Back up camera glare from license plate lights

[Mr._Bill]

Exactly - @ShadowsPapa provided a good reason not to - it could compromise the reverse function. Either technique could be used and not compromise the oem wiring by using the modified harness, but using pins 5 & 6 energizes the relay while keeping the reverse circuit unchanged.

If wired correctly, using a relay triggered by the reverse line to turn off the license plate lights does not affect system operation. There appears to be enough leeway in the Running Lights circuit that temporarily turning off the two license plate LED lights does not raise any system monitoring issues. The (very minor) added draw of the relay also appears to have no effect on the reverse circuit.

If it is really a concern, you can use a T harness available from Curt to tap into the towing wires to activate the relay. I use this method to operate my added backup lights from the reverse line. They have been in use for over four years with no issues. The lights are connected directly to the Reverse line and ground wire in the towing circuit (like a trailer would be).

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[biplaneguy]

You can unplug them and although not "legal", it's not going to get noticed.

I have been pulled over (years ago, not in a Jeep) due to an inop tag light.

 

[jav_eee]

I have been pulled over (years ago, not in a Jeep) due to an inop tag light.

TXDPS would definitely notice especially here in the area i live in. Hell, they pull you over for haveing a license plate frame thing because it's "obstructing your license plate".

 

[Gregj]

TXDPS would definitely notice especially here in the area i live in. Hell, they pull you over for haveing a license plate frame thing because it's "obstructing your license plate".

They are “fishing”.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I have been pulled over (years ago, not in a Jeep) due to an inop tag light.

Like I said - it's not legal.
I should have clarified my "not noticed" means the system won't detect they are out, oddly enough.
There's apparently no sensing on the tag lamp side of things, otherwise breaking that circuit to shut the off in reverse should trigger an error - lamp malfunction or similar, but it doesn't.
So it may get noticed by the state troopers, it won't be noticed by the BCM.

In Iowa the trooper numbers have been cut by 2/3 and they don't even flag you for missing headlights these days. Sad because so many cars, even modern vehicles in the last couple of decades, run around here with severe lighting issues (including no tail lights in bad weather)

they pull you over for haveing a license plate frame thing because it's "obstructing your license plate".

They can here as well, but again, there's so few troopers, deputies and so on these days, they just don't have time to enforce such laws.
There's a reason for that plate frame thing - if they need to find a stolen vehicle, or go after someone in a get-away car - it hinders LEO's jobs not clearly seeing a plate.
I fully support such laws. It's dangerous enough for them out there.

But now we're clear off in left field away from how to solve the backup camera glare at night thing, which is also a safety issue in itself.

 

[Hootbro]

In Delaware, you really have to drive like an idiot for the State and Country Police to pull you over. Unless it is a school zone, you almost have to be driving 15-20 MPH over to be given a ticket. They rarely pull over and enforce missing or inop light violations.

They will though pull you over in a heartbeat for license plate tinted covers and frames if they block the plate. That is messing with the toll plate readers and the state revenue office is going to get their due.

Police in general though if they have a chubby for someone, can follow long enough to find some chickenshit violation as a pretext for a stop.

 

[WILDHOBO]

In Delaware, you really have to drive like an idiot for the State and Country Police to pull you over. Unless it is a school zone, you almost have to be driving 15-20 MPH over to be given a ticket. They rarely pull over and enforce missing or inop light violations.

They will though pull you over in a heartbeat for license plate tinted covers and frames if they block the plate. That is messing with the toll plate readers and the state revenue office is going to get their due.

Police in general though if they have a chubby for someone, can follow long enough to finds some chickenshit violation as a pretext for a stop.

I’d be ecstatic if they would pull people over in our school zone. They blow by at 50 in. 30mph school zone every single day. It drives me crazy.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I’d be ecstatic if they would pull people over in our school zone. They blow by at 50 in. 30mph school zone every single day. It drives me crazy.

