Expected lifespan for memory cards on dash cams?

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MagicSpark

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I have pretty old A119, V1 probably. 15 month ago I installed and started to use newly purchased Samsung PRO Endurance 64GB Micro SDXC Memory Card.
Recently I noticed that video files recorded by dash camera have invalid format, size approximately 22-25KB and basically have no video. Once I replaced the memory card, dash camera records normal video files again. So definitely the problem is with memory card and not with camera.

I wonder if 12-14 months is expected lifespan for Samsung PRO Endurance Memory Card on dash camera?
How often do you replace memory cards?

Thanks
 
Lifetime of flash memory is determined primarily, but not solely, by the the number of times data is written to it - not by finite time periods.

www.howtogeek.com

How Long Do SD Cards Last?

Don't put one in a time capsule.
www.howtogeek.com www.howtogeek.com

64GB is a fairly small card for dash cam use, as a result memory cells get over-written more frequently and it's the erase/rewrite that wears them out. Larger cards will extend the time it takes for a card to reach end-of-life buy reducing the number of over-writes in a given time frame.
 
MagicSpark said:
I wonder if 12-14 months is expected lifespan for Samsung PRO Endurance Memory Card on dash camera?
Click to expand...
If it was recording all the time then that may be OK for a 64GB card, but not exactly good for a PRO model, if it is only recording while driving then a standard card should last that long and the PRO twice that.

Have you tried to reformat it with a full format using the SD Association SD Card Formatter? That might put it back to normal.

Normally a problem should result in a beeping warning. If you have turned the warnings off then maybe turn them back on.

Larger cards generally last longer, because each memory cell gets written to less often.
 
Memory cards can be hit / miss, years ago i had 2 bad ones in very short time, these two 64 GB cards ( big expensive cards at the time ) well i barely got to fill them 1 time.
Fortunately i was able to get both replaced under warranty, but not all memory cards have a warranty for dashcam use.
A smaller memory card will burn thru its read / write cycles faster than a big one will, in this day and age i recommend 256GB size cards if the particular camera in question support that.
My test suite of memory cards are 12 of them at the moment, all 256GB of course.

BUT ! me not driving very much ( about 15 - 20 min daily on average ) i normally get several years out of a memory card, also all the ones not warrantied for in dashcam use.

I would for sure test that card to see if it is the problem of the old A119 is the culprit.
 
DT MI said:
Lifetime of flash memory is determined primarily, but not solely, by the the number of times data is written to it - not by finite time periods.

www.howtogeek.com

How Long Do SD Cards Last?

Don't put one in a time capsule.
www.howtogeek.com www.howtogeek.com

64GB is a fairly small card for dash cam use, as a result memory cells get over-written more frequently and it's the erase/rewrite that wears them out. Larger cards will extend the time it takes for a card to reach end-of-life buy reducing the number of over-writes in a given time frame.
Click to expand...
According to spec A119 supports memory cards up to 64GB.
 
Nigel said:
If it was recording all the time then that may be OK for a 64GB card, but not exactly good for a PRO model, if it is only recording while driving then a standard card should last that long and the PRO twice that.

Have you tried to reformat it with a full format using the SD Association SD Card Formatter? That might put it back to normal.

Normally a problem should result in a beeping warning. If you have turned the warnings off then maybe turn them back on.

Larger cards generally last longer, because each memory cell gets written to less often.
Click to expand...
No it was not recording all the time, only while driving.
I tried to format using the SD Association SD Card Formatter, but this utility unable to format my card due to well known error "can't format write protected card".
Of course card protection switch was in position off.
 
MagicSpark said:
No it was not recording all the time, only while driving.
I tried to format using the SD Association SD Card Formatter, but this utility unable to format my card due to well known error "can't format write protected card".
Of course card protection switch was in position off.
Click to expand...
Try to create a new partition or try to delete the old one.
Then try the SDformatter again.
 
It's not exact, but a rough estimate is they can be written 3000 times fully.

WD Purple advertise that they have a way to show how much write life is left, but I've never found a way to access it.
 
mentadent said:
It's not exact, but a rough estimate is they can be written 3000 times fully.

WD Purple advertise that they have a way to show how much write life is left, but I've never found a way to access it.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't touch anything Western Digital with a six foot pole these days haha
 
MagicSpark said:
No it was not recording all the time, only while driving.
I tried to format using the SD Association SD Card Formatter, but this utility unable to format my card due to well known error "can't format write protected card".
Of course card protection switch was in position off.
Click to expand...
I guess you get about 8 hours per 64GB, and mentadent says you should be able to write 64GB 3000 times, so even if you drive 8 hours per day, that would be 3000 days, or 8 years. The 3000 is about right for a Pro model, so it would be reasonable for you to try a warranty claim. I'm not sure you will be successful, but there is not any harm in trying, let us know the result if you do.
 
Just don't volunteer that you used it in a dashcam in the warranty claim, in case they have some clause about that. They do for the non-endurance range.
 
Ok thanks
 
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