Dash cams forgetting to record???

[richcam]

Just noticed some odd behaviour over the last few days with the Mobius which is powered using an external power pack and is fitted with the battery rather than the capacitor so records all the time, and a Mini 0806 which is hard-wired in, so starts recording when the ignition is on.

Was checking over and viewing some video footage from a couple of days ago on the 0806 and noticed that it had stopped recording whilst I was driving, then started recording again some hours later when I set off from home, having checked the file numbers I noticed they were consecutive so it's not like the files were lost, it's just that the footage was never recorded.

So having sworn at the 0806 I ejected the card from the Mobius to view the same footage only to discover that it too had forgotten to record some footage on the same day, and once again, the file numbers were consecutive so it's not like they have been lost or deleted - please note that the missing footage isn't at exactly at the same time, but still extremely annoying.

This isn't the first time I've noticed that footage hasn't been recorded, but is the first time I've noticed that both dash cams were exhibiting similar behaviour in not recording at random times whilst driving.

I've now formatted both cards so will wait and see whether this cures the problem.

Any suggestions as to why this has randomly happened to both of them on the same day, and has anyone encountered this before?

 

[Module 79L]

It seems to be a cards problem. Let's wait and see if formatting them solved the problem.

 

[Calgary Dash Camera - Samuel]

If the cards are less than a year old, formatting the cards should fix the issue.
If the problem persists, maybe take a look at the external power pack and see if the current being distributed to both cameras are in equal quantity at all times.

 

[russ331]

Just noticed some odd behaviour over the last few days with the Mobius...

Is the Mini USB plug a loose fit in the Mobius socket? If so, you may experience intermittent power loss. In which case this post may help...

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=32222897&postcount=16092

ps. Mobius is definitely in loop-recording mode not motion detect?

 

[richcam]

Thanks guys for the tips, well I'm hoping it's not a card issue, though doubt it because they are different brand of card and camera. I formatted both of them yesterday so will wait and see whether this cures the problem.

To clarify, the Mobius is being powered by an external power-pack though I have been plugging and unplugging it on a regular basis at the camera end so perhaps it is a loose connection and will investigate this further. Thanks for the link russ331, will check the connector. The Mobius is definitely set in loop mode and stopped working at a random point and not at the end of the card memory so to speak.

Calgary, the 0806 is hard-wired and powered via the car battery so the two cameras are not connected in terms of electricity supply. What I find odd with this is that it stopped recording whilst I was driving and remained switched off until a later point when I started the car up. Why it stopped when it did baffles me. For info I rarely take the camera out of the windscreen mount and prefer to eject the lower SD card in slot B.

In terms of usage:

The Mobius has been in constant use since April 2015 though the 128GB card has been formatted several times since then.

The 0806 has been in use nearly every day since late Feb 2015 and I've formatted the 64GB card in it several times since then, please note that unlike the Mobius it only records when the car is running.

Unfortunately I've not made any notes as to when I've formatted the cards on either camera so I'm now kicking myself for being so lax, however I don't think that is the issue here. Perhaps it is simply a case of wear between the connector and socket.

 

[SawMaster]

Can only speak of the Mobius but others probably work similarly. Look at the file time length when the recording stopped and see how it correlates to your selected time in loop mode. If all the stops are shortened and random in length, I'd bet you've got an intermittent power issue. When Mobius senses the power loss it shuts down, it saves the last file at whatever length it is, then when power reconnects it starts again as if you just began your drive. It's unlikely a cam or card problem would be as variable, but maybe dirty card contacts could also do it (I don't know there). Also look for a bump or rough spot in the road when the unwanted shut-downs happened; again this would likely indicate a power issue.

Odd that two totally separate and different systems are having the same problem in concert; you may have acquired some of my usual luck. If so, please don't return it to me- I have too much of that already!

Phil

 

[2000rpm]

I recently changed my car. There are some important things about it which upset my dashcams unless I do things in a predetermined way.

Firstly, it's a diesel engine.
With diesels, especially in winter (yes, it's summer at the moment!), you're supposed to turn the key two points and wait for all the dash lights to go out - to allow the glow plugs time to pre-heat if required, plus the high-pressure fuel pump priming. Those power draws cause fluctuations in the 12v supply.

Secondly, a big diesel lump - compression ignition - needs a powerful starter motor to turn it. That power draw causes fluctuations in the 12v supply.

