Any crash tested dashcams?

[Nigel]

Regarding accidents, I read an excellent thread here by someone who was in a major accident while running 4 different dashcams. One big point was the importance of having a solid mount such as an adhesive mount. In case of an accident, the dashcams with a suction cup mount may come off the windshield or even the mounts may snap. This can lead to a dashcam failure and/or the dashcam getting lost.

You also don't want dashcams flying around your head at 40mph!
The car makers go to a lot of trouble to make sure things can't fly around in accidents.

 

[StrayCam]

Sorry to hear about your daughter's accident! I'm glad she's okay physically and I hope she gets better mentally and emotionally as time goes on.

Regarding accidents, I read an excellent thread here by someone who was in a major accident while running 4 different dashcams. One big point was the importance of having a solid mount such as an adhesive mount. In case of an accident, the dashcams with a suction cup mount may come off the windshield or even the mounts may snap. This can lead to a dashcam failure and/or the dashcam getting lost.

Maybe I missed something...? I don't recall reading anywhere that @Dazed_and_confused was using a suction-cup-mount. I'm certain that Viofo dashcams, like most dashcams, provides the strong, double-stick 3m tape, not that someone couldn't apply a suction-cup-mount to a Viofo dashcam.

 

[Vortex Radar]

Maybe I missed something...? I don't recall reading anywhere that @Dazed_and_confused was using a suction-cup-mount. I'm certain that Viofo dashcams, like most dashcams, provides the strong, double-stick 3m tape, not that someone couldn't apply a suction-cup-mount to a Viofo dashcam.

Oh sorry, I wasn't implying that he was. Just that it's something that came to mind in general regarding crash testing dashcams.

 

[LateralNW]

I've watched hours of past trip footage paying attention to landmarks at the end of one clip and at the start of the next to make sure there isn't any gaps. The trip that included the accident had the last recorded clip about 5 miles from the accident scene. So I would guess there is about 10, 1 min clips missing.

You may be using this software already but if not consider this program. It can save you hours of mucking around as it has a feature that allows you to jump to a point using the gps data on Google maps.
It shows each start of recording and you can quickly work out if files are missing when viewing the map. Eg colour gap's in the travel lines.

Here's the link. The owner/programmer comes on this site occasionally and updates it when needed. @traveler

Called Dashcam Viewer

Dashcam Viewer | Unleash Your Dashcam’s Full Potential

Dashcam Viewer is powerful, state-of-the-art software with unique and functional features that will unleash your dashcam’s full potential.

dashcamviewer.com

You mentioned different times you think the accident happened based on the dashcam. I'm sure you know the exact time based on other input so I was thinking if you looked at the last video time stamp you will be able to derive how much time elapsed to the accident.
I'm wondering if it was a shorter time than 6 mins. I'm wondering if the impact jared the microSD card causing a micro second of disconnection which might have caused the file that is missing and possible damaged the files adjacent to it.
All hypothetical but thought I'd put it out there.

I hope your daughter gets over the trauma quickly.

 

[Nigel]

I'm wondering if it was a shorter time than 6 mins. I'm wondering if the impact jared the microSD card causing a micro second of disconnection which might have caused the file that is missing and possible damaged the files adjacent to it.
All hypothetical but thought I'd put it out there.

Even if the camera was jared and lost power, it should still save the last clip on super capacitor power, and even if it was jared so much that the super capacitor failed (very unlikely, but maybe the super capacitor is faulty), there should still be a half written file that runs up to within a few seconds of impact, might be corrupt, but corrupt files can be recovered.

To lose the last 10 files leading up to an accident when all other files from all other journeys are OK, doesn't make sense, unless they were lost deliberately.

I'm sure there is an explanation, but I think it is going to be very hard to explain. Maybe we need to do more real crash testing, rather than just tapping them gently while trying to avoid damaging them! Need someone who does Banger Racing, and a good supply of dashcams...

 

[Dashmellow]

Maybe we need to do more real crash testing, rather than just tapping them gently while trying to avoid damaging them! Need someone who does Banger Racing, and a good supply of dashcams...

