Reviewing and Testing the Vantrue S1 Pro Max

[EricSan]

Curious, how did you route the wires from the front camera to the rear through the trunk and out to the hood? Did you put down the rear seats to get the cable into the trunk?

Totally a "quick and dirty" install. The cable to the rear camera runs along the headliner above the passenger side doors. I just folded down the rear seat to get the cable into the trunk. From there, the cable just runs over the water seal out to the camera. With a sufficiently flat cable, I could likely get it under the trunk release lever, then inside the trunk under the liner. From there, I could thread the cable through the hollow tube for the trunk hinge and then behind the side trunk liner. From there, it would go up the C-pillar and above the headliner like the cables for my Viofo camera.

 

[Jeff_Vantrue]

@Jeff_Vantrue, given that super clean externally mounted rear camera, I’m thinking I’d really appreciate a remote mounted FRONT camera as well. Tuck the whole thing into the glove box and have wires leading to the front and rear cameras. But, I suppose now we’re just looking at your Falcon 1 camera…

Love the idea! I’ll make sure to share it with our R&D team.

 

[Jeff_Vantrue]

A few thoughts and suggestions for @Jeff_Vantrue
- the cable that exits the rear of the camera sticks straight out. Because the cable is relatively stiff (due to thickness) the camera needs too much space behind it to accommodate a bend in the cable. This limits mounting positions.
- is it possible to use a flat ribbon cable instead of a 5mm diam round cable for the rear camera? This would facilitate easier mounting, either by running the flat cable under a trim piece or just clamping it down through the lower trunk seal. In the second case, I could probably run the cable down behind my license plate and then just run the thin cable across the trunk seal without much risk of water intrusion
- maybe also consider a flat USB connector as well (just a blade that fits into a USB connector like some USB string lights use), rather than the bulky oval one that is used. This will make sealing the connection to the rear camera cable with heat shrink more difficult, but will better enable easier external mounting.
- i would be very willing to test a prototype flat cable rear camera for you 🙂

Here is an example of a thinner USB plug from an LED strip. Not perfect, and it’s a USB-A example, but thinner would be better. If Vantrue could make a thin cable mount for the rear camera, I’d leave it there forever!

Thank you so much for the detailed and thoughtful suggestions!
You’ve made some great points regarding cable flexibility and mounting constraints. We completely understand how a thicker round cable can limit installation options, especially in tighter spaces.
For our current rear camera design, the cable is transmitting high-frequency data, so it requires strong shielding to maintain signal integrity. Unfortunately, that makes it difficult to switch to a flat ribbon-style cable, which tends to have lower shielding performance. That said, for other components with less demanding data requirements, we have experimented with flat cables in the past.
I’ll definitely pass your suggestions on to our R&D team for future evaluation.

 

[EricSan]

We had a nice and toasty day here today - temps hit about 95F/35c. I had both my Viofo A139 Pro and the Vantrue S1 Pro Max running in LBR parking mode all day. I used my non-contact IR gun to measure temps of each camera at the end of the day. The hottest spot on the S1 Pro Max (near the SD card slot) registered about 78c (definitely above the 60c recommended limit in the manual) and I found 90c on the back of the Viofo!

Regardless of temps, both provided uninterrupted video files.

 

[EricSan]

Despite not losing any files, it looks like the image sensor was not happy running at that temp level. The video from the front camera in LBR parking mode (1920x1080) seems fine. Screen cap below:

But a screen capture at full resolution during the drive home shows shifting hue, notably toward purple, that appears and disappears every few seconds. This is not caused by tree shadows across the roadway. I suppose it's time to switch to collision detection during the hot parts of the summer. The Viofo A139 Pro maintained consistent colors for this same recording.

EDIT: After more testing, the color shading that is shown below is NOT heat related, despite the 77c temp reading I made on the camera. It is an artifact related to the specific angle of sunlight hitting the polarizer on the front of the camera lens as I'm driving into the sun. Nothing is wrong with the camera.

Images from the rear camera are fine, it was in the shade of the car at the end of the day...

 

[EricSan]

There is another consideration for mounting the rear camera internally vs externally. The external mounting results in a lower vantage point, which may obscure some details at the time of impact if a rear collision happens. The driver of the pickup truck is more clearly visible in the internally mounted camera with a higher vantage point - specifically, you can see if they are using their phone or not. With the camera mounted externally, the driver is not visible at all while stopped at a traffic light.

Here is the rear view from the externally mounted rear camera from the S1PM:

And the corresponding image from a camera mounted inside the car at the top of the rear window:

 

[Jeff_Vantrue]

But a screen capture at full resolution during the drive home shows shifting hue, notably toward purple, that appears and disappears every few seconds. This is not caused by tree shadows across the roadway. I suppose it's time to switch to collision detection during the hot parts of the summer. The Viofo A139 Pro maintained consistent colors for this same recording.

It might be worth trying a different installation position and testing again. The current location is partially obstructed on the left by another unit, which could be affecting both the field of view and image processing~

 

[jsmith]

@EricSan is it me or does the design of the S1 Pro Max Rear Camera (Extending Arm) lead to a lot of vibration in the rear video?

 

[TonyM]

@EricSan is it me or does the design of the S1 Pro Max Rear Camera (Extending Arm) lead to a lot of vibration in the rear video?

In my early testing I have noticed a fair amount of vibration on the rear camera. Even when the car is stationary with the engine idling I can see a low level of vibration.