Thirdly, my car has an inbuilt satnav screen in the centre console, which appears to run off the same supply as the 12v socket directly underneath. The initialisation of the satnav seems to cause a fluctuation in the 12v supply.

Now here is where the problem comes.

Turn the key two points to heat the glow plugs and prime the fuel pump. But in the process, the 12v socket powers-up, so the dashcams do too.
If the car's inbuilt satnav is trying to initialise (can take 20 seconds) when the ignition key is turned to power the starter motor, the powering-up dashcams suddenly detect a huge drop in power, so they think it's time to shut down.
Even though the drop in power only lasted a second or two, the dashcams continue to shut down and don't power up again until the next journey.

My solution: turn the key two points and wait until all the dash lights have gone out and the nav system has initialised. Then turn the key one point further to start the engine. The cams still flicker and beep but they continue to operate.

If I were really in a hurry, I'd just turn the key to position three immediately, so the dashcams would not have any flicker in power after they've powered up.

 

[richcam]

Can only speak of the Mobius but others probably work similarly. Look at the file time length when the recording stopped and see how it correlates to your selected time in loop mode. If all the stops are shortened and random in length, I'd bet you've got an intermittent power issue. When Mobius senses the power loss it shuts down, it saves the last file at whatever length it is, then when power reconnects it starts again as if you just began your drive. It's unlikely a cam or card problem would be as variable, but maybe dirty card contacts could also do it (I don't know there). Also look for a bump or rough spot in the road when the unwanted shut-downs happened; again this would likely indicate a power issue.

Odd that two totally separate and different systems are having the same problem in concert; you may have acquired some of my usual luck. If so, please don't return it to me- I have too much of that already!

Phil

As sods law would have it I formatted both cards yesterday so didn't keep a record of all the video files, however, I did keep footage of the last file before it shut down and it shows that it was the standard length in terms of time and file size so I'm at a loss over this. I also viewed the file and the car was on a smooth bit of road so I wouldn't have expected the plug to have come loose. One thought I had is the fact that the internal battery is fitted rather than the capacitor so I'm wondering that in the event that power to the power-pack was disconnected at some point earlier the camera would carry on until it sensed the voltage dropping on the battery and then powered down in an orderly manner rather than shutting down abruptly if a capacitor was fitted. Certainly the plug is very loose when fitted into the camera so I need to adjust this slightly so that power isn't interrupted.

I've also checked the 0806 and it does seem to be a little bit wobbly in the windscreen housing so perhaps this suffered a similar coincidental fate and needs a little bit of adjustment of the metal prongs in the mount, am sure I saw a post relating to this issue somewhere on here or the rc forums

If it hadn't have been for the fact I had been checking the video footage following a burglary in the local area I don't think I would have noticed the gap in the times recorded. Like I mentioned, the file numbers were consecutive so it's not like the footage was recorded to the card then lost, deleted or corrupted.

P.S. You sure you don't want some of your luck returning because we won on the premium bonds last month which was the first month they had been entered in the draw, unfortunately not the jackpot, but a bit more than £25 so am quite happy

There are some important things about it which upset my dashcams unless I do things in a predetermined way.

You're not the first person to encounter problems on start-up of your car due to surges in voltage, many new cars divert all power to ensure the car starts rather than letting all the other gadgets drain power, I believe that the Mobius can be somewhat tetchy due to this issue though it doesn't affect me in this particular instance because I'm powering it using an external power pack. The 0806 doesn't seem bothered on start-up even when the wife occasionally stalls the car, but she does drive an older Toyota without the mass of computers used in modern cars

 

[SawMaster]

If I understand it correctly, when you have any 'shut down when power off' setting enabled, the signal to cease operations comes from the power supply regardless of the internal battery or capacitor state. Their sole function here is to give enough power to shut down correctly when signaled to. Tighten the connection and lets see what comes of that.

Also if you have the 'right stuff', open the case and look at the solder pads for the USB connector under magnification; if any are less than bright-looking they may be bad. I'd reflow the solder anyway since you're already in there. I recall this being an occasional problem with good cams and common on the cheap ones. It's tough to solder something like this perfectly every time even with full automation.

