Anybody add OEM cargo camera

I've got a 2015 2500 Limited and it has the factory tailgate camera. Looking around it seems like you might be able to just swap the 3rd brake light for the OEM one with the camera. It would make sense for them to have used the same harnesses.

Anybody try it? Does the 8.4AN unit pick up the camera being attached and enable the button?

joshjack said:

I've got a 2015 2500 Limited and it has the factory tailgate camera. Looking around it seems like you might be able to just swap the 3rd brake light for the OEM one with the camera. It would make sense for them to have used the same harnesses.

Anybody try it? Does the 8.4AN unit pick up the camera being attached and enable the button?

Click to expand...

I haven't ,but others have , the back up.camera is plugged into the radios main connector C1 @ location 31,32,33 the cargo cam , 3rd break cam is 21,22,23 . A harness is likely required , not sure where power and ground comes from ...
This is mentioned is a thread here ( Audio & electronics ) by cptwing named( Installing OEM back up Camera )go to post #48 start reading there , Mpgrimm2 has posted a link on the cargo cam . The cargo cam is mentioned several times further in the thread , there's a lot of good info there.

Hope this helps .

R.L.K. said:

I haven't ,but others have , the back up.camera is plugged into the radios main connector C1 @ location 31,32,33 the cargo cam , 3rd break cam is 21,22,23 . A harness is likely required , not sure where power and ground comes from ...
This is mentioned is a thread here ( Audio & electronics ) by cptwing named( Installing OEM back up Camera )go to post #48 start reading there , Mpgrimm2 has posted a link on the cargo cam . The cargo cam is mentioned several times further in the thread , there's a lot of good info there.

Hope this helps .

Click to expand...

Thanks! I guess I'll wait until I'm ready to do a lockpick of some sort so I can switch between several feeds.

if you only want the 2 cams you can easily do this with a switcher, but you cant show both cams at the same time.

i always thought it would be good to do a split screen module so both can be displayed at the same time on the 8.4. when you have both factory installed one is usually in the mirror and the other is in the screen.

baum said:

if you only want the 2 cams you can easily do this with a switcher, but you cant show both cams at the same time.

i always thought it would be good to do a split screen module so both can be displayed at the same time on the 8.4. when you have both factory installed one is usually in the mirror and the other is in the screen.

Click to expand...

Is there a good switcher out to do this without full lockpick?

The problem with using an A/B switch is you would need to tie into the tailgate harness prior to the BCM. The 8.4 radios have three separate cam inputs, one for the tailgate cam, one for a front cam, and one for the cargo cam. By factory default only the tailgate cam is turned on in the head unit. The factory cams (of which there is no known front factory cam) are hooked into the truck with 6 leads but you only need 4 (power, ground, video signal and video ground) the other 2 are and additional shield (ground) and a bcm circuit to add grid lines or in the case of the cargo cam a black arrow to line up a fiver or gooseneck hitch.

That said the cargo cam is meant to be turned on at will and stay on for as long as you want it to even when driving. If you tag into the tailgate cam with an A/B switch you will only be able to use the cargo cam in reverse.

As stated there is the lock-pick air solution which also allows you to add side mirror turn signal activated cams as well as the cargo cam and front cam. There is the customtronix solution which allows you to the front cam and the cargo cam.

I have used both and they both have advantages and disadvantages. I currently have all 5 cams hooked up with the lockpick.

Oh to add the OEM cargo cam you will need a harness, here are three options.
1. Buy the pigtail that is used for the tailgate cam and extend it.
2. Buy the harness made up by customtronix. I just sold one of these here
3. Buy the harness used for the 3500 cab and chassis (this is what I used)

Check out these threads
http://www.ramforum.com/f75/turn_signal_camera_install-64870/

http://www.ramforum.com/f41/third_brake_light_failed_--_dealer_only_work-65960/index2.html
post 16

cptwing said:

The problem with using an A/B switch is you would need to tie into the tailgate harness prior to the BCM. The 8.4 radios have three separate cam inputs, one for the tailgate cam, one for a front cam, and one for the cargo cam. By factory default only the tailgate cam is turned on in the head unit. The factory cams (of which there is no known front factory cam) are hooked into the truck with 6 leads but you only need 4 (power, ground, video signal and video ground) the other 2 are and additional shield (ground) and a bcm circuit to add grid lines or in the case of the cargo cam a black arrow to line up a fiver or gooseneck hitch.

