a129 duo possibly over heating?

[nrvous1]

My a129 duo has recently stopped recording in parking mode when parked outside in direct sunlight. The temps here in San Antonio TX are around 85*F, but inside the car I know they are much hotter. I'm using a Samsung Evo 128gb card, motion detection is off, I'm using viofo's 3-wire hardwire kit, parking mode fps set to 5fps, bit rate is high with loop recording set to 3 minute clips and I'm running viofo's v1.35 firmware. The "rec" light is on when I come back and start my car after being in direct sunlight, but the camera will not do anything unless I unplug it from the power source and let the camera completely power down. Then after plugging it back in it works normally until I park it again. Overnight isn't an issue or under covered parking so I'm assuming it's overheating. I didn't have this problem with my sg9663dc, blackvue dr750s 2ch or my old opia 2 that survived a full summer here in Texas. Does anyone have any input? Maybe in the settings?

 

[kevindd992002]

My a129 duo has recently stopped recording in parking mode when parked outside in direct sunlight. The temps here in San Antonio TX are around 85*F, but inside the car I know they are much hotter. I'm using a Samsung Evo 128gb card, motion detection is off, I'm using viofo's 3-wire hardwire kit, parking mode fps set to 5fps, bit rate is high with loop recording set to 3 minute clips and I'm running viofo's v1.35 firmware. The "rec" light is on when I come back and start my car after being in direct sunlight, but the camera will not do anything unless I unplug it from the power source and let the camera completely power down. Then after plugging it back in it works normally until I park it again. Overnight isn't an issue or under covered parking so I'm assuming it's overheating. I didn't have this problem with my sg9663dc, blackvue dr750s 2ch or my old opia 2 that survived a full summer here in Texas. Does anyone have any input? Maybe in the settings?

Mine reaches up to 80C and it doesn't stop recording.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[BCHobbyist]

My a129 duo has recently stopped recording in parking mode when parked outside in direct sunlight. The temps here in San Antonio TX are around 85*F, but inside the car I know they are much hotter. I'm using a Samsung Evo 128gb card, motion detection is off, I'm using viofo's 3-wire hardwire kit, parking mode fps set to 5fps, bit rate is high with loop recording set to 3 minute clips and I'm running viofo's v1.35 firmware. The "rec" light is on when I come back and start my car after being in direct sunlight, but the camera will not do anything unless I unplug it from the power source and let the camera completely power down. Then after plugging it back in it works normally until I park it again. Overnight isn't an issue or under covered parking so I'm assuming it's overheating. I didn't have this problem with my sg9663dc, blackvue dr750s 2ch or my old opia 2 that survived a full summer here in Texas. Does anyone have any input? Maybe in the settings?

85F = 32C and shouldn't trigger a thermal shutdown but expect dashcams to shutdown or lockup in high heat, the supercapacitors are rated for max of 75C.
Can eliminate two possible causes :
1) was WiFi enabled in Menu? (added more heat)
2) was memory card full when removed after noticing lockup? (halts on file overwrite - try different memory card that was formatted in the dashcam 2x)
3) how long was it locked up based on last recorded clip file date/time stamp? (direct sun can raise interior temp in 45mins to extreme)

 

[nrvous1]

Thank you for the replies.

1) Wifi is not enabled.

2) I'm not sure if the SD card was full or close to full because each time I have this problem I end up disconnecting the power and let the camera completely power down then plug the power back in and the camera will power back on and record normally. The SD card is a brand-new Samsung 128gb Evo card that has been formatted 3x. My previous SD card was a brand-new Samsung endurance card that caused all sorts of issues with my a129.

3) Lock ups last as long as 1-3 hours depending on when I park my car. It only stops after I've unplugged my camera and then plug it back in. Then the camera will work and record normally.

 

[CaptureYourAction]

Update to V1.5, and make sure to power the camera directly.

 

[nrvous1]

Update to V1.5, and make sure to power the camera directly.

I'm running v1.5 and the camera is powered using viofo's hardwire kit. Should I power it using the supplied power cord and plug?

 

[BCHobbyist]

Thank you for the replies.

1) Wifi is not enabled.