 

[EricSan]

@jsmith & @TonyM: I'm not seeing any vibration from the rear camera of the S1PM. There are two sets of screws in the "hinge" mechanism that can be tightened. Maybe this is the source of the vibration that you are seeing? I'll check again. I have a 400 mile trip tomorrow, so I'll collect a lot more footage. I moved the S1PM rear camera back inside the car. I'm not keen on leaving a thick cable pinched in the trunk lid for an extended period of time, there is a rain in the forecast, and my car will be sitting in midtown Manhattan most of the day tomorrow.

 

[EricSan]

It might be worth trying a different installation position and testing again. The current location is partially obstructed on the left by another unit, which could be affecting both the field of view and image processing~

EDIT: After repeated testing, the color shading that I was seeing is an artifact related to the specific angle of sunlight hitting the polarizer on the front of the camera lens as I'm driving into the sun.

 

[jsmith]

@jsmith & @TonyM: I'm not seeing any vibration from the rear camera of the S1PM. There are two sets of screws in the "hinge" mechanism that can be tightened. Maybe this is the source of the vibration that you are seeing? I'll check again. I have a 400 mile trip tomorrow, so I'll collect a lot more footage. I moved the S1PM rear camera back inside the car. I'm not keen on leaving a thick cable pinched in the trunk lid for an extended period of time, there is a rain in the forecast, and my car will be sitting in midtown Manhattan most of the day tomorrow.

I've tightened those screws down securely already. They seem to loosen over time. My camera is mounted via the 3M to windshield.

I think the weight of the larger 4K camera is to blame..... Can you take a picture of your internal mount? Curious how you see no vibrations.

 

[EricSan]

I'll post a picture later in the day. I just attached the 3M to the static cling sheet and stuck it on the rear window. The difference might be that I've tucked the cord up into the rear of the headliner, so there is no "weight" from the cable being suspended from the rear of the camera. Having the cable tucked into the headliner (it's particularly tight right under the third brake light) might be the reason that I'm not seeing any vibration.

 

[jsmith]

I'll post a picture later in the day. I just attached the 3M to the static cling sheet and stuck it on the rear window. The difference might be that I've tucked the cord up into the rear of the headliner, so there is no "weight" from the cable being suspended from the rear of the camera. Having the cable tucked into the headliner (it's particularly tight right under the third brake light) might be the reason that I'm not seeing any vibration.

Not sure how the whole cable could be tucked? It's a thick cable coming out the rear of camera. Curious to see your mount. Ideally, this cable would have been side mounted and not rear mounted.

 

[EricSan]

Here is a photo of my rear camera install. The wires all go straight back from the glass under the rear headliner, then across the rear window (while still under the headliner), exiting at the passenger side C-pillar in the bottom left of the image. Nothing special, just cram it under the lip of the headliner.

 

[jsmith]

Here is a photo of my rear camera install. The wires all go straight back from the glass under the rear headliner, then across the rear window (while still under the headliner), exiting at the passenger side C-pillar in the bottom left of the image. Nothing special, just cram it under the lip of the headliner.

View attachment 82507

Your car has a different setup than most to better secure the wire. I have the camera in a 2014 Honda (Not my Volvo). But even my Volvo doesnt have the brake light near the headliner.

 

[gse]

It might be worth trying a different installation position and testing again. The current location is partially obstructed on the left by another unit, which could be affecting both the field of view and image processing~

The purple tint is the work of the IR filter of the lens and nothing more, for some it is more, for others it is less, it is worth paying attention to this, there should be treatment recipes, this has already happened on Viofo and the mini 2 model, a solution was found quickly and the situation was corrected, perhaps the IR filter was changed.

 

[EricSan]

That's possible (IR filter), but I'm not convinced. That doesn't account for how the purple hue comes and goes although my direction of travel is unchanged and there are no changes in shadows due to trees along the roadside. This is the first time I've seen it and I drive this route all of the time. Perhaps it is a function of heat + the IR filter? I'm not sure. Need some additional time for testing to see what happens.

In other developments, I discovered a situation where it was impossible for me to shut down the camera. After yesterday's experience with the hot sun, I changed the parking mode to Collision Detection. When I returned home from work, I turned off the car, then tried to turn off the cameras as I always do when I park in the garage. But with Collision Detection mode activated by turning off the car, the power switch would not allow me to turn off the car. It would simply toggle between "drive mode" and "parking mode."

I had to resort to pulling the power cord out of the camera in order to turn it off. @Jeff_Vantrue, is this an intentional design choice, or am I doing something wrong?

 

[gse]

That's possible (IR filter), but I'm not convinced.

Of course you can do tests, but you will not find any purple color when the sun is behind you, purple color will only be when the sun is in your face.
I say this as a practitioner, not a theorist.
When this happened with Viofo, I simply changed the lens, put one from the old model and everything was cured, the option was offered to the technical department of Viofo, no more problems.

 

[TonyM]

In other developments, I discovered a situation where it was impossible for me to shut down the camera. After yesterday's experience with the hot sun, I changed the parking mode to Collision Detection. When I returned home from work, I turned off the car, then tried to turn off the cameras as I always do when I park in the garage. But with Collision Detection mode activated by turning off the car, the power switch would not allow me to turn off the car. It would simply toggle between "drive mode" and "parking mode."

I had to resort to pulling the power cord out of the camera in order to turn it off. @Jeff_Vantrue, is this an intentional design choice, or am I doing something wrong?

I had the same experience with the E1 Pro. It is not possible to turn the camera off manually when it is in Collision Detection parking mode (I confirmed this via PM with @Jeff_Vantrue )