How to use cheap storage in a dash cam (128GB+)

[semo]

Disclaimer: This is in no way an endorsement of the G1W. I hate mine because it doesn’t work when it is cold but I have no other dash cam to demonstrate this neat trick on.


So, I hate microSD cards because they are slow, expensive and lacking in capacity. These cards were designed for back in the day when electronics kept getting smaller and smaller (remember when small phones were desirable?) but there is no longer a reason for them. Your average smartphone and dashcam these days have plenty of space to accommodate a full size SD card.


Now with my rant out of the way… I have attached a full size 128GB [full size] SD card to my G1W-C camera and it works flawlessly. I have even filled it in way past 100GB and it still records videos fine.


My parts list is as follows.

• SD to microSD converter from dx ITEM NO: 27001 - http://www.dx.com/p/sd-to-microsd-transflash-card-converter-module-27001#.VSURstI5Dhg

Also available from an EU warehouse

• 128GB QUMOX SD Card - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JAXVUSO
  
• Rubber band
  
• Biro pen
  
• Scotch tape
• A computer with an SD card reader to format card using exFAT

This is what I used but obviously there are other combinations that should work.


I used the rubber band to hold the SD/uSD adapter attached to the dash cam body. I coloured the rubber band in black using a biro pen as I had no paints or markers to hand

I also used a biro and scotch tape to blacken the camera’s shiny bits.

Sure you can buy a uSD card with 128GB of storage but it will be slower and a lot more expensive. I’ve had this setup for months (back when the SanDisk 128GB uSD card was close to £100 so the Qumox was a third of the price). At the time of writing this, the biggest SD cards have 2.5 times more capacity that microSD cards (512GB vs 200GB) and this gap is likely to widen in the near future. Also, a full size SD card is easier to handle and the eject mechanism on the DX adapter is quite good. I upload all my recorded videos to OneDrive so that last point is important to me…. I have unlimited upload and storage so why not.


Happy tinkering!

 

[jokiin]

Your average smartphone and dashcam these days have plenty of space to accommodate a full size SD card.

you wish jellyfish just because electronics may be physically larger doesn't mean there's room to take a full size card without the product ending up even bigger again, I'd much prefer to be using full size cards, there's a heap of benefits, they just don't fit in products the size we want though

how have you formatted the card?

how has it gone when full and needing to recycle?

 

[semo]

Designs are all about priorities and compromises. Some phones have big batteries and some don't. In other cases, the same phone can have dual SIM cards in one region and in other regions they only have one SIM slot. So although it looks like the UK version of the Galaxy S5 is packed to the brink with technology, if you order one from a different country you'll find that they somehow squeezed in another SIM card slot. How about tablets? The cheaper ones have plenty of dead space (more expensive ones fill that with battery modules but there's plenty of space for an SD card if the design brief called for it). IMO, either customers don't want it or OEMs don't care (my money is on the latter considering that even uSD slots are not included in most phones).

I can't remember how I formatted the card but I think that I couldn't do in the camera.

I think I let the camera recycle once and there were no issues. I'll let it fill up again over the coming weeks and let you know.

EDIT: One more example. The Panorama X2 could have easily accommodated a full size SD card if the designer was asked to. The lens already protrudes from the body so all you need to do is extrude the plastic body a few mm in Z and hey presto, loads of physical space. That is assuming that the whole body was tightly packed to begin with, which I doubt.

 

[jokiin]

those cheap Chinese tablets could possibly take a full size card, a lot of them are half empty, mobile phones would grow in size if we tried to get full size cards in there, it's not just the card but the reader and the physical space that takes up on the PCB that is the issue

 

[semo]

those cheap Chinese tablets could possibly take a full size card, a lot of them are half empty, mobile phones would grow in size if we tried to get full size cards in there, it's not just the card but the reader and the physical space that takes up on the PCB that is the issue

Phones "grow" for various reasons nowadays. Some people prefer razor thin phones with small batteries (so that they can butter their toast or whatever) and some people like bulkier ones with extended batteries. Some are bigger than others because of speaker placements. These are all design choices that dictate the final dimensions and because different phones have different features, we have a variety of sizes. You can always make more space by rejigging things, increasing the dimensions or simply reducing the battery capacity. OEMs choose not to include SD slots for whatever reason but size is not the only one or even the main one. Look at the LG G3 and the 1+1. The LG is smaller and includes a uSD card. Just because it has this particular feature doesn't automatically make it bigger compared to other devices. As I've demonstrated as well, the "reader" should not take more space as a uSD reader is capable enough to also handle a full size SD card.

