How to Address A139 Firmware / Overheating File Corruption Bug

[HonestReview]

Where is Sweden?

The places I listed are "typical hotspots" for hot summers.

Apparently, you've never heard of Global Warming, where most places around the world are getting hotter these days. England usually never sees above 20C. Remember how London had record heat waves of near 38C? One member here stated he lived in Montana (far northern USA) a record 38-40C this past summer.

Unfortunately, mankind is destroying the planet. Maybe you should write mother nature a complaint?

If you mean 80°C ambient, recently I measured 61°C "inside" while 24°C ambient(in garage)... Are you sure it's going to survive the upping?


Spot on!

I cannot answer this question. Viofo is the only who knows the limits of their hardware. They may have been conservative and kept temperatures low to extend the life of their product. I.E. The Supercapacitors are rated for higher than 65C. On the other hand, 65C could be the highest normal operating temperature.

Which is why I stated two options.

1. Up the temperature and lower the cut off to 1-2C below that temperature if 65C is a soft limit and the hardware can do more.

2. Lower cutoff off by 1C, to allow camera to properly exist, before reaching 65C. Assuming 65C is the maximum the hardware / superacapacitors can handle.

 

[HonestReview]

I'm confused .....

If the capacitors have a top working temp of 65C then won't upping the max software shutdown to 80C cause issues ?

I'd have thought a controlled shutdown at 60C would be more appropriate.

I agree. I offered that as a 2nd option. I don't know if 65C is Volvo's "preferred" operating conditions or a hardware limitation. So if upping the shutoff isn't viable, then Volvo should set the shutdown instruction at 63 or 64C. To allow the camera to properly exit and power off, without corrupting the last files / entire SD card.

 

[HonestReview]

Based on what I've wrote above, it could be even a bit hard for Viofo to up the limit since the chipset is obviously already well cooked and the actual thing which is killing it could be an overheating failsafe (not something which is possible to "up" by firmware without throttling the processing power).

See other replies......I agree. Which is why I offered two scenarios.

 

[Kremmen]

....... or, for multi channel systems, which seem to be the issue, redesign so that there is a central, out of the sun, control box.

All that gets stuck to the glass is the lens and housing.

 

[HonestReview]

You are right that as a paying customer, you should not be expect to become involved in lengthy troubleshooting of beta FW. Fair enough if you want to put in some time to help fix the issue.

Viofo is not alone, but I think manufacturers need to first spend more time product testing through proper channels, before sending out their "limited supply" of hardware to social media influencers for Rubber Stamp reviews.

To me, if all you care about is some guy spending five minutes with a product and writing it's great, you're setting yourself up for angry customers.

Remember, you get one chance at a first impression. If customers run out to buy a product, to find that the reviews don't reflect true performance, you start to garner a negative reputation for unreliable products.

I do believe Viofo are trying to fix things. They are engaging with you, have sent various replacement parts to you, and tried new FW. They are not ignoring you.

Sort Of. They keep writing back their engineers are very busy and behind schedule. They have not yet come up with a final 1.6 version of firmware.

I have not yet tested beta firmware 1.6 to see if the problem remains.

Rightfully, my motivation to do yet another test is getting less and less as a paying consumer. I have to undo the A139 lock, flash the camera, and then not utilize my car during this period. Also mother nature must give me a sunny day that's hot enough.

Not to mention, their shirking me for testing the T130, doesn't help. Considering they are more than happy to keep asking me to try resolutions (as a paying customer). But apparently my advice as a tester isn't warranted.

However there is no guarantee that this issue will ever be resolved to your satisfaction. As our long-time DCT member @SawMaster often says - choose a camera based on how it performs now, not on how you expect it to perform in the future.

If the camera doesn't meet your needs, send it back and move on.

Unfortunately, the market for 3 channel cameras is begrudgingly small. And I want a redundant system to my Viofo A129 that captures interior and the vehicle's surrounding. I am going to "live with it" and keep the A139 3 Channel. I already purchased and set it up in my car.

