Backup Camera

So I did some research,

If I use a small filler welded into place, like a washer, I can use the following camera:


Pros: Flush mount finish which is what I was after
Cons: I have to find or make very exact washers, weld them in, and paint

These next two require no modification:

a) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H852D49/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2NSW7I84R1UNL&th=1

Pros: Easy to install,
Cons: Camera is 1.06" which covers the hole by 0.01" Might be too close, not the look I was thinking

b) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BKGGRP4Z/ref=ewc_pr_img_3?smid=A7E0KPI8NA6XE&th=1

Pros: the camera is 1.22" by 1.26" so the camera will cover the hole well by itself.
Cons: not the look I was thinking

Anybody have any input?

Thats community. Love this place.

I have a question for you about the 3D printing, is it a standard 3D printer?

I have the bB front grill on my xB and a buddy of my printed a new logo that punched right into the front grill. It was sweet but the wind and water and sun just ate it up very quickly. I actually had to take it off the car and now it sits in my office as a trinket.

How long of a life do you think we could get out of the part given that it's sitting in the sun and rain?


Lets brain for a moment. If you make me the washer, I'm thinking I would need two of them. One for the outside and one for the inside for the camera to lock against with the pressure tabs. I would have to glue the 3D printed washer too the car. I don't see them staying in place otherwise. Is this how you see it going?

If some how we built a collar that would straddle the hole I think that would solve the issue permanently. I don't know if a part can be made to this in 3D printing. So just talking off the top of my head, lets say hypothetically you had two parts:
1) profile looks like a "T". On a big scale think roll of toilet paper with a thin flange at one end. on the other end of the tube there are male threads.

2_ the other parts is a washer that threads on to the threaded end of part 1. So this part looks like a washer with threads on the inside.

The end result would look like a sewing machine bobbin. Now the "filler" if you will is one piece on both sides of the sheet metal.

Some rough dimensions I'm thinking: The flange is like 1.10", the TP roll diameter will be 1.035 to 1.04". The length of the TP roll would be the thickness of the sheet metal plus the thickness of the retention washer.

What are your thoughts on that?

I would definitely want a mechanical solution rather than an adhesive. I'd assumed you'd want a washer that had an inner flange to address the diameter difference. Easily done.

The 3D printer I have access to at my work is a normal (FDM? Something like that) hobbiest type, it is basically an X/Y plotter with a hot glue head on it that prints layer by layer from the bottom up. I hope to someday delve into other styles like resin or powder printers, but that's not happening anytime soon.

It prints in ABS plastic, the same stuff Legos are made of. It will withstand the sun a bit, but longterm exposure certainly takes it's toll. The beauty of 3D printing is that once it wears out, you just print another and substitute.

There are also companies like www.shapeways.com that can 3D print things in all sorts of materials, even metal. I haven't priced their services in a while, but it always seemed very affordable. You just provide them with a digital file, a credit card, and they make and ship it to you. Kinda cool.

Here's a quick example of what I was thinking... 2 of these, one on each side? Would just need dims for each radius. And thicknesses of the washer for the different elevations.

I like how you quickly simplified what I was thinking. So what I would do is take two of them silicon on one side, put them in the hole and then use a compression, like you do on a kitchen sink install, to keep them together while they are drying. Brilliant. Now threads aren't necessary. Much more succinct.

Ok, lets brain together. Since you are obviously talented with the 3D graphics and you have a 3D Printer. I would like it if we could land this thing or get really close on the first shot. Not to mention you could maybe get some other takers if we get this right. Here are the only three issues that I see with this:

1. I think we may need different parts for the inside vs the outside. On the inside of the back door there will be feet projecting off the sides of the camera that have to catch in order to seal it up. It's based on spring tension and the inside "washer" being larger would help make it easy.

2. Angle - You have obviously put your best foot forward, I'm going to do the same. I'm going to purchase this camera, get it hooked up to 12v, get a screen that takes yellow RCA (Might be the hardest part), take the wiper motor our again and play with the angle to see what might work the best. Maybe looking straight back is good maybe we have to angle it down a bit. I just want to look back mostly but maybe it just too much? I'll be sure to take pics of the screen. Do you have the ability to introduce angle into the "washer"? I realize that the part will have to get thicker and protrude out more. I'm curious what your thoughts are on the angle?

3. Index - It would be great if the two parts were marked with a truth line so that you know how to line them up from only one side of the door. This becomes important if we introduce angle. I can just set a plumb line and line up the index on the two parts with it.

This could be really cool. I've been wanting to do this for years.

So today I took measurements of the camera with a caliper. I took the measurement and then my drafting buddy confirmed. We matched. And if you were wondering the provided dimensions are not correct.

There are only two important measurements the escutcheon and the largest part of the body of the camera.

They say the escutcheon is 0.984" the camera that I have measures 0.997", a difference of 0.013".
The body they say is 0.886", the camera I have is 0.889" a difference of 0.003".

With your washers in place I will have to get creative and bend the legs on the retention system to take the extra thickness.

So here are some rough measures for a straight shot (Do do anything yet I like to work on this together and get it right). Reminder the hole in the sheet metal is 1.05".

Part A: Facing the outside
The escutcheon portion of the washer I'm thinking about OD 1.2" just to give it something to bite onto. (hole is 1.05") Thoughts? ID for the entire part of 0.92" (body of the camera is 0.889" and camera escutcheon is 0.997") Thoughts?
The recess into the hole portion of your washer OD 1.045" with and ID is same throughout the part 0.92".

Part B: Washer on the inside of the door
The escutcheon portion of the washer needs to be larger to catch the feet of the "locking mechanism" for the camera. Otherwise when you bend the legs out they will be floating in space. I'm thinking you could go rectangle on the backside escutcheon. But if you stick with round I would say 1.4-1.5" diameter on the escutcheon.
The recess into the hole portion would be the same as the above.

What I don't have a good feeling for on this part is the depth of everything. Do you have any thoughts? Do you know the thickness of the sheetmetal plus paint on the Scion xB? I don't have a way to measure that. Do you know what thickness we should go for with the escutcheon?