A329 Test & Review PP

[Nigel]

Same for power consumption

I should have added, for parking mode.

 

[Julian23]

Looking forward to it, link us the thread when you're done 🙂

Here is the link to my posts about it.
Cheap Card reader

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Shoutout to @GPak for sending the 2 Meter Type-C extension cable for the card reader, now we can get down to business.

Q: Exactly how much cooler does the Micro SD Card operate when used remotely with a card reader attached with a 2 Meter extension cable to the SSD port on the A329, and how does it effect power consumption when the camera is operated in Low Bitrate Parking Mode?

A: Answer in a few hours when the camera gets fully warmed up.
First I need to run a baseline test with the SD card in the A329 as normal.
Then I’ll remove the SD card from the camera, and insert it into the card reader.
I’ve also got the camera connected to my power supply set at 12.60V, and my Fluke 115 in-line for more accurate power consumption measurements.

LET’S GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(as Ben would say)

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Heat Test & Power Consumption (Internal vs. External SD Card)

INTERNAL SD CARD - 64GB Viofo Brand
Firmware: V1.0 20241009
Low Bitrate Parking Mode
HDR: All Channels Off
Garage Temperature: 60℉ (15℃)
104℉ (40℃) Front
121℉ (49℃) Right
120℉ (49℃) Left
4.11 Watts = 326mA x 12.6V

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Heat Test & Power Consumption (Internal vs. External SD Card)

EXTERNAL SD CARD - 64GB Viofo Brand
Firmware: V1.0 20241009
Low Bitrate Parking Mode
HDR: All Channels Off
Garage Temperature: 59℉ (15℃)
104℉ (40℃) Front
116℉ (47℃) Right
107℉ (42℃) Left
4.54 Watts = 360mA x 12.6V
85℉ (29℃) EXTERNAL SD CARD IN READER

4.11 Watts ÷ 96Wh Battery Pack = 23.4 Hours Recording Time
4.54 Watts ÷ 96Wh Battery Pack = 21.2 Hours Recording Time (2.2 Hours Less)

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Stay tuned for 4K60fps Normal Recording Mode;
Heat Test & Power Consumption (Internal vs. External SD Card)

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Q: What is the maximum SD Card support for A329?
A: 512GB ($110 Viofo Brand)

Q: What is the maximum SSD support for A329?
A: 4TB ($290 Samsung T7 Shield) + ($17 Viofo 1.8 Meter SSD Cable)
Total $307

Q: How many hours of Normal Recording Mode footage will you get in 2-CH 4K60fps + 2K30fps, HDR Off configuration?
Bitrate: Maximum
1 Min File Size: 472MB + 196MB = 668MB
A:
12 Hours: 512GB Viofo SD Card (confirmed)
24 Hours: 1TB (approx.)
48 Hours: 2TB (approx.)
96 Hours: 4TB (approx.)

Q: Can we use a 2TB Micro SD Card with a card reader connected to SSD input with a 2 Meter Cable?
($190 2TB SD Card) + ($16 Card Reader) + ($18 2 Meter Cable)
Total $224
A: Someone needs to test this to confirm & verify. @Agie are you up for the challenge? lol
Q: Why do you want to use Micro SD Card connected to SSD input?
A: It would be nice to have more options.

 

[Augustus]

Q: What is the maximum SD Card support for A329?
A: 512GB ($110 Viofo Brand)

Q: What is the maximum SSD support for A329?
A: 4TB ($290 Samsung T7 Shield) + ($17 Viofo 1.8 Meter SSD Cable)
Total $307

Q: How many hours of Normal Recording Mode footage will you get in 2-CH 4K60fps + 2K30fps, HDR Off configuration?
Bitrate: Maximum
1 Min File Size: 472MB + 196MB = 668MB
A:
12 Hours: 512GB Viofo SD Card (confirmed)
24 Hours: 1TB (approx.)
48 Hours: 2TB (approx.)
96 Hours: 4TB (approx.)

