GT300 STUCK ON MASS STORAGE

[Graham2285]

Can anyone advise me please, when i switch on my dashcam after turning on my engine the camera comes on briefly then the screen changes to another which says MASS STORAGE then underneath that it says PC CAMERA and i cannot get the camera back.
Can anyone advise please.

Thank you

Graham

 

[DT MI]

It might help to know what camera and what car. That said it sounds like you may have it powered from a USB port in the vehicle and the camera thinks it's connected to a computer and goes into mass storage mode.

 

[Graham2285]

It is a Car GT300 CAM IN BLUE FULL HD 1080 VEHICLE BLACKBOX DVR.
My car is a Toyota Aygo Xcite an i am using the usb port in the car.
I have tried to plug into my computer but that does not help either.
I have had it working but it is stuck in this Mass Storage mode and the instructions do not mention anything about it

 

[DashcamDPR]

has it been like that since you bought it or has it ever worked correctly?

that particular cam is one that goes by several different names used by several different manufacturers and they all look identical. I bought 3 of these a while ago after seeing youtube video samples looking "really good for such a low price", two of them were absolutely awful quality, literally 640x480 res at best, 90 degree viewing angle and awful sound, and the 3rd one was behaving exactly as yours is. when powered by the car cigarette lighter it behaved as if connected to the computer

If yours has never worked properly and only ever done what its doing now, return it, it's faulty

 

[Dashmellow]

There were numerous cameras that were manufactured with the same housing as the GT300W of varying quality and with varying components. The Shadow Tech GT300W was a branded version of the original DOD LS300W. Both used the NT96650 DSP and the Aptina AR0330 sensor and were excellent. Most of the others were clones or entirely different cameras that used the same public housing.

 

[Graham2285]

has it been like that since you bought it or has it ever worked correctly?

that particular cam is one that goes by several different names used by several different manufacturers and they all look identical. I bought 3 of these a while ago after seeing youtube video samples looking "really good for such a low price", two of them were absolutely awful quality, literally 640x480 res at best, 90 degree viewing angle and awful sound, and the 3rd one was behaving exactly as yours is. when powered by the car cigarette lighter it behaved as if connected to the computer

If yours has never worked properly and only ever done what its doing now, return it, it's faulty

It worked when i first connected it on Sunday outside my house i got the video working and was able to delete what i had taken but the next time i switched on the mass storage sign came on we managed ti get the video back on but again today in switching on get the mass storage message again.

 

[DashcamDPR]

try a different car charger if you have one available? Like a generic Cigarette lighter charger and not one that has USB ports to connect?

After the 3 I had, I never trusted any of the cameras in the "GT300" style, they're a minefield of many different cams that all look identical

 

[Dashmellow]

After the 3 I had, I never trusted any of the cameras in the "GT300" style, they're a minefield of many different cams that all look identical

Like I said, the branded GT300W from Seezeus ShadowTec and the LS300W from DOD were the real deal just the way the StreetGuardian SG9665GC and the Viofo A118 (B40) are the real deal but the many generic clones using the exact same housing with the exact same appearance are not. There is no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater; you just need to make sure you are purchasing the real McCoy from a reputable vendor.

The same holds true for the G1W-H whose lineage is directly connected with the GT300W and the LS300W and also uses the same housing. If you buy a Viofo branded G1W-H from a legit vendor you'll know your getting the camera you are expecting.

 

[Dashmellow]

It is a Car GT300 CAM IN BLUE FULL HD 1080 VEHICLE BLACKBOX DVR.
My car is a Toyota Aygo Xcite an i am using the usb port in the car.
I have tried to plug into my computer but that does not help either.
I have had it working but it is stuck in this Mass Storage mode and the instructions do not mention anything about it

It sounds like your USB port in the car has a data connection that is making the camera think it is connected to a computer. Most in-car USB ports have the data connection so you can connect your iPod or smartphone to your sound system. Your computer also has a data connection, of course, and this is how you are able to download your videos to the computer when you connect the camera. That is why it says "Mass Storage".......because the computer sees the camera as a "volume" full of files on the microSD card.

You should try an original 5V car charger with a mini-B USB connector on the end rather that the car's USB port. Those port tend to be under powered for dash cams anyway. If you have a mains powered USB charger you can also trying connecting the camera directly to that at home and it should work.

 

[jokiin]

use the included power supply rather than data enabled ports and it will work as intended

 

[Graham2285]

try a different car charger if you have one available? Like a generic Cigarette lighter charger and not one that has USB ports to connect?