That doesn't mean I should ignore making other's aware of a potential problem in the name of transparency. Other consumers may not be so forgiving or "willing to accept" this issue maybe never getting resolved.

 

[HonestReview]

....... or, for multi channel systems, which seem to be the issue, redesign so that there is a central, out of the sun, control box.

All that gets stuck to the glass is the lens and housing.

Agreed.

 

[kamkar]

They should go with a remote system, to me it is the only viable solution for challenges like heat generated by higher bitrates / resolutions, and heat generated while parked, which IMO must be helped a lot if you just get the main unit out of direct sun, but if hidden there are not really any size restrictions on the main unit, so you could deploy larger coolers / better coolers ( heatpipe ) and even active cooling if things get really hot.

I do personally see no reason to keep focusing on traditional on windscreen systems.

I would gladly buy a dashcam with a shoe box sized main unit that can barely fit in under one of the front seats.
And it is my firm belief that a system like that, it could at least in regard to internal heat generation at least handle dual 4K cameras at significant bitrates, even without a 4000 RPM 120 mm fan going all the time ( a temperature controlled fan speed was probably a good idea )

 

[kamkar]

Another factor with a remote system, the main unit housing can be designed quite simple, and for smaller systems you could just use a large / larger ALU heat sink, but then with your top system you can put a heat pipe cooler and active cooling in the vary same box, and so that should be good for tooling as you would pretty much just need "1 box to rule / use on them all"

For heat pipe coolers, you could probably use already designed heat pipe coolers from GFX cards, these handle the extremely hot rinning GFX cards, so would have no problem handling al little SOC encoding dual 4K streams.

 

[HonestReview]

Another factor with a remote system, the main unit housing can be designed quite simple, and for smaller systems you could just use a large / larger ALU heat sink, but then with your top system you can put a heat pipe cooler and active cooling in the vary same box, and so that should be good for tooling as you would pretty much just need "1 box to rule / use on them all"

For heat pipe coolers, you could probably use already designed heat pipe coolers from GFX cards, these handle the extremely hot rinning GFX cards, so would have no problem handling al little SOC encoding dual 4K streams.

100% agree.

 

[TonyM]

@kamkar I know you are aware that remote camera systems mean lots of wires. For the average consumer, a 3CH camera like the T130 is much easier to install than an equivalent 3CH remote system would be.

However if SG ever decide to create an SG966xTR "Triple Remote" camera I'm sure it will be rock solid whatever the weather and ambient temps. And they would probably keep the camera resolutions and bitrates in check too.

 

[Nigel]

@kamkar I know you are aware that remote camera systems mean lots of wires. For the average consumer, a 3CH camera like the T130 is much easier to install than an equivalent 3CH remote system would be.

However if SG ever decide to create an SG966xTR "Triple Remote" camera I'm sure it will be rock solid whatever the weather and ambient temps.

And 1080 resolution all round!

 

[kamkar]

SG did surprise me with the DR and its little main unit,,,,, as did the K2S, i can only assume there was some consideration in regard to some people that might put it where the LCD could be seen.

Yes it is different installing a remote system, but i would not call it a significant departure from traditional cameras in regard to installing.

 

[TonyM]

And 1080 resolution all round!

Yes, probably. But if a 1080p camera keeps going like a Duracell bunny, isn't that better for some people than a 5MP camera that shuts down after an hour parked in the sun?

 

[HonestReview]

@kamkar I know you are aware that remote camera systems mean lots of wires. For the average consumer, a 3CH camera like the T130 is much easier to install than an equivalent 3CH remote system would be.

However if SG ever decide to create an SG966xTR "Triple Remote" camera I'm sure it will be rock solid whatever the weather and ambient temps. And they would probably keep the camera resolutions and bitrates in check too.

@jokiin and street guardian are in Australia. If it can survive there, it'll survive anywhere. @jokiin has told me though, Street Guardian has no current interest in the 3 channel market. Demand is too low.

