A picture-perfect little one

At the latest, if you have driven backwards for a little outside your view and in the beautiful car a new bump or a scratch, a reversing camera is worth considering. New cars of the upper middle class are already equipped with this at the time of delivery, but your old baby can also be retrofitted with an autocamera if it has a monitor / onboard computer. Such a reversing camera for retrofitting is the Esky Car Camera EC170-27. After having a car with the on-board computer needed for the operation, I was able to test the camera to compare the advantages and disadvantages for you.  

Packaging and delivery

The Esky Autokamera arrived in the neutral brown carton three days after order with me. The actual product box is in black with a green and white inscription of the logo, product name, the attributes and a stylized car silhouette. On the bottom of the pack you can find some technical details and on the side are QR codes that lead to the Amazon site where you can buy the camera, as well as to the info page of Hisgadget. Inside the two supplied cables with cable binding and the camera in a plastic bag.

The package included:

• The Esky reversing camera EC170-27
• Bracket with screws
• A DC power cable
• A video cable
• Instruction manual in English
• A guarantee card with one year warranty

It would have been nice for a device that can not be installed with two hands, if a much more detailed installation and operating manual in German would have been. Unfortunately, there is no detailed information on the Hisgadget.com page.  

Our pictures of the Esky EC170-27 reversing camera

                             

equipment

The RCA video cable is almost six meters long. The DC power supply cable is pre-capped so that only the plastic ends have to be peeled off to provide them. The camera itself is equipped with two screws and a bracket attached to the camera as a set. Waterproof adhesive tape for sealing was unfortunately not included in the package.  

Technical specifications for the Esky car reversing camera:

• Waterproof to IP67
• Power requirement: 9-24 volts
• TV system: NTSC / PAL
• 170 degree viewing angle
• Resolution: 628 x 586 pixels at 420 TVL
• Power consumption: 150 mA per hour
• 8 LEDs
• Color image

 

What is IP67 and what does TVL stand for?

IPL67 is a directive which states that something is dustproof and also waterproof up to 1 m depth for a maximum of 30 minutes. TVL stands for Television lines. This is a term from the analogous age. The higher the TVL value of a camera, the more details and image resolution is delivered by the camera. 370 TVL should have a camera at least and with 420 lies the small Esky in the green area.  

Appearance and processing

The camera has approximately the size of four sugar cubes arranged into a cube. It is very light, but still makes a very robust impression. The only place that could be a small risk is the input of the cable into the camera housing. Here you should cover the cable entrance with a waterproof tape. Since the video cable from the rear number plate to the onboard computer / screen is long, I find six meters very narrow. This sounds a lot, but if you drive a Kombi, Sprinter, Minibus or other vehicle, which is longer than a conventional four-door vehicle, could get problems with it.  

The price

With almost 25 euros (as of September 2016) the Esky EC170-27 belongs to the favorable reversing aids.  

This is how you connect the rear view camera

So that a layman like me does not completely desperate or in the worst case something breaks, I recommend the installation of a car specialist in the workshop of your trust to have carried out. There it goes in no time, does not cost much and saves you a lot of time and trouble. I tried it on my own, but had to find that a good driver is not a good reversing aid installer, because the video cable must be laid under the fairing so that it is not visible and disturbing. For all those who have a better hand for the laying and connection of autoelectronics, I have translated the manual here.

1. Make sure your car has a monitor, otherwise the camera will not work
2. If you are using the camera only for reversing, connect it to the reverse light
3. Attach the camera to the number plate, the windshield, or any other suitable location with the screws supplied
4. Set the lens to an optimal position
5. Connect the power cord (red / black with bare terminals) to the power system of the car
6. Use the video cable (yellow plug) to connect the camera to your monitor
7. Use a water-proof tape to seal all the points

 

Praxistest

After I tried very long unsuccessfully to install the camera myself, I gave myself beaten and drove to the next workshop. Less than half an hour later it was installed and visible only on closer look. If you press anything while the camera is running, the program is in the "default mode". I handed it to my first attempt. But later I also tested the other features:

• Press 1 x - Orientation lines on or off
• Press 2 times - 90 degrees image rotation
• Press 3 x - Change between NTSC and PAL (you probably need the PAL in Germany)
• Press 4 x - Switch between normal and mirrored view
• Press 5 x - Set the width of the orientation lines
• Press 6 x - Set the orientation lines higher or lower

First of all, it is said that the reversing assistance needs some habituation, but then I can actually only positive. The operation is very simple, since only one button has to be pressed. Until you know by heart how often to effect what, it took me three or four tries. The eight LEDs are very bright - even at night - and the picture is not HD, but sharp and clear enough to all sorts of obstacles And their distance. Curbs, bushes, animals - everything is in view. Whether it is however the 170 ° angle of view indicated by the manufacturer, I dare to doubt. But you can see very far. In the illuminated field at night you can see clearly backwards about 8 meters. However, with the rear-view mirror and the shoulder, nothing remains in the blind spot. Personally, I found the easiest way to reverse with the help lines displayed, but this is a matter of taste.