Got into accident...file corrupt?!

[2000rpm]

This is exactly what you don't want, and worries me.
You drive around safe in the knowledge your cam is protecting you then, when it matters, it turns out to be a heap of junk which isn't recording anything!

A faulty battery/capacitor is the usual cause of last file not saving properly. Nearly all battery-backup cams will suffer this problem within a few months to a few years depending on quality of battery, usage, weather conditions and a bit of good/bad luck.
That's why it's important to periodically check footage, paying special attention to the last file of each journey to ensure the battery/capacitor is still holding enough power to complete the shutdown process.

 

[2000rpm]

That's why you want at least two different brands dashcam for the front.
Probability of both failing at the same time is much less.

Ideally two very different cams so a power fluctuation might not shut them both down at the same time. Possibly one with battery and one with capacitor because although batteries degrade with heat, time and usage, some capacitor cams - such as converted Mobius - require a surprisingly long time (a few minutes) at the start of each journey before the capacitor has accumulated enough charge to save the last file.

Possibly also one cam with fairly wide angle so it sees more at the sides, and one with narrow angle so it gives a more zoomed-in image. In many cases manufacturer claims of viewing angle twist the truth.

 

[Gibson99]

That's only realistic if camera footprints shrink. Figure 2 dashcams, maybe a GPS and perhaps a phone holder...that's a lot of devices sitting on the dash or windshield...

if you have a phone holder on the windshield, what do you need a gps for? pretty much every smartphone made in the last 5+ years has gps already.

in my miata (which had a very small windshield) i had 2 cameras (F70 2-channel with 2nd camera pointed inside at the driver - i used it for analyzing my driving at race events - 2nd cam was pointed at me to make sure i was looking in the right place since looking ahead is extremely important in autocross) and an oversized auto-dimming/compass/temp mirror. yet i had no problems with forward visibility because both cams were in the gap between sunvisors, above and in front of the mirror. the only problem i had was that the main cam partially covered the mirror's forward-facing light sensor, so it would sometimes dim itself a little bit during the day, but that wasn't really a big problem for me.

in fact, the only problem i had w/ forward visibility in that car was when traffic lights were very close and very high, so that sometimes i had to lean forward to see the traffic light. but that had zero to do with the cams/mirror, and everything to do with the design of the actual windshield frame. i have that problem occasionally in my current tacoma pickup as well.

 

[Gibson99]

A faulty battery/capacitor is the usual cause of last file not saving properly. Nearly all battery-backup cams will suffer this problem within a few months to a few years depending on quality of battery, usage, weather conditions and a bit of good/bad luck.
That's why it's important to periodically check footage, paying special attention to the last file of each journey to ensure the battery/capacitor is still holding enough power to complete the shutdown process.

well the a119 is a capacitor based cam, so there is no battery at issue. but your point about checking the file at the end of each journey is a very good one.

@SergioV - did you check EVERY file on the card? is the last file of each trip OK or is it bad also? how long had the car/camera been turned on before the crash? did you have anything else plugged into the camera's cigarette lighter adapter, and if so, what was it? which firmware is installed on the camera (check the VERSION in the menu)?

 

[SergioV]

well the a119 is a capacitor based cam, so there is no battery at issue.

@SergioV - did you check EVERY file on the card? is the last file of each trip OK or is it bad also? how long had the car/camera been turned on before the crash? did you have anything else plugged into the camera's cigarette lighter adapter, and if so, what was it? which firmware is installed on the camera (check the VERSION in the menu)?

Every other file on the card is perfectly fine. After the accident, I realized the cam was off and did not turn back on. I turned it on and it was recording, I am able to view footage AFTER the accident when I turned it back on. Also, the dash cam is plugged into an ALWAYS ON accessory socket. Only my radar detector was plugged into a second acc port and I don't remember if that was still on after the accident.

As for the version, I updated it to the latest firmware version that went public back at the end of August.

 

[SergioV]

Can you copy the corrupted file out of the sd card? Dont work on the original file unless you have no other option.

If your willing to send me the file i can give it a crack.

Yes, I can try as well if you upload raw file somewhere.

I really appreciate the help. I will not be home this evening to upload the file but I will get it uploaded within the next 2 days or so.

 

[Sunny]

That's only realistic if camera footprints shrink. Figure 2 dashcams, maybe a GPS and perhaps a phone holder...that's a lot of devices sitting on the dash or windshield...

