Installing an on-off switch for Furrion back-up camera.

[zack sc]

I very recently got a new Scamp 13 (bunk option in front). Because I camp a lot around trees I paid for the rear/back-up camera option. It is a Furrion Vision S4.3 with infrared night vision ... (F0S43TASF). It seems to be installed with no switch, and I think, for me, I would want (need) an on-off switch. I am hoping to get advice for how to add that in a good way.

The reason is, it draws about 0.2 to 0.4 amps continuously, meaning up to 10 amp-hours per day, which, when you are boon-docking, seems like a very significant and problematic draw to me. (My group 27 battery is probably about 100 or 110 amp-hours, of which I can use about 30 amp-hours comfortably. Having a back-up camera on all the time would, I think, limit power for other things and promote sulfation...).

Regarding a switch for that, something that is on when it is driving and off otherwise would be ideal. Something just inside the door, or maybe near the battery box on the outside might be handy? Any ideas, advice... is most welcome.

[Jon Vermilye]

One consideration would be to move the power connection from the trailer battery to the trailer running lights. This is the way my Escape back up camera came from the factory, and it works well. I prefer to drive with the trailer running lights on anyway to increase visibility...

[Bing M.]

Ideally your back up camera will only operate when.......Backing Up. Usually the camera is wired to the backup lights. Go into reverse, power s supplied to camera, easy peasy. Want it on when on the road, supply a second line from a switch in TV to camera. You will have to wire in a rectifier (I think that is what it is) to prevent the backup lights from coming on when going forward. This would be put in place between the camera and backup lights.
If I've got something wrong someone please correct me. Thanks, the brain is kind of foggy this morning.

[Adele]

If you ever figured out how to do this, can you please share? I am hoping to install a switch for my Furrion camera connected to my Scamp as well, but don't really know where to begin. It's pretty ridiculous that they installed it this way.

[TheWanderers]

We looked into doing this at one point and the instructions were to connect the camera to the backup lights on the camper, as Bing has mentioned. However, I wanted to see behind me whenever I was driving so I was going to connect the camera to the power source of the running lights. That way, they only come on when attached to the tow vehicle and powered up when the lights were turned on from the dashboard of the tow vehicle.

[zack sc]

Originally Posted by Adele

If you ever figured out how to do this, can you please share? I am hoping to install a switch for my Furrion camera connected to my Scamp as well, but don't really know where to begin. It's pretty ridiculous that they installed it this way.

What I did was install a 15 amp switch, a pretty simple rocker switch, so that it switched everything on that particular fuse.
TWTADE 8Pcs Rocker Switch ON/Off 2Pin Latching Toggle SPST Switch Snap with Wires KCD1-X-Y

For me, it seemed in the end unwise to try to find the exact wires that went to the camera. It would have involved opening up a number of already unreliable connecters. So I just put the whole fuse on a switch. Cut the wire at about 10 inches from where it came out of the fuse panel, and spliced in the switch in series with wire nuts. I found it to be a bit tricky reaching under there to put the wire nuts on.

Also, in the end I did not mount the switch. I put it on about 4 ft of wire so I could either: 1) leave it curled up in the cabinet next to the distribution box or, 2) leave it near the Scamp door so that I can open the door and turn it on. Not elegant but it works. The other things on the fuse are rear of trailer lights etc; mostly I just use headlamps anyway. I also put a switch on the voltage display in pretty much the same way (it is on its own fuse) mostly because it is very bright at night and I don't like having it on all the time. Happy to provide more details if you have questions. Mostly I was just following advice Gordon2 gave me in a different thread.