A119 Mini Test & Review PP

[rcg530]

How do I tell if mine is pre-production or not?

Based on when you received it, I'm guessing yours is a production unit. If you press the PWR/Menu button long enough so that the dash cam powers down and it stays powered off, then it must be a production unit. If you purchased the A119 Mini, it should be a production unit. I wasn't sure if you purchased it or received it as a review sample from VIOFO.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Based on when you received it, I'm guessing yours is a production unit. If you press the PWR/Menu button long enough so that the dash cam powers down and it stays powered off, then it must be a production unit. If you purchased the A119 Mini, it should be a production unit. I wasn't sure if you purchased it or received it as a review sample from VIOFO.

I just checked, and when I turn off the camera with the power button it stays off.
I checked with the hardwire kit, and parking mode enabled, and with the regular usb cable & car charger.
So yippee it looks like I got a production model.
And yes, Viofo sent it to me as a review sample.
I can't wait to get my hands on the A229, that's the one I requested.
They said they might send that one later.
-Chuck

 

[Panzer Platform]

5-Pin GPS - Power Down Testing

I read the new 5-Pin GPS mount with the A119 Mini & A229 Duo is to enable a power down to conserve energy by disabling the GPS Module during Parking Mode. I think this is a fantastic idea, and want to confirm & verify exactly how much power savings it provides.

I set up my A119 Mini on the bench with the hardwire kit, and enabled Low Bit Rate Parking Mode.

After entering Parking Mode my Fluke Meter readings are;
MAX 305 mAh @ 12.6V
MIN 270 mAH @ 12.6V
AVG 279 mAh @ 12.6V

I monitored for 30 minutes, and the Fluke measurements never changed, they remained constant. I reviewed the recorded footage, and the GPS Coordinates remain on the text overlay.

Am I doing something wrong?
Has anybody else been able to verify the GPS Module powering down to conserve energy?
-Chuck

 

[Karagandinez]

Has anybody else been able to verify the GPS Module powering down to conserve energy?

This does not work.
Read here.

 

[Panzer Platform]

This does not work.
Read here.

Right on K,
Thank you for the reply.
I read all the posts of your "read here".
Thanks again.
-Chuck

 

[rcg530]

As I mentioned in my A229 Duo review video, the 5th pin connector is currently only taken advantage of (as confirmed by VIOFO Marketing/Engineering) by the A119 Mini/A229 Duo when:

• Hardwire kit is powering the dash camera
• Hardwire kit is plugged into the GPS module's power port
• Dash camera powers down
• The GPS module will power down in this situation

 

[Panzer Platform]

As I mentioned in my A229 Duo review video, the 5th pin connector is currently only taken advantage of (as confirmed by VIOFO Marketing/Engineering) by the A119 Mini/A229 Duo when:

• Hardwire kit is powering the dash camera
• Hardwire kit is plugged into the GPS module's power port
• Dash camera powers down
• The GPS module will power down in this situation

Right on Robert,
Thank you for the clarification.
I read your written review, and watch your video review.
I must have gotten confused with all the data. lol
Sorry for the extra work.

Btw, what is the advantage of this "feature"?
-Chuck

 

[Karagandinez]

Btw, what is the advantage of this "feature"?

So that the GPS module does not consume battery power and is not in operation when the DVR is turned off.
On previous Viofo models, when the DVR was turned off when the parking timer was triggered, the GPS module continued to work.

 

[Panzer Platform]

So that the GPS module does not consume battery power and is not in operation when the DVR is turned off.

How many milliamps does this save?
I must know, the curiosity is killing me.
Back to the workbench. lol
-Chuck

 

[Karagandinez]

How many milliamps does this save?

In addition, there is still a resource of the GPS module itself.
Which is more important.

 

[rcg530]

Right on Robert,
Thank you for the clarification.
I read your written review, and watch your video review.
I must have gotten confused with all the data. lol
Sorry for the extra work.

Btw, what is the advantage of this "feature"?
-Chuck

What I was told by VIOFO in a 27-Apr-2022 email was that the 4-Pin GPS module would continue to draw power when the dash camera was powered off (A129 Pro was given as an example).

The 5-Pin GPS module will power down when the dash camera powers down which reduces the load on the vehicle battery or dash cam battery pack battery.

 

[Panzer Platform]

What I was told by VIOFO in a 27-Apr-2022 email was that the 4-Pin GPS module would continue to draw power when the dash camera was powered off (A129 Pro was given as an example).

The 5-Pin GPS module will power down when the dash camera powers down which reduces the load on the vehicle battery or dash cam battery pack battery.

That's awesome.
Thank you for the clarification.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Just got back from my first test footage with the Mini.
I can’t wait for the sun to set to get night time footage.
Check out these 3 clips filmed on the same “test loop”.
A119 Mini (today)
A129 Plus (Sept 2020)
A129 Pro (Feb 2020)

I like this route because it’s the busiest intersection in my little town.
I also like seeing if I can read the signs at the different gas stations. Yikes!

