Dr900x-plus Overheat

[nitestar]

Just wanted to ask the community if it’s normal for a Blackvue 900x-plus to shutdown around 80 degrees if the sun is partially hitting it? It’s surprising to me as I would have expected and been fine with it being closer to 90 degrees out before this happened, but wanted to see what others thought. This happens while it’s in parking mode and it has the rear camera attached and also the Wi-Fi module, so maybe it just can’t handle the sun getting it hotter once it reaches 80-ish outside and the windows are rolled up? Or should this not be happening so soon? Not sure if I should try and go through the insurance plan I bought on it or not. I don’t want to waste my time or others when the next unit I get ends up doing exactly the same thing if it’s normal on the 900x-plus’.

 

[Lothar]

All 4K cameras overheat.

 

[nitestar]

All 4K cameras overheat.

So it happening around 80 degrees is not to soon in your opinion? I know 4k cameras run hotter than others and wanted to make sure my unit is just running as it was designed to and I shouldn’t be getting another 10 degrees or so out of it before it should get so hot it shuts down.

 

[Lothar]

So it happening around 80 degrees is not to soon in your opinion? I know 4k cameras run hotter than others and wanted to make sure my unit is just running as it was designed to and I shouldn’t be getting another 10 degrees or so out of it before it should get so hot it shuts down.

It depends on what the actual temperature of the dashcam is. You would need to take the temperature of the dashcam unit itself.
Keep in mind that the temperature in the car is always hotter than temperature out of the car, especially if you have black leather seats/upholstery.

Your dashcam's operating temperature according to BlackVue:

Operation Temperature	-20℃ – 70℃ (-4°F – 158°F)
Storage Temperature	-20 °C − 80 °C (-4 °F − 176 °F)
High Temp Cut Off	Approx. 75℃ (167°F)

If it is not operating within that temperature, I would recommend that you contact BlackVue support or initiate a warranty claim.

 

[Ukraine Visitor]

Just wanted to ask the community if it’s normal for a Blackvue 900x-plus to shutdown around 80 degrees if the sun is partially hitting it? It’s surprising to me as I would have expected and been fine with it being closer to 90 degrees out before this happened, but wanted to see what others thought. This happens while it’s in parking mode and it has the rear camera attached and also the Wi-Fi module, so maybe it just can’t handle the sun getting it hotter once it reaches 80-ish outside and the windows are rolled up? Or should this not be happening so soon? Not sure if I should try and go through the insurance plan I bought on it or not. I don’t want to waste my time or others when the next unit I get ends up doing exactly the same thing if it’s normal on the 900x-plus’.

Have you try switching your parked position so the rear camera gets the blast from the sun as opposed to the main cam? You could also try adding a sun shade on the windshield because, even if you parked "backwards" from how you are parking now, the front will still get some sun thru.

 

[kamkar]

While a car cabin can get blast furnace hot, then the camera getting direct sunlight is probably even worse.
Though CCTV cameras get sort of the same raw deal they are most often painted white and they often also have a internal fan to help circulation both summer and winter.
I never got to test a system with a remote main unit VS a dashcam with conventional design, but my common sense just tell me that the remote main unit put somewhere in the car out of direct sunlight will last longer.
And if dashcam makers rally would they could make systems that would fare a lot better in regard to many channels / high bitrates and the challenges of parking guard, CUZ the main unit could be made pretty big as it is not supposed to be on the windscreen, and so you could put in a proper heat pipe cooler, maybe even a active fan that could run during parking guard sessions which i think will still be the hottest times for a system.

Most dashcams, well the cooling in them most often are just a small ALY profile on the SOC and maybe some holes in the case where some hot air might escape, so really as a old computer geek and overclocker, i generally say dashcams and action cameras have no cooling at all, and so adding just a little cooling in some way would probably go far.

 

[SawMaster]

At 80F/27C and with direct sun, your cam is likely reaching it's limits. Anything you can do to lower temps like parking in the shade,turning the wifi off, using a mode or resolution which needs less processor power, and having some ventilation in the car will help.

I personally don't think overheat protection is necessary as I've never lost any cam to heat, including both cheap and mid-grade ones, although I do credit heat to greatly affecting the battery in one mid-grade cam which used LiPo's instead of supercaps. Oddly enough a super-cheap LiPo cam ran for years in similar conditions. I've also done measured heat tests and found that the cams I checked would work normally to 65C. Subjectively I'd say that's like me parking my beige work van in full sun on a 90F/32C or hotter day.

If you can't do something to mitigate the heat you're experiencing you might want to consider another cam since yours seems to be working as designed, and knowing that Blackvue isn't going to do anything to change how their cams function. Nobody can guarantee that a particular cam will work for you, but there are some known to work well in high heats and I'd recommend them over any from Blackvue in your situation.

Phil

 

[Scottyat2]

Reduce FPS to 24 rather than keeping it on 30. Also, you can drop the Resolution down one level and record in HD. Your dash cam should run a bit cooler. Hopefully on hot days, have the air conditioning on when driving. Having the dash cam at 4K does make it quite hot. When the car is parked have it facing away from the sun. Use a very small clip fan (uses AA or AAA Battery, 12V plugin to cigarette lighter, USB) on your visor or clamped on the rear-view mirror support and have it pointed toward your dash cam - air flow is important to keeping it a few degrees cooler.