it! I also remember having to set up the camera power feeds a little different with the multi gang box. The low light Raymarine ER cameras we used (to Garmin 8000 series MFD's) are fed 12VDC over the coax but we ended up feeding them individually before the box rather than on the common between the box and MFD's because they took a few seconds to power up and auto range on the light levels/brightness. They were "flaring" at startup each time the box switched inputs and it was very distracting!
The one we used on that prior boat doesn't have enough inputs for you Trinimax but this one should work, it has eight BNC inputs, is 12VDC powered (you'll just have to cut the transformer off the plug and wire it into a 12VDC source, center pin is positive!). Shinybow model # SB-5440BNC. As I mentioned we also used the Raymarine Cam 100 cameras and powered them between the camera and distribution box, fused individually of course!
Some cams are sensitive to voltage and dont work well connected directly to a boat DC system, An alternative is to use computer UPS which will give you up to 30' of back up power. I use them on sat receivers so they dont have to reboot when transferring power
I installed this camera in my engine room and plugged it into the back of my Raymarine a127 and for the money, it can't be beaten!! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EJ17U3K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Do you rely on the infrared camera alone or do you leave lights on in the engine room ? How many cameras do you have in the engine room ?
The 2 Furuno machines installed on my boat have 2 each bnc connections for camera's. I put one in the engine room, one in the cockpit and one on the bow. It's not necessary to leave the lights on in the engine room but it makes for a better picture if you do. I also ran a HDMI cable down to the salon TV to display my main machine there. This is the camera I got off Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/EWETON-Secur...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5MYSAZTPHX3F3WZHFCVS Here are a couple of pics I can also use my main machine from the salon via a wired remote.
The TV is only used as a display. Furuno has wired remote panel that I put next to the salon door so that when I'm in the cockpit fishing I can use the machine as if I were at the helm. As long as I can see the TV I can use the remote to scroll around on the screen and do anything with the machine.