Zenfox T3 Triple channel dash cams free test invitation, limited quantity

[SawMaster]

We all understand that there is a limit of allowable temperature. The problem is that this limit is set too low. A better approach is necessary here. Have you oven-tested to see if the limit can be raised? Garmin did that successfully with their 55, and Blackvue did that with their DR900.

I would suggest turning off the inside cabin cam during parking and reducing the resolution or bitrate or both as a better way to reduce heat. It is not usually necessary to have high-performance images while parked since most of what the cam 'sees' will be moving slow and will be close-by making good images possible with lower performance levels.

As this cam functions now, for half of the year or longer at least half of the world will find parking mode useless. Most people want a usable parking mode so I think you will lose sales if this cam becomes known to not have some type of reliable parking mode which can be used most of the time in most places.

Phil

 

[kamkar]

I have been wondering if the cut off value might be set in Celsius but the camera register Fahrenheit, though i dont think that.
From what i understand on our Swedish friend testing the bitrates for parking are actually pretty low, or at least as low as i would like to see them.
With the DR i just tested parking mode alongside a 60 kmh road, and i was having doubt that a 1080p camera with just 5 mbit would be able to resolve plates on passing cars, but it actually worked fine.
Though it is a advantage EU cars have plates in both ends and that give you 2 chances of a plate capture with a dual system, the poor Americans just get 1 chance, and with their small and "pimped" plates thats a small chance.

But since the viofo A129 DUO PRO also have problems the same place, i am inclined to think it is not just a temperature issue alone, the SOC used are after all pretty new at least in dashcams.

 

[SawMaster]

Having something even if it isn't very good is better than having nothing at all. At least then you can show your insurance company that the damage was caused by someone else while you were parked correctly which might get you a better damage settlement.

Phil

 

[kamkar]

well with my insurance i can total my car 2 times in a year, and not go up in payments, even if they have no one to wipe the bill off on.

I of course prefer if that someone do get to pay, but i will take any perk i get as what my insurance call a elite driver.

 

[HonestReview]

It is always a challenge for high-end chipset working in parking recording mode under direct sunshine, better to protect the device itself under extreme conditions.
Other cameras like Thinkware U1000, also has a similar solution, like downgrading to 2K while the WiFi-enabled, and turn off the device while the built-in sensor detected extreme temperature.

I would suggest lowering the bitrate of all 3 cameras in parking mode. Play with these settings until you find an acceptable bitrate in which all three cameras can operate without overheating. As @Nigel pointed out, images are slow moving when parked. People walking by, cars backing out, etc. So the quality here can be much less.

Unfortunately, the conditions in which the camera overheat are very unfavorable. I have parked my car outside on warm, cloudy, day only to find camera is still overheating, too. If reducing the bitrate will not solve the problem, then maybe the worst case scenario is disabling the interior camera in parking mode. I would hate that this happens, but you need a stable product.

If people come out to find their camera has dropped all recording or only is recording from the front, you will end up with a lot of unhappy customers returning their product. Giving Zenfox a poor reputation.

 

[HonestReview]

As long as you are not lifting the edge of the tint and allowing air to get in under the edge, then it is held on to the glass by suction, so the amount of force you can apply when pulling the sticky pad off the tint is 1 atmosphere x the surface area of the pad. For the A129 that is 44 pounds of force before the tint will pull away from the glass. You do not have to be as careful as you are suggesting, just don't use any sharp tools that might puncture the surface, but that is also true without the tint since sharp tools can damage the glass.

You can use a sharp knife to cut a strip out of the pad to fit over the defrost line, there is more than enough stick to hold the camera on. The size of the pad is chosen for image stability, not for fear of it falling off, so cut the strip out of the centre, not off the edge.

I sawed it off with fishing line. While the tint might not be as fragile and susceptible to coming off as you suggest, it's not worth the risk. Pull too hard and I'm out good money. Plus, you don't want to risk damaging defrost lines by ripping off tint.

Far as the Gecko Orbit 950 goes, I guess I could have sliced off some of the pad with an exacto knife. Didn't consider that, but a better idea would have been for manufacturer to make the pad smaller in the first place.

