Aftermarket radio head unit Kenwood Excelon DDX9906XR - Reverse Camera stopped working

Tacoma 2016
This is just how I fixed my Reverse/Back up camera with an aftermarket radio. Backup camera stopped working after 2 years, worked in the morning stopped working later that day.
Problem was with the iDatalink Maestro RR (Maestro is used to retain steering wheel controls of your radio and other things)

This issue was the Maestro stopped providing power the the camera, when you check the volts for camera coming out of the Maestro it was ~2.1 volts. should be 6 Volts.

Which wire is the power wire out of the Maestro -> follow the RCA video wire from where it plugs into the radio, follow it to the white harness plug. Next to where the camera video wire connects into the white harness plug is a Blue with yellow strip wire, you'll see this Blue and yellow wire comes from the Maestro - it should provide 6 volts, it wasn't.

Symptoms: Put in reverse, head unit screen switches to reverse mode but the screen is black with the parking lines displayed. Tells me the head unit is getting the reverse signal (purple wire).

Fix:
Added a 12volt to 6 volt step down to provide 6 volts to the camera. Part: Red Wolf DDC33109 step down.
Steps:
1) Cut Blue and Yellow wire - connect 6 volts out from step down unit, to the blue/yellow going into the white harness.
2) Cut reverse signal wire (purple wire -- I believe it's purple and white), it provides 12 volts when in reverse, use this 12 volt wire to power the step down unit.
3) Cap off (shrink tub) the other end of the Blue and yellow going to the Maestro.
Bingo the camera worked.

Thanks to Maestro support team for their trouble shooting tips. You could replace the Maestro unit at $160 but everything else is working, step down unit $16.

Items installed:
- Head unit: Kenwood Excelon DDX9906EX
- iDatalink Maestro RR
- XM radio receiver

Hope this helps someone, took me a week to trouble and fix - 30 minutes to fix once you know what the problem is.

Key search words:
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Thanks for this tip, do you think this would work for a Pioneer headunit as well? My camera has started flickering/blacking out completely and I think it’s a voltage issue
https://imgur.com/a/31H52aV

 

Do you have the iDatalink Maestro installed? If yes, and you have a volt meter check the power on the white harness (see instruction on my original post). If it is the same issue it's a simple fix. Happy to walk you thru the fix.

 

Do you need to ground the step down converter? Or is it purely to redirect the power signal to the camera?

 

Based on your fix steps it looks like you only use the red and blue wires on the step down converter? Am I correct? Sorry for inquiring so hard, I'm just having this same issue and want to be sure I'm installing this thing correctly.

 

Dano007 sent me the steps to install it, it worked perfectly for me, and if you need more help he would be the man to ask

 

Much thanks mate everything seems to be in working order now.

 

Just to confirm, you’re just tapping into the purple/white to source 12v when the truck goes into reverse? Not actually cutting the purple/white? Seems like a job for a posi-tap I have laying around.