I recall a conversation we had about this subject some years back here on the forum. One not very well informed member thought that dash cam manufacturers throw cameras at cement walls to test for impact worthiness. Several members, especially jokiin explained that manufacturers don't do anything quite so ridiculous or random but instead use specialized equipment designed for various types of product testing/measuring which include tests for heat resistance, cold resistance, impact, vibrations, drop tests, centrifugal force/G force resistance, etc.

My guess is that crash testing would be done with some form of pendulum type impact or drop testing testing equipment similar to the examples below, although these are designed specifically for materials and component testing rather than finalized consumer electronics products.

https://www.instron.com/en-us/products/testing-systems/impact-systems

 

[DAP]

I think the tester would need to be a bit more specialized.
In the vast majority of the cases, the impact is going to be through the attachment point to the glass of the windshield. If the impact is directly to the case of the camera, the results would be too random to be useful.
Need to simulate a front, rear, and both sides (Viofo A129 camera mounts by sliding sideways into the GPS base for example) impact. They should probably also include cutting power during the impact.

 

[Dashmellow]

I'm no expert but test equipment of this nature is often highly customizable to accommodate a wide range of products, materials and industries. The many companies that specialize in this type of equipment will also custom engineer or modify existing testing machines for the requirements of specific industries and product categories.

https://www.instron.com/en-us/products/testing-systems/universal-testing-systems/custom

See also: Crash Simulation Systems​

I know from my interactions with several dash cam manufacturers that they have some testing equipment in-house, such as heat testing ovens and vibration testers but they also send products out to certification labs for testing that would be impractical or unaffordable for them to do in-house. Crash testing may be one of those outsourced services.

 

[LateralNW]

Even if the camera was jared and lost power, it should still save the last clip on super capacitor

Agree with you.

What I am suggesting is the microsd card moves in the holder.
I'd expect a head on collision will have G forces that when applied in a specific way to the microsd holder might jar / bump it causing the micro sd card movement momentarily disconnecting it from the contacts of the micro sd holder.

 

[Dashmellow]

Agree with you.

What I am suggesting is the microsd card moves in the holder.
I'd expect a head on collision will have G forces that when applied in a specific way to the microsd holder might jar / bump it causing the micro sd card movement momentarily disconnecting it from the contacts of the micro sd holder.

I agree that the memory card could get dislodged inside the slot holder and lose footage but I think this may be fairly rare. I say this because of the countless dash cam videos I've seen over the years on YouTube where the cameras survive terrible car crashes and just keep on filming without missing a beat, even when they come off from their mounts and smash into a windshield. (this usually happened with older battery powered dash cams that would keep operating without the cable connected)
I also think of the many examples of GoPro cameras falling from enormous heights and then hitting the ground and also just keep on filming. My Mobius cameras have also taken some spills and none of them have ever lost footage. Maybe it depends on the build quality of the particular camera? I did have a Mobius with a flaky spring latch in the card slot.

 

[SawMaster]

Agree with you.

What I am suggesting is the microsd card moves in the holder.
I'd expect a head on collision will have G forces that when applied in a specific way to the microsd holder might jar / bump it causing the micro sd card movement momentarily disconnecting it from the contacts of the micro sd holder.

We have seen a few instances where this seemed to have happen, but the OP reported no saved footage for about 8-10 minutes prior to the impact so I doubt this happened here.

I'm still of the opinion that the lost footage was caused by a power loss. Could be total loss or a glitch sufficient to cause the camera to initiate shutdown. Might be a bad SD card but that seems less likely. I have experienced both of these types of failures myself. I'd investigate both these possibilities well before spending on a new cam which might not be needed.

Phil

 

[Dashmellow]

I suspect a temporary loss of power too.

 

[lacibaci]

I would think that the state of the dashcam after the crash is irrelevant. As long as the SD card and the recording is ok, I wouldn't care about a $100 camera.

 

[Dashmellow]

I would think that the state of the dashcam after the crash is irrelevant. As long as the SD card and the recording is ok, I wouldn't care about a $100 camera.

Yeah, I think any of us who've been using dash cams for a while would feel the same way.

 

[LateralNW]

GoPro cameras falling from enormous heights and then hitting the ground and also just keep on filming.

