Aukey DR-01 Intermittent Powering

xadion

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Hi all,

First time post and dash cam user. Recently bought the Aukey DR-01. I 'hardwired' it to my fuse box using an add-a-fuse kit from Spy Tec.

It took me a while because I had never done this kind of installation before, but eventually got it to work (wired into the fuse, grounded, cables hidden). It seemed to work really well the first day, but just today (2nd day of usage), the camera would power on, record, and then shut off. Then, it would restart after a few minutes and require me to input the date & time information again--it should have this information saved from initial setup. It kept going through this cycle and didn't seem to fix itself by the time I finished driving.

Here's what I think most likely happened:

Today, the temperature was really hot in the car. Yesterday, I installed and used the cam in the garage and drove later at night, when it seemed to be working just fine. I think the DR-01 is overheating and it's causing a lot of issues despite being powered by a capacitor? I'm not sure if the cam is restarting when it thinks it's barely cool enough to run, then powering off again because the heat of operating/recording + the sun is still too much. Note: I am running the A/C while driving for ~15-20 minutes so the car's ambient temperature is dropping from initially entering the vehicle. However, the dash cam is located at the top-middle section of my windshield, just in front of my rear-view mirror. That area is likely to stay hot because my A/C isn't run too strong and the sun is shining right on it. For reference, there is a plastic arm the extends from the roof of the car to the rear-view mirror (this is how the mirror is mounted) that is in the same area as the dash cam (top-middle). I tried touching this arm, and it is hot enough to where I cannot touch it for more than 2 seconds. This arm isn't protected by my windshield reflector which I had put up prior to entering my car.

Of course, there are plenty of other explanations/potential causes. For one, it could be the add-a-fuse kit material is not adequate enough to withstand the heat on a summer day (the wire is actually pretty thin, several strands of 20-gauge(?) according to some 2-star reviews complaining on Amazon). It may also be my own fault with installation - I didn't use the right fuses (I used two 20amp fuses for the add-a-fuse, so this is unlikely) OR the more likely installation issue (if it is one): I didn't crimp the power to add-a-fuse extension properly. I know this because I used regular pliers to 'crimp' and the power wires were slipping out of the connector after the first few tries. I had to really clamp down on my pliers to make the connector grab onto the wires.

Anyways, I'm leaning against the explanation that my issues are stemming from installation mistakes. Sure, I could have made a better connection between the power and add-a-fuse lines, but the DR-01 was resetting its time and date information upon restart. Even with cutting power (pulling the micro-USB from a reliable power source), the time/date information should be retained. I'm thinking there's something wrong with the DR-01 and the heat itself. Is it fake? Is the temperature too high for it to operate? Low quality wire material?

I would really appreciate any response from the forum - you all probably have a much wider range of experience and knowledge on it. Thanks for reading. Let me know if there's any more information/detail necessary to help diagnose the issue. I will be driving later at night and see how the dash cam operates.
 
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try it with the included power supply to rule out any problems with your hardwire kit or installation, if the problem with it resetting remains then it's a hardware fault and the camera will need to be replaced

edit: memory card can cause odd behavior also but not to the point of having to re-enter the setup procedure, more likey hardware problem but best to rule out the power supply first
 
Thanks @jokiin

I can try with the included power supply when it's another hot day.

However, I just took a drive (much cooler weather, 66F) and the camera powered on and recorded just fine.

After pulling the memory card just now, it turns out that some footage recorded successfully from earlier in the afternoon where I thought the camera was simply malfunctioning throughout the ride.

It makes sense with regards to the car being cooler as I drove it more . Recent night recording had no interruptions or shut-offs, so I guess the good thing is that it's most likely a heat issue. Although, does this simply mean that I'll have to live with my dash cam being non-operational after my car has been sitting in the sun with the windows up for too long? Doesn't seem like there's a way around this unless DR-01 is intended to function even in 120+F cars. I bet the area around the top-middle windshield gets even hotter than that and Aukey user manual disclaims operational temp above 150F. Any thoughts?
 
would certainly try the included power supply, have seen issues previously with that hardwire power kit you're using previously so best to rule that out
 
The other day it was 99 ° F. I put a meat thermometer in the windshield with sun screens up and the temperature went up to 196° F. This was in direct sunlight.
 
I don't think the problem is heat-related but it can only be ruled out by using the original power adapter. If it keeps doing the same, then you have the answer for the problem.
Meanwhile, also as a best practice to protect the camera, you can always put the windshield reflector outside of the windshield, tuck between the two front doors. That way you can protect everything underneath. If your reflector is not long enough I'm sure you can easily find an XL size at any department store, automotive parts store, etc.
 
I'm new to hardwire also. Going to be installing mine soon. I had also gotten a hardwire kit, but I learned you can also do ...

1. Get a cigarette female socket
2. Wire that to the fuse (use an add-a-fuse or add-a-circuit)
3. Plug the original power adapter into the socket

Thus, avoiding power issues from the hardwire kit? Since you're using the original power adapter.

The hardware kit will cutoff circuit to the dash cam, if the battery voltage goes too low. So the downside of the cigarette female socket setup is the power to the dash cam will not be cutoff, if you tap into a circuit/fuse that's constantly on, for parking mode.

Again, I have the parts, but haven't done the installations yet.
 
i know this is a old thread but im having a similar problem. so first off i own a aukey dr01 and it works fine. i wanted to get a second one, so i bought a cheap used one off ebay with no wire. the no wire is where the problem comes in. the factory wire that comes with aukey works as a recording wire. when you use any other type of wire you just see the plug icon on the screen instead of the recording screen. it even says in the booklet use a data wire to transfer data other then using the factory wire

so with this new unit which is on a older software version(not sure if that matters). i had to find a wire that would work to record when i powered the unit. every wire i used just showed a plug icon on the screen.

so i ordered a "power only" non data wire from ebay. this didnt seem to work at first. but then i put a memory card in the unit and then it worked. but then i have 2 problems now. sometimes it will say low battery and shut off. im guessing maybe the power isnt going to it fast enough or something i dunno why its doing this. but if i unplug it and plug it back in it eventually will get a screen.

now my second issue im having is everytime i turn the dashcam on, the date pops up and i have to enter it again. i dont know why it does this. it saved all my settings. but everytime i connect it it asks to set the date again. i found one post from about 3 yrs ago with the same "date" issue. they said the company said it was a factory error and to return the unit and they got a new one. im not sure if anyone else has ran across these problems before.

also i dont think heat or cold has anything to do with the original post. i think the memory card is maybe a issue. i recently on my good dashcam had a issue where it would stop recording every 2 minutes and freeze. i went out and bought a new memory card since this one was years old and it fixed that problem. a bad memory card in dash cams can really cause alot of issues that will make you think its the units fault
 
also forgot to add i had the power cycle issue as well, sometimes when i plug it in it turns on then shuts off right away. i think the memory card fixed this im not sure. since i didnt have one in. i have to buy a new memory card to inspect more
 
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