CDV300 Series Firmware

[tmanz]

not available publicly, resource wise you'll probably find a lot of what you need if you look into some of the GoPro hacking sites, not exactly the same but a lot of common ground which might get you headed in the right direction

Neat, i'll start there

 

[jokiin]

@Tobi@s is always good to talk to for ideas also, he's doing exams for the next few weeks though so you might not see him around much

 

[Tobi@s]

I think there is a few people jumping too conclusions. Sure the firmware video quality is lower compared to SG's firmware, and the the battery is slightly weak, but the camera is far from 'faulty'.

The fact of the matter is that the camera has been proven able to be of, 1. High video quality and 2. Stable with the small battery. My experiences with SG's and Cambox's firmwares, respectively, have proven this to be fact.

As long as people have bought their unit from Foxoffer, I am pretty confident that they have the same hardware revision as me and have a good product that is waiting to be improved by a suitable firmware. In fact, I am more than happy running Cambox's firmware on my unit -- it does the job for now.

And I believe no one has asked SG to develop for the TCL version.

As a DCT 'guinea pig' I am really happy I bought this camera, the flexibility to customize firmwares has been great -- I feel it'll be pretty impressive to see what the community comes up with. I'm currently looking at seeing whether I can modify the firmware, further that what AFT lets you. So far I believe I've learned the unit runs on a YAFFS file system and is written in c++. Would anyone have the Amberella SDK handy? or resources on the topic? (It's been a while since I've played with DSPs and microprocessors)

Sdks language is C. The FS seems to be a proprietary one. A2 SDK is available but outdates. But you can get an idea of what they are doing from it. If you want it contact me.

 

[tmanz]

Thanks @Tobi@s, I'll flick you a PM . More than the SDK, does your AFT allow extraction of the other partitions? such as HAL etc.

 

[adalex]

I need some help, I was able to make a backup but when I try and place the cambox firmware in the root and plug it in, it just starts recording and doesn't update at all.

EDIT: My bad didn't see the part where u had to rename it XD sorry

 

[tmanz]

Make sure the name of the file is firmware.bin , you may have to rename the downloaded file. Remember to delete the firmware.bin file from your card once you do upgrade.

 

[tmanz]

I believe I've stumbled across the reason why the CDV300X has battery performance and stability issues (sometimes not recording on power-on and abruptly shutting down on power-off). Its the power supply!

Both of my cigarette lighter (supplied with unit) and hardwired power supply (Chinese DC-DC buck converter) were not supplying enough power @ 5V. Measured both to put out <= 1 Amp.

I recently bought and installed a new hardwire solution using the battery charger 12V to 5V USB power supply and my problems have so far vanished. It supplies a constant 2 Amps at ~5V for a good 10W power supply for the dash cam.

Not only has the noise on my recordings vanished, I can use Street Guardian's firmware with no stability worries. The battery charger supply is clean and stable -- maybe a by-product of being designed for motorcycles.

What I suspect is happened is that the original power supply only provided near enough current to power the unit when recording, with any extra current being trickled to the battery. Or to put in another way, the charging circuit ends up powering the unit with little left over current to charge the battery. This causes the eventual battery drain.

With the 2 Amp supply I've seen my battery bars increase from 1 to 2 after a drive (20 mins driving), and I have only seen the flashing red empty battery icon once in the two weeks I've been testing (it recovered on the next drive). Its a good sign to see the battery charging!

Shows what a clean and stable power supply can do.

 

[jokiin]

how old is your camera, do you know when it was made?

 

[ZenithMach3]

Good job, Tmanz !!!

 

[tmanz]

how old is your camera, do you know when it was made?

Sorry it has no mfc date on the outside. I could open the unit up and see if it has a PCB revision number, but I would need a good set of instructions so I don't break any tabs etc.

 

[jokiin]

Sorry it has no mfc date on the outside. I could open the unit up and see if it has a PCB revision number, but I would need a good set of instructions so I don't break any tabs etc.

how long have you owned it?

 

[tmanz]

how long have you owned it?

Purchased on eBay in mid March or thereabouts.

 

[jokiin]

Purchased on eBay in mid March or thereabouts.

ok, would be a revised version then, ours was from last year

 

[tmanz]

ok, would be a revised version then, ours was from last year

Me buying it to determine manufacture may not be the best yardstick. Best to ask @billknow when he received his stock from TCL.

I'm still positive its the same on the inside, unless proven otherwise.

 

[jokiin]

I'm still positive its the same on the inside, unless proven otherwise.

if you bought in March it's a much later version

 

[tmanz]

Right... Then you guys shouldn't have told people not to buy without all the facts in hand.

 

[ZenithMach3]

I bought my CDV300X at the same time (march 2015) from Foxoffer and did not encounter any issue with SG firmware.
But cam was not plugged with the original cigarette lighter but 3.1A double USB plug instead.

 

[markseven]

I bought my CDV300X at the same time (march 2015) from Foxoffer and did not encounter any issue with SG firmware.
But cam was not plugged with the original cigarette lighter but 3.1A double USB plug instead.

In this case, it is not surprising if you use a different charger 3,1 A
How long do you wait for the GPS signal in SG firware?

 

[russ331]

Right... Then you guys shouldn't have told people not to buy without all the facts in hand.

I think that jokiin's advice to avoid the CDV300 was well-intended, well-made, based on personal experience, & still holds true today. I wouldn't risk $130 plus 20% VAT plus UK Customs handling costs on importing a camera from China with immature firmware & suspect hardware / peripherals.

No legally enforceable Warranty. The expense, time-loss & inconvenience of shipping it back to China if it's faulty? No thanks.

This model is for DIY tinkerers whom are happy to prise open the camera case & fix it themselves. People seeking a hassle-free product they can fit & forget should be wary.

 

[jokiin]

This model is for DIY tinkerers whom are happy to prise open the camera case & fix it themselves. People seeking a hassle-free product they can fit & forget should be wary.

well said