Interested in 2 A119 v3 but concerned about battery life and parking mode

[AceM]

It seems the specs are better than the A129 so figured i would go this route but worried about my battery life, are there any options?

Also i imagine i can use the same wiring kit for both if i do some wire splicing?

 

[Kremmen]

They haven't got a battery, they use a super capacitor. Far more reliable.

As for wiring, they use a standard mini USB. I'm still using my Nextbase hardwire kit that I installed years ago.

 

[EGS]

I think he is referring to the battery on the vehicle.

 

[valkyrie]

It seems the specs are better than the A129 so figured i would go this route but worried about my battery life, are there any options?

Also i imagine i can use the same wiring kit for both if i do some wire splicing?

I have the A119 V3 with the HK3 wiring kit and have had no issues with battery. I haven't tested current draw but I believe I read somewhere it was something like 200mAh. I wouldn't worry about battery unless you have an old one on it's last leg. You can choose between 4 voltage selections on the HK3 so if your concerned with your battery you can set it to the highest cut off voltage.

IMO the A119 V3 is NOT a very good option if you want to use parking mode.

While in Auto Event detection or Time lapse modes when G-sensor triggered events are recorded they are placed in the Movie directory which is overwritten from the Normal Loop recording function. There is no distinguishable Flag, Lock, Protection or Notification presented to the owner unless they are sitting in their vehicle while parked. There is no "Lock" or "Protection" on those files so if you don't view them regularly they will be overwritten at some point depending on how large your memory card is.

The only parking mode that places G-sensor triggered events into a safe location, apparently protected from the overwrite routine is the Low Bit Rate Mode. So basically if you want to setup a camera to record constantly any camera with similar specs would do.

I've spoken of this design flaw in the A119 V3 thread and have been waiting for @viofo to comment for a little over a week on this forum. I've also had ongoing ticket with Viofo support and have been waiting 5 days for a response from them to speak with their engineers. At this point it's seemingly becoming difficult to get them to acknowledge and address the issues.

 

[jokiin]

I have the A119 V3 with the HK3 wiring kit and have had no issues with battery. I haven't tested current draw but I believe I read somewhere it was something like 20mA.

will be around 200mAh

 

[valkyrie]

will be around 200mAh

Thanks for the correction, I've edited my error...

 

[AceM]

Yes i didnt want my car battery to die since i would be using 2 full cameras versus a duo


How about parking mode itself, from my searching it seems that after the car is off, most cams can record for a few hrs before the voltage on the battery drops, i imagine with 2 separate cams the voltage would drop alot sooner thus cutting my parking mode time in half?

I imagine the reported issue will be fixed with a firmware release, personally if i have an accident i remove the sd card and transfer right away, so if anything gets erased its not something important

 

[jokiin]

the 2 channel A129 will use less power than 2 x A119V3

 

[Kremmen]

Would a powerbank stop any battery drain ?

Wire it to an ignition circuit then it will charge while driving and a suitable medium power one will easily last all night for PM

 

[viofo]

I have the A119 V3 with the HK3 wiring kit and have had no issues with battery. I haven't tested current draw but I believe I read somewhere it was something like 200mAh. I wouldn't worry about battery unless you have an old one on it's last leg. You can choose between 4 voltage selections on the HK3 so if your concerned with your battery you can set it to the highest cut off voltage.

IMO the A119 V3 is NOT a very good option if you want to use parking mode.

While in Auto Event detection or Time lapse modes when G-sensor triggered events are recorded they are placed in the Movie directory which is overwritten from the Normal Loop recording function. There is no distinguishable Flag, Lock, Protection or Notification presented to the owner unless they are sitting in their vehicle while parked. There is no "Lock" or "Protection" on those files so if you don't view them regularly they will be overwritten at some point depending on how large your memory card is.

The only parking mode that places G-sensor triggered events into a safe location, apparently protected from the overwrite routine is the Low Bit Rate Mode. So basically if you want to setup a camera to record constantly any camera with similar specs would do.

I've spoken of this design flaw in the A119 V3 thread and have been waiting for @viofo to comment for a little over a week on this forum. I've also had ongoing ticket with Viofo support and have been waiting 5 days for a response from them to speak with their engineers. At this point it's seemingly becoming difficult to get them to acknowledge and address the issues.

Currently the buffered parking mode files is marked as read only files.
We will update more details for this while we get update from Novatek.

 

[Nigel]

It seems the specs are better than the A129 so figured i would go this route but worried about my battery life, are there any options?

Also i imagine i can use the same wiring kit for both if i do some wire splicing?

If it is the resolution of the A129 that you don't like then get the A129 Pro 4K version, that gives you 4K resolution at the front and FHD at the rear which is enough for most people. It can be powered by 1 HK3 hardwire kit and will use less power than 2x A119 V3, especially in event buffered parking mode, although of course it will still empty the battery if you don't drive enough or your battery doesn't charge quickly.

 

[valkyrie]

Currently the buffered parking mode files is marked as read only files.
We will update more details for this while we get update from Novatek.

The read only file attribute is insignificant as it provides no Flag, Lock or Protection from being overwritten. And since the Warning Notification is cleared at file closure, there is No Notification to the users when they return to their vehicle.

Please do update with more details as I really would like the camera to do what's advertised, which it does not do currently.

 

[AceM]

If it is the resolution of the A129 that you don't like then get the A129 Pro 4K version, that gives you 4K resolution at the front and FHD at the rear which is enough for most people. It can be powered by 1 HK3 hardwire kit and will use less power than 2x A119 V3, especially in event buffered parking mode, although of course it will still empty the battery if you don't drive enough or your battery doesn't charge quickly.

I would actually be fine with the 2k a119 v3, but yea if the a129 pro was released i would get that but its not yet

I would rather not wait to get it, since i would be without a dashcam so getting something right now is important

 

[Zippy1148]

The read only file attribute is insignificant as it provides no Flag, Lock or Protection from being overwritten. And since the Warning Notification is cleared at file closure, there is No Notification to the users when they return to their vehicle.

Please do update with more details as I really would like the camera to do what's advertised, which it does not do currently.

Hi, any update @VIOFO-Support @valkyrie of whether buffered parking files are now write protected. Also, any idea how long a decent car battery will keep buffered parking running, before shutting off to protect the battery (I have read a few hours to all night, can anyone be more specific?) Thanks

 

[SawMaster]

any idea how long a decent car battery will keep buffered parking running, before shutting off to protect the battery

There is no answer to this question. The car's battery size, state of charge, age, type, and condition all play a big part in this. My large battery can keep one cam running past 24 hours or two cams for at least 16 hours. A small car with an old battery may not reach 8 hours before shutting down. Where you set the cut-off voltage on the HWK makes a huge difference with this.

About all that can be said with certainty is that you can get 4 hours unless your battery is so bad that it needs replacing right now. With more data such as battery size, age, and your driving habits a closer estimate can be made but it can't be assured.

If this is really important to you then all you can do is test to see how long you get, and if necessary be prepared to replace your battery with a bigger or better one, or be prepared to add some form of powerbank to your system to get the recording time you want.

Phil