Q: Can we use a 2TB Micro SD Card with a card reader connected to SSD input with a 2 Meter Cable?
($190 2TB SD Card) + ($16 Card Reader) + ($18 2 Meter Cable)
Total $224
A: Someone needs to test this to confirm & verify. @Agie are you up for the challenge? lol
Q: Why do you want to use Micro SD Card connected to SSD input?
A: It would be nice to have more options.

Making it tough for me chuck haha, card reader and long ass cable I have already

Seeing your results though, makes me question whether I should buy a Samsung T7 SSD (or even any SSD in an enclosure) over a microSD when you don't need the extra power consumption/super fast writing speeds. And microSD is just fine and much cheaper....

EDIT: saw some posts here in Australia and it would be much cheaper getting even a 2TB SSD with an enclosure, for about 130 USD at worst.

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Making it tough for me chuck

I challenged thee to a duel because I though you already had the equipment on hand;
1.) Card Reader
2.) 2 Meter Cable
3.) I thought you were testing already 1TB & 2TB Micro SD Cards, but I just realized it was @mentadent Doh!!!

 

[Augustus]

I challenged thee to a duel because I though you already had the equipment on hand;
1.) Card Reader
2.) 2 Meter Cable
3.) I thought you were testing already 1TB & 2TB Micro SD Cards, but I just realized it was @mentadent Doh!!!

haha all good, it's the SSD's i'm tossing up between 🙁, but at least @mentadent is on it with the cards!

 

[Chuck McCoy]

A329 Amazon US listing is up.
Only a few more days until in stock.
I requested 10% Off Promo Code: PANZERA329
Black Friday Sale Nov 21 - Dec 2
Viofo Brand SD Cards usually go on sale 25% - 50% off when you buy 2, or with a dash cam.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0DKDXY5HP
I’m still waiting for the first official public firmware so I can gather DAYTIME test footage.
Let’s gooooooooooo.

 

[mentadent]

3.) I thought you were testing already 1TB & 2TB Micro SD Cards, but I just realized it was @mentadent Doh!!!

1 TB Micron SD card (industrial) has worked fine since I got it on my A139 Pro (approx 5 months ago). I don't have a A329 to test it with.

 

[Chuck McCoy]

1 TB Micron SD card

Do you know of any good 4TB, or 2TB Micro SD Cards?

 

[GPak]

So far, based on the LBR test results, I see the following:

• The SD reader and 2m extension cable work, (I wasn't sure since it's not a Viofo brand), still need to verify 4K 60fps performance.
• With the SD card remotely mounted, the camera temperature is slightly lower than the baseline, by about 0°, 2°, and 7°C depending on the location, not as much as I was hoping for, but still something; However the SD Card temperature is much lower, by about 20°C, this will definitely minimize any failure due to SD Card overheating.
• With the SD Card remotely mounted, the LBR power consumption is 4.54W or about 0.43W higher, than the baseline, but about 0.96W lower than the 5.5W for SSD, as tested by @safedrivesolutions and about 2.04W lower than 6.58W for SSD as tested by @rcg530 (17.5% and 31% more parking time respectively)

Q: Why do you want to use Micro SD Card connected to SSD input?
A: It would be nice to have more options.

For me, parking power consumption is the main reason for using a remotely mounted SD card instead of an SSD

12 hours of recording on a 512GB SD Card is equivalent to about 12 days of recording with an average daily drive of 1 hour - more than enough for my use case.
Even considering 30% of the SD Card space dedicated to parking, that's still over 8 days of recording.

The only time I might need a larger SD card or SSD is when I'm traveling long distances, and even then I'm not sure.

 

[Nigel]

12 hours of recording on a 512GB SD Card is equivalent to about 12 days of recording with an average daily drive of 1 hour - more than enough for my use case.

Presumably, you are not limited to a 512GB SD card, since the External Drive port can handle 4TB. I don't think there are any 4TB micro SD cards currently, but you could use an SD card, or a USB stick, if they are fast enough. Even if they are fast enough writing via a fast card reader, they may slow down occasionally to do housekeeping tasks, so this a question, not a recommendation!

