Bug Report

gr8jab

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Hi all,

I'm new to the forum, and new to the C1. I'm using it as a dash cam. I like it very much, and soon it will become a permanent install in my vehicle. :)

I believe I've come across a bug. Please understand that I only have one sample, but I have tested it at length. I am, by profession, a systems engineer (EE/CpE) and have managed a software/hardware quality testing team for many years. So, therefore, I assign myself some measure of competence.

Given that there does not seem to be a complete and all-inclusive manual or other documentation on these cameras, I've had to glean information from this forum, 2kool4u.com, and Innovv's web page. It is very possible that I've missed some key documentation or lack the understanding of the intended behavior, and am wrongly reporting a bug. However, I feel very confident in the details of the behavior. It is repeatable and consistent.

Actually, there are, I believe, two bugs. One is more obviously an error, the other might be considered a feature.

I am using FW20140313

I have named them as follows:
  1. Selective Looping
  2. Shutdown Failure
How I discovered them:

After receiving the C1 as a Father's Day gift, I used the only microSD card that I had handy. It was a small Kingston 2GB. Everything seemed to be working fine during initial testing and experimenting. However, after my first commute to my office (35 minute drive), I observed both bugs. After several more days of driving and experimenting, I've reproduced the bugs many times, and have characterized the exact behavior.

The bugs are only seen when the C1 attempts to record more than the capacity of the microSD card. With a small microSD, the bugs are very annoying and troublesome. With a large card (16gb or larger) it is likely most users would not encounter the bugs.

Definitions

In order to communicate clearly, here is a list of my terms and their definitions:

Car_cable
The USB to microUSB car adapter cable, which when used, triggers the C1 to automatically turn on and begin recording when power is applied; and to terminate recording and turn off when power is removed.​

Recording_session
The single use event where the C1 is activated via the car_cable, records for a period of time, and then terminates gracefully.​

Bug Description

1. Description of Selective Looping

Note that a 2GB microSD card holds around 18 minutes of video. After the card is full, I would have expected the C1 to delete the oldest file in order to make room for a new one. However, it only does this sometimes! This is why I call it Selective Looping.

The C1 does delete the oldest file, as long as the file was created during a previous recording_session. If the oldest file was created during the current recording_session, looping is terminated.​

2. Description of Shutdown Failure

Once the Selective Looping bug is triggered and looping stops, the C1 no longer turns off gracefully when the car_cable power is removed. In fact, it shows a blinking red light (or sometimes, eventually, a solid red light) perpetually until the internal battery is depleted.​

Summary

Old files from previous recording_sessions are deleted when looping is required, but when files from current recording_session are encountered, looping stops and the camera does not shut down gracefully when power is removed.

So, as you can understand, using a small microSD card will trigger both of these bugs quickly. Using a large size card, the bugs would be very difficult to trigger, and might go unnoticed.​


Permutations Tested
  • three different microSD cards, from Kingston, Sony, and PNY.
  • two different microSD card capacities, 2GB and 16GB.
  • two different environments, in the car (hot temps), and at desk (cool temps).
  • Formatted with C1 and with SDFormatter (full-erase)
How to Reproduce

Recording_session 1:
  1. Installing a small microSD card is helpful, but not necessary.
  2. Calculate the expected capacity of the card in minutes.
  3. Initiate a recording_session by use of the car_cable.
  4. Wait longer than the calculated card capacity
  5. End recording_session by disconnecting power from car_cable.
Expected behavior
Camera will end recording and turn off. Video files represent the most recent time that should have been recorded by the camera, for as much capacity as it has available.​

Actual behavior
Camera remains alive and on, using battery power. Video files represent the first minutes that the camera was recording, up to the capacity of the SD card, but the most recent events (right before the camera was turned off) are not recorded.​

Recording_session 2:
  1. Using the same microSD card with the videos from recording_session
  2. Initiate a recording_session by use of the car_cable.
  3. Wait longer than the calculated card capacity
  4. End recording_session by disconnecting power from the car_cable.
Expected behavior
Camera will end recording and turn off. Video files represent the most recent time that should have been recorded by the camera, for as much capacity as it has available.​

Actual behavior
Camera remains alive and on, using battery power. Video files represent the first minutes that the camera was active in recording_session 2, up to the capacity of the SD card. The old vidoes from recording_session 1 were successfully deleted (looped over). The most recent events (right before the camera was turned off) are not recorded.​

Recording_session 3:
  1. Using the same microSD card with the videos from recording_session 2
  2. Initiate a recording_session by use of the car_cable.
  3. Wait less than the calculated card capacity (half of the time capacity is suggested)
  4. End recording_session by disconnecting power from the car_cable.

Expected behavior
Camera will end recording and turn off. Video files represent the most recent time that should have been recorded by the camera, some from recording_session 2 and some from recording_session 3.​
Actual behavior
As expected!​

Conclusion

The shutdown_failure is likely a bug. I can't imagine that it was intended that the camera would stay awake and deplete the battery on purpose.

The selective_looping might be the intended behavior, depending on your perspective. One might think that you would not want to delete videos from the current recording_session. I did not expect this behavior, so I've thought this a bug.

Best regards!!!
 
Last edited:
Oh? no 2GB cards. OK. Fair enough. Did I miss that somewhere in the documentation?

Not that it complicates the bugs, but I am also frustrated by my car 12v power port. It seems to have a mind of it's own. Sometimes stays on for hours, other times it shuts down in minutes of ignition off. I'm going to have to find a more consistent circuit to which I will wire the camera.
 
Sorry for late reply.

Did you notice there is a slide switch beside of camera and you need to make it in loop recording position?

Anyway, you have a profession testing report. I am, by profession, a systems engineer (EE/CpE) and have managed a software/hardware quality testing team for many years. So, therefore, I assign myself some measure of competence.

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Hi RockThinking,

Yes, the switch was always in the 'loop video' position.
 
I have C2 which is, and has been, working just fine from day one, and there have not been many complaints about its performance.

Your issues are rather unique, but, on the face of it, may be easily corrected.

(1) Replace the card with a larger capacity one. The commonly recommended card is 32gb class 10.
(2) Repair or replace your faulty 12v power port which you have indicated stays on (sometimes) for hours after the ignition is turned off.

Best wishes.
 
Hi Parklawn,

Yes, I have done both of these.

The 12v power port is not faulty, but rather it's controlled by a 'friendly' computer algorithm that I can't really understand or explain. It did not contribute to the defects, only confused the issue for a while. I've found other power that is more predictable. All of the testing used to characterize the bugs was performed at my desk with a predictable and controlled power supply.

I upgraded to a 16GB card, and manage to avoid the defect in most cases. However, moving to a 16 or 23GB card does not fix the bug... it simply minimizes the chances of encountering the defects. With a 16gb card, the defects occur after 2.4 hours, and with a 32gb card it happens after 4.8 hours. I rarely drive that long, and therefore am using the camera daily without trouble.

I know that RockThinking is likely very busy. These would not be high priority defects. I only report them so they are informed of the behavior. These days, shipping a bug free product or service is almost impossible. Continuous feature enhancement and bug fixes are the norm, especially with Agile type practices. Reading this forum, I'm really impressed with how responsive and helpful RockThinking can be, and is one of the reasons I bought the camera. I share the bugs to be a helpful customer.

:)
 
Glad things are a little better for you. Thankfully, most problems eventually get fixed with updates. Appreciate your contribution.
 
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