Anyone recording primarily to SSD?

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Synomenon

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Anyone here have your A329 recording directly and only to SSD?

If so, where have you placed your SSD? Viofo's official cable is only available up to 2.5 meters. Not long enough to route it around the windshield and down to my center console or glovebox.
 
Although cam makers seem to like to make their own proprietary cables for some things, the data cable
really needs to be compatible with other devices, SSD, phone, laptop, etc.

I would use regular string to measure the cable route from your cam to wherever you want the SSD to live
and then find what you need on Amazon, Monoprice, etc.

The one concern is that you keep the cable as short as you can, data transfer might be a little unreliable
when you go too far over 6 feet or so. I don't know why but USB over 6 feet seems to be unusual.

If the cable you use is not able to transmit the data at high speed, your cam might show an Error saying
that your "device is too slow" but the issue could just as well be your cable.
 
USB-C (in fact, all USB) Cable length has a written specification; however, lengths vary depending on the USB-C type in use. A Short Active Cable / PD with a SOP (Start of Packet) is 5 meters. Others are shorter. USB / USB-IF has plenty of mind-boggling documents for those with a penchant for technical perusing. 🙂

USB IF

Here are some USB-C specs from the 2019, 2.0 spec release. The below images are from this document, and are the most often quoted lengths. There are later specs for PD and more.

usb-pso.webp


usb-c-c-asmb.webp
 
I use the longer 2.5meter Viofo ssd usb c cable. Tried other cables of various lengths, mixed results. The Viofo cable as well as the USB C port on the A329S camera it self is USB 2.0, per own personal testing of data speeds.
Using an expensive cable, USB 4 or Thunderbolt spec is pointless, and infact, it may cause issues, as there is no guarantee that Viofo is using the spec standard pin out for USB C (unless some has tested/confirmed they are)
Too long a cable may result in too much voltage drop and/or data integrity issues.
I personally had issues with various USB C cables of longer lengths resulting in the dash cam not detecting or mounting the SSD connected to it as the camera powers on or is power cycled.
Additionally, even with Viofo cable and also Viofo recommended ssd. if you do a hard power cut, not safely/manually power off the camera or stop recording, it does not save the last 2 secs of video footage to the active video files being recorded to the ssd. (this i have posted about in another thread)
Other than that issue, which i workaround by getting into the habit of pressing the button on the BT remote to Power Off the cam before i turn of my ignition (which cuts power to the cam), have not any issues with using a ssd as main storage for the camera. I still have a Viofo 512GB micro sd card installed in the cam, just in case the SSD does not mount or i forget to plug it back into the cable, should i remove it to bring inside to pull footage off.
I have the usb cable snaked along my A pillar and into a gab between the molding and dash internal then snaked into my glove box.
 
Synomenon said:
Anyone here have your A329 recording directly and only to SSD?

If so, where have you placed your SSD? Viofo's official cable is only available up to 2.5 meters. Not long enough to route it around the windshield and down to my center console or glovebox.
Click to expand...
Instead of an SSD drive, we remotely installed a MicroSD card using a third-party 2-meter USB-C cable and card reader.
It's installed in a recess behind the interior panel in the passenger foot well, it's very easy to access if you know where it is, and virtually impossible to find for those who don't know, and it has been working flawlessly ever since.
 
GPak said:
Instead of an SSD drive, we remotely installed a MicroSD card using a third-party 2-meter USB-C cable and card reader.
It's installed in a recess behind the interior panel in the passenger foot well, it's very easy to access if you know where it is, and virtually impossible to find for those who don't know, and it has been working flawlessly ever since.
Click to expand...
Would you be able to provide a link to that 2-meter USB-C cable?
 
Here are the links you requested:
As you can see, a 3-meter and even 5-meter long cables are also available, but we have not tested it.
Please note that this is an extension cable with male-to-female connectors, suitable for card readers with a male USB-C connector.
(I'm not sure if there are any SSD drives with a male USB-C connector).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0D1V76CYB
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0BNBXVLZS
 
Last edited:
I placed the ssd in the passenger side behind a plastic panel. Using the 1.8m (5.9ft) cable from Viofo, still have more than a foot, maybe two left.
 

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