When it comes to dash cams, full size SD slots should be a much higher priority. The Panorama X2 for example is even bigger than some point and shoot cameras so there is no excuse for it not to use a full size SD slot (especially since its predecessor was equipped to do so).

Dash cam designers simply don't care about user feedback. Niko has been campaigning for years for remote lenses, yet cameras keep coming out with huge bodies. I know there are technical challenges for multichannel designs but why are single channel dash cams still so huge when the lens can be made remote (case in point again, the X2)

Now that I've bodged together a full size SD camera, I don't really care. I just need to make sure that my next camera can be bodged in a similar fashion and that'll do me.

 

[jokiin]

it always looks easier from the outside

 

[semo]

it always looks easier from the outside

And insiders never tell you the truth about their design choices. Tell me why the X2 being bigger than some point and shoots doesn't have a full size SD slot? Why does the B40 not have a full size SD slot sticking out that can easily be enclosed by the shroud. Are you telling me that a competent designer could not move the capacitors/slot somewhere else, to allow for a full size SD lost in the following picture?

What's so technically challenging about SD slots? I've done it with a rubber band and a $5 adapter!

 

[jokiin]

And insiders never tell you the truth about their design choices.

average Joe has no idea what's involved in making the product

Tell me why the X2 being bigger than some point and shoots doesn't have a full size SD slot?

the PCB would get bigger if you tried using full size cards, Finevue have an almost identical sized product and the best they could do was 1 full size SD and 1 Micro SD, and theirs runs a single processor, the X2 runs dual processors, it's effectively 2 cameras inside bar sharing a power supply, it has two cards, two full size cards couldn't happen and maintain the size which is already bigger than most people like

Why does the B40 not have a full size SD slot sticking out that can easily be enclosed by the shroud. Are you telling me that a competent designer could not move the capacitors/slot somewhere else, to allow for a full size SD lost in the following picture?

I can tell you for certain that a full size card wouldn't work in this product, the only possible way to have it would be to have the SD card remote from the PCB which is not ideal, then you get into issues about how do you mount it so that it's sturdy enough and still have a product you can assemble, it's a lot more challenging than you're ready to accept, there's a lot of practicalities that get in the way of what we'd like to do, believe me I've tried, I absolutely would prefer to have full size cards, we just can't get them into practical, workable designs that meet the other criteria we need

What's so technically challenging about SD slots? I've done it with a rubber band and a $5 adapter!

yeah, I don't think there's a place for you on the design team just yet, the rubber band doesn't make for an easy sell

 

[semo]

Woo! Finally, an actual rebuttal rather than a snarky one liner!
I think you contradicted yourself there with the finevue example. So it can be done but there are examples where it isn't done! Obviously a full size SD slot is a priority for some but not for others. Everything is technically challenging when designing a mass produced product, you just choose which challenging path to take from a pick of many challenging paths. Climbing mount Everest is a massive challenge but so is crossing the Sahara. Studying to be a medical doctor is challenging but so is studying physics. You pick your challenge (or as in most cases, the challenge is picked for you ) and you muddle though it.

If your boss told you and the design team that your next camera must have an SD slot, are you honestly telling me that you'd tell him "No boss, it's not as easy as you think". I wager that a response approaching something along the lines of "well why can they" and "my boot up your..." will follow.

I know it's always neater to keep everything on the PCB but ribbon cables are a viable option also. Complicates assembly but like any design decision, it has consequences which you justify according to the design brief. You want the chassis to handle the stresses extered by the SD slot anyway (even if it is mounted on the PCB) so a standalone slot may not be such a problem. Which leads me back to, OEMs and their priorities. I don't know how long they can get a way with it if customers start demanding 4k and/or multi channel. uSD is hitting real limits. At the higher storage SanDisk had to dial down the transfer speeds which is why they don't do "Extreme" uSD cards above 64GB.

