Viofo A129 - Are You Getting Single-Beeps While Driving?

Unfortunately, the known bad cables I have either don't supply any signal or the plug is damaged due to the user trying to use some kind of adapter that broke off in the plug (not sure why I haven't just tossed these). No cables with intermittent signal.
 
Unfortunately, the known bad cables I have either don't supply any signal or the plug is damaged due to the user trying to use some kind of adapter that broke off in the plug (not sure why I haven't just tossed these). No cables with intermittent signal.
cables often get damaged during installation unfortunately
 
Unfortunately, the known bad cables I have either don't supply any signal or the plug is damaged due to the user trying to use some kind of adapter that broke off in the plug (not sure why I haven't just tossed these). No cables with intermittent signal.

Well, thanks for checking! I have a funny feeling Jokiin is going to say my SD card is not so good... :(



format the card before testing

Okay, attached are my results from Crystal Mark Disk...this is like playing poker and not knowing what the cards mean... I get poker hands, but not this.... Good or Bad???
 

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Does anyone know what acceptable benchmark speeds are for Viofo's dash cams?
 
Does anyone know what acceptable benchmark speeds are for Viofo's dash cams?
Depends on the dashcam, but the A129 will happily work down to about 8 MB/s minimum write speed, below that it starts occasional beeping depending on the complexity of the scene (image), and below about 6 becomes regular beeping. Of course if you have a custom firmware with increased bitrate then you will need a faster card.
 
Just to confirm I just get a single beep when this happens.

I try check the dashcam when it beeps but obviously not always as safe. The times I have checked it though , I had to press the menu button to wake up the screen, both cameras would be shown in the live view. Everytime I've checked the cable connections they always seem ok.

I will give the Crystal software a go, if the card is not writing quick enough then you can see how this would cause issues.

This is what I originally bought https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B07GRZY2GK
The card is supposed to be MLC - It will be interesting to see the speed claimed on the card vs the actual write speed after some tests.
 
Attached my CrystalDiskMark Results. The sequential write is more than enough for 2x1080p video
 

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Attached my CrystalDiskMark Results. The sequential write is more than enough for 2x1080p video
That is mega bytes per second, not bits, far more than enough for 4K, a good result.
 
Attached my CrystalDiskMark Results. The sequential write is more than enough for 2x1080p video


You got good results Joe! Mine are very similar, except my sequential writing of larger blocks is not as high as yours. - - I'm curious what Viofo told you to do or what could cause the problem...???
 
I haven't contacted viofo about this particular problem, only about a issue with the parking mode I was having. But then I started having all these other issues... and it became really hard to diagnose anything so I didn't bother updating the support call.

It's a really odd issue!

I will contact viofo again (probably tommorow)
 
Interesting thread @StrayCam thank you for starting it.

Funnily enough I have heard a single beep from my A129 only twice since I've had the dash cam...about 3 months now. The screen at both times did not come on. My A129 is positioned above the rearview mirror so I can clearly see the screen if it comes on or not. Had no idea why it made the single beeps and when I did my usual weekly checks of the files, I didn't notice anything irregular. If it happens again I will check the files asap and report back.

Btw I'm using a Samsung Evo Plus 128GB card. Have had no issues with it but I will test my card with Crystal Disk Mark and post the results soon
 
Mine are very similar, except my sequential writing of larger blocks is not as high as yours.
You do realise that yours has a decimal point in the wrong place?
That is an order of magnitude of difference, not "very similar"!
 
I just noticed the post about using the dashcam as a card reader, I didn't do that. I just used the SD card reader built into the laptop.
I think using the dashcam as the card reader is probably a better idea, as (presumably?) you are testing the write speed of both the card and the dashcam.
 
I just noticed the post about using the dashcam as a card reader, I didn't do that. I just used the SD card reader built into the laptop.
I think using the dashcam as the card reader is probably a better idea, as (presumably?) you are testing the write speed of both the card and the dashcam.
Testing in the laptop is a good way to test the performance of the card itself.
Testing in the dashcam can help identify any incompatibility between the card and the dashcam.
 
Joe384 and I have been discussing this issue on the "Buffered Parking Mode" thread. TonyM suggested a new thread, so here it is...

The attached pic describes the situation: single beeps are heard once in a while during driving mode - The camera is cutting the videos short when this happens by 20-30 seconds. Weeks ago, members here speculated that it could be an SD card problem. But Joe and I checked our SD cards, and they are fine.

TonyM just suggested that it may be a rear camera connection issue: Either a damaged cable, which is somewhat unlikely since the cable is brand new from Viofo; or the cable is not firmly connected to front & rear cameras. I intend to check that my cables are firmly connected. I'll report back.

How about you? Have you every heard single beeps while driving and not knowing what your camera was telling you?
What firmware version are you using? Which power source/hardwire kit is used?
Troubleshoot that A129 Duo recording issue by disconnecting the Rear camera and see if issue continues. Suggest selecting a non-buffered Parking Mode such as Low Bitrate Recording or 5fps Time Lapse to confirm buffered Parking Mode cause.