 

[HonestReview]

I have been wondering if the cut off value might be set in Celsius but the camera register Fahrenheit, though i dont think that.
From what i understand on our Swedish friend testing the bitrates for parking are actually pretty low, or at least as low as i would like to see them.
With the DR i just tested parking mode alongside a 60 kmh road, and i was having doubt that a 1080p camera with just 5 mbit would be able to resolve plates on passing cars, but it actually worked fine.
Though it is a advantage EU cars have plates in both ends and that give you 2 chances of a plate capture with a dual system, the poor Americans just get 1 chance, and with their small and "pimped" plates thats a small chance.

But since the viofo A129 DUO PRO also have problems the same place, i am inclined to think it is not just a temperature issue alone, the SOC used are after all pretty new at least in dashcams.

@E

I haven't experienced the camera dropping out while driving and the car receiving proper airflow. Although I believe it was @kuoh who has suffered from this issue? Either way, reducing the bitrate will reduce the amount of heat being generated. I believe @Zenfox_Official needs to consider the phrase "How Low Can you Go". Reducing the bitrate while cameras are parked until he finds an acceptable level that doesn't overheat the camera. Worst case, if no tweaking overcomes the issue, disabling the interior and leaving only the front + rear recording.

 

[kamkar]

It do seem to me that many uber drivers, wanting a cabin camera for that, well when they are not doing uber they dont want the cabin camera.

So maybe also a way to turn that off if it isent there already.
Maybe a code a 2 camera only parking guard could lean upon.

 

[HonestReview]

It do seem to me that many uber drivers, wanting a cabin camera for that, well when they are not doing uber they dont want the cabin camera.

So maybe also a way to turn that off if it isent there already.
Maybe a code a 2 camera only parking guard could lean upon.

I think lowering the bitrates is a good first start. This obviously is the easiest solution to lower the amount of heat being generated. Second option is lose the interior camera during parking. I prefer this be the last resort. Point of three channel camera is to capture all around car driving or parked.

Though more costly, making sure the aluminum heatsink has a wide enough copper base to absorb heat is important. Along with a quality thermal paste, and possibly adding more ventilation holes in the case itself.

 

[kamkar]

Yes 3 camera parking would be the best, it must be the target if at all possible.

 

[kamkar]

The heat sink are glued on i am sure, in which case you already have a problem as to my knowledge thermal glue are far from as good as a proper thermal paste.
More holes in the case would mean a complete retooling, and i think that is out of the question, that leave you with making drilling jigs for the case shells and then pay someone to manual drill holes.

 

[HonestReview]

The heat sink are glued on i am sure, in which case you already have a problem as to my knowledge thermal glue are far from as good as a proper thermal paste.
More holes in the case would mean a complete retooling, and i think that is out of the question, that leave you with making drilling jigs for the case shells and then pay someone to manual drill holes.

I agree. So lowering bitrates is the very first step in troubleshooting. Unfortunately, if lower bitrates don't correct the problem, then a decision needs made.

1. Do you run it as a 2 channel for park mode. Against making sure the camera doesn't overheat on 2 channel.
2. Do you retool the case, ask the manufacturer to use a better thermal paste instead of gluing the heatsink onto the cpu, and get things working properly?

I would like to get my handles on a Vantrue N4. It is a 3 channel camera with parking mode and apparently good reviews? So 3 channel is possible without overheating. @Zenfox_Official needs to look at existing products on how to make his work reliably.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B083V6K8RH

 

[Nigel]

I agree. So lowering bitrates is the very first step

Up here in the cool UK , I do not want the parking mode bitrate lowered, I don't have a heat problem, except maybe for a couple of weeks in the middle of summer, and I do want good image quality.

Also, lowering bitrate will not make much difference, so it is probably a poor solution for everybody!

 

[kamkar]

From the DR the 5 mbit seem fine enough for 1080p cameras, but not sure what will be fine for the 1440p sensor in the T3.

 

[HonestReview]

Up here in the cool UK , I do not want the parking mode bitrate lowered, I don't have a heat problem, except maybe for a couple of weeks in the middle of summer, and I do want good image quality.

Also, lowering bitrate will not make much difference, so it is probably a poor solution for everybody!