 

[GPak]

Presumably, you are not limited to a 512GB SD card, since the External Drive port can handle 4TB. I don't think there are any 4TB micro SD cards currently, but you could use an SD card, or a USB stick, if they are fast enough. Even if they are fast enough writing via a fast card reader, they may slow down occasionally to do housekeeping tasks, so this a question, not a recommendation!

Agreed, most likely the card reader will work with micro SD or standard size SD cards up to 4TB.
I mostly use the trusted SanDisk brand and may consider 1TB for $90, or less likely 2TB for a double price. (I definitely don't need more)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B09X7MPX8L
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0DFX1XFFH

 

[Chuck McCoy]

So far, based on the LBR test results, I see the following:

• The SD reader and 2m extension cable work, (I wasn't sure since it's not a Viofo brand), still need to verify 4K 60fps performance.
• With the SD card remotely mounted, the camera temperature is slightly lower than the baseline, by about 0°, 2°, and 7°C depending on the location, not as much as I was hoping for, but still something; However the SD Card temperature is much lower, by about 20°C, this will definitely minimize any failure due to SD Card overheating.
• With the SD Card remotely mounted, the LBR power consumption is 4.54W or about 0.43W higher, than the baseline, but about 0.96W lower than the 5.5W for SSD, as tested by @safedrivesolutions and about 2.04W lower than 6.58W for SSD as tested by @rcg530 (17.5% and 31% more parking time respectively)

For me, parking power consumption is the main reason for using a remotely mounted SD card instead of an SSD

12 hours of recording on a 512GB SD Card is equivalent to about 12 days of recording with an average daily drive of 1 hour - more than enough for my use case.
Even considering 30% of the SD Card space dedicated to parking, that's still over 8 days of recording.

The only time I might need a larger SD card or SSD is when I'm traveling long distances, and even then I'm not sure.

Thank you for the brilliant summary.

still need to verify 4K 60fps performance.

I'll get right on that.
I was sidelined by an emergency house project.

I mostly use the trusted SanDisk brand and may consider 1TB for $90

Yes, 1TB for $90 sounds much better than 512GB Viofo Brand for $110.

Presumably, you are not limited to a 512GB SD card, since the External Drive port can handle 4TB

Yes!

 

[Chuck McCoy]

@GPak I just set up for the 4K60fps Heat & Power Consumption baseline test.
It’s going to take an hour, or so to get the camera fully warmed up.
Whenever I watch the power fluctuations on my meter I get hypnotized. lol

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Heat Test & Power Consumption - Normal Recording Mode (Internal vs. External SD Card)

INTERNAL SD CARD - 64GB Viofo Brand
Firmware: V1.0 20241009
2-CH Rear Configuration
Front: 4K60fps
Rear: 2K30fps
HDR: All Channels Off
Bitrate: Maximum
1 Min File Size: 472MB + 196MB = 668MB
Garage Temperature: 64℉ (18℃)
119℉ (48℃) Front
141℉ (61℃) Right
138℉ (59℃) Left
5.46 Watts = 433mA x 12.6V

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Heat Test & Power Consumption - Normal Recording Mode (Internal vs. External SD Card)

EXTERNAL SD CARD - 64GB Viofo Brand
Firmware: V1.0 20241009
2-CH Rear Configuration
Front: 4K60fps
Rear: 2K30fps
HDR: All Channels Off
Bitrate: Maximum
1 Min File Size: 472MB + 196MB = 668MB
Garage Temperature: 63℉ (17℃)
117℉ (47℃) Front
135℉ (57℃) Right
120℉ (49℃) Left
94℉ (34℃) SD Card Reader
5.88 Watts = 467mA x 12.6V

5.46 Watts ÷ 96Wh Battery Pack = 17.6 Hours Recording Time
5.88 Watts ÷ 96Wh Battery Pack = 16.3 Hours Recording Time (1.3 Hours Less)