Side Mirror Replacement / Camera + Monitor Modifications

[connectvanplans]

So I've wanted to attempt this modification for years on another car before I got the Connect.

My goals for this modification:

1. Improve driving safety by eliminating blind spots
2. Improve vehicle aerodynamics and reduce accompanying wind noise
3. Improve exterior aesthetics
4. Gain visibility for security purposes in cargo/living area with 3rd monitor and secondary camera activation with VGA selector switch as well as a separate power switch.

Shoutout to jrm223 for selling his extra pair of manual side mirrors so I could make this attempt.

Let's begin:


Disassembly took a bit of finagling as you can see by the assortment of tools, with one down though I can walk us through the next.

Step 1: Carefully remove foam. Try and use both hands or supplement with plastic wedge to reduce bending the foam when lifting it around plastic clips and mounting holes.



Cast aluminum core exposed with foam removed. Small torx screws can be removed at a later step as removing them now will not aid disassembly process yet.


Step 2: Pop out the mirror directly away from assembly/mirror holder. Note: can use wedges to aid process (not shown). Next, unscrew torx screw in middle of mirror holder assembly shown.
 

Step 3: Three tabs around mirror holder ring assembly hold it in place. Take flat-bladed screw driver and press down 2 of the tabs to remove mirror ring assembly (will fall away after 2 are depressed).

Step 4: Unscrew 3 torx screws and remove small center assembly,



Step 5: Remove rear cover by working wedge or flat bladed screw driver around perimeter and pulling the rear cover away from the assembly. Note: aesthetic damage to these parts doesn't matter.

.
Step 6: Push on tab pictured and simultaneously pull cover assembly to the right (oriented as pictured).


Forward cover assembly removed.



Now the tricky part. The hole with 4 indentations affixes the structurally rigid plastic rotable assembly to the cast aluminum mirror core trapping a steel spring buried between them. It's possible that a special tool that interfaces with 4 indents which may allow you to push down, rotate, and unlock the retaining indent ring. In any case, I didn't have anything on hand that would work so I went the destructive route..



Step 7: Destruction. I used a hand saw to saw all the full length of the retaining tube along each of the 4 indents/tabs.


Result.


Needed a little bit more massaging with a hammer and flat blade to fully separate the retaining tube halves.

 

Step 8: Pry the hell out of the plastic pieces until they fully break away. Now the rigid rotable plastic assembly and spring can be lifted away from the mirror assembly base.

Step 9: Remove small base cover by pushing on tab shown and pulling cover forward/away.

Step 10: Remove aluminum mirror core by unscrewing 3 torx screws if you haven't already done this step. Aluminum core can be pulled out now.

 

These are the parts I've kept for this project. Since the modifications/additions will be extremely light by comparison, most of the aluminum structure is no longer necessary excepting the base with mounting threads. Later on, I will truncate the aluminum assemblies with an angle grinder & cutoff disk which will make room for the 3D-printed inserts that will house the cameras.

Next Step: ordering cameras and monitors.



 

Edited March 7, 2021 by connectvanplans
spelling and such

[connectvanplans]

I ended up sourcing the cameras and monitors from Aliexpress.

 

Starting with the cameras, I chose these swivel-adjustable cameras so I won't have to try and get the 3D-printed camera housing orientation perfect or design some kind of adjustments for camera positioning.

 

As a bonus, this type of camera housing will also be very easy to mount in a matching diameter which will also keep the additive plug design simple which is nice. As for resolution, while a higher resolution like 1080P would be ideal, the AHD camera options are somewhat limited as with the monitors in the size and form factor I think will work best. This camera supposedly has a wide 170 degree viewing angle and feeds a 720P resolution image so that'll have to be good enough.

 

Cab Monitors:

Initially I was thinking 7 inch screens, but the size ended up being larger than I wanted. I used cardboard to gauge where the monitors would sit and how obtrusive they would be with the deep dashboard and the 5 inch form factor seemed to strike the best compromise between visibility and obtrusion.

 

Pic taken at my eye-level showing box with same dimensions as 5 inch monitor in location. It'll likely sit up a little higher when mounted, but I think this'll be pretty good for not obstructing in front of the windshield.

 

Here's the 5 inch monitor I chose. It is not great that the screen resolution does not match the 720P-capable cameras, but at 1024 X 600, it's not bad and will probably be just fine.

 

Camper Monitor:

I have a bit more room to place this secondary screen as a security measure since the cargo van does not have any windows in the back so I went with a 7 inch monitor here.

 

From the sale page.

 

Since I want to put it on a small swivel arm, this slot arrangement on the back of the monitor looks like it will be a good interface to adapt to.

 

Next steps: design 3D printed plugs.

 

I probably won't finalize plug designs until I have the parts in hand sometime in December.

Also, I expect routing the wires, especially through the door jams, to be the most troublesome part of this project. That part might not happen until this next Summer so just an FYI if this thread goes without updates for a long while.

Edited November 1, 2020 by connectvanplans

[connectvanplans]

3D Printed prototype design completed.


 

The design was fairly tricky since many of the surfaces were complex-contoured - I'm already anticipating some Dremel modifications being necessary for fitting and, once I see how close I came with the fit, if I'll need to make some modifications for a second prototype trial. It's very likely, but at least the bulk of the design effort is complete now. The slotted holes are there to help account for the possibility of bad drilling operation(s) (in 1 direction anyway) when making the fastener holes.

I'm planning on printing these in black ASA material. My printer arrives tomorrow, so it'll probably be some time before I'm proficient with the machine. That said, once everything is assembled, I'll probably go over the whole assembly with black Plastidip create a uniform finish when the weather permits.

I stumbled upon a screenshot in an Amazon product review that shows basically what my screen layout will look like (I'm also adding the rearview camera screen similar to the BMW owner, but I'll do that at a later date in a separate thread).

Looking at this screenshot, I started to worry that the screen brightness may become a nuisance, especially at night. I thought about this a bit and decided to order some basic 12V switches so I can power on/off each screen at will. I think that'll be a good compromise. Another bonus is I'll have the ability to completely eliminate light pollution from poorly aimed headlights in situations where I don't need or want to see them having removed the side mirrors AND added the ability to turn off the screens when I want.

More updates - so most of the parts have arrived:



Here I've wired up a screen/camera combo to test functionality. I only ended up ordering 1 camera to see how I would like the picture, and it's a good thing since I wasn't a fan of how pronounced the fish-eye effect was of the "SonyCCD170/180" degree was. I placed another order for 2 that claim a 140 degree viewing angle. If they are what they claim, I think the 140 will be a good compromise between the more standard 110 vs the wide 170/180 degree viewing angle. Kinda feels like a shot in the dark ordering from AliExpress, but I'm optimistic. Excited for the printer to arrive...

[connectvanplans]

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 ?.

Edited October 6, 2021 by connectvanplans

[sabasigh]

May i ask what 3D printer you used?

[connectvanplans]

Used a QIDI XMAX printer I bought off Ali-express. There are definitely better printers, but I liked that this one could do high temp filaments like ABS without having to build an enclosure or perform any upgrades.

[gossipninja]

I just wanted to chime in that this is pretty cool.

I've been wanting to get a "birds eye" system for my '14 but know i'm too lazy at the moment to wire it.

[connectvanplans]

I hear ya, it took me a while to dig in, commit, and take everything apart. If wiring or re-wiring inside automobiles is anybody's idea of fun, they may have a screw loose!