Problem with Bumblebee backup camera
 

I recently bought a backup camera system (the bumblebee camera @$149 and VSM kit @$425) from EAS. I had it installed by a local shop with whom I've been very happy in the past. When I first turn on the X5, the Nav screen flickers several times, and when I put the car in reverse, it periodically flashes/flickers, and the camera image is only visible intermittently (i.e., sometimes it's just a blank screen). But more disturbing is the fact that ALWAYS when the car is in reverse, there are white flickering horizontal lines across the screen...like the ones in this photo (which happens to be during a "black" period when no camera image is visible). Note: in the photo things look blue, but that's just the low-light photo - the screen is really black with white lines across it.

Is this normal? Is the problem/solution something obvious to any of you? Bad installation? Defective equipment? Any help would be appreciated! :banghead:

Not sure if this will help but is your camera PAL or NTSC? The screen can be adjusted to suit both types. I had a problem like this with my DVD and all it turned out to be was, I had the screen programmed to pal instaed of NTSC.

I also get the screen flicker when I start the car... after that it goes away.

I'm wondering if the flicker is normal? it's a pretty straightforward hookup, so I'm not sure what could be done. When I put it in reverse, everything is fine.

SeattleYates, did you install the Relay?
I had the same problem without the relay, but it's all fixed after installed relay

Did you use a relay? You are not using a PAL camera by chance are you? Also, check with Powers1. He had an interference issue that sounds very similar to what you describe. He may have some helpful info.

More info: http://www.xoutpost.com/group-buys/12...ghlight=camera

I have the exact same set up from EAS. My installer told me that he too had a problem with the reverse camera. The problem we had was the wire from the VSM that connects to the vehicle's reverse signal wire that lights up the reverse lights needs to be fed via a relay. The reason being is that the reverse signal wire from our X5 is a pulse signal. Not sure why, but I was told that if we could watch the reverse lights in a slow 'frame-by-frame' session that it would result in a pulse like behavior. Regardless, you can still use this reverse signal wire to turn on a relay using it to power up the reverse cam when the X5 is in reverse.

Hope this helps.

Just got off the phone with Bruce, it may have to do with a noisy power source or bad ground. I'll speak with his installer later this afternoon to troubleshoot.

Possible problems would be incorrect DIP switch settings, noisy power/bad ground or something else. We'll get it figured out today.

now that is customer service ;p

The cameras are NTSC. :)

I have to agree. This is my first experience dealing with EAS, and I'm impressed. Tom was willing to spend quite a few minutes on the phone with me trying to get to the bottom of this issue, and is very willing to speak to the installer to continue digging into it.

I often say that a good business may produce/sell good products, but the real proof of a company's "character" is revealed in the way they deal with problems that arise (which inevitably happens with any business)...

Only thing I do not like is that the bumble bee camera is really not a real reverse camera in that it doesn't have a mirror image on the screen. It really makes it hard to line up my reciever hitch to the tounge of my boat trailer using the camera, which is the reason why I got this in the first place. I really wish EAS would have told me about this before hand as it would have been the deciding factor on which camera to get.

The cameras on the site are not mirror image, our next shipment arriving in about a week will have units that are mirror-specific.

I just got off the phone with your installer - he's going to try some troubleshooting steps we recommended to him when the vehicle can be returned for service.

He has my contact information in case any questions should arise. :thumbup:

Just a quick follow-up. After Tom's (of EAS) discussion with my installer, he rewired things a little (and apparently included the necessary relay), and now my backup camera works perfectly...with NO interference whatsoever! :dancing: Again, I have to say I am VERY impressed with the customer service/support by EAS! :2thumbs:

BTW, because I have a tow package, I installed the camera itself on the underside of the tow hitch mount. It works great, and the only thing I'd like better is if the image was reversed so the left side of the picture reflected what was behind the left part of the car like a rear-view mirror (instead, the image is so that the left side of the image reflects what is behind the right side of the car). I don't think there is any way to fix that (i.e., reverse the image), so I guess I'll just have to get used to it...:confused:

SeattleYates, Glad to hear you got it up and runnning. Do you have a picture of where you have it installed?

As far as the image being reverse, I have to agree with you. Being that my other 2 vehicles have the oem reverse camera, it's been very hard to get use to this one, in fact I may still change it out if there is the same camera with the mirror option available.

The mirror versions arrived today and are now in stock. We'll be adding them to the site soon.

SeattleYates - I recommend that you replace that camera with a mirror-image one. You will make much better judgement calls when backing up with the mirror image. Another option is to could keep your current camera and move it to the front. BMW does have the option to have front and rear cameras. I don't know what equipment you need to make this work though. You can get details on the X5World home page in the Navigation section.

He'll need a video module or TV module in order to utilize those. The VSM will work as a video gateway, but the BMW versions are very expensive.

Ha, how funny! I thought of doing the exact same thing, not because I'd really need it but just because I had the camera. Good thing Tom from EAS made a better suggestion. Thanks again Tom!

I'll post a photo of the mounting location later this week. And I guess I'll buy the mirror cam once it is available, but don't think I'll spend additional money to mount my existing Bumblebee on the front, since I can see out the front just fine through the windshield. ;)

All things considered, I figure this bumblebee has cost me enough - based on the time I've actually had the X5 in reverse since I got it up and running, it will have cost me about $1,000 per hour! :rofl: