Factory Installed Garmin BC20 Camera

[suddensam]

I have a new 2015 Raptor 332TS that came with the Garmin 760 LMT and BC20 wireless camera. Does anyone else have this camera setup that was installed by Keystone? If so did you have any trouble getting the camera and display to pair?

When I took delivery of the trailer the battery for the 760 was completely dead and needed to be charged over night before it would turn on so we could not do a test during the walk through. I'm fairly competent with electronic devices so wasn't to worried about getting it to work. The problem I've got now is that it won't pair and I don't have a good way to confirm that the BC20 (camera plus wireless transmitter) is actually getting power. Since the reverse light wire doesn't exist on the Raptor the assumption is that the camera would have been wired to the clearance lights. If anyone has this system working is that how Keystone installed it on yours?

I've already got a call into the dealer and they will look at it and try to resolve the issue when I take the unit in for other warranty work in a couple weeks but I'm hoping that someone on here might have the trick to actually getting this thing to work.
Thanks
Sam

[suddensam]

I resolved the issue with my BC20 review camera. The BC20 camera and transmitter appear to be connected to an always on 12V supply line. I had to use the main battery cutoff switch to power off the transmitter when following the pairing instructions provided by Garmin. Once this was discovered I was able to get it to pair right away and seem to have a reasonably good picture from the camera.

It's disappointing that it is not on a switched supply (at least that I've discovered yet). As it is it appears that this will be a constant draw on the batteries. If I could find and access the actual connection point I'd figure out a way to add a switch so I could turn it off. I've had an on going email thread with Keystone customer relations on this but as expected they cannot tell me anything about how or where they actually installed it. I'm still hoping the dealer will know something but again I'm not to holding my breath.

[suddensam]

With a little bit of luck and the use of a low cost USB endoscope camera I finally found the actual install location for the BC20 transmitter in my 2015 Raptor 332TS. The good news is they did make the run all the way to the front of the trailer and put the transmitter in the space between the front cap and bedroom wall. The access for it is through the upper cabinet on the front passenger side of the trailer. Mine had a black plastic plate installed to cover the hole in the wall board.



I didn’t take a picture with the USB camera of the original install of the transmitter inside the wall to share but it was very helpful tool for figuring things out. What I found was the extra wire taped into a nice bundle close to the transmitter and just hanging inside the wall. The transmitter was tucked in between what looks like two 120V lines with the Garmin logo pointed toward the driver side of the trailer. The Garmin install instructions say that the logo should be pointed toward the receiver for the best signal.
The power is taken from the charging station located on the wall just below it near the bed. I wasn’t very excited about this being connected to an always on 12V supply line. The specs for the BC20 say it draws 150mA so it would be a significant draw on the batteries if left running 100% of the time. The transmitter was warm to the touch when I pulled it out of the wall but I wouldn’t say it was hot. The only reason I can see to install it to always be on is if you plan to use it as a security camera, but even at that it would be nice to be able to switch it completely off. I’d prefer that it be powered off of the clearance lights so I can turn it on and off from the tow vehicle.

[suddensam]

My solution to this was to add a DPDT on/off/on switch. With the intent of being able to power it from the 12V power station as originally installed or from the clearance lights but also be able to completely turn it off if desired. There is a clearance light about 18” or so straight above the install location. Access to the clearance light wiring was easiest from the outside so pulled the light loose and used a couple of through the insulation splice connecters to tap into the lines. This all fit back through the hole in the front cap and the wires were easy to fish down the wall.
This picture is a bit blurry but shows the splice connectors at the clearance light.


There was plenty of wire included with the original install so I was able to cut the red and black power wires coming from the original 12V power source and put the crimp connectors on for the switch. Here is the switch all hooked up.


I enlarged the wall opening to make access easier and provide enough space to mount the switch and transmitter to the plastic wall plate. The transmitter still had the cover on the adhesive so I was able to stick to the back of the wall plate which will ensure it is pointing in the correct orientation to maximize the signal at the tow vehicle.


With it all cleaned up and the wall plate in place you can just barely see the black switch on the black plate.


I haven’t gotten a chance to check the operation from the tow vehicle yet but I was able to see the camera come on when the switch was in the 12V supply position and go off when switched to the off position.
Parts I used:
1 – JR Products 13345 Black DPDT Mini on/off/on switch (amazon $7.36)
6 – 3M Disconnect Terminals 22-18 AWG female (package of 25 for $8.70 at local electrical supply store) (was only rated down to 18AWG but worked fine with the 14 gauge stranded wire I already had)
2 – 14 gauge stranded wires about 3 feet long (2 pieces I had from a different project)
6 – 1” long pieces of heat shrink (used to reinforce wire going into disconnect terminals at switch)

[rbev2308]

I appreciate all the gouge on this issue as I just purchased the after market BC20 and plan on installing myself this weekend. I also bought the extra 50 ft cable to extend the transmitter to get it closer to the front of the coach and well within that 45 ft wireless range. Just figuring out where I want to mount camera, how to run the initial wiring and what I want to tap into for power.. Def do not like permanent 12V setup!