987.2 Cayman w/rear LEDs - where to pick up a reverse signal?

I'm installing a reverse camera in my '11 987.2 Cayman base MT. Given that it has LED taillights, I don't believe its a 12Vdc signal that goes to the rear plug . Where can I pick up a 12Vdc reverse backup signal for splicing in my head unit's reverse sensing wire? Install is in progress right now, so a quick reply would be appreciated. Thanks...

Assuming you're just talking about the reverse trigger for your headunit - and not actually powering the camera, the white LED backup lights will work fine. That's what Loi (Euromotorspeed) used in my 2010. Didn't you get his kit? He tapped it at the left rear tail light. The black/blue wire in the harness.

Yup, you're right. I had tested the voltage of that wire without the tail light plugged in and saw less than 1V. Once I hooked up the tail light module it showed got ~12V. To paraphrase some guy with no name, "thought I was having trouble with my voltage. It's all right now."

Is there a link to said kit? Some not-so-light Googling failed to produce results. I recently got a Sony XAV 100 head unit for my 987.1 Boxster and was looking to install the most discrete backup camera possible while at it.

Hummm. He used to sell his 2-DIN kits on ebay, but his ebay store doesn't show any. Maybe Loi gave-up competing with all the cheap junk. The Euro Motorspeed site has always been "under construction". Try the facebook page to contact Loi. https://www.facebook.com/EuroMotorspeed/

I just bought my Euro Motorspeed kit for my Pioneer in a 987.1 . I got mine through Suncoast in case the one you need isn't on their eBay page. Link for mine is below. But they likely have kits for whatever you need. Came with instructions and any questions I had, I would email Loi. And he was really helpful. Suncoast Porsche Parts & Accessories Aftermarket Radio Installation Kit The bumperette question is an interesting one. I will hopefully be running my backup camera soon. Do they really restrict the view of a camera if you place it in one of the traditional spots ?

I got the Crutchfield kit myself. Seems pretty good upon quick inspection (though not as great as the Eurospeed), but haven't settled on a camera yet. Which one did you get?

I was taking a look at the pinout on my Head Unit and the manual, and it's not clear to my why you couldn't simply connect the reverse indicator to the switched 12V cable so that the head unit always thinks the car is in reverse and is able to show the camera. To be clear, I'm talking about the reverse signal wire to the Head Unit, and not the power wire to the camera itself (that I can hook up to the reverse tail light). My Sony XAV-AX100 doesn't seem to switch to the camera view upon sensing the reverse signal, it says you need to press the rear-camera button on the home screen and that'll only work once the signal is detected. Any idea about this? Do other head-units switch automatically?

Regarding connection '7' in your connections diagram, it would be my understanding that when this wire is energized it will switch the display to camera, having it on all of the time would hide the regular display on the receiver, you would want this to be 'on' only when in reverse. As for other units I would suspect that they have a similar wire that applies 12v when you shift into reverse. For your unit:

I'm the process of installing a Coolint CT-107B backup camera and a Pioneer AVH-4200NEX head unit and trying to confirm the wiring. I have a 987.1 but I think the wiring is similar to 987.2 . The head unit requires trigger and I'm planning to connect violet/white wire on the head unit to the black/blue tail light wire. Where I'm having some confusion is powering on the camera. My plan was to get the camera power to black/blue (positive) and the brown wire (ground) following this article: http://www.planet-9.com/reviews/electronics/p132-vr3-wireless-backup-camera-system.html However when I checked with Loi at Euro Motorspeed he said the black/blue tail light is actually a ground wire (I'm using this kit). The other complication is Coolint has an additional red wire coming out of the RCA extension cord. If I can figure out how to power on the camera my plan is to leave those disconnected but wanted to check with others who have installed this camera for any pointers. Thanks!

I just went through a similar install of rear camera on my Pioneer Z140. It's basically the same. And I used two different cameras and found out they all wire exactly the same. I used those 2 red wires in the RCA extension to power the camera. At the head-unit I tapped it into the same red power wire that powers the headunit (switched +12v). At the other end I butt connected it to the red of the camera's power lead. An added benefit is I can use the camera at any time - not just in reverse. BTW, while the image quality from both cameras was good, I'm less than impressed by the usefulness of it. I mostly wanted to get a better peripheral view when backing out in a parking lot. That's why I tried two different cameras. 1st claimed 170 view but it was more like 110. The other claimed 180 view - seems more like 170. But the damn bumperettes get in the way. And the 180 view is so fish-eyed that the peripheral view is distorted and nearly useless for seeing anything more than 5 ft away. And now I'm afraid that by watching the screen, I'll miss something I should of seen looking in the side or center mirrors. I wish I had that day of running wires back.

Perfect, thank you so much! Yeah, using the wire coming out of the RCA to connect to a switched +12V makes the most sense since I need to hook the new head unit anyway - will use fuse box B9 or C6 for this. What's left is (i) a ground near the taillights (got a couple screws I can use), (ii) reverse trigger (black/blue) and (iii) illumination (gray/black). Those pesky bumperettes Not planning on relying solely on the camera for sure but it's nice to be able to see what's immediately behind me.

Finished the install over the weekend. Ended up soldering the connections in the back for the reverse trigger and illumination as the wire taps were not reliable. Here is how the view looks from the back. Came out better than I was expecting - just a hint of a bumperette on on side. The images below are before I removed the protective liner on the camera lens and it's clearer now. This is very early in the morning before sunrise: At garage:

So what camera did you use and how do you feel about the grid lines? I am considering cutting the wire and going without them, on the Coolint camera I have the word "STOP" flashes and may become annoying...

Using Coolint CT-107B and like it. Blends in well with the bumper and appears to be well made. The lines haven't bothered me too much (thus far) and, yes, I also get the flashing STOP.

Thanks for the reply, that is the same cameras that I bought. I was looking at the bumpers yesterday and though that I might be able to get away with only removing the front, but the rear will have to come off to if I want any hope of getting a wrench on the but to hold the camera in... I had hoped I could get my fingers in through the license plate light but I think it is too far away... Did you also remove the bumper, I think that the distance between the license plate lights on a 987 is about 4", on the 981 it is 6".

Why would you use the built-in camera gridlines instead of the adjustable head-unit ones?

It is my understanding from others that have added a backup that only the OEM installed camera will work the grid lines supplied by the PCM. Aftermarket units supply their own lines (non-moving with steering input), or optionally none at all. I wish that we could get the PCM supplied lines working but I am pretty sure this is not possible. Thanks for the confirmation, I figured that might be the case, better to take a little more time then fight the install. Fortunately I have had the bumper off before when installing the GT4 diffusor so I am acquainted with the process.