How long until the uSD compromises become more of a problem when compared to the SD compromises? Working against particle/quantum physics challenges or mechanical mounting and bracing of SD cards challenges (which is already cracked in point and shooters and other portables). I know which challenge I'd take if I needed more capacity for 4k content.

I admit my design is not ideal. I mean I was terribly worried about the extra bulk I'd be adding to my camera. Would I still have enough room to steer and change gears?
/s

 

[jokiin]

I think you contradicted yourself there with the finevue example. So it can be done but there are examples where it isn't done!

read it again, I said the best they could do was 1 full size, 1 micro, you don't think they would have been wanting 2 full size cards, it's a compromise, theirs also only uses 1 processor, the X2 has much more going on inside, not even 1 full size was possible

If your boss told you and the design team that your next camera must have an SD slot, are you honestly telling me that you'd tell him "No boss, it's not as easy as you think". I wager that a response approaching something along the lines of "well why can they" and "my boot up your..." will follow.

a bit of a flaw with this argument, I am the boss and I can tell you I would absolutely prefer to use full size cards, I can't do it without building bigger products though, we've been looking at remote cam models where the box is hideaway, for those size isn't as critical so we've been looking at SSD drives rather than card slots but for anything that sticks to a window or anywhere close there are size constraints that are limiting our choices

 

[reverend]

The X2 has a lot of heat sink inside too to dissipate heat throughout the entire chassis. It's actually quite tight when you take it all apart as one side is screen and the other heat sinks etc. I'm

I did use that exact same DX TFTec adaptor with a Komputerbay card without any issues either - price wise it was similar to the Qumox on Amazon.

I did notice the adaptor drops the speed and throughout across the board though - I only ran the X2 like that for a week or so but had no issues to report - interesting the same adaptor works on the G1W though.

I do like full size cards as well as they're easier to eject and harder to lose etc.

I did sent the Komputerbay card back though as it had a pretty substantial speed drop after the first week and I wasn't sure how long it would last. Usually a format in SDFormatter 4 gets them playing nice again but even then it was much slower.

Interestingly the detailed Amazon review I did for that card got negative feedbacked instantly - not like the vendor would do that sort of thing....

 

[semo]

Well, I've let the card fill up and it overwrites just fine. Leaves old folders empty and creates new ones for new footage. Card is formatted as exFAT

All in all, a nice and easy upgrade that barely adds any bulk and is cheaper than overall than buying a 128GB uSD card. I've been using this setup for months now and have had no issues.

 

[Sunny]

Some do use full size SD like Lukas LK-7950WD.

 

[semo]

Some do use full size SD like Lukas LK-7950WD.

Panorama S too. But too expensive. This trick might work for other mid range cameras too

 

[Sunny]

Panorama S too. But too expensive. This trick might work for other mid range cameras too

Yes but looks ugly and also the yellow color is noticeable.
Black colored ribbon/adapter and rubber band is better.

 

[semo]

Didn't think it was noticeable but I aim to please so 5 minutes later and 3 coats of permanent marker later:

From outside

Flash

No flash

As for "ugly", the intention of this topic was to demonstrate a practical way to save money on storage. This setup works, is cheap, is non intrusive, very compact (seriously, I've barely added 2% to the total volume of the camera) and it actually makes it easier to get to the SD card. We're not adding these cameras to pretty up our cars (or at least, I'm not). The camera itself is plenty ugly if you're looking at it that way (suction cup thing with wires snaking into it and a lens sticking out) so what effect is a securely attached little adapter really doing to the overall look? Remote lenses are the only solution if a discrete look is what you're after.

 

[Sunny]

Much better now.
Those permanent markers are not so permanent but looks good for now.

 

[pantss]

hey, how do you get 128gb to work? Not physically, but did you use guiformat or something? Does g1w loop perfectly? Have you moved on to another camera now?