Glad to hear of your win, but keep the luck if it's working for you, and you're welcome. If I don't "hit the big one" any lesser wins will make almost no difference to me at all in the long term, and as I'm too poor to 'gamble big' that's not going to happen here (but it's nice to dream about it). Now where did I put that travel brochure for Tahiti?

Phil

 

[Module 79L]

I recently changed my car. There are some important things about it which upset my dashcams unless I do things in a predetermined way.

Firstly, it's a diesel engine.
With diesels, especially in winter (yes, it's summer at the moment!), you're supposed to turn the key two points and wait for all the dash lights to go out - to allow the glow plugs time to pre-heat if required, plus the high-pressure fuel pump priming. Those power draws cause fluctuations in the 12v supply.

Secondly, a big diesel lump - compression ignition - needs a powerful starter motor to turn it. That power draw causes fluctuations in the 12v supply.

Thirdly, my car has an inbuilt satnav screen in the centre console, which appears to run off the same supply as the 12v socket directly underneath. The initialisation of the satnav seems to cause a fluctuation in the 12v supply.

Now here is where the problem comes.

Turn the key two points to heat the glow plugs and prime the fuel pump. But in the process, the 12v socket powers-up, so the dashcams do too.
If the car's inbuilt satnav is trying to initialise (can take 20 seconds) when the ignition key is turned to power the starter motor, the powering-up dashcams suddenly detect a huge drop in power, so they think it's time to shut down.
Even though the drop in power only lasted a second or two, the dashcams continue to shut down and don't power up again until the next journey.

My solution: turn the key two points and wait until all the dash lights have gone out and the nav system has initialised. Then turn the key one point further to start the engine. The cams still flicker and beep but they continue to operate.

If I were really in a hurry, I'd just turn the key to position three immediately, so the dashcams would not have any flicker in power after they've powered up.

The problem you have is with the cameras, not the car. Not all cameras behave like that. For instance, my G1W-H takes 10 seconds to shut down after I switch off the ignition. If for any reason I turn the key on again before the 10 seconds are over, the camera keeps recording as if nothing happened. If your cameras did the same, when you turn the key to pre-heat the glow plugs they'd start recording but wouldn't stop recording when you start the engine, despite the power drop.

 

[richcam]

A quick update to let everyone know that the 0806 'forgot' to record some footage from yesterday which I think rules out the SD card as being faulty, will adjust the connectors on the windscreen mount to see if that fixes the problem. One step at a time to try and isolate the problem.

One other thing that is worrying me is that watching some of the footage from the same day I heard an awful lot of electrical buzzing on the recording which I haven't noticed before. I just hope this particular 0806 which I purchased in Feb 2015 isn't going to pack up on me after just five months of use!

 

[2000rpm]

....The problem you have is with the cameras, not the car......

Update.....
The cam which gave the most trouble (DOD LS430W / Nextbase 402G) has since died. Likely cause of death was battery failure - last file not being saved, camera rebooting when ignition key turned.
But the cam is still well within warranty so it's not my problem. I asked for a refund rather than repair/replacement.

 

[Module 79L]

The problem you have is with the cameras, not the car.

Update.....
The cam which gave the most trouble (DOD LS430W / Nextbase 402G) has since died. Likely cause of death was battery failure - last file not being saved, camera rebooting when ignition key turned.

Man, if only I could be as good at guessing the Euromillion's numbers...

 

[richcam]

A quick update to let everyone know that the 0806 'forgot' to record some footage from yesterday which I think rules out the SD card as being faulty, will adjust the connectors on the windscreen mount to see if that fixes the problem. One step at a time to try and isolate the problem.

One other thing that is worrying me is that watching some of the footage from the same day I heard an awful lot of electrical buzzing on the recording which I haven't noticed before. I just hope this particular 0806 which I purchased in Feb 2015 isn't going to pack up on me after just five months of use!

An update on this:

Today I was sitting in the passenger seat as the wife is learning to drive and could see the LCD display on the 0806 when I looked across, interestingly when she started the car up I noticed that the screen on the 0806 went bright blue with some small text across the screen, I removed the 0806 from the mount so that I could read the message and the display remained on and the text read 'USB Connecting' and remained frozen until I reset it, whereupon it started recording normally again.

I'm wondering if this is what has been happening on previous occasions because I can't see the screen when driving the car due to the fact that the mirror blocks the view.

Can anyone shed any light on what this means? NIGEL?