A118C Novatek 96650 Capacitor Battery Dash Cam@Gearbest

MechanicalMan64 said:
What issues? like the select few with card reader problem and etc? I thought those were 1 offs?
Click to expand...
They are one offs, most would have no issue, now that they know about it easy enough to just remind them to double check the card slot is ok before sending
 
Gearbest CS says they're sending me a new charger.

How do I tell if I'm getting the updated fixed version vs. one of the older problematic ones from old stock?
 
oo1234 said:
Gearbest CS says they're sending me a new charger.

How do I tell if I'm getting the updated fixed version vs. one of the older problematic ones from old stock?
Click to expand...

Put adapter in fridge for an hour and then try using it. lol, sorry, it's Friday...
 
oo1234 said:
Gearbest CS says they're sending me a new charger.

How do I tell if I'm getting the updated fixed version vs. one of the older problematic ones from old stock?
Click to expand...
They wouldn't have had any spare ones anyway, factory has arranged updated chargers for them to replace any problem ones
 
jokiin said:
They wouldn't have had any spare ones anyway, factory has arranged updated chargers for them to replace any problem ones
Click to expand...
I hope GearBest follows through, my camera takes around 5-10 minutes to bootup using the cigarette adapter in temperatures below 0 C (I'm in Ontario, Canada). I tested the camera plugged into a 10000 mAh battery pack which I kept in the car overnight and it booted up in 10 seconds.
 
Mtz said:
Try the firmware from here.

enjoy,
Mtz
Click to expand...
Thanks for letting me know. I noticed there is a newer version on the main page also: https://dashcamtalk.com/b40-a118/

The delay shutdown (version dated 2015/03/18) seems to work as I hoped. I haven't checked to see if there is any other difference (eg. quality, focus, etc.)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
My A118C is from Gearbest and I updated it with the latest one from Foxoffer dated March 18, 2015 from the main page here: https://dashcamtalk.com/b40-a118/

It seems to be working fine. I am also using a 64GB Kingston Class 10 memory card. The card is full with over 8 hours of recording and the looping seems to work fine also. I set it to loop every 3 minutes.
 
I just compared the Mar 18, 2015 firmware to the original (Jan/2015) firmware.

PRO's for March 18/2015 firmware:

1) Delayed shutdown! This is a big one. Now, when you cut the power, the A118C stays on for around 3 seconds before shutdown. The recording will stop immediately, but if power is restored within 3 seconds, it will re-start recording automatically. This is great because when you start the car engine, it no longer shuts down the A118C when the car power is interrupted.

2) Picture seems to be in focus ALL the time now. With the original firmware, it seemed like focus is determined *once* during boot-up. It will not re-focus for the entire trip. Mostly (around 70% of the time) it would have the correct focus. However, sometimes (30%) of the time, the original firmware would produced a slightly out-of-focus picture. If out-of-focus, it will remain slightly blurry for the entire trip, until you re-start the A118C. This does not have to do with temperature or anything physically misaligned. The original firmware could be in-focus, then restart the A118C, and suddenly out-of-focus again. Restart it again, back in-focus. The new firmware seems to be in-focus all the time (BUT.... see below about sharpness & contrast issues).

CON's for the March 18, 2015 firmware:

1) Way too much "Sharpness" added. A lot of blotchiness and artifacts (in all conditions, sunny, cloudy, night, etc.). Almost like the bitrate is too low, but it isn't. I checked the bitrate of my recordings and it is the same at around 15,000 Mbps. This makes it harder to read license plates, etc. The original firmware seems much more pleasing/natural/smoother to look at.

2) The "contrast" seems to be too aggressive. The brights are too bright, and the darks are too dark. Doesn't look as natural as the original firmware.

3) The "vignetting" coming from the wide-angle lens has increased with the March 18, 2015 firmware. I can now see more of a brighter "oval" around the center of the image. The outer edges are darker than the original firmware.

OTHER:

1) Boot-up (time to record) is faster, now at 10 seconds. The original firmware is 12 seconds. This is not necessarily an improvement. I slower start-up ensures the car power is on steadily before boot-up. It is not good to have the boot-up sequence interrupted while starting the car.


SUMMARY:

The original January firmware has better video quality IF ONLY add .... 1) DELAYED Shutdown and 2) FOCUS all-the-time. In my opinion, the image quality was fine the way it was, but it was annoying that unknowingly, it would be out of focus 30% of the time.
 
