HOW TO: Change the GPS battery in the DR500GW-HD when date is 1970

wozzzzza

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I have had a problem with my DR500GW-HD for a few weeks now with file retention and date/time not correct, normally 1st January 1970 every time you go and start using it. every time it turns on files are overwritten or just jumbled up that badly you don't know what order they are in as they are all over the place as the date order is never correct. when the SD card gets full all hell breaks loose then, files get deleted that shouldn't, some older files stay on there for ever, mayhem.
I ordered a new battery off of ebay, just enter in "ms621fe" and it will show them available for $5 and takes about 2 weeks to deliver from Taiwan, or if you want to get the same thing locally in Australia you are paying about $25. was a no brainer for me, not going to waste $20 when I don't have to.
Just arrived today in the post, I made a video on how to replace the battery as I couldn't find any tutorials anywhere on internet for it, didn't take long, about 15 minutes or so. you need some half decent soldering skills and a fine tip on your soldering iron.
After it was done, I formatted the SD card and went outside and tested it, took a minute to get GPS locked on, left it recording a few minutes then had a look, beautiful, I once again have a CORRECT date and time on my recordings.
Any questions, just ask me. Hope this video will make you do the same thing if you got the same problem.
 
Excellent tutorial, wozzzzza! Thanks for posting it.

Although I solder things and like to fiddle with tiny pieces, the job looks very challenging.

Google searches show that the "ms621fe" battery is rechargeable, but it looks like yours nevertheless wore out.

Does you dashcam get roasted a lot by the Australian heat? I live in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, USA and normally keep my car/dashacam in the garage. If I park in public areas, I usually remove the dashcam and hide it from thieving eyes. Perhaps my DR500GW-HD will have a longer life.

A better dashcam design would have been to use a larger one-use battery that could be easily replaced by the user.
 
not too bad with heat up the far north, adelaide is worse with higher temperatures and some other places in the world worse than where I am as well, you would think it would last longer than this. but the cam gets very hot at times you can hardly touch it.
 
Just some observations watching the video.
1. It helps sometimes to flow a bit of solder onto the joint to help desolder, make sure your iron is fully hot also.
2. Lightly tin the leads of the new battery before trying to solder it to the board will help it quickly solder back again, be careful when holding with pliers not to short out the new battery (also when tinning/soldering to board).
3. Careful not to heat new battery too much, it is wise to hold with something metal (e.g your pliers) to help draw a bit of heat away), although sometimes this can make it hard to flow the solder as you found when trying to get the old one off LOL. That is why using a bit of new solder is good to help removal because it will typically have a flux core and lead content, which helps mix with whatever they originally used to easily get it off.
4. It seems my battery setup is slightly different to yours, mine had a little silicon sleeve on it (presumably to reduce vibration issues).
5. Check carefully the fine wires going to the speaker, I am guessing that cage on the top circuit board gets mega hot, and melted my speaker wire a little, so I put a little tape around it to avoid the slightly exposed wire from sitting on the cage.
Cheers.
 
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You can also use a desolder strip to quickly get it off and yes, always tin the new stuff and it will join immediately
 
You can also use a desolder strip to quickly get it off and yes, always tin the new stuff and it will join immediately
I find desolder wick not so successful with this fine surface mount stuff, it has the potential to heat up the tracks an awful amount to the point of lifting the track, trying to draw away enough solder for the component to lift off (mind you with all that pulling that Wozzaaa was doing he was lucky not to lift a track!)
 
I know I could have done better, was in a hurry, but mainly videoed it to show how to do it for those that don't know.
 
No worries. I used to chip Playstations so have had a fair bit of experience with fine soldering.
Used a 25 watt iron and even then pulled a few tracks. Learned how to fix them the hard way.

If using a desolder strip used to heat it up with the iron on a block of wood and then touch the bit I wanted to remove.
Also had an air sucker to desolder.
I use specialist electronic solder with flux core and fairly fine stuff at that.

Have ordered a battery just in case.

As far as the OP is concerned if you dont use it in parking mode you shouldnt have probs.
We were through there a couple of months ago and it wasnt so hot A lot worse further west and camera was almost too hot to touch in Tucson but still worked fine.
 
Would this be the same for the 550?
probably very similar, take it apart and have a look. amazing how such a small thing can screw soo much of the operation of a device up to make it almost unusable.
 
Hi guys
Here is the solution I found and worked in my BlackVue DR500GW-HD
1.Download new firmware in blackvue.com
BlackVue DR500GW-HD English firmware v2.002
http://www.blackvue.com/EN/contents...rboardsort=&page=6&idx=1339&search=&searchstr=
2. unzips file in a folder
3.SD card formatting and copy unzip files to SD card
4.link wifi and check live camera (the time sould showed 2013/~/~), need to check your time zone setting is correct.
5. time is not correct (2013/~/~), push wifi button 10 sec after beep tham you can release button.(SD card formatting again) reset it.
7.link wifi and check live camera (the time sould showed correct time)
 
Have you missed out a step in omitting the camera will update before you do the time check.

If not If you format card in the camera it will wipe the card and then load the software thats in the camera and if its faulty will still be so.
If the battery is stuffed the date will never change from the default, as Wozzzzza says, as it has no memory retention without it.

What problem were you having with the camera to need to do this
 
My 500 no longer has working GPS or time. Do you think the problem is the battery? Or do I need to upgrade the firmware?

If the battery is the problem I'm going to buy a new camera. Trying to change the battery is going to be too much effort for me.
 
Perhaps if you could tell us what firmware you have it would help.

Also there are two model 500's One has GPS The other doesnt
 
My 500 no longer has working GPS or time. Do you think the problem is the battery? Or do I need to upgrade the firmware?

If the battery is the problem I'm going to buy a new camera. Trying to change the battery is going to be too much effort for me.
do all the other symptoms in my first post match yours like date/time etc.. if so then yeah battery fuked.
 
do all the other symptoms in my first post match yours like date/time etc.. if so then yeah battery fuked.

I can't remember exactly the last time I pulled it out and looked at the video. I should do that. But I do know that the speed always shows up as 0 mph now, which is not good. I assume it gets the speed (and the time) from the GPS and so this means the GPS isn't working.

I asked in another thread, but does anyone know, if I get the 600, can I use it in the same mounting as the 500? If I can swap it without replacing the mounting it will be great. Alternatively I could buy another 500.

Edit: I read the reviews on Amazon. Others have had the same experience with the GPS sub-system failing on this cam, related to temperatures (I'm in Los Angeles). I need to replace it, the only question is, with a 600, or a Lukas.
 
Heat hasnt killed mine Was through Phoenix and right across the south from Orlando to Tucson and up to Bryce in May - June and my 500 never missed a beat.

Was always left on the screen and worked every day.

A battery is about $2.50 US and if you know someone who can solder is a 30min job to pull it apart and fix it A lot cheaper than a new one


Gets a lot hotter here in Queensland than in L A as well not even summer and over 90 here for the last week
 
Hi Hilbilly, you're right. I watched that video and it looks like I could do it easily. Worst case I mess it up and I have to buy a new cam anyway. I found that I can get that battery from Digikey (major supplier of parts here in the US) for about $2. I'll also need a soldering iron and some solder, adding another $20 or so. I'll give it a try, I might learn something.
 
If I had never soldered before I wouldnt start on one of these.

Like everything is not quite as easy as it looks.

Surely you have a friend or relative who knows what to do.

Excessive heat can fry a circuit board or loosen other components as I have found to my sorrow when working on Playstations.

If you have never done it before ask around Even a electronics repair guy would do it for a lot less than a new camera
 
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