Carbon900

Hey there! I've been lurking for a few days as a new 2012 F-150 XLT XTR 5.0L V8 owner. (and yes I have a tow package!) (lol mouthful).

Anyways I just bought a new Jayco 21 footer and I have an old wirless rearview camera I want to hook up to it.

What I was hoping someone might know... is if I would be capable of powering my small camera (works easy off a 9v battery I wired to it), using the 4 pin connector on my truck.

I'm not sure what kind of power the 4pin outputs, and if it's always active power or only when the brakes or signals are applied. I want to use this method so my camera doesn't drain my trailer battery. As far as I'm aware, the 4 pin only outputs power while the truck is turned on.

Anyone think this is do-able? If so, how?

JerryHelmer

If you tapped into the tail light wire (brown)that would work as long as you had the headlights or parking lights turned on.

willieboy

Presumably you are using the seven wire connection to connect the trailer to the truck? If so, there is a constant power there that will only be on when the truck is on. At that pint you can connect to the trailer 12v, which would be charged by the truck, and not have to worry about draining the trailer battery.

Carbon900

Being in Canada we have to have running lights as a law. So I assume then that power would always be available to that. Being that it's a 12 volt DC right now, I have (obviously) a black and a red wire to connect to the 4 pin. Using an adaptor I guess i'd connect the red (+) wire to the plug that would make contact with the brown connection, but would I connect the black (-) to the white (ground) or do I just leave the (-) disconnected?

Thanks for you help I really appreciate it.

Carbon900

This is true yes, which is what I was considering, but if the truck is off, then the camera would start pulling power from the trailer battery correct?

I want to find the method that only allows the camera to be on when the truck is running.

Thanks,

Watt-maker

You got it. Connect the - (ground) to the white (-ground) on the truck. Is your camera wireless?

Carbon900

Thank you!

Edit: and yes it is wireless

brulaz

Will 12v work? You mentioned a 9v battery in the first post.

Carbon900

I originally had it wired to a 12v plug, then changed that out for a 9v plug. Surprisingly I got an hour of use out of it. Thanks for checking!

Carbon900

Hey guys thanks for the help. It worked. Sorta.

The power is fine, when i switch my lights on (they're on anyways as running lights so you dont actually see a difference other than on the interior lights).

However once i uncoiled the camera with a spare 4 pin I had, which is only half the distance of the trailer, the signal became too weak to view. Sad

Oh well it was fun trying.