All videos were filmed in 2560x1440P @ 60fps.
By lucky coincidence all videos were filmed around 11:30AM.
But the Pro was filmed on a cloudy day =(
No surprise, the Mini looks really good.
But the audio sounds a bit low, compared to the Plus.

A119 Mini;

A129 Plus;

A129 Pro;

 

[LOVECHEN]

V3 vs Mini
View attachment 60777 View attachment 60778

A119 mini fat

 

[Panzer Platform]

I got night sample footage with the A119 Mini last night.
Check out these 3 clips filmed on the same “test loop”.
A119 Mini (today)
A129 Plus (Sept 2020)
A129 Pro (Feb 2020)
All videos were filmed in 2560x1440P @ 60fps.
No surprise, the Mini looks good again.

A119 Mini;

A129 Plus;

A129 Pro;

 

[Panzer Platform]

"Gentle" Heat Test:
At 8AM I started the A119 Mini in normal recording mode in my car in the garage, (2K@60fps high bitrate).
I checked the camera every few hours, and it functioned properly.
At 7PM the temperature of my garage was 92℉ / 33℃.
At 7PM the in car temperature was 88℉ / 31℃.
At 7PM the camera temperature was 148℉ / 64℃.
At 7PM I checked the recorded files on the SD Card, and found no malfunctions.
I wonder if low bitrate will let the camera run a little cooler, and by how much?

 

[Panzer Platform]

I got this question on one of my A119 Mini sample videos;

“Have you noticed any big quality differences between this and the highest resolution, curious if 60fps is worth it vs 30fps?”

I took 3 sample videos with the top 3 resolutions. After reviewing the videos on my computer monitor they all look the same when reading the license plate.

However they all have different aspect ratios.
2592x1944P 30fps is 4:3
2560x1600P 30fps is 16:10
2560x1440P 60fps is 16:9

1944P;

-
1600P;

-
1440P;

Upon closer inspection I took screenshots of each, and quickly flipped through the 3 images. Even though the 1944P, and 1600P are higher resolution the 1440P is much easier to read because the license plate appears to be larger due to the aspect ratio. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[Panzer Platform]

I’ve been testing my A119 Mini for a week now running it 12-16 hours a day.
I’ve been using a few different SD Cards, and I have not encountered any malfunctions.

Samsung Pro Endurance 64GB - Bought on Amazon 2020 ($13);
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B07B9KTLJZ-
Sandisk High Endurance 64GB - Bought on Amazon 2022 ($12);
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B07P3D6Y5B-
Viofo 64GB - Provided by Viofo with A119 Mini ($33);

VIOFO 64GB Professional High Endurance MLC SD Memory Card UHS-3 with Adapter

MLC NAND flash for extended endurance, excellent performance and reliability. Compatible with all VIOFO dash cams, GitUp action cameras and other cameras Suitable for harsh conditions, shockproof, waterproof, anti-X-ray, anti-magnetic Transfer speeds of up to 80MB/s Support Ultra HD 4K and...

viofo.com

-
Lexar 633x 64GB - Bought on Amazon 2015 ($??)
-

 

[Karagandinez]

I’ve been testing my A119 Mini for a week now running it 12-16 hours a day.
I’ve been using a few different SD Cards, and I have not encountered any malfunctions.

You forgot to specify the settings under which the DVR was tested and now works 12-16 hours a day.

 

[Nigel]

I took 3 sample videos with the top 3 resolutions. After reviewing the videos on my computer monitor they all look the same when reading the license plate.

However they all have different aspect ratios.
2592x1944P 30fps is 4:3
2560x1600P 30fps is 16:10
2560x1440P 60fps is 16:9

2560x1440 is standard 2K, it will match 2K monitors, so if you have a 2K monitor then it may be the best choice.

2560x1600 ... I suspect we only have this choice because some other dashcam manufacturer provides it and Viofo didn't want to be beaten on resolution!

2592 x 1944 ... This is the maximum resolution the sensor can manage, so records the most "detail".

However, all these will be at native sensor resolution, with one image pixel for each pixel on the sensor, the only difference is that the top and bottom have been chopped off, and a tiny amount of side for the 2K width resolutions, just to make them standard. If you do not need the sky, because you are not recording meteors, and do not need the front of your car and part of your dash in the image, because they never change and there is nothing interesting there anyway, then the extra pixels are useless! And since they use up a small amount of the bitrate, the best resolution of those is probably the standard 2K.

There is also the 2560x1080 resolution, which is also at native sensor resolution, but with even more of the meteors and some clouds chopped off, which should free up quite a bit of bitrate for improving image quality - that should really be the best choice...

I haven't done a proper test on them all, so that is somewhat from theory, if you notice that it is wrong then discuss...