That said the cargo cam is meant to be turned on at will and stay on for as long as you want it to even when driving. If you tag into the tailgate cam with an A/B switch you will only be able to use the cargo cam in reverse.

As stated there is the lock-pick air solution which also allows you to add side mirror turn signal activated cams as well as the cargo cam and front cam. There is the customtronix solution which allows you to the front cam and the cargo cam.

I have used both and they both have advantages and disadvantages. I currently have all 5 cams hooked up with the lockpick.

Oh to add the OEM cargo cam you will need a harness, here are three options.
1. Buy the pigtail that is used for the tailgate cam and extend it.
2. Buy the harness made up by customtronix. I just sold one of these here
3. Buy the harness used for the 3500 cab and chassis (this is what I used)

Check out these threads
http://www.ramforum.com/f75/turn_signal_camera_install-64870/

http://www.ramforum.com/f41/third_brake_light_failed_--_dealer_only_work-65960/index2.html
post 16

Click to expand...

So given you experience - which lockpick do you recommend?

I currently am using the lock-pick, but which one you use depends on what you are looking for.

The Rax jailbreak Silver

PROS
1 Cargo cam is activated using the factory soft-key on the radio.
2 You can toggle between Front, Tailgate and Cargo cam.
3 Front and Cargo cams can be activated while driving
4 Only hardware to add; is cams and wiring, mostly pnp.

CONS
1 Firmware in your radio is modified
2 No support for side mirror cams
3 No power for additional cams, (you need to find power for them)
4 Company is located in sweeden
5 Front cam can not be disabled and comes on every time you stop ( I found this very annoying), only thing you can do is uninstall it with the software
6 You need to add an A/B switch onto cargo cam video inputs for external video. Does not actually support mirrorcast without additional equipment.
7. Very Expensive!!!!


Lockpick air

PROS
1 Supports up to 5 cameras (Front, Cargo, Tailgate and turn signal cams)
2 Cams can be disabled on screen through the lockpick menu anytime
3 Supports Mirrocast, lockpick air for Bluetooth video streaming.
4 Has wireless remote control to control lockpick.
5 Provides power lead for cameras.
6 Is mostly PNP, just need to wire in and hook up cams
7 Lock-pick menu can be controlled with steering wheel buttons, (this is good and bad)

CONS
1 A rats nest of wires and the box takes up a lot of space, fortunately our trucks have a lot of space behind the radio stack.
2 If using the Navigation and you activate cams, either manually or automated (except OEM reverse cam) the nave goes haywire??? Not sure if they have a fix for this yet.
3 Using the buttons in the truck to control it can be glitchy and takes some getting used to.
4 Had to find a place to mount the receiver (has to be line of sight for remote) for the remote control and hide the wires.
5 Very Expensive

So as I said above the capabilities for both are in some cases overlapping, I am currently using the lockpick because I wanted the mirrocast without an A/B switch, also I wanted the side cams which activate automatically with the turn-signals. I did like the Jailbreak, but found the inability to easily enable and disable the front cam annoying.

So which one you go with (Ford or Chevy) (Coke or Pepsi) (Mcdonalds or BK) (Republican or Demoncrat) is really a personal choice. Just figure out what you want it to do.

Oh as a side note if you go with customtronix, do not buy the OEM chmsl cargo cam or other hardware from them unless you bundle it in the silver or gold package as they charge ridiculous prices for them.

Cptwing, would you mind sharing the models of cameras you installed? I just bought my new outdoorsman last weekend and I'm looking at adding the lockpick and a bunch of cameras.

For the:
Tailgate I used the Oem cam install kit mopar p/n 82214240-001
http://www.ramforum.com/f51/installing_oem_backup_cam-53505/
CAMERA KI-BACK UP | Genuine Mopar | 82214240

Cargo cam again I used the Oem LED CHMSL cam 68163937AF
http://www.ramforum.com/f41/third_brake_light_failed_--_dealer_only_work-65960/index2.html
LAMP-CENTER HIGH MOUNTED STOP | Genuine Mopar | 68163937AF

Front cam the one that comes from customtronix I believe it is a boyo
Multi CMOS 7070 Chip Camera – For Montage with full installation options | Customtronix
Emblem camera CMOS 7070 Chip Camera – For front Montage | Customtronix

For the mirror cams and also the front cam I like the ones this member used
http://www.ramforum.com/f75/turn_signal_camera_install-64870/
http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...HD Waterproof Cam Without Mirror Image | eBay

I've had the Customtronix for a few months now, just added the cargo cam myself a few days ago.. Absolutely love it.

