Huge gaps of missing video (weeks)

G

GoodEnough

Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2015
Messages
114
Reaction score
7
Country
United States
I went to view something that happened while driving today.
Turns out, the latest files are like 3-4 weeks old. WTF?
It had the very end of today's drive, and the next closest file was from May.
I turned crash sensitivity to low to the SAVE/ folder is empty.

The one or two times I've needed this, it has failed me.
SHort of buying a different camera, b/c this is a serious liability that does not do the one thing it is supposed to.
how do I troubleshoot this ****ing pile of junk?

I have G1W-S, but that subforum is dead.
 
+1 on checking the memory, you may find that it is that which is a ****ing pile of junk....

Format the micro SD card, or try another one instead.
 
The card is fairly new.
You're saying a bad card will not be binary?
It will record some of the time, and not others?

It is so weird that is has the last 3 mins. of today's drive,
and then nothing for 3 weeks prior.

You sure that isn't some setting?
 
Sadly fairly new is no guarantee, even with the best of brands / models, at least that is my experience.
I had many more cheaper memory cards die on me, but factoring in how many i had of those over the years and how few i have of the higher end memory cards i think its something like 1:1 ratio, it is what it is some times you draw a dud, this is where buying memory cards from a reputable seller come in.
To test memory card run it thru the free program H2testw, that will test all empty room on it, so you would want the memory card to be empty first.
How is the camera powered ? if you use the supplied PSU and the 12 V cigarette plug, those plugs can wiggle loose i had that happen to me a couple of times, if you have it hardwired you might also want to inspect the connections.
A common flaw / mistake with hard wire are people use a less than optimal ground connection, some have even used dashboard screws that dont even touch metal and so no ground at all.

To make sure it is not something with the settings i would turn everything like parking mode G sensor and motion detect off, so the camera should just record all the time, but to be honest though i have no experience with the A119 then i doubt its a setting thing.
 
I QUICK formatted the card
64GB SanDisk Ultra
 
GoodEnough said:
Turns out, the latest files are like 3-4 weeks old. WTF?
Click to expand...
One possibility is your date/time was not up to date. If you have Loop recording set to some value, when the microSD card is full, the oldest files will be erased first to make room for the latest recordings. So if the date/time attached to a new file is older than that of all other saved files, the new file will get erased first to make way for the next file...on and on.
 
5Cowbells said:
GoodEnough said:
Turns out, the latest files are like 3-4 weeks old. WTF?
Click to expand...
One possibility is your date/time was not up to date. If you have Loop recording set to some value, when the microSD card is full, the oldest files will be erased first to make room for the latest recordings. So if the date/time attached to a new file is older than that of all other saved files, the new file will get erased first to make way for the next file...on and on.
Click to expand...
The date/ time always resets. Never is accurate. Hard wired to car.
 
GoodEnough said:
What's the right card?
Click to expand...
The newer SanDisk Ultra A1 card should be fine (must say A1 on it). The Samsung EVO Select (green and white) has been solid in the Viofo cameras as well. Transcend is always a good bet. Avoid Lexar and the older SanDisk Ultra cards (non-A1).
@5Cowbells has a good point with the time/date. If your camera is always resetting the date and time, then you may be just overwriting the current files. Since the camera thinks they are old, it’s deleting them first.
 
Yeah as the date / time are part of naming the files, and the cameras routine with deleting older files when full, then this might well be the culprit.
Lets say your camera start recording at A date, and then proceed to work fine on B - C - D date, but when the camera then reset back to A date, then it cant delete B - C - D dates yet as it have not reached that date yet and so files with those dates cant be older files and eligible for deletion, and so you end up with a bunch of files that dont get deleted ever, or only random depending on the cameras mood to retain the date.

I assume you dont use GPS as the camera should set its time after that, and so the files with the old default date / time it reset itself to should be fewer.
 
GoodEnough said:
The date/ time always resets. Never is accurate. Hard wired to car.
Click to expand...

How old is your dash cam?

Hardwired - does it shut the power off the camera when the ignition is turned off?

If so it could be that you might have a small battery in the dash cam that needs replacing.
You would loose the time and date if this is faulty or flat.

Even the V119 has a small "button" battery in it and so does the gps module.
 
Last edited:
GoodEnough said:
The date/ time always resets. Never is accurate. Hard wired to car.
Click to expand...
Your problems are solvable with help from forum members if you are willing and able. If still under warranty, you might want to contact the seller for advice before attempting some fixes that might be suggested here in order not to void the warranty. Try the easy no cost things first.

The first thing you need to do is to get the date/time working. If you don't have GPS, you must manually set the date/time in the menu. If the date/time resets each time you power down, then we need to solve that problem.

As @LateralNW stated, the A119 has a rechargeable button battery (called the real-time clock or RTC battery) that keeps the clock running when power is removed from camera. This battery is soldered in so replacement is not necessarily an easy solution for the average user, but is possible. But if the date/time resets (defaults) every time you power down while other menu settings you input did not change {Edit: to default}, that might indicate a problem with the RTC battery. It is possible for the battery simply to be run down, particularly if the camera has been unpowered for lengthy periods, for example a month or so. So simply powering the camera for a few hours connected to a wall charger with the supplied short cable might be enough to charge and revive the RTC battery.

If you have noted that some or all of the settings that you previously input are defaulting each time you power off, then the problem might be elsewhere. In this case the easiest thing to try is to re-load or update your firmware. Find downloads and instructions at the Viofo website here: http://support.viofo.com/support/solutions/articles/19000019600-viofo-a119-car-dash-camera-firmware.
 
Last edited:
I think you're right.

The last file was dated "Jan 4"

Yet, every other file was dated Jan 8 and forward.
So, I bet the card got full of files from a future date.
This way, it could only delete files from the current day
and all the other files from the future were "protected"
since it only deletes older files?

It seems the date stamp is critical for loooping.

If this is Right, what is my next step?
Replace the internal battery? (already dead!?!)
 
Last edited:
GoodEnough said:
I think you're right.

The last file was dated "Jan 4"

Yet, every other file was dated Jan 8 and forward.
So, I bet the card got full of files from a future date.
This way, it could only delete files from the current day
and all the other files from the future were "protected"
since it only deletes older files?

It seems the date stamp is critical for loooping.

If this is Right, what is my next step?
Replace the internal battery? (already dead!?!)
Click to expand...
You could try to “revive “ the battery by leaving it powered in your house, connected to a USB charger (phone charger) for about 24-48 hours. If you take a lot of short drives or your car doesn’t get a lot of use, it’s possible the battery can’t remained charged.
 
CaptureYourAction said:
You could try to “revive “ the battery by leaving it powered in your house, connected to a USB charger (phone charger) for about 24-48 hours.
Click to expand...
Yes it is much easier to do this work in the comfort of your own home. The test for success afterward is to set the Date/Time in the menu, then power down, wait 2 minutes or so, power up again, and then check to see if Date/Time is still reasonably accurate (within seconds) or has reset to a default value probably before Jan 8. {Edit: If this works OK then you should probably recheck the date/time accuracy after the camera has been powered down for longer periods to be sure the RTC battery continues to hold its charge.}

Meanwhile it would be helpful for us to know the following to prepare for the next step if needed:
1) How old is the camera?
2) What firmware version are you currently using (find that as the last item in the camera menu)?
3) Have you ever updated your firmware? If so, do you recall your original firmware version?

For folks here to best help you, please post descriptive feedback on suggestions, questions, actions you have taken and their results.
 
Last edited:
and get a simple USB multimeter so you know a power conditions your camera works in. even one like this will do.
41jyky8FYmL._AC_US200_.jpg

:)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top