Fair point. The GoPros have their memory cards behind a closed door. This would prevent the card from being able to be dislodged.
Credit: HowTechs
Ref:

lost footage was caused by a power loss.

I'm thinking that too.

Using a G-force calculator I get a figure of ~103 G's If I am anywhere near correct then it is a very serious collision with most likely lots of damage. And that is only one car stopping quickly. If you combine two cars then the G-Forces are even larger.
Consider that as you read the next bit.

When inserting the TF card into the slot it gives you feedback that the card is inserted all the way into the slot with a firm click feeling. It's all locked up you think.
BUT did you know that it doesn't lock the card in place? It relies on friction. When you apply 100 G's to it I doubt it would stay put IF that energy was applied just at the correct angle etc.

So when @Dazed_and_confused checked the memory card I wonder if it might have been dislodged by only a few millimetres eg 1/8" and he hadn't realised he reseated it and found it worked fine?

As well as the huge G-Forces other things that could make the SD card slippery could be cosmetics that come from the fingers. I suggest this because I have experienced this first-hand many times with a girlfriend. Every time I touched something she had touched I would most times find foundation (cosmetics for the face. Sort of like a primer before you paint the topcoat ) on my fingers. At work, if I used the phone of a woman most often I would have perfume on my hands for hours later. Not saying it was a bad thing unless it was near knock-off time, getting home and my wife smelt in on me. A whole new story right there.

Did you realise that the memory card doesn't lock into the card holder?

 

[Nigel]

Using a G-force calculator I get a figure of ~103 G's If I am anywhere near correct then it is a very serious collision with most likely lots of damage. And that is only one car stopping quickly. If you combine two cars then the G-Forces are even larger.

With two cars you have twice as much crumple zone, so doesn't the g-force work out the same as one car into a reinforced concrete wall?

 

[TonyM]

the VIOFO A129 Duo pro that was installed stopped recording 10 min before the accident and started recording in parking mode while the crew was cleaning up the scene.

Yeah, I had the camera set to store files in 1 Min intervals and every file on the camera is a 60 Second clip. I've watched hours of past trip footage paying attention to landmarks at the end of one clip and at the start of the next to make sure there isn't any gaps. The trip that included the accident had the last recorded clip about 5 miles from the accident scene. So I would guess there is about 10, 1 min clips missing.
This camera did have the parking mode enabled and the hardwire kit and there is no issues with those video's either.

Was the last recorded clip before the accident also 60 seconds duration? In the event of power loss or shutdown, the last file is nearly always shorter than the rest if it closes the last file correctly.

Was the time & date stamp working correctly, before and after the accident?

Do you have any idea how long after the accident the camera started recording in parking mode? During scene cleanup sounds like it would have been more than just a minute or two. It seems strange that the camera would spontaneously commence recording at some interval after the accident.

Did you check all the parking recordings prior to the accident, in case the camera switched from regular to parking mode?

 

[LateralNW]

With two cars you have twice as much crumple zone, so doesn't the g-force work out the same as one car into a reinforced concrete wall?

It will depend on what both vehicles are I guess.

I've experienced the impact of colliding into a solid object (Rolling Stock - container carriers) while in a solid object ( A Diesel Electric locomotive) at about 5mph and it smashed me into its cabin wall. 45 mph is on another level.

Where you aware of the TF card slot not locking the TF card?

 

[Dashmellow]

Fair point. The GoPros have their memory cards behind a closed door. This would prevent the card from being able to be dislodged.

That makes sense. But this doesn't explain all the dash cam videos of serious car accidents where the camera keeps recording after impact.

Interestingly, one of my first dash cams (which I still have) has a locking mechanism, basically a little sliding switch that you engage after inserting the memory card. So, some engineer was thinking about this problem long ago.

Since most cameras don't have a card lock, I guess the question is, if the TF card has a tendency to become dislodged on impact, how often does it happen compared to how often does it remain in place?

 

[Nigel]

Where you aware of the TF card slot not locking the TF card?

That is one reason why good cameras have the card exiting from the the sides, never from the front or back where the g-force of an accident may move it.

It is actually locked, but only by friction, it is always reasonably easy to pull one out using pliers.