Their customer service is terrible in my experience however.

I'm thinking of adding the third brake cargo cam myself , I have the RA2 and OEM add on backup cam . Would I have to get a customtronics or simular adapter harness to run the cargo cam while driving or do I get a dealer flash and it will work wired into my Radio C-1 connector as normal ?

Can I even do this with the RA2 5.0? I'm not ready to upgrade to the RA4AN 8.4 yet ...

Bump / hey guys , is there any way to have two cameras ie.. B/U CAM & CARGO CAM with the RA2 5.0?

Informal said:

I've had the Customtronix for a few months now, just added the cargo cam myself a few days ago.. Absolutely love it.

Their customer service is terrible in my experience however.

Click to expand...

What he said, they are rude and obnoxious.

cptwing said:

What he said, they are rude and obnoxious.

Click to expand...

I'm not even lucky enough to get rude and obnoxious, they simply won't answer my emails. (unless ordering something)

For anyone who has or plans to add the oem chmsl led cargo cam , you will get brake light out message if you have or upgrade to the premium 7 inch evic gauge cluster. I have designed and built a plug and play non resistor solution to eliminate the message. This solution does not splice into any factory wiring, it just plugs into the existing harness and the new chmsl.

www.ramforum.com/f146/mopar_oem_chmsl_third_brake_light_cargo_cam_all_trucks-50773/index18.html

can someone tell me where to tap power for the customtronix cargo camera harness?

cptwing said:

I currently am using the lock-pick, but which one you use depends on what you are looking for.

The Rax jailbreak Silver

PROS
1 Cargo cam is activated using the factory soft-key on the radio.
2 You can toggle between Front, Tailgate and Cargo cam.
3 Front and Cargo cams can be activated while driving
4 Only hardware to add; is cams and wiring, mostly pnp.

CONS
1 Firmware in your radio is modified
2 No support for side mirror cams
3 No power for additional cams, (you need to find power for them)
4 Company is located in sweeden
5 Front cam can not be disabled and comes on every time you stop ( I found this very annoying), only thing you can do is uninstall it with the software
6 You need to add an A/B switch onto cargo cam video inputs for external video. Does not actually support mirrorcast without additional equipment.
7. Very Expensive!!!!


Lockpick air

PROS
1 Supports up to 5 cameras (Front, Cargo, Tailgate and turn signal cams)
2 Cams can be disabled on screen through the lockpick menu anytime
3 Supports Mirrocast, lockpick air for Bluetooth video streaming.
4 Has wireless remote control to control lockpick.
5 Provides power lead for cameras.
6 Is mostly PNP, just need to wire in and hook up cams
7 Lock-pick menu can be controlled with steering wheel buttons, (this is good and bad)

CONS
1 A rats nest of wires and the box takes up a lot of space, fortunately our trucks have a lot of space behind the radio stack.
2 If using the Navigation and you activate cams, either manually or automated (except OEM reverse cam) the nave goes haywire??? Not sure if they have a fix for this yet.
3 Using the buttons in the truck to control it can be glitchy and takes some getting used to.
4 Had to find a place to mount the receiver (has to be line of sight for remote) for the remote control and hide the wires.
5 Very Expensive

So as I said above the capabilities for both are in some cases overlapping, I am currently using the lockpick because I wanted the mirrocast without an A/B switch, also I wanted the side cams which activate automatically with the turn-signals. I did like the Jailbreak, but found the inability to easily enable and disable the front cam annoying.

So which one you go with (Ford or Chevy) (Coke or Pepsi) (Mcdonalds or BK) (Republican or Demoncrat) is really a personal choice. Just figure out what you want it to do.

Oh as a side note if you go with customtronix, do not buy the OEM chmsl cargo cam or other hardware from them unless you bundle it in the silver or gold package as they charge ridiculous prices for them.

Click to expand...

