K2S received

[kamkar]

Nice to have you on board REV.

Just the JAN 26 one

K2S firmware update 20190124 for beta tester

Hi dear beta testers, please update the K2S to the new 20190124 version before testing. download: www.camdii.net/download/K2S_FIRMWARE_20190124.zip just in case, here is the bootloader if you need: www.camdii.net/download/K2S_BOOTLOADER.zip

dashcamtalk.com

 

[reverend]

Ah missed that thanks mate, servers me right for browsing on the toilet

It'll be like the old days again

 

[lacibaci]

I've been driving for a few days now. Here are my observations so far:

1. Video/Audio quality is very good (for 1080 resolution)
2. GPS reception is good and lock is fast
3. Don't really like the voice prompts, the volume is way too low
4. Recording indicator (CAMDII and ring around the GPS unit) are almost invisible during the day.
5. Mic and accelerometer are in the display unit - not sure how well this will work when I put it in the glove box
6. The shutdown is still iffy even though since using a different USB-A ->C cable I didn't noticed any corrupt files. However the voice prompt sometimes only says "Camera power O..." other times I get the full sentence: "Camera power OFF. See You."
7. The (internal) temperature seems to start at 49°F - never saw it lower even though it was -5°F here lately.

A few pics from my testing setup:

 

[SawMaster]

Got my initial review up here with some pics, thoughts, and details of the K2S. No performance data or pics until we're longer into beta testing as those will likely improve.

Phil

 

[kamkar]

Did a short drive today with a lot of build in stops, but as fate would have it every time i stopped was at the led 1/3 of a segment so no short last files generated.
Every single file was saved and play just fine,,,,,,, i am inclined to think maybe it was a power cable issue before, i am now using the provided USB A - USB C cable i used for the OBD port at first.

 

[kamkar]

On today's drive using normal recording and normal power source nothing was wrong aside for the first file getting mislabeled due to the RCT issue.
It is just the #1 file, so there must be some form of leakage from the RTC battery over night ( around 0 degrees C here ) when car have been started and driven for a mile there are no problems with the time date name given to 2 - 3 or 4 start of the day after short stops at the recycling yard and shopping / testing stops.

Unsure if RCT power source are leaking over time or insufficient size, but something are wrong there for sure.

 

[Nigel]

I received a K2S last night

I can't get any OBD data. I plugged the OBD connector into the bottom USB C connector via the supplied cable, exactly as shown on the diagram on the battery cover, tried it with the engine off first, and then with the engine on, but no values on the ODB screen, any ideas?

It would be nice to have the cameras left and right handed, so that when mounted on the side windows the cables both go forwards, or so that when I mount it next to my rear view mirror, I have a right hand camera to go on my right hand drive car instead of 2 left hand cameras which are only suitable for left hand drive cars! I wanted them like this:



Also, it would be easier to install where I can see the ODB data if the LCD display was separate with just 1 wire instead of needing 4/5 thick wires going to the display location, then the DVR and all the wires could be hidden.

 

[kamkar]

I think there might be a issue with the OBD dongles, mine did work but data have stopped working now.
Yeah you cant really have the main unit out in the open and have a neat install also, all those wires will make sure of that, a remote touch screen would be the ultimate solution for that problem.
But that would almost double the price of the product i think.

I am still firmly behind the "remote" cameras being the way to go.

 

[Nigel]

I think there might be a issue with the OBD dongles, mine did work but data have stopped working now.
Yeah you cant really have the main unit out in the open and have a neat install also, all those wires will make sure of that, a remote touch screen would be the ultimate solution for that problem.
But that would almost double the price of the product i think.

I would quite like the OBD data displayed on my dashboard, because I have had to unplug my 12 year old OBD display that was plugged into the OBD port, but with so many wires connected to the display it is very hard to do anything sensible. Most of the time the OBD display is pointless, but it did warn me when my alternator packed up last week, without it I might not have got home and I wouldn't have known that I needed to fix the alternator until I found the car wouldn't start the next day, instead the postman delivered the replacement part the next morning and I had it fixed by the time I wanted to use the car; I also watch the coolant temperature with it, and sometimes I watch the fuel consumption data.

I think probably I will not use the OBD dongle and hide the DVR.

A remote screen would increase the price, don't think it would double it though, and for people who are prepared to install all these cables a small increase in price to get a nice install might be preferable.

I am still firmly behind the "remote" cameras being the way to go.

Dual remote seems a sensible solution, but the Viofo A129 dual camera was much easier to install, only 2 cables needed.

And today I received another dual camera, which only needed 1 cable, and being mini USB powered I already had a cable available so I just removed the 3M pad plastic, stuck it to the windscreen, plugged the power cable in and it is working, and giving me video of front, back and most of both sides OK the rear and sides are not as good as a 4 way remote camera, but it was easy to install while I still haven't worked out where I'm going to install my K2S.

