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"Cobra" reversing sensor system - anyone got pin-outs?

I've just bought a new-ish car, with reversing sensors in the bumper, but no signs of life from them. Taking some of the trim out of the boot I've found the control box for them, marked "Cobra 0168".

This has the following connections:-

4x 2-way connectors, to the 4 sensors. 1x 3-way connector, for power & ??? 1x 2-way connector, marked "BUZ"

The 3-way connector has red/black wires fitted into the car loom, guessing these are power feeds. There's a blue wire, that appears to have been cut - but no signs of where this could have been fitted.

The 2-way "BUZ" connector, obviously intended to drive a buzzer, has also been snipped.

Now, I know that there must be a reason for these to have been cut, and reading various forums there's common problems with reversing systems fitted to the car (RX-8) with spurious warnings from the system. So... the system may be crap, I don't know, but I want to find out before looking at alternatives.

So, to my questions:-

Can anyone with a Cobra 0168 identify the problems with the wiring - where does the "blue" wire go? (reversing light?)

The "BUZ" drive - what type of buzzer does this drive?, a simple piezo-electric transducer?

I'll be heading to Maplins tomorrow to try to get something to test this out.

Any hints, tips or installation guides, happily accepted :)

Mike

Reply to
Mike Dodd
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Reversing light ??

Andy C

Reply to
Andy Cap

This looks like the install guide for the 0168:

Also found a guide for the 0156:

Which according to this sales sheet:

and a little help from Babelfish says: "Equipped like park master 0168, however optimizes for the installation into the front bumper. Engagement with the ignition. With additional switch to deactivation"

Reply to
bweebar

Had a closer look and the blue wire was a loop that was cut after the initial installation test (loop of wire being cheaper than a switch.)

My guess is that the previous owner found the buzzer annoying so chopped it off. Get a nicer sounding buzzer and fit a cut-off switch like the 0156 has.

Reply to
bweebar

Many thanks!, I spent an age yesterday on google with little success (apart from "commercial" e-manual sites). I did find a reference to the little blue wire, though on a Skoda forum, and my plan was to get a buzzer, fit, and "just see". Now, just to find where "blue" was loop-backed to (closer inspection demanded, I think, or just short to earth or 12v and see...).

Hmmm, why he didn't simply unplug it, I don't know. Maybe it really was that annoying!

As a last note, what a set of instructions!, they make Ikea's flat-pack assembly instructions look like the works of Dickens, by comparison :)

Reply to
Mike Dodd
[...]

I think they are just abut the best set of non-textual instructions I've ever seen!

I've never found reversing sensors that work entirely satisfactorily, either OEM or after-market. A camera might be nice though :-)

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

Factory fits on my last car - Omega, worked perfectly well, and surprised me (and saved my bumper) on a couple of occasions, so I'm a bit of a fan of properly working systems.

Looking at the fit of the sensors on this new one, however, because of the shape of the bumper they'd probably be better as a Sky-dish, than a reversing aid; however, for a quid or two (for a buzzer) I might as well give them a try.

Reply to
Mike Dodd

Someone's copying off someone I think:

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(Mazda 3 fitting guide)

Rob

Reply to
Rob

The Cobra appears to be OEM to Mazda for the reversing kits, so I dare say Mazda have taken their instructions and re-authored them under a Mazda banner.

Now, the only problem I have is where that blue wire loops back to. I was wrong - the 3-way connector is actually a 4-way connector, although only three terminals are populated (3 of the 4 terminal housing fitted with a terminal pin)...

So... Red/Black easy enough, blue comes out and is cleanly cut. No evidence of any loop-back into the loom at all.

There is, however, a 5mm strip of insulation removed from the red, with the copper strands openly accessible, so I'm wondering if that is where the "lost" end of the blue loop was connected to. It looks a bit heath-robinson, but it's either that, or someone yanked the fourth terminal pin from the housing - I can't really see that (they tend to be right buggers to get out)

Anyone fit one of these recently and can advise?

Reply to
Mike Dodd

ignore that... later in the loom there's a 5mm strip of insulation stripped off the black, as well. Ho hum.

Reply to
Mike Dodd

The first thing I would do is connect a low wattage 12v bulb (a dashboard illumination bulb for example) to the BUZ terminal and find out if the thing actually functions as it is now.

For future reference, the search string I used in Google was: cobra 0168 filetype:pdf

Reply to
bweebar

did you ever sort this one out with the blue wire ? blue has to be cut when you set up the distance of 50cm from a wall/solid object, look at the pdf file someone else gave you, just set up my cobra and was looking for the wiring diagram when i came on this thread, i cut the blue and put a couple of connectors on the ends if i ever needed to setup the unit again,

just to confirm correct set up red to reversing light live / black to earth connect all wiring ensuring blue LOOP has not been cut (goes to and from the cobra brain box and is not connected to anything else) have car backed up to garage door measure gap 50cm turn on ignition but do not start engine engage reverse/reversing lights on unit makes a beep to say its working then after 10s it will make a continuous beep turn off ignition / take gear out of reverse cut blue wire at loop now unit is set and away you go

url:

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Reply to
john peterson

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