Last edited:
UPDATE:

I am still using the March 18, 2015 firmware. By increasing the EV setting to +1.0, the image quality is MUCH better. The sharpness and contrast issues almost all fixed. I hardly notice the blotchiness, and the dark contrast is much more clear and bright. License plates are very legible. I am happy with it now. However, today was a cloudy and rainy day. I'll have to see if an EV +1.0 will be too bright or over-exposed on a sunny day.

Conclusion: I recommend upgrading to the March 18, 2015 firmware. The DELAYED SHUTDOWN, and the ALWAYS FOCUS correction is a must have for me. After setting EV to +1.0, I am loving this latest firmware!

P.S. I also tried the March 12, 2015 firmware, but it seems to be the same as the March 18, 2015 firmware, so I stuck with the newer firmware.
 
Last edited:
SuperGoop said:
UPDATE:

I am still using the March 18, 2015 firmware. By increasing the EV setting to +1.0, the image quality is MUCH better. The sharpness and contrast issues almost all fixed. I hardly notice the blotchiness, and the dark contrast is much more clear and bright. License plates are very legible. I am happy with it now. However, today was a cloudy and rainy day. I'll have to see if an EV +1.0 will be too bright or over-exposed on a sunny day.

Conclusion: I recommend upgrading to the March 18, 2015 firmware. The DELAYED SHUTDOWN, and the ALWAYS FOCUS correction is a must have for me. After setting EV to +1.0, I am loving this latest firmware!

P.S. I also tried the March 12, 2015 firmware, but it seems to be the same as the March 18, 2015 firmware, so I stuck with the newer firmware.
Click to expand...

I am wondering you have any before and after video comparison to show us all. I won't expect possible now that you have already updated your firmware.
 
efoo said:
I am wondering you have any before and after video comparison to show us all. I won't expect possible now that you have already updated your firmware.
Click to expand...

Here are some samples:

Original Jan 2015 Firmware OUT OF FOCUS:
zswz5w.png



Original Jan 2015 Firmware IN-FOCUS: (Same spot, after rebooting the A118C, suddenly in-focus again! Note the time-stamp).
rw2r6d.png



March 18, 2015 Firmware EV Default: (Notice the excessive contrast and vignetting oval. The car dash is almost black.)
mb3ded.png



March 18, 2015 Firmware EV +1.0: (Cloudy/rainy day, but much more natural. Vignetting gone, and contrast much more even. I can see the car dash again.)
2i1du2p.png
 
Last edited:
Question: I know you can't use the A118 (Battery Version) firmware on the A118C because it is programed to shutdown quickly for the Capacitors, BUT is it safe to use the A118C (Capacitor Version) on the battery A118? I want the 10 seconds delayed boot-up to avoid boot-up problems I sometimes have with the battery A118. (I have both the A118 and the A118C)
 
SuperGoop said:
Question: I know you can't use the A118 (Battery Version) firmware on the A118C because it is programed to shutdown quickly for the Capacitors, BUT is it safe to use the A118C (Capacitor Version) on the battery A118? I want the 10 seconds delayed boot-up to avoid boot-up problems I sometimes have with the battery A118. (I have both the A118 and the A118C)
Click to expand...

it may work, there is some variation in the PCB but button layout, major components etc are all the same, worst case you can roll back to your other firmware
 
SuperGoop said:
Here are some samples:
Click to expand...
Well done. You have made your A118c useable again. Now I am wondering if you notice any improvement in the night video too?
 
SuperGoop said:
Here are some samples:

Original Jan 2015 Firmware OUT OF FOCUS:
zswz5w.png



Original Jan 2015 Firmware IN-FOCUS: (Same spot, after rebooting the A118C, suddenly in-focus again! Note the time-stamp).
rw2r6d.png



March 18, 2015 Firmware EV Default: (Notice the excessive contrast and vignetting oval. The car dash is almost black.)
mb3ded.png



March 18, 2015 Firmware EV +1.0: (Cloudy/rainy day, but much more natural. Vignetting gone, and contrast much more even. I can see the car dash again.)
2i1du2p.png
Click to expand...

Your infocus image samples prior to the firmware update already looks quite sharp.
I have never gotten that much clarity off mine during daytime so I'm not sure if a new firmware will fix the issue.
Could we be provided the original firmware so we have a backup?

Just curious and might be a stupid question.
Aren't the focus on budget priced dashcam usually fixed when the lens component is assembled?
I didn't know dashcams in this price range can change its focus, because I always thought the lens would need some motorized mechanism inside in order to change the focus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top