 

[kamkar]

I have just put mine over the passenger side sun visor, i will relocate it to,,,,,, somewhere when it get warmer in the weather, but i have to do something in regard to installing one or more "remote" dashcams.
The OBD information in the camera are pretty mundane IMO, not something i would watch, and especially on this small a screen as i can barely read it with my face right up against it, and for optimal readability i need my reading glasses.
I have been contemplating a install bracket ( steel plate & magnets ) that could sit on the plastic of my center console where it "filter" out into the 2 foot wheels in the front, i would be able to get a square foot of space on either side that way.
Not really well hidden, but as a tester you also need some degree of accessibility, and if i use passenger side, then i can lean over from the driver side and see / fiddle all i want.

 

[Nigel]

The OBD information in the camera are pretty mundane IMO, not something i would watch, and especially on this small a screen as i can barely read it with my face right up against it, and for optimal readability i need my reading glasses.

Yes, the analogue display is not very useful, we need a digital display with big numbers that are easy to read and a choice of which values to display. Maybe also with some alarm setpoints so that if the battery voltage gets very low or the coolant gets very hot then they turn orange and then flash red and maybe make a warning sound.

 

[jokiin]

Yes, the analogue display is not very useful, we need a digital display with big numbers that are easy to read and a choice of which values to display. Maybe also with some alarm setpoints so that if the battery voltage gets very low or the coolant gets very hot then they turn orange and then flash red and maybe make a warning sound.

we have those functions in the OBD speedos we do, maybe not the easiest to do in the camera though

 

[SawMaster]

While it would be nice to have all "the bells and whistles" being mentioned regards OBD functions, I think we need to balance that with understanding that this is primarily a dashcam and not meant to be a "does everything" device. Maybe best we focus on the dashcam part first, then add extra functionality later.

On mounting, my display is currently temporarily attached to my sun visor (pics later) which allows access for testing and monitoring purposes. Not sure where my permanent mounting will go but probably laid flat under the dash in the knee-space or under the drivers seat where I can have some 'cable slack' to easily move it far enough to work with it as needed. A single-wire remote screen would be nice but would add to complexity and cost. In the meantime I'm hoping the App can fill the 'remote screen' role.I've finally got time to devote to this, only a couple hours work to do sometime today then I'm free to put some real effort into this.

Phil

 

[jokiin]

While it would be nice to have all "the bells and whistles" being mentioned regards OBD functions, I think we need to balance that with understanding that this is primarily a dashcam and not meant to be a "does everything" device. Maybe best we focus on the dashcam part first, then add extra functionality later.

I find when devices start becoming feature packed you get to a point where they fail to do anything well

 

[kamkar]

K.I.S.S the pinnacle of Danish design,,,,,, though Bjarke Ingels "BIG" architecture studio they just had the plans for a new headquarters in Copenhagen turned down by the city with the words " ugly as fu.k"

Bjarke Ingels - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

While i have argued for systems with larger capabilities, it is with the wish of it being compartmentalized and just sharing a bus, so each component can be the best it can be on its own.

 

[jokiin]

K.I.S.S the pinnacle of Danish design,,,,,,

While i have argued for systems with larger capabilities, it is with the wish of it being compartmentalized and just sharing a bus, so each component can be the best it can be on its own.

I'm a firm believer in the KISS principle, have been saying it for many years already, I think some people still don't understand that sometimes less is more, I get feedback (complaints) sometimes that we're not innovative enough because we don't have some feature that some other product has, they fail to acknowledge that the feature they're asking for doesn't work correctly, or that we're too slow to bring something to market, I have an inherent dislike for half baked products though, does it cost us some sales, possibly, does it save my sanity, probably

 

[kamkar]

 

[Nigel]

we have those functions in the OBD speedos we do, maybe not the easiest to do in the camera though

My problem here is that I have had to unplug my OBD display in order to plug the camera in. I can't plug one of your OBD speedos in because the OBD socket is taken by the camera.

I think the simple solution is for the camera's OBD plug to include a pass-through socket and for the camera to only take power from the OBD socket, then I can plug both in.

Not sure there is much need to record the OBD data, but some people might want to. If the camera is going to take the OBD data then I still want a live OBD display, alarms on over temperature etc, and an OBD overlay on the recorded video (text format), and maybe put it in the "GPS" logfile too.

 

[kamkar]

Hehe i have been wondering if there are OBD splitters out there, after all there are now a range of things people can plug into that socket.

 

[SawMaster]

It's kind of like how the USB2 power standard changed because of using it for purposes it wasn't designed for even though they work. Here, we're using the OBD2 port successfully for purposes it too wasn't really designed for Perhaps there is a pass-through plug made for OBD2 but I know of none. It wouldn't be hard to build a 'breakout box' with many OBD2 sockets, but I'm wondering if that might affect the car or the data being transferred or the devices plugged into it. It could be a costly mistake if such as this killed the car

With the multiple forms of data transfer found in OBS2 it's not going to fully function for everyone anyway unless that data is internally transcoded into whatever the cam hardware reads. The only real standard once again is the placement of some of the pins regards specific uses for them. As a PS it should work for everyone with OBD2 but beyond that can we really have expectations?

I do like that it makes sourcing cam power easy- that is becoming a major problem with modern cars. The rest will need development if it can be done at all.

Phil