 

[HonestReview]

Yes, probably. But if a 1080p camera keeps going like a Duracell bunny, isn't that better for some people than a 5MP camera that shuts down after an hour parked in the sun?

I already tested the A139 in FHD-FHD-FHD it seems. Bummer. Was hoping I missed that option.

In FHD-FHD-FHD the camera "freezes" but never turns off. Simply put, the lights remain lit, but the camera is unresponsive. The files being written at the moment where the A139 froze are also corrupted. The difference being is the camera "never shuts down".

 

[kamkar]

Yep 3 channel i also think are a niche product, i know personally i would not get one just for the #3 interior camera, that would need a change to ride share, and thats illegal here.
I am firmly focused on 2 channel systems as far as my own needs.

What i really would like to see now is a dual 1440p system, even if i also do consider rear camera as secondary.

 

[HonestReview]

Yep 3 channel i also think are a niche product, i know personally i would not get one just for the #3 interior camera, that would need a change to ride share, and thats illegal here.
I am firmly focused on 2 channel systems as far as my own needs.

What i really would like to see now is a dual 1440p system, even if i also do consider rear camera as secondary.

I want 3 channel so camera can see out the sides of my car while driving, while parked, and of course if police. The A139 does that nicely, but the damn overheat.

I think I may be stuck testing beta 1.6 (unhappily) if the weather permits. To see if the issue persists. I'd be almost any amount of money the problem is not resolved in beta 1.6.....And feel slighted being a paying customer beta tester. But I guess I either work towards a solution or be stuck with the current results.

Neither solution I like.

 

[kamkar]

Danish police are also pretty horrible, actually a former police chief are in front of a judge these days, but i dont feel much like a camera for them, not least as when pulled over i instantly get out of my car as a person hovering over me is not a favorite of mine.
And i only get pulled over about every 5 years or so.
If needed i would just whip out my phone camera, and due to the horrible low state of Danish police it is also recommended to film them, as it seem even basic laws they are not aware off or want to circumvent with lies ( like for instance filming police and posting that online,,,,, which is also legal to do )

Here former cop, now activist film a cop, which instantly try to lie about the rules for filming police to make hm stop, assumingly so he can violate more of his rights..

 

[reverend]

@HonestReview, you've been having issues with Viofo & Zenfox cameras for a long time, at the end of the day your time isn't free so if they're wanting you to test for them they should refund you the product price.

The top Amazon UK review of the A139 says it was a freebie from Viofo and Amazon don't like that these days.

For dashcams stability is king, screw the bells and whistles. These aren't cheap cameras.

If you're testing it's a different matter but you have paid money so you're a customer - not a Viofo tester and it's winding you up. You have invested a lot of time faffing about. I don't check here much these days but I think every time I do you've posted about a stability issue.

The A129 Duo and A119v3 were both very stable for me but the A129 Pro was just way too picky with cards for it's own good. Picture quality was great but I would never rely on it for an accident. Both units I tried were not 100% reliable. Street Guardian I know I could do 200 miles and it would all be recorded - the A129 Pro I literally wouldn't be sure it had everything to the end of our village.

Shoehorning more channels onto a single microSD card just highlights issues where microSD storage still isn't reliably quick enough across all vendors. It never helps when manufacturers change specs these days half way through a production run but everything is made for maximum profit these days, the slightest latency on write and a multichannel dashcam will have issues and Novatek just don't seem to have found the right answer.

If I'm still here in 5 years I could check in on DCT and odds are you'll have an issue with a Viofo A159 camera and @russ331 will still be posting that his 12 year old capacitors in his Mobii are still working perfectly

 

[Nigel]

The top Amazon UK review of the A139 says it was a freebie from Viofo and Amazon don't like that these days.

I suspect it was not a freebie from Viofo, maybe from "Viofo UK", which is a trading name of UK reseller MycrocamUK who has answered all the questions on that page. Decent review though!