Old man with new challenge...

Sandbuster

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Central Florida
Brand new old guy here - the site is asking for a profile emoji but I couldn't find one for "stupid" but I'll keep looking.. As stated I'm an older guy that, probably like many of you, likes to tinker. My background is retired Navy aviation electrician with an additional 25+ years in auto electric and with all that, I still don't "know it all".. Before discovering this forum I've spent countless hours on YouTube and other resources trying to find a solution to what I initially thought to be a fairly simple task - here it is:

I own a late model Toyota 4runner that is factory equipped with a rather small display screen for the Nav and backup camera. So I purchased a rather expensive Samsung Galaxy 8" tablet with the idea of not only having a larger Nav screen (which works fine) but also having a larger screen to display the backup camera plus and additional camera up front. The problem is the tablet will not recognize the backup camera using an OTG (On The Go) adapter that allows you to connect the RCA camera feed to the tablet's USB-C connection. I got far enough to debug the tablet's USB but even doing that it will not see the USB device. If I was a little younger I would have easily passed the frustration point of no return but now I just keep plugging away hoping that someone a whole lot smarter than me can figure this thing out.

Thanks for taking the time to read and respond should you have any helpful suggestions.

Mike
Central Fl
 
A warm welcome to the forums Mike!
 
Can you go into specifics about the hardware you're using, USB has accumulated a lot of complexity over the years so there's several different types of devices your setup could involve.
 
Vehicle has built-in backup cam which to date I've not got into as I want to ensure that first a bench test of getting the tablet to see my add-on rear view aftermarket camera successfully connects to the Samsung which has a USB-C port. The camera has an RCA video connector along with leads for 12 voltage power. I've tried both a OTG RCA to type C adapter and a OTG hub adapter for charging power & data - tablet won't recognize either using a variety of apps that are designed to process feed including a DSLR app, Maybe it just ain't met to be but not quite ready to throw in the towel...
 
In your settings (more settings), do you have an option to enable OTG?
Apologies if I've missunderstood the issue.
 
I've tried both a OTG RCA to type C adapter and a OTG hub adapter for charging power & data

OTG specific cables and hubs were a MicroUSB thing and Type C doesn't work that way.

Did the hub you tried have RCA connectors itself or did you plug your adaptor into it?
 
EW - to date I have not been able to source a RCA "hub" so I did use an adapter harness that accommodated RCA (video & audio ends) with a USB power connect - see link:

Amazon product ASIN B09BMW8BD8
The hub I have is similar to this:

Amazon product ASIN B07WPTG7NX
The tablet sees when I plug either the OTG harness or hub - it just cannot see the camera so obviously I have a compatibility problem that I, as of yet, don't understand.

The end goal would be to have the ability to manually select either front or rear camera by selector switch (Amazon product ASIN B09G73H6YL) and have the image displayed on the tablet. In our sport there are times during off-roading that you need to see what obstacles are directly in ahead of the front tires - typically a "spotter" performs this for you but having the camera view works much better.
There's a number of people on my 4runner forum that are following my project thread as many have tried & failed but would love to be able to make this happen.
 
This is said with no knowledge just a brain itch. Is the OTG meant to be able to see video? Not certain it is. Aren't there usb cameras available?
 
Yup, your converter will never work.

It's converting between DisplayPort and Composite but the typical tablet only has the ability to output DisplayPort over USB-C, not accept it as input.

Additionally, such converters are typically only one-way so it's likely not even producing a signal in the first place when hooked up this way around.

You need a USB capture device designed to digitise analogue video. I don't have any recent experience of any composite ones and I'm not in North America so I can't really recommend anything specific but it might be worth looking to see if any of the apps you've been trying say they support something specific.
 
This is said with no knowledge just a brain itch. Is the OTG meant to be able to see video? Not certain it is. Aren't there usb cameras available?
I would have to say yes as I connected a “pc webcam” and the video came through okay however webcams are not meant to be to be used in an outdoor environment. Thank you much for the thought though!
Yup, your converter will never work.

It's converting between DisplayPort and Composite but the typical tablet only has the ability to output DisplayPort over USB-C, not accept it as input.

Additionally, such converters are typically only one-way so it's likely not even producing a signal in the first place when hooked up this way around.

You need a USB capture device designed to digitise analogue video. I don't have any recent experience of any composite ones and I'm not in North America so I can't really recommend anything specific but it might be worth looking to see if any of the apps you've been trying say they support something specific.
Thanks EW for your input - certainly explains why the tablet is not seeing the camera. I have one friend who is suggesting I try and find a Bluetooth cam as the tablet is well geared for Bluetooth.
 
Thanks EW for your input - certainly explains why the tablet is not seeing the camera. I have one friend who is suggesting I try and find a Bluetooth cam as the tablet is well geared for Bluetooth.
But Bluetooth not well geared for video. It's a low power spec which means very low bandwidth. Being low power also means it may have trouble if there are lots of bits of metal between it and the tablet.

If you don't want to try a video capture device for the tablet then perhaps a networked camera (aka IP camera) would work. That's easy to connect to the tablet, either via a USB ethernet dongle or wi-fi.

They're widely used for CCTV systems so weatherproof ones can be found for fairly cheap prices, although I'm not sure if the CCTV mounting systems would be sufficiently vibration resistant for your use.
 
I’m not opposed to a video capture device I’m just reluctant to expend any more funds towards adapters without know for sure if they will interface properly. I’ve buried myself in this project (due to running blind) and will consider any viable suggestions as long as I’m convinced they work - trial & error can be an expensive training aid as I have been experiencing..
 
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Haven’t seen this but I certainly will. Thanks for the heads-up! If I have any success with it I’ll let you know. Got several folks in my 4runner forum wanting to do same thing I’m attempting to.
 
Provided you can find suitable drivers for the usb capture device, this could technically work. It might get annoying however waiting for the software to boot up every time you want to use the camera, and you may wish to consider some sort of switch so that it activates when you select reverse.

Other options might include hacking a cheap drone which has a streaming camera built in. These will stream video from their camera with quite low latency using wifi, so very little cabling required. They can be picked up for €40 or so.
 
For instant on all the time is there a relatively low tech solution of 2 rugged cameras with 2 rugged dedicated monitors? I think what you're trying to do is a good theory in the wrong use case.
 
Provided you can find suitable drivers for the usb capture device, this could technically work. It might get annoying however waiting for the software to boot up every time you want to use the camera, and you may wish to consider some sort of switch so that it activates when you select reverse.

Other options might include hacking a cheap drone which has a streaming camera built in. These will stream video from their camera with quite low latency using wifi, so very little cabling required. They can be picked up for €40 or so.
Control switches are acquired and planned to be used as I want the ability to select either camera when needed - possibly even both at a time using a split screen app - although that feature is not a priority for me. Funny you mention drone streaming as that is on my bucket list of possibilities.

I very much appreciate all the support so far offered on this forum. Never fails to amaze me how quick folks are willing to share knowledge and ideas with a total stranger - Bless you all!
 

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