Mini 0806 crashes on startup

[remiel]

Hi,

In May 2015 I bought two Mini 0806 dashcams. For various reasons, these were never installed until a few days ago, when I got one installed in the fiancee's car. However, it doesn't work.

On startup, it makes the dingadinga sounds and displays the car startup image, then immediately crashes with a black, white, green gridded or garbled screen. I managed - once - to get it to start up and start recording, then it crashed again.

I also got it to start and run long enough off the mains grid using a cell phone charger to be able to flash the same firmware it was running on top of itself, but this hasn't really made any difference whatsoever. At this point it crashes immediately after the car startup image is displayed, and the last few notes of the startup sound lingers like a scratched CD.

About the setup: The camera is powered via a hardwire kit connected to the cigarette lighter connectors at the back of the cig lighter in the car. Camera is powered through the GPS base, but exhibits the same behaviour when powered directly to the power connector on the camera itself. Powering it with the included cigarette lighter power cable makes no difference.

The other camera works perfectly in every way.

I bought the two cameras from a seller on ebay, bruce_lee_dt, and have sent him a message through ebay's messaging system. Hopefully he'll accept an exchange, even if it's 6 months since I bought it. They do carry a one-year factory warranty, don't they?

Worst case, can I contact the manufacturer directly and have it replaced from them?

Any hints, tips, insight and tricks to either get it going or have it replaced are most welcome.

Thanks!

 

[erkme73]

I assume you tried moving the memory card from the working camera to the non-working camera to verify it's not a card issue, correct?

If it's not the card or any of the accessories (mount, cable, charger, etc), and the problem stays with the camera no matter which items are moved between the two cameras, then it probably is an internal hardware issue.

Will the bad camera even turn on (or show any activity at all) when powered only by the internal battery? A working camera with a functional battery should power up for at least a minute. Unfortunately, the small internal battery has relatively high failure rate. I have 9 cameras between all of my vehicles, and only one has failed - but others have had worse luck.

If you're unable to get the seller to exchange it, and you're reasonably technically/mechanically/electrically inclined, you might want to consider replacing the battery. You can find sellers on eBay and Aliexpress for about USD8.00. I replaced my defective battery and have had no more issues.

As the battery fails, the camera begins to act up - random shut downs, freezing, corrupt files, etc. If the battery is completely dead, you may not be able to get the camera to power up at all - even when powered externally. While I haven't tried it, others have posted that with the battery completely removed, the camera will not function. So a working battery is a necessity.

If your cameras sat for 6 months, it's possible that one of the batteries just gave up the ghost.

 

[jokiin]

If your cameras sat for 6 months, it's possible that one of the batteries just gave up the ghost.

they can indeed die from just sitting around

 

[remiel]

I assume you tried moving the memory card from the working camera to the non-working camera to verify it's not a card issue, correct?

If it's not the card or any of the accessories (mount, cable, charger, etc), and the problem stays with the camera no matter which items are moved between the two cameras, then it probably is an internal hardware issue.

Will the bad camera even turn on (or show any activity at all) when powered only by the internal battery? A working camera with a functional battery should power up for at least a minute. Unfortunately, the small internal battery has relatively high failure rate. I have 9 cameras between all of my vehicles, and only one has failed - but others have had worse luck.

If you're unable to get the seller to exchange it, and you're reasonably technically/mechanically/electrically inclined, you might want to consider replacing the battery. You can find sellers on eBay and Aliexpress for about USD8.00. I replaced my defective battery and have had no more issues.

As the battery fails, the camera begins to act up - random shut downs, freezing, corrupt files, etc. If the battery is completely dead, you may not be able to get the camera to power up at all - even when powered externally. While I haven't tried it, others have posted that with the battery completely removed, the camera will not function. So a working battery is a necessity.

If your cameras sat for 6 months, it's possible that one of the batteries just gave up the ghost.

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I've swapped the memory cards around, and they all (three) work fine in the working camera, as well as in the computer. They've all been formatted in the working camera in case that was the reason the non-working one didn't work.

If the power is left in the micro USB power connector on the camera for a while, the camera will try to start up, but fail just as the boot chime starts. Your theory that the battery died from inactivity is thus a valid one, as I remember both cameras working when I got them back in May.

I've received a reply from the seller where he asked if both cameras were working (after I explained that one works, the other doesn't)... so I replied again (using fewer words and simpler language to make sure the right meaning came through). I'll give him the weekend to reply back again, and hopefully he'll replace the camera for me. If not, I'll have nothing to lose in trying to replace the battery. I'm just not sure how to open the thing without breaking it beyond repair...

they can indeed die from just sitting around

Good to know, I'll make sure to excercise the working camera's battery to keep it alive for as long as possible. Is there any chance of replacing it with one of higher capacity? 200mAh isn't much...

 

[erkme73]

The capacity of the battery is secondary to size and life expectancy. The battery only needs to have enough current to finish writing the last open video file.

This is the battery I purchased and installed.

 

[remiel]

The capacity of the battery is secondary to size and life expectancy. The battery only needs to have enough current to finish writing the last open video file.

This is the battery I purchased and installed.

Thanks for that, it's saved in my watch list in case I won't be able to return the camera.

I've looked, but I can't find a way to open it without breaking something - is there a guide somewhere on how to do this?

 

[jokiin]

I've looked, but I can't find a way to open it without breaking something - is there a guide somewhere on how to do this?

same sort of process as shown here https://dashcamtalk.com/mini-0805/

 

[erkme73]

Have a look here: https://dashcamtalk.com/mini-0806/#Known_problems scroll down just a touch, and there are photos on how to disassemble the camera.

Dang, @jokiin... you're fast. I should have known not to try and beat you...

 

[remiel]

Okay, I'm officially blind, and my Google skillz are dead.

Thanks!

 

[remiel]

Following up on this one:

The seller offered to take back both units without accessories for replacement. Not sure why he wants both back, but as language is an obvious barrier, I'm not going to dispute this with him, just send them both back and hope that I get two working cameras in return.