2) I'm not sure if the SD card was full or close to full because each time I have this problem I end up disconnecting the power and let the camera completely power down then plug the power back in and the camera will power back on and record normally. The SD card is a brand-new Samsung 128gb Evo card that has been formatted 3x. My previous SD card was a brand-new Samsung endurance card that caused all sorts of issues with my a129.

3) Lock ups last as long as 1-3 hours depending on when I park my car. It only stops after I've unplugged my camera and then plug it back in. Then the camera will work and record normally.

Since everything works normally in covered parkade using same setup it does confirm overheating issue.
As a test disconnect Rear camera to reduce processor load while parked in full sun. If that results in same issue switch memory cards.
Remember A129 requires power cable connected to camera side port not GPS mount.

 

[nrvous1]

Since everything works normally in covered parkade using same setup it does confirm overheating issue.
As a test disconnect Rear camera to reduce processor load while parked in full sun. If that results in same issue switch memory cards.
Remember A129 requires power cable connected to camera side port not GPS mount.

I changed the video clip time down to 2 minute increments to see if that helps. So far so good after another reformat of my SD card this morning. But, it's only about 80*F right now. The main body camera is attached to my front windshield using the supplied gps mount and the power cord is plugged into the camera itself and not the gps module.

 

[nrvous1]

Update 1: Ok, so far so good. I think I was my own enemy here. I parked my car outside all day today and just went outside to see how the camera is acting. Parking mode was working and when I turned my car on the camera powered up and was working just fine. The only change I made was formatting my SD card again and changing the standard recording clip to 2 minute increments and I didn't use my sun visor. After reading threads where a sun visor can create an excessive amount of trapped heat right over the camera making the interior much warmer at that small spot which would cause thermal shutdown. For instance, just now my temperature gauge in my car (I know it's not accurate) read 95*F and my camera is working just fine. Yesterday the temperature read 85*F and I had my sun visor up and my camera shutdown it seems. So I'm guessing I was causing thermal shutdown myself. I'll report back in a few days.

 

[jokiin]

if you a have one of those reflective sunshades and it's behind the camera yes, it can kill a camera real quick

 

[nrvous1]

if you a have one of those reflective sunshades and it's behind the camera yes, it can kill a camera real quick

It's actually a cloth style foldable sun visor. It's not reflective, but I still feel that it's trapping heat. Below is a link to the visor I have.

YiDee Windshield Sun Shade Car Window Shade UV Reflector Keeps Vehicle Cool Folding Sun Visor Heat and Sun Reflector (Large:63" X 33.9") https://www.amazon.com/gp/B073YSM9NW

 

[jokiin]

not as bad as the foil type, still designed to reflect heat according to the ad, I understand the benefits they offer, they can be an issue for cameras though

 

[nrvous1]

not as bad as the foil type, still designed to reflect heat according to the ad, I understand the benefits they offer, they can be an issue for cameras though

Maybe with the new DR we won't have that problem.

 

[jokiin]

Maybe with the new DR we won't have that problem.

well the main source of heat won't be on the window which is going to be a big help, check the temp differences between your front and rear cams and you'll see what I mean, the rear will be cold in comparison to the front

 

[RavenManiac]

if you a have one of those reflective sunshades and it's behind the camera yes, it can kill a camera real quick

That's interesting. So if one is going to use a sunscreen, do you advise that they make a cut-out for the dashcam? Thanks!

 

[jokiin]

That's interesting. So if one is going to use a sunscreen, do you advise that they make a cut-out for the dashcam? Thanks!

that might help, it does still trap a lot of heat in front of the screen though, heat rises so it still has an impact

 

[RavenManiac]

that might help, it does still trap a lot of heat in front of the screen though, heat rises so it still has an impact

So, what's the best solution?

 

[jokiin]

So, what's the best solution?

parking in the shade or not facing direct sun where possible, external screens rather than internal (not always practical though), some of these types or screens are not reflective which will be less of an issue, the reflective types are the worst offenders, nothing is ideal, there's compromises one way or another

 

[nrvous1]

I'm thinking of tinting my front windshield.

 

[jokiin]

I'm thinking of tinting my front windshield.

That can have a negative impact on image quality, something to be aware of