Mobius A1 records on battery, but solid lights plugged in

[h103]

I've had my Mobius for nearly 3 years, and never had any problems. I have tested my memory cards with h2testw, and they show no errors.

As of 2 weeks ago, my mode and record buttons only work on battery (large).

It works exactly as normal on battery.

If I plug it in WHILE it's recording, it keeps recording.

If I stop recording while it is plugged in, it freezes with the yellow and red LEDs on, and thus I have to turn off the cam, unplug it, and then turn it back on, on battery, to start recording again.

If I plug it in WHILE it's recording AND unplug it while it is still recording, it continues to record, and then when I stop the recording, the record and mode buttons still work normally.

----

If I plug it in before the power is on, it flashes through start up, then the red and yellow LEDs go solid, and the mode and record buttons don't work, only the power button works.

It also is not recognized by my computer in this plugged-in frozen state, so I can't configure anything. In the directory tree (Win8.1), it shows a "Removable Disk," but when I try to access it, it gives me an error pop-up that states "Please insert a disk into Removable Disk."

I've skimmed through some posts for cams that freeze with the yellow and red LEDs on (there are A LOT), but I haven't read any that mention this problem AND working normally on battery.

I'm wondering if this is something that can be fixed. If this is something that can't be fixed, I'ld like to know where I can find fully manual configuration instructions.

Since I pressed the reset and reflashed the firmware, my videos are all upsidedown, instead of rotated 180°.

 

[jokiin]

You can manually edit a configuration file and load it without having to use msetup

 

[h103]

Apologies, I forgot to mention this in my OP.

I already tried editing mSetup.cfg in the ActionCamNX Info-Tools directory.

I already tried making the same edits to SYSCFG.TXT in the root directory.

No avail. Still can't get the 180° rotation.

Am I editing the wrong files?

 

[jokiin]

have you opened it up and had a look at the battery, a swollen battery is a sign of impending failure and very often the root cause of odd behavior

 

[h103]

have you opened it up and had a look at the battery, a swollen battery is a sign of impending failure and very often the root cause of odd behavior

My cam came with the smaller battery that lasted about 7 minutes. I installed a brand new large capacity battery since this happened to see if perhaps a swollen battery was the issue.

With the large battery, I can now record more than 2 hours without plugging the camera in, but the battery swap did not resolve the problem of [mode and record buttons don't work if the camera is turned off when plugged in, or if battery-started recording is stopped while plugged in].

 

[Dashmellow]

Check to to make sure that the lens ribbon cable is still connected properly. Carefully remove it and re-seat it.
Also check to see if the contacts on the memory card are dirty. Try a different memory card as well.
Finally, unplug the battery for 30-60 seconds and then plug it back in.

Just to make sure, have you read the Mobius Owner's Manual?

There's this from the manual:
Q. When the camera is turned on, the blue LED turns on for a second and then the yellow LED turns on as normal. However, the Mode and Shutter buttons don't react and I can't take any video or pictures. The camera is also not recognized by my PC as a removable drive. When connected to the PC the green LED may be on or off.

A. The lens module ribbon cable is not connected properly or the lens module is damaged.

EDIT: BTW, Sometimes the manual can be a good troubleshooting guide even if it doesn't quite describe your issue precisely.

 

[h103]

I've unplugged and replugged the battery. I prefer to do that only at midnight daylight time, since I can't manually reset the clock. Starting the clock with the correct time of day on 12/31/2011 is better than wrong date AND wrong time.

When this started two weeks ago, I found the Q&A you referenced in the manual, but the ribbon cable appears to be connected just fine, and if the lens module is damaged, it's nothing that can be seen from looking at it. Also - this Q&A doesn't address the camera working just fine on battery, so I'm not sure it's relevant.

I've seen a few other posts that reference problems with the USB pins when there are differences between battery and power, but I think I'll wait on my second cam to arrive before I do anything more involved than swapping the battery and inspecting the innards, because trying to use a blackbox app on my cell phone and Waze at the same time overheats the processor within about 25-30 minutes.

Posted today because I was wondering if anyone else has encountered this exact condition, and might be able to tell me what exactly might have caused this, before I go poking at things like a 6 year old with a VCR.

 

[Dashmellow]

Just because the ribbon cable "appears" just fine doesn't necessarily make it so. It would be worth carefully unplugging and re-seating it. I noticed you don't mention the memory card possibilities I brought up. Also, as I mentioned, the troubleshooting tips in the manual can occasionally suggest an issue that may not be manifesting quite exactly as described. Troubleshooting is a process of methodically eliminating the possibilities of what might be wrong but it will only work if you actually do the steps. Good luck with your issue.

 

[SawMaster]

And worst-case scenario the board can be user-replaced if that's needed, which is not an option for almost any other cam. I'd probably take the same approach of waiting for the new cam before prodding around just in case things went wrong because I know how my luck goes. Mine isn't the kind anyone wants; I hope yours is better

Phil

 

[dash riposki]

An OEM mobius battery that only lasted 7 minutes?

Sounds strange. Are you sure you don't have a clone?

 

[Dashmellow]

An OEM mobius battery that only lasted 7 minutes?

Sounds strange. Are you sure you don't have a clone?

That's a good point.

While nothing would surprise me, I've not heard of any counterfeit batteries that say Mobius on them. The genuine Mobius batteries have the brand name and part number along with the usual specs and pcb. Clones are likely generic cells without the Mobius name. (I guess it could happen that clones would say Mobius but I wonder if the size of the replacement market for these specialized batteries is worth the effort.)

If it is an authentic battery the OP could just have a nearly dead cell.

A Mobius battery should look like this one which was purchased from an approved, vendor.

 

[TonyM]

Have you confirmed that the camera is correctly recording? Are all the files there, including the last clip from each drive?

Have you tried formatting the card in the camera?

To change the configuration you should only need to edit the syscfg file as far as I remember. You then need to press certain buttons to load that configuration into the camera. I've being doing this recently on my M2, but can't remember the M1 functions in that much detail.

 

[h103]

... Troubleshooting is a process of methodically eliminating the possibilities of what might be wrong but it will only work if you actually do the steps. Good luck with your issue.

-----

... I'd probably take the same approach of waiting for the new cam before prodding around just in case things went wrong because I know how my luck goes. Mine isn't the kind anyone wants; I hope yours is better

Phil

Thanks, Both.

Phil -- I think my luck came from the same factory as yours

As to my original battery, I went back through my drives to see when I actually bought my cam -- looks like I bought it at the beginning of May 2014. That battery is more than 3 years old, and I frequently ran it continuously plugged in because of long roadtrips, and not knowing about the super capacitor option.

Not sure whether I'll rebuild the old one, or just replace it entirely. It's limping for the moment. If there's an accident, it's better to have upsidedown video than no video at all, and at least the timestamp is set within one minute of Standard Time, even if the date is wrong.

Until I can tear it down, getting manual-config to work is really my one hope.

New one is coming from buymobius. My first cam passes as legit on all of the counterfeit notes and vids, but I'm not dealing with any VARs from now on.

 

[Dashmellow]

@h103, You can buy a replacement circuit board for your Mobius from Eletoponline625 (the manufacturer) on eBay for only $38.00. Install it in your old case with the lens module and new battery and you'll essentially have a brand new camera.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/182667840709

 

[h103]

One thing is certain, in the world of Void If Opened sealed electronics, it's kind of weird but nice to find a gizmo that is so friendly to work on!

 

[h103]

Happiness is when your new cam turns up in your mailbox a day early

Time to see what's going on inside the old...