How to fix android radio reverse camera while driving

[Android Central Question]

When im driving, my backup camera will jump on sometimes, also my reverse lights will light up. How can i fix this? Because its dangerous and frustrating

 

[ManiacJoe]

Sounds like a loose connection or a shorted connection somewhere in the wiring.

 

[Jeffrey Theunissen]

Sounds like a loose connection or a shorted connection somewhere in the wiring.

Hmm everything fits fine, nothing works wrong when i set it in reverse. But then when i drive, he jumps after 10 minutes so my reverse camera.

Before i installed the camera, i had the cable already in the radio, then he jumped while driving to a black screen.

I drive a bmw e46 2001.

 

[hallux]

How is the reverse camera triggered? Did you have to tap into a wire to do that? If so, that tap is your likely source of the issue.

 

[Jeffrey Theunissen]

Its nothing with the wiring of the camera. Before we only had the clip in the radio without wiring to the reverse camera and the backlights. Everything works fine, when im driving back he jumps to the camera. But when ik driving in gear 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 he jumps to the camera sometimes while i am doing nothing. When i drive 10 min in the 4th gear, he jumps after 3 minutes or something to the camera. I cant listen to music then, its frustrating. Is it nothing with the radio itself or some settings i need to do?

I cant find anyone else who had that problem on the internet with bmw and android radio.

 

[hallux]

If the wire that was tapped for signal to trigger the reverse camera is shorting to ground it could be triggering the camera (and the lights). This could happen when going over a bump. I suppose it's possible there's something internal in the radio that's doing that, but I can't imagine there's any kind of setting that's causing this. It has to be something physical that's doing it, especially if it's random.

The key here is that the reverse lights are coming on. SOMETHING is triggering them to turn on. Why are you so certain that the wiring is proper? How is the radio getting the signal for the reverse lights? Was a diode installed to prevent the radio from sending power to the reverse light circuit? The diode shouldn't be needed, but if the wiring is absolutely proper then it seems the radio may be triggering something. You might need to explore getting it replaced.

 

[Jeffrey Theunissen]

Thanks for replying . I will look at my wiring with a friend soon as possible. There was not a diode installed. I will let you hear when i know more! Thanks!

 

[Jeffrey Theunissen]

Hey, i just removed every cable wiring from the camera to the radio, and when i set my car in reverse, there wont show up anything so thats good. But then when im driving, he jumps again to a black screen, what is the screen for my camera. Idk why and what i can do. Just every cable is removed from the camera.

 

[VidJunky]

How do you know your reverse lights are coming on? Now or before when the camera was still connected.

To me it sounds like something is wrong with the radio. Reading through the previous posts where you mention that the radio would switch to the reverse camera randomly and now that everything is disconnected it switches to a blank screen instead causes me to feel like the reverse camera was just an incidental occurrence. The radio, for lack of a better way to put it, freaks out every so often and before defaulted to the reverse cam but now defaults to a blank screen. The only two things I can think are something inside the radio, like a setting or interference from something external, is causing it to look for this in-put, the back-up cam, or there's a broken wire or other short inside of the radio that again is causing it turn on this channel where the back-up cam would be.

Prior to connecting the back-up cam we're assuming there were no issues with the radio and it never did anything like this before, correct?

How long after connecting the cam did this issue start? As soon as it was connected, days, weeks, months?

How is/was the cam connected? RCA plugs, wire to wire, some other pin type plug? RCA plugs are pretty hearty and only consist of two wires and I wouldn't expect issues from a connection like this. If the connection was wire to wire, all of these connections are made outside of the radio chassis which wouldn't lean itself to internal issues but does leave the possibility of a grounding event. A stray strand from a wire bundle that touching something that it shouldn't or just an out right wire touching something it shouldn't. Which could include the body of the car, another wire or even the chassis of the radio. In this case you would just have to examine all of the wires for damage and electrical tape any damage and the ends individually so that they cannot touch anything. If the connection is some kind of pin connected plug. Examine the pins. Pins can sometimes bend and make contact with other pins or the plug chassis which is often metal and can be used for grounding or as the common in some types of circuits. Pins can bend a lot before they break and a bump or other jarring motion could cause a bent pin to move around.

To test the shorting idea would be fairly easy. Go to a location that is bumpy. I know you probably don't want to run over potholes in your lovely BMW so some place like a gravel or dirt road. Just any place that would give you a rapid cessation of bumps so you can rule out your 3 to 5 minute theory. The only way I'm imagining time playing a factor would be if something was heating up and either causing a connection or breaking one.