CptWing; sure do appreciate the time and effort you have put into solving these issues.

my interest is putting a cargo cam into a 2014 3500 laramie. from what I have read it is reasonably doable, what I am wondering about is putting a back bumper cam on a 40' gooseneck trailer. does this project involve any deal breakers that you can see right off the bat?

thanks, and btw this is my first post here... backup cam threads caught my eye, so I joined up.

Nope fairly straight forward, just running the wiring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As I was planning my 8.4 radio conversion, I stumbled upon this thread and knowing how much a pain it is to try to hook a gooseneck trailer up to my 2016 Ram 2500 crew cab, I decided to tackle this upgrade at the same time. My initial plan was to make a harness by buying the OEM tailgate back up camera harness (Part# 68189124AB) stripping it down just to the camera connector and then extending it across the top of the header and down the passenger side "A" pillar. How to strip it down can can be found on other posts on the forum, but basically all you need from the harness is the white camera connector.

Once I got the extended harness to the "A" pillar I removed the ground from it and spliced it into the ground of the header wiring harness going up the passenger side "A" pillar. The ground circuit there was Z911 and that is the ground that was called for by the CHMSL camera schematic.

I then proceeded to route the 5 remaining wires in the harness behind the glove box using then same route that I used for the conversion harness. I took the three video wires and pinned them into slots 24,25,26 of the C-1 radio connector. I know that all other posts say to put them into 21,22,23 but the schematic for my 2016 specifically said 24,25,26.

I then routed the remaining 2 wires (power and Lin Bus) across to the driver side where I thought I was going to splice them into connector I220. At that point I realized that I220 was actually not located inside the cab. I felt defeated lol. I knew I could get the correct Lin Bus CBC3 at the BCM but I didn't know how in the heck I was going to get to it and splice it and I didn't have a source for the F923 power circuit. I retreated and gave up for a few days, bought a few more days on tech authority and went looking for a new location for the Lin Bus CBC3 and the F923 power.

After a few hours of looking at schematics I came across connector I440 that is located in the "C" pilllar on the drivers side right above the seat belt. Low and behold it had both the F923 power and Lin Bus CBC3 in it and better yet they were not pinned coming out the other side of the connector. I realized I could pin two wires into this connector and run it up to the camera to finish my installation. Now only to find the terminals. I had dug through Yazaki catalogs, and eventually found that I needed terminal number 7116-4110-02. Both the power and Lin Bus required a 2.8mm terminal and not a 1.5mm terminal. I searched the internet and could not find anyone that would sell me this terminal in a small quantity. I relented and went to the dealer hoping they may have a couple or have a repair kit…. No dice. I had relented to the fact that I may have to splice the wires which I really didn't want to do. As a drove home from the dealer, it struck me that I had the remnants of my header wiring harness that I pulled out of the truck when I did my 8.4 conversion. I knew it was a yazaki connector. Sure enough a cross reference of the two connectors showed that they used common terminals. I depinned two of the wires, ran them from the I440 connector up to the chmsl, tore apart my harness at the chmsl, and spliced these two wires in. I then pinned the Lin Bus CBC3 wire into slot 5 of the I440 connector and the F923 power into slot 6.

Success finally…. Off to the dealer to get code "LPD" flashed so that the cargo cam button would show up on my 2016 RA4. No luck, that code is not available for my VIN. Once again, defeat. I called Chrysler and tried to plead my case, no dice. Only thing left to do, jailbreak. I decided to go with customtronix as they can just make the button appear on the screen for the 2016s. It was a really clean solution to me. Looked completely factory. The only thing that was wrong is that they expected the cargo cam inputs to be in slots 21,22,23 of the radio C-1 connector and mine was in 24,25,26. Right now it thinks it's the front cam, but I will get that fixed soon.

So in summary, this is the way I pinned my setup to make it all work correctly.

Camera Pin --> Terminated To
1 Z911 Ground --> Spliced to ground of passenger side A pillar harness (Z911)
2 Lin Bus CBC3 --> I440 pin 5
3 F923 Power --> I440 pin 6
4 Camera Shield --> Radio C-1 pin 23
5 Camera Return --> Radio C-1 pin 22
6 Camera Signal --> Radio C-1 pin 21

I have some pictures of the I440 connector that I will post as soon as I figure out how to. Hope this long winded post helps someone else out.