Hot Pixels (7/18/15)

[Yen]

I received my SG9665GC today (thanks @Pier28!) and have been playing with it. I also set it pointing outside my patio door and had it record for 2 hours to test it. To my surprise, as it got dark outside, I started seeing hot pixels...at least a dozen or so obvious ones.

I did some googling and I know that hot pixels were a problem with the first batch, however the one I received should have been one of the newer batches, which @jokiin mentioned should have been calibrated during production to not have any hot pixels.

Is anyone else still seeing this issue? And also, is there a calibration I can do myself to get rid of these hot pixels?

 

[Street Guardian USA]

I received my SG9665GC today (thanks @Pier28!) and have been playing with it. I also set it pointing outside my patio door and had it record for 2 hours to test it. To my surprise, as it got dark outside, I started seeing hot pixels...at least a dozen or so obvious ones.

I did some googling and I know that hot pixels were a problem with the first batch, however the one I received should have been one of the newer batches, which @jokiin mentioned should have been calibrated during production to not have any hot pixels.

Is anyone else still seeing this issue? And also, is there a calibration I can do myself to get rid of these hot pixels?

Interesting, it's possible yours didn't get calibrated some how. (no reports on this yet, first)

I'll send you the instructions on how calibration is done so it's good to go.
(via PM check your inbox shortly)

You got the second batch for sure if it came with the OTG reader shown here:
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...r-android-smartphone-tablet-and-pc-mac.12819/

 

[jokiin]

redo the calibration and it should be fine

 

[Yen]

Thanks guys! I finished the calibration process and am currently in the process of testing it, I'll report back and update if it worked

 

[jokiin]

thanks, can be done over if you didn't get it sorted the first time

we had to roll back the firmware and it may have caused an issue with the previous calibration settings

 

[Yen]

Hi guys,

I re-calibrated with the instructions that Jon gave me. It seemed to get rid of some of the hot pixels, however there was one that remained. I figured I may have not calibrated correctly, so I did the whole process again. That stubborn pixel was still there! I figured I would give it another shot and re-calibrated a 3rd time. Unfortunately, the stubborn pixel just wouldn't go away.

Is it normal to have a pixel (or two, or more) that just stays hot whenever it gets dark? Granted it's a minor problem, but I haven't experienced this with my mini before, so I'm curious.

Here are some pics:

1) Pre-calibration

2) Post re-calibration #1

3) Post re-calibration #2

4) Post re-calibration #3

All the other white dots you see twinkle on and off, but the one marked by the red arrow is consistently hot all the time.
Let me know if you'd like me to upload a video.

 

[jokiin]

How long had the camera been running for when you did the calibration?

 

[Yen]

When I did my first calibration, my camera had been running for 2 hours, then about an hour break, then calibration. For my subsequent calibrations, the camera had been running for about 5-10 minutes, then 5-10 minute break, then calibration.

 

[jokiin]

You can try it hot and cold, the results can vary slightly, make sure you've totally blocked the sensor when doing the first part of the process

 

[niko]

@Pier28 , - give to OP my YT video tutorial link. There are some "ticks" that might be useful while calibrating.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

@Pier28 , - give to OP my YT video tutorial link. There are some "ticks" that might be useful while calibrating.

Way ahead of you already sent.

I'm happy to swap out the unit if we exhaust the recalibration process which usually works perfectly. (standing by)

 

[niko]

Way ahead of you already sent.

You were lucky I was sleeping

 

[Yen]

You can try it hot and cold, the results can vary slightly, make sure you've totally blocked the sensor when doing the first part of the process

Since I tried re-calibrating 3 times when the sensor was "warm" yesterday, I tested a re-calibration today when it was "cold" (15 hours without use). And yes I totally blocked the sensor when doing the first part of the calibration process by taping over the lens with electrical tape and resting it flush against the table (@niko 's method). Unfortunately it didn't get rid of the hot pixels. See below picture: the hot pixel marked by the red arrow is a pixel that is constantly hot, whereas the other ones twinkle (but still does so consistently and annoyingly).

I've also uploaded a video this time. Since it's still bright daylight over here, I just pointed the camera down on the table to simulate darkness.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Eppt2fJu47ZE13U1lMTWNwUDg/view?usp=sharing

Let me know if this is normal/expected behavior of the SG9665GC, or if this is an anomaly.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

I'll send a replacement.

 

[Yen]

Thanks Jon, I really appreciate your commitment