Leaderboard

Long time, no update. It's been what, almost a year? Good news though, I finished the project! Lets see, when I last left off I had printed the first side mirror insert prototype and while the fit was a total failure, I succeeded in learning several things. 1) My method to attach the mirror insert was poorly thought out and 2) accurately measuring the intersection of the contours and surfaces of the stock mirror base was beyond my ability.. or maybe patience. Here I'm ripping pieces off the prototype to see which features actually "fit". Basically none, lol. It was here that I decided I needed to use Photogrammetry to approximate an accurate 3D model of the stock mirror base I could model to. The programs I used to accomplish this is Meshroom and MeshLab. Unfortunately, I needed a computer with an NVIDIA graphics card for the Cuda cores required by Meshroom to compute the Photogrammetry operations. This was the major reason for the long break, I was basically waiting for the latest gaming laptops to drop. I didn't take any of screenshots of the Meshroom and MeshLab operations, but the first step was taking a series of photos in orbit of the static object you want to model on an overcast day. I took about 80 pics. The painters tape was to help the program pick up the contours as it apparently doesn't perform well with black surfaces. Anyway, that all went well and I was able to import a fairly accurate solid model to prototype with. Second prototype printed in PLA, a much better fit! A couple adjustments to the screw locations (black marks) and we're in business. Noticing the large slightly recessed circle - I decided to not leave legality to chance and remain in compliance with my state's mirror laws with some ~2 inch diameter convex mirrors. Getting closer - by this point I figured out my printer's ASA settings and was able to produce nice quality finished parts with UV stability. Filament is Jet Black ASA Prusament. The cameras shown are the 140 degree viewing angle option which ended up being perfectly suited for the application. I should also say, these parts didn't end up being the finished parts either unfortunately... Wire staging - a few extra things pictured here as I ended up installing my hardwired rear view camera and camper security monitor at the same time (the camper monitor being the reason for the RCA splitters coming off the side mirror monitors). Wire routing is a real chore. Foam tape was installed to prevent excessive water egress, particularly at speed. The attachment is exactly the same, but the new "mirrors" are noticeably lighter :). And the final product! Notice the mirror and camera had to swap positions AND the mirror had to be aimed relative to the driver's head position, otherwise the physical mirror would have been nothing more than an ornament. My initial thought that the convexity of the mirror would cover any misalignment was totally wrong. In actuality, each LH and RH mirror insert part needed custom/individual aiming so the LH and RH parts are unique besides being a mirror of each other. Closeup. Voilà. Each monitor base is mounted with both screws and double-sided tape to/thru the A-pillar tweeter grill, they take up zero windshield viewing real estate, and are on independent switches so they can be shut-off if the screens are annoying, particularly at night. The cameras themselves are switched to the "house" battery so I can use them with the security monitor in the back while the vehicle is not running. All in all, I'm satisfied with the results. This project was a hell of a lot of work, but I can say I've accomplished all of my objectives so yeah ?.