Figure 2 dashcams?
Figure 4 or more I have usually...

 

[russ331]

... some capacitor cams - such as converted Mobius - require a surprisingly long time (a few minutes) at the start of each journey before the capacitor has accumulated enough charge to save the last file.

This is news to me. I've just now tested it for myself. Connected Mobius (capacitor-converted) to USB power bank, recorded for 30 seconds, then disconnected power. The 30 second file saved perfectly.

 

[Sunny]

some capacitor cams - such as converted Mobius - require a surprisingly long time (a few minutes) at the start of each journey before the capacitor has accumulated enough charge to save the last file.

I don't think that's the case.
Capacitors, even big ones take less than 30 seconds to fully charge assuming capacitor is good.

Converted Mobius? Does it also shorten the shutdown time? If not, of course you'll have bad last file.

 

[SergioV]

Since my last file did not save correctly, this can only be blamed on a bad capacitor, correct? Even if the power was cut, that file should have been saved. I was driving for about 30 minutes before the accident occurred so the capacitor had more than enough time to accumulate power. If this is the case, being in an accident is not a convenient way to learn about a brand new dash cam being faulty.

 

[Sunny]

Since my last file did not save correctly, this can only be blamed on a bad capacitor, correct? Even if the power was cut, that file should have been saved. I was driving for about 30 minutes before the accident occurred so the capacitor had more than enough time to accumulate power. If this is the case, being in an accident is not a convenient way to learn about a brand new dash cam being faulty.

That's one probability.
However, I don't think that's the only reason.
File can corrupt due to shock as well.
If the microSD or something else moves too hard, it can stop recording.
Maybe you should test it by shaking the camera really hard and/or hitting it against the palm with some force to see if it corrupts the file.

 

[SergioV]

That's one probability.
However, I don't think that's the only reason.
File can corrupt due to shock as well.
If the microSD or something else moves too hard, it can stop recording.
Maybe you should test it by shaking the camera really hard and/or hitting it against the palm with some force to see if it corrupts the file.

I'll definitely try that. I've seen so many dash cam videos that have endured terrible accidents and rollovers. It should be alarming if a simple rear ending accident caused too much shock to the A119. I will definitely check on that.

 

[Sunny]

I'll definitely try that. I've seen so many dash cam videos that have endured terrible accidents and rollovers. It should be alarming if a simple rear ending accident caused too much shock to the A119. I will definitely check on that.

Did you check event folder?
Is there a file?

 

[SergioV]

Did you check event folder?
Is there a file?

There is no folder named event. I believe that's only if you have the g-sensor activated or manually saved a video, correct? Only a video and photo folder. A photo that was taken by accident and a full folder of videos that have accumulated.

 

[2000rpm]

This is news to me. I've just now tested it for myself. Connected Mobius (capacitor-converted) to USB power bank, recorded for 30 seconds, then disconnected power. The 30 second file saved perfectly.

I think it depends on how long since last used.

 

[Erik077]

My perspective - Sockets are not reliable, even small movements might power off camera and results with file damages. I already received my hard wire kit

 

[jokiin]

I think it depends on how long since last used.

that will have an impact

 

[viofo]

Will keep checking further for this.
Done a lots of testing like manually move the card/power cable, heavy collision for my sample, haven't repeated the issue.

 

[SergioV]

My perspective - Sockets are not reliable, even small movements might power off camera and results with file damages. I already received my hard wire kit

Even if the unit has the power cut off, the dash cam should still be able to write the last file correctly. I'm currently uploading the corrupt .MP4 and a known good .MP4 from the same card and will send the download link to the two users who are willing to help me. I appreciate this immensely.

Will keep checking further for this.
Done a lots of testing like manually move the card/power cable, heavy collision for my sample, haven't repeated the issue.

As for this actual dash cam. I'm honestly not comfortable using it anymore and with an event like this, regret making the purchase. I hate to sound negative in this situation but this should have not happened. I really hope @viofo will be able to recreate the issue and find a reason and fix for it.

 

[Sunny]

@SergioV
corrupted file is beyond repair but got a small clip out of it
Tried over 2 hours with different repair programs but none worked.
29 seconds video was the best I could do.
Sent you PM with links.

Video is still bad though: Need to find what causes it to lose that much of the video instead of last few seconds.