Unfortunately, outside of northern Europe, parks of Eastern Europe, Russia, and a few other areas, the heat problem will affect the MAJORITY of the world during summer months (June, July, August, September) for those north of equator and December, January, February, and possibly March for those south of equator.

So if @Zenfox_Official is fine with most of the world being unable to use his camera's park mode, then fantastic. His options for fixing issue aren't great. Lowering the bitrate will lower the amount of heat generated during parking mode.

Disabling the Interior Cam, leaving front and rear, loses side coverage during parking mode

Retooling case for better airflow, using a proper thermal paste, and making sure the heatsink base is copper with a proper aluminum fin design is a very costly endeavor.

The UK is a small part of a VERY BIG WORLD. Remember, others are having the exact same issue I described in much lower temperatures.

Pick your poison.

 

[HonestReview]

Here's a fun one. I forgot to mention, I did a test on a very hot day and ALL 3 Cameras failed in parking mode. Camera was beeping when I went to the car and nothing was recording. So on that test

1. Rear Camera Dropped out first
2. Interior Camera Dropped out 10 Minutes Later
3. Front Camera Dropped out 35 minutes later

End result, park mode completely disabled. Viofo A129 Duo still recorded in these same conditions. Verified footage.

Suggestion: If heat thresholds cannot be corrected in firmware, and lowering bitrate does not solve, maybe give users option to select which cameras record in park mode. Selecting Front, rear, Interior, or all 3.

 

[SawMaster]

It's pretty clear thart if the shutdown temp is already pushed as far as it can go without bunches of toasted cams, then the only way forward is to reduce the workload on the processor. Around 25% of the processor workload can be lost by eliminating one of the secondary cams while parked. More can be lost via other performance changes.

The most important aspect of any dashcam is that it is recording images when you need it to do that. The numbers of people returning this cam will be huge, and places like Ebay and Amazon will side with the buyers who complain about unexpected shutdowns occurring in conditions where almost every other cam remains functional. When you lose those big market outlets you are done for.

Phil

 

[Nigel]

End result, park mode completely disabled. Viofo A129 Duo still recorded in these same conditions. Verified footage.

Great camera that Viofo A129 Duo, earned its place in

Best Dash Cams of 2020 - DashCamTalk

The best dash cams available to purchase in 2020.

dashcamtalk.com

It does only have half the pixels though, so it would be reasonable for it to generate half the heat, which is approximately what happens.

 

[HonestReview]

Great camera that Viofo A129 Duo, earned its place in

Best Dash Cams of 2020 - DashCamTalk

The best dash cams available to purchase in 2020.

dashcamtalk.com

It does only have half the pixels though, so it would be reasonable for it to generate half the heat, which is approximately what happens.

The Zenfox is 2K + 1080P Interior + 1080P Rear. Viofo is 1080P Front + 1080P Rear. Zenfox could force the front to record at say 1080P in park mode, reducing some of the heat. Also, Zenfox could allow the user to select which cameras to record (as mentioned). Front, Interior, Rear, or any combination of the three.

I mention the Viofo because it has 2x 1080P cameras that aren't overheating. The Zenfox is shutting itself down completely if left in heat over any extended period. Something has to give here to make the T3 a workable product.

 

[HonestReview]

It's pretty clear thart if the shutdown temp is already pushed as far as it can go without bunches of toasted cams, then the only way forward is to reduce the workload on the processor. Around 25% of the processor workload can be lost by eliminating one of the secondary cams while parked. More can be lost via other performance changes.

The most important aspect of any dashcam is that it is recording images when you need it to do that. The numbers of people returning this cam will be huge, and places like Ebay and Amazon will side with the buyers who complain about unexpected shutdowns occurring in conditions where almost every other cam remains functional. When you lose those big market outlets you are done for.

Phil

Agreed. If people are wanting a camera that records only while driving, the T3 is great. Otherwise, expect a lot of returns and unhappy customers. Being that you're in South Carolina, a place known to get hot, I think it's safe to say this camera wouldn't be on the top of your bucket.

I've tried offering constructive solutions that might help alleviate the issue and hope one works.

1. Selectable Cameras in Park Mode (Front, Rear, Interior, or any combination)
2. Downsample front camera to 1080P.
3. Lower bitrate