Is the radio an aftermarket device? Is it possible to have replaced or serviced under warranty? With everything physically removed from the device and still having this issue it only leaves the device as the source of the issue...

 

[hallux]

But then when im driving, he jumps again to a black screen, what is the screen for my camera. Idk why and what i can do. Just every cable is removed from the camera.

Sounds like there may be an issue with the radio. Time to see how well the manufacturer supports the unit...

 

[Jeffrey Theunissen]

I know that the reverse light are coming on, because a friend of me was driving behind me when the problem came on.

Now i dont know if the reverse light will jump on, because of the wiring that is removed from the radio it self.

And what i have now, is that it turns to a black screen. And its random, then it is once in a hour, then it is 3 times in 10 minutes. But its something with the reverse ithink, because its not just a black screen. When i touch it, i get the panel what i had before when i was driving in reverse with the camera connected, where i can instal the brightness and that sort of things. But yeah without camera ofcourse its black then. I drive every day 1,5 hour, and have the problem most of the time when i am driving on a long 80km/h way, by bumps there is nothing showing up. I can try to go over bumps, but thats not the problem i think.

 

[Jeffrey Theunissen]

I have the radio 1 month. It is a realy good working radio, screen and everything else works fine. When i was installing the radio for the first time, i had already stoke the thing in where the wire with connector for the reverse camera was needed, without the camera. Then i had the same problem as now, with the black screen, so i thought it whas the clip thing what was going in to the radio, or that is was just because the camera was not connected yet.

 

[Jeffrey Theunissen]

Then when it was connected, same problem but then with camera view, now everything removed what has anything to do with the reverse camera, and still the problem you know.

I have it from Wish......

I think i am going to reboot that thing.

Thanks for thinking and helping me guys!

 

[Mooncatt]

Then when it was connected, same problem but then with camera view, now everything removed what has anything to do with the reverse camera, and still the problem you know.

I have it from Wish......

I think i am going to reboot that thing.

Thanks for thinking and helping me guys!

Something like this is extremely hard to diagnose over the internet, and I think you and the others have been talking past each other in some ways. In most cases, this would be a wiring issue, and likely related to the install. I would hook everything up, then start shaking things with the radio on. Get access to all of your new connections (which means pulling out the radio and possibly panels for access) and move the wiring to simulate bumps while safely parked. See if anything triggers the camera and reverse lights. Shake the radio too. But even this may not help if it's a grounding issue and you've pulled the wiring away from the car body.

Another thing working against you is this is an Android radio from Wish. Android radios are nothing but problems, and I never recommend them. Wish itself is known for selling poor quality. So I also wouldn't be surprised if this was a problem with the radio itself. Personally, I would suggest returning it if possible, and getting a brand name stereo from a reputable dealer.

If you can't find the problem yourself, then your best course of action would be to take it to an installer shop and let them diagnose it. They will know better what to look for, and getting hands on with something like this will be invaluable in solving the problem.

 

[hallux]

I have it from Wish..

I wish you luck. Stuff bought from Wish is a crapshoot. Items bought from there are often worth exactly what you paid for them, and are often knockoffs or cheap copies of another device.

 

[Ryan Hensley]

I have an 01 330ci with a android unit too. Have the same issue, while in drive or sometimes while setting still doing absolutely noting but letting the car idle for a bit the reverse camera comes on. *don't kill sound as I turned it to where it won't cut out sound when reverse cams active. I do not have nor have had a reverse camera period. When I go from P to R or D to R or however I go about it and back to another gear it will snap out of it for a short time then again do the same thing. And yes it does trigger by itself or I can put it in R and trigger this too.

I've searched and searched but came up empty for perhaps turning the APK for the reverse cam off entirely. Have yet to try any wire issues. Have not cut any wires either. Only thing I can think of, is perhaps a free rider inside the dash? Got hungry.... hope not, nothing else seems off but none the less..... again bmw 2001 330ci manufacturer date 00/08 seller refunded the money thru eBay as it's not 2gb and allowed me to keep it since I found another present issue to keep my mouth shut. Suppose to have fixed their issue but the listing is the same however on ebay... can't confirm if the product has changed, anyhow anyone find a fix? I do not need or care for a camera my mirrors and eyes do just fine.