Those odd sized clips and beeps can be caused by Parking Mode not switching to Normal Mode while driving ---or--- not selecting DEFAULT SETTINGS after every Firmware change ---or--- memory card write speed is to low ---or--- insufficient volts/amps due to other device/DVR drain.
Troubleshoot the memory card and power source by repeating the test with only one change ---- load official Viofo A129 Duo v1.90 Firmware and select Normal/Medium Bitrate (or disconnect REAR camera) then test again (lower Bitrate eliminates write speed errors on slower cards). Official VIOFO 64 + 128 GB microSD cards with superior MLC chips should work perfectly. I've never had a single issue with any locally purchased Samsung EVO Plus U3 write speed 64 or 128 GB cards and I record at extremely high Bitrates. (All new A129 Pro 4K owners MUST use high U3 write speed cards or forget about 4K resolution)

Very easy to test any microSD memory card isn't FAKE by simply recording / copying MP4 video files to fill more than 50% storage capacity, most FAKEs use 32GB cards.
Parking Auto Event Detection Mode does NOT work reliably using Power Bank.
Select Parking Low Bitrate Recording Mode if using Power Bank.
 
What firmware version are you using? Which power source/hardwire kit is used?
Troubleshoot that A129 Duo recording issue by disconnecting the Rear camera and see if issue continues. Suggest selecting a non-buffered Parking Mode such as Low Bitrate Recording or 5fps Time Lapse to confirm buffered Parking Mode cause.

Those odd sized clips and beeps can be caused by Parking Mode not switching to Normal Mode while driving ---or--- not selecting DEFAULT SETTINGS after every Firmware change ---or--- memory card write speed is to low ---or--- insufficient volts/amps due to other device/DVR drain.
Troubleshoot the memory card and power source by repeating the test with only one change ---- load official Viofo A129 Duo v1.90 Firmware and select Normal/Medium Bitrate (or disconnect REAR camera) then test again (lower Bitrate eliminates write speed errors on slower cards). Official VIOFO 64 + 128 GB microSD cards with superior MLC chips should work perfectly. I've never had a single issue with any locally purchased Samsung EVO Plus U3 write speed 64 or 128 GB cards and I record at extremely high Bitrates. (All new A129 Pro 4K owners MUST use high U3 write speed cards or forget about 4K resolution)

Very easy to test any microSD memory card isn't FAKE by simply recording / copying MP4 video files to fill more than 50% storage capacity, most FAKEs use 32GB cards.
Parking Auto Event Detection Mode does NOT work reliably using Power Bank.
Select Parking Low Bitrate Recording Mode if using Power Bank.

I may have an issue with the rear camera cable (at least). Just wiggling the cable gently gives me issues with the picture, I don't think this should happen especially since the cable is so thick!

I appreciate your advice with regard to changing one thing and then testing, the problem is however everything is so random it's almost impossible to troubleshoot. As mentioned in other thread after initially testing the card I had a few issues when I put the card back in, the dashcam then was faultless for about 10 days without me changing anything and then the single beep issue started. After testing the card for speed though, I am now having issues which might be the rear camera.

I will probably disconnect the rear camera now but for how long do I test before I can be sure it's the rear camera? I may go 10 days again without issue and I may return the rear camera only to have the dash cam start randomly beeping the next day...
 
I may have an issue with the rear camera cable (at least). Just wiggling the cable gently gives me issues with the picture, I don't think this should happen especially since the cable is so thick!

I appreciate your advice with regard to changing one thing and then testing, the problem is however everything is so random it's almost impossible to troubleshoot. As mentioned in other thread after initially testing the card I had a few issues when I put the card back in, the dashcam then was faultless for about 10 days without me changing anything and then the single beep issue started. After testing the card for speed though, I am now having issues which might be the rear camera.

I will probably disconnect the rear camera now but for how long do I test before I can be sure it's the rear camera? I may go 10 days again without issue and I may return the rear camera only to have the dash cam start randomly beeping the next day...
Problem with disconnecting the rear camera is that it will reduce the amount of data being written to the memory card, so a memory card issue may disappear as a result and you still won't know where the problem is, although if the beep does still happen then you have ruled out the rear camera as the cause.

I think it would be reasonable to ask to try another rear camera and cable, and suggest that Viofo improve the diagnostics so that you can tell what the beep means! If it had an error log file that you could look at after you heard a beep, that listed the faults as "2019 09 09 12:30:10 - Rear camera communication fault." then it would be much easier to fix.
 
You do realise that yours has a decimal point in the wrong place?
That is an order of magnitude of difference, not "very similar"!


What do you mean "has a decimal in the wrong place?". Btw, I had asked nicely on this thread for an interpretation of my Crystal Mark Disk test results (above). Funny enough, Jokiin had time to "like" your post, but not reply to my question...lol

AND I asked "what is a good SD card speed benchmark" for the A129. - - Funny enough again, none of the experts here decided to reply. And one wonders why these threads go on an on sometimes! - - Besides, not wanting to make Viofo look bad and making up excuses for Viofo's "non-performance", they often do not answer legit questions, i.e. like when I first posted to this forum: No one took a moment to answer my question. Well, it will take more than ignoring me to get rid of me... especially when there are an army of guys here who feel exactly like me! ;)
 
What do you mean "has a decimal in the wrong place?". Btw, I had asked nicely on this thread for an interpretation of my Crystal Mark Disk test results (above). Funny enough, Jokiin had time to "like" your post, but not reply to my question...lol

AND I asked "what is a good SD card speed benchmark" for the A129. - - Funny enough again, none of the experts here decided to reply. And one wonders why these threads go on an on sometimes! - - Besides, not wanting to make Viofo look bad and making up excuses for Viofo's "non-performance", they often do not answer legit questions, i.e. like when I first posted to this forum: No one took a moment to answer my question. Well, it will take more than ignoring me to get rid of me... especially when there are an army of guys here who feel exactly like me! ;)

Your test results showed 6.605 MB/s write, while joe's results showed 67.94 MB/s write for Seq Q32T1

Nigel did respond to you above: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...-single-beeps-while-driving.40409/post-483736
 
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