Don't even think of driving by the schools here during drop-off and pick-up times. The parents are ruthless a-holes.
I've compared observations with a friend who drops his daughter off at school every morning and picks her up in the afternoon - he said the mothers there will cut you off, blow through stop signs and worse to get one car ahead of you in line.
I was driving by one AM and forgot to go the long way around - parents leaving the school parking area were blowing through stops at speed and damn near smacked into me, forcing their way ahead of me.
He's taken pictures. Gives a totally different perspective to what I see on the highways - nothing like school zones with parents behind the wheel.
The best part of it all, though, is their kids are learning great driving habits!

 

[WILDHOBO]

Don't even think of driving by the schools here during drop-off and pick-up times. The parents are ruthless a-holes.
I've compared observations with a friend who drops his daughter off at school every morning and picks her up in the afternoon - he said the mothers there will cut you off, blow through stop signs and worse to get one car ahead of you in line.
I was driving by one AM and forgot to go the long way around - parents leaving the school parking area were blowing through stops at speed and damn near smacked into me, forcing their way ahead of me.
He's taken pictures. Gives a totally different perspective to what I see on the highways - nothing like school zones with parents behind the wheel.
The best part of it all, though, is their kids are learning great driving habits!

The parents are largely incredibly polite in our drop off line. It’s easy actually. It’s the contractors and commercial vehicles blowing through the school zone that are the aholes. I lay on the horn relatively often. 50 percent of them slow down as a result.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The parents are largely incredibly polite in our drop off line. It’s easy actually. It’s the contractors and commercial vehicles blowing through the school zone that are the aholes. I lay on the horn relatively often. 50 percent of them slow down as a result.

I've been known to drive fast, but school zones are off limits for anything but careful driving for me. You just don't know. You don't mess with kids.
Too bad the parents here don't take some training from the parents there. It's truly scary. I will drive out of my way to avoid schools at drop-off or pick-up if I remember to do so.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I've been known to drive fast, but school zones are off limits for anything but careful driving for me. You just don't know. You don't mess with kids.
Too bad the parents here don't take some training from the parents there. It's truly scary. I will drive out of my way to avoid schools at drop-off or pick-up if I remember to do so.

That sucks. It’s crazy to think about parents driving aggressively with their own kids in the parking lot.

 

[Hootbro]

I am kind of amazed on the amount of kids that are actually driven to school nowadays. In my youth, I can count on both hands with a finger or two to spare the amount of times I was driven to school by a parent. It was almost always, bus, walk or bike to school. That was the norm for about 90% of kids back then.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I am kind of amazed on the amount of kids that are actually driven to school nowadays. In my youth, I can count on both hands with a finger or two to spare the amount of times I was driven to school by a parent. It was almost always, bus, walk or bike to school. That was the norm for about 90% of kids back then.

The bus doesn’t come to our neighborhood, and they’re too young to walk or bike by themselves.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I am kind of amazed on the amount of kids that are actually driven to school nowadays. In my youth, I can count on both hands with a finger or two to spare the amount of times I was driven to school by a parent. It was almost always, bus, walk or bike to school. That was the norm for about 90% of kids back then.

No, it wasn't through 6 foot drifts, and no it wasn't up hill both directions, but we lived on 16th street. The school was on 5th and then another 5 blocks south. I remember walking sometimes, especially from 2nd grade up. I was riding my bike across town to visit our aunts at that time as well.
Always walked once I got into 6th grade. That was only half the distance of the grade school.
Times have changed, I guess.

 

[DailyDrivenTJ]

Exactly - @ShadowsPapa provided a good reason not to - it could compromise the reverse function. Either technique could be used and not compromise the oem wiring by using the modified harness, but using pins 5 & 6 energizes the relay while keeping the reverse circuit unchanged.

I am not sure if the alternative of wiring this in "series" has any advantages at all. Just want to learn, what was the motivation behind doing this in series?

The reverse light circuit provides enough current to drive the Oracle reverse bumper lights. Granted they are LEDs but they would draw more than a relay trigger.

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