After the 3 I had, I never trusted any of the cameras in the "GT300" style, they're a minefield of many different cams that all look identical

Difficult as there is no cigarette lighter connection in my car

 

[jokiin]

Difficult as there is no cigarette lighter connection in my car

buy a female lighter socket (a few dollars online or most auto parts stores) and wire that in and use the included power supply

 

[Graham2285]

buy a female lighter socket (a few dollars online or most auto parts stores) and wire that in and use the included power supply

Thank you for the tip however my car is brand new and i do not really want to start rewiring.
Graham

 

[jokiin]

Thank you for the tip however my car is brand new and i do not really want to start rewiring.
Graham

well if you have a vehicle without a lighter socket (really didn't know there were cars without them these days) it's a way to use the supplied power cable, it's not rewiring it's just a socket and a fuse tap and earth terminal, not much to it, alternative would be a proper hardwired power cord, using the built in USB port in your vehicle might seem convenient but it is not suitable to run the camera

 

[Graham2285]

well if you have a vehicle without a lighter socket (really didn't know there were cars without them these days) it's a way to use the supplied power cable, it's not rewiring it's just a socket and a fuse tap and earth terminal, not much to it, alternative would be a proper hardwired power cord, using the built in USB port in your vehicle might seem convenient but it is not suitable to run the camera

Must apologise must be my 66 senior years playing up. After checking your suggestion checked car for cigarette lighter socket and found it (well hidden) connected it up and camera worked i will try it when next travelling.
Thanking you all for your kind helpful tips and suggestions

Graham

 

[jokiin]

Must apologise must be my 66 senior years playing up. After checking your suggestion checked car for cigarette lighter socket and found it (well hidden) connected it up and camera worked i will try it when next travelling.
Thanking you all for your kind helpful tips and suggestions

Graham

no problem, since smoking is socially unacceptable these days and on the decline anyway they have omitted the ashtray from most new vehicles, the cig socket lives on due to accessory power needs since everyone is addicted to their phones, gadgets etc, the sockets tend to get hidden away in modern cars though due to their current day usefulness

 

[DashcamDPR]

Like I said, the branded GT300W from Seezeus ShadowTec and the LS300W from DOD were the real deal just the way the StreetGuardian SG9665GC and the Viofo A118 (B40) are the real deal but the many generic clones using the exact same housing with the exact same appearance are not...

Fairly certain this is the cam OP is referring to...

use the included power supply rather than data enabled ports and it will work as intended

If his cam is the one I have pictured, it's most likely faulty in the same way one of mine was

 

[Dashmellow]

Fairly certain this is the cam OP is referring to...

View attachment 32680




If his cam is the one I have pictured, it's most likely faulty in the same way one of mine was

I see. Thanks for clarifying. The original LS300/GT300 is somewhat of a classic that was very popular here on DCT several years ago and essentially still available as the G1WH. The excellent video quality and low light performance was the main attraction as the NT96650 processor and Aptina AR0330 sensor had only recently been introduced in a widely available, modestly priced dash cam. Perhaps that reputation is why other clone makers are using the same name for this camera? In fact, as far as I know, the camera you've posted a photo of is also a "public" housing seen on a variety of different models. I don't generally follow cameras like this these days, so I wasn't aware of it as a GT300.

You can read the original DashCamTalk write-up on the LS300W/GT300W cameras HERE.

 

[DashcamDPR]

no worries, I remember during my search for my first ever dashcam years ago trying to find sellers of the DOD LS430w (I think), but they weren't very cheap at the time.

You're right about the public housing versions of the one I pictured, hence why I got stung 3 times by 3 different online sellers all claiming theirs was the real deal, It was youtube that taught me they were being called the GT300, They're now selling for under £10 all over the internet. some of our petrol stations sell them for around double that price but I wouldn't know (and don't care to find out) if those are using better internals

 

[Dashmellow]

no worries, I remember during my search for my first ever dashcam years ago trying to find sellers of the DOD LS430w (I think), but they weren't very cheap at the time.

You're right about the public housing versions of the one I pictured, hence why I got stung 3 times by 3 different online sellers all claiming theirs was the real deal, It was youtube that taught me they were being called the GT300, They're now selling for under £10 all over the internet. some of our petrol stations sell them for around double that price but I wouldn't know (and don't care to find out) if those are using better internals

The whole thing with the original GT300W was that it was the essentially the exact same thing as the DOD LS300W at around half the price. DOD's offerings always seem outrageously overpriced. And four years ago, there were not so many choices as we have today if you were looking for a decent performing dash cam.