Mobius 1.20 Firmware Discussion Thread

[GJHS]

Thanks Dashmellow, from Tom Franks comments on the RC Forum, I didn't think low light would be fixed. It's great that they got it working. From all reports, night time performance is supposed to be great.

Has anyone else tried it with success in daytime? @Isoprop is it perfected or should we expect changes? I know the team is eagerly wanting to get working on the phase 3 firmware.

 

[Dashmellow]

Thanks Dashmellow, from Tom Franks comments on the RC Forum, I didn't think low light would be fixed. It's great that they got it working. From all reports, night time performance is supposed to be great.

Has anyone else tried it with success in daytime? @Isoprop is it perfected or should we expect changes? I know the team is eagerly wanting to get working on the phase 3 firmware.

I haven't had the opportunity to try out the low light setting yet in a vehicle. I simply pointed it around a room and then out a window onto a snow covered field on a sunny day and there was no problem. The odd thing was that when I pointed the camera down a darkish hallway with low light engaged and then did the same thing with low light not engaged, the shadows in the image had much more detail and were less blocked up without the low light settings. I really need to do some more comprehensive testing in my vehicle though. My main goal was to see if using the low light setting would blow out the image in bright daylight and it seems fine.

 

[Hilts]

As for whether the new firmware fixes the issue of bright conditions blowing out the image if low light is engaged, the answer is "yes", it is fixed.

As to whether using the low light setting is actually practical and useful remains to be seen and requires some further testing. (at least for me)

Thanks Dashmellow, from Tom Franks comments on the RC Forum, I didn't think low light would be fixed. It's great that they got it working. From all reports, night time performance is supposed to be great.

Has anyone else tried it with success in daytime? @Isoprop is it perfected or should we expect changes? I know the team is eagerly wanting to get working on the phase 3 firmware.

I haven't had the opportunity to try out the low light setting yet in a vehicle. I simply pointed it around a room and then out a window onto a snow covered field on a sunny day and there was no problem. The odd thing was that when I pointed the camera down a darkish hallway with low light engaged and then did the same thing with low light not engaged, the shadows in the image had much more detail and were less blocked up without the low light settings. I really need to do some more comprehensive testing in my vehicle though. My main goal was to see if using the low light setting would blow out the image in bright daylight and it seems fine.

I hadn't considered using the Low Light setting. But given the responses above I have just changed to that setting. Will run it for a few days/nights to see what sort of images it gives....

 

[xreyuk]

I think it would be good if we could get some opinions and videos of the low light settings

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that the low light setting is more useful for people like dashcam users when moving between areas of low and high light? It would also mean we wouldn't have to switch settings if driving at night?

 

[GJHS]

Add me to the list of Low Light testers. I will report as I go.

Today is crazy hot here and it's the first time the Mobius case felt hot. I normally set the defroster on 1 to send cooling to the Mobius; forgot today. I can't see how it could be the new firmware, that would be a stretch.

 

[Grimm]

The low light setting seems to be working well for some RC planes, helis, and quads flying in low light. I always thought RC was the intended audience for the low light setting and we dash cam folks just got it by default. Unless the camera can sense day vs night wont the low light setting always blow out one color channel or another when confronted with a harsh light? I know the camera (FW) obviously has some light setting thus auto white balance, and the quick change from a dark scene to a lighter one, but can it (does it) really switch automatically?

My horse for an extra button that can be programmed to switch low light on and off if it cant switch itself.


BTW- I still haven't updated FW because of some work issues recently.

Well that and my evil scheme to start a post about the new firmware and watch for any issues that other's have toiled through and then upgrade when everything looked good. Shhhhhhh Our little secret


-Off topic- If anyone knows of a slow moving RC car/truck that's cheap but can use rechargeable AA's please let me know. I have an old camera transmitter/receiver (well a few) from my RC days that I want to use with a mobius to drive around my house and scare my cats, my wife, and mainly screw about with. I needs to be slow moving for control. And no micro 8min run 30min chargers...I may buy a micro quad for that and sell my gas helicopter if its worth anything since I never use it and my wife says I am going to kill myself with it. Which, to be honest, could happen as I never was any good with the thing. No crashes but still, no skillz.

 

[Dashmellow]

-Off topic- If anyone knows of a slow moving RC car/truck that's cheap but can use rechargeable AA's please let me know. I have an old camera transmitter/receiver (well a few) from my RC days that I want to use with a mobius to drive around my house and scare my cats, my wife, and mainly screw about with. I needs to be slow moving for control. And no micro 8min run 30min chargers...I may buy a micro quad for that and sell my gas helicopter if its worth anything since I never use it and my wife says I am going to kill myself with it. Which, to be honest, could happen as I never was any good with the thing. No crashes but still, no skillz.

There are some cool RC bulldozers and excavators you can buy if you want something slow for indoor use but I think you ought to get one of these AA powered remote control helium filled sharks! Instead of the weights you're supposed to use for ballast you can use the Mobius and the transmitter. It has no propellers, it swims! Your cats will just love it! Your wife?......well, you'll have to find out. That'll be part of the fun! Anyway, instead of posting a video of the thing, I'll just provide a link so we can stay on the firmware topic.

 

[GJHS]

Judging by Tom Franks comments regarding the low light performance of the Mobius and it's importance, I believe we are the instigators of improvements and need. Yes there have been a fair amount of RC complainers about the low light performance, yet compared to dash cam users they seem unreasonable. One even comparing it to an SLR and wondering why the Mobius performance isn't equal.

Off topic response, so on topic somehow since it is a response of a topic on this thread, because otherwise it would be completely off topic and this is not off topic, it's on topic because it's a response of a, um never mind

I suggest this
http://www.banggood.com/New-Version...4CH-Remote-Control-RC-Quadcopter-p-71838.html
Though you might just be at the carry limit with the Mobius, so a 808 #16 may be needed. Not that you would want another quality HD camera, it's strictly a need in this case. (last line for your wife)

I too have a few electric RC helicopters sitting at home. I always wanted to build a gas heli, just never had the time and they take a good amount to master and build.

 

[Grimm]

@Dashmellow Though the helium filled sharks, fishes, sponge bobs, look cool they require a gas I cannot supply easily. I can supply other gases but they dont lift anything but people's noses. Also, there is a real helium shortage, and its needed in things like MRI machines and other useful devices, and since the government is putting a cap on non-essential uses (like balloons) I think helium is just going to get too pricey for me. But, it would be pretty cool! I do have 2 large Acetylene and Oxygen tanks (Oxyacetylene) so that may be something I can explore. The Hindenshark!

RC bulldozer sounds pretty cool. I can scoop up the cats "treats"!

@GJHS The heli I use to fly was a gasser, and yes, its harder to fly then anyone who's never flown one thinks. I used to correspond with a helicopter pilot on an old rc forum (we may be talking BBS times aka Bulletin Board Service aka Before Broadband Service aka When I Was One Of 3 Of The Only True Geeks In School Before Geek Became Cool) who told me he use to fly his real helicopter to try and keep in practice for the RC one.

I've checked out the Hubsan line before. I think that one can lift the mobius but it will eat battery power much faster. Im currently interested in the Eye One or Eye One Extreme (w/brush-less motors). Probably get The Eye One first and skill up (well, as much as a skill-less hairless monkey can), then later the extreme. Both can carry the mobius though the extreme does a better job and people have made cradles and non-jelly rigs and such for it as well. Check it out

Will be putting on the new FW tomorrow!



Or will I?

 

[Hilts]

I hadn't considered using the Low Light setting. But given the responses above I have just changed to that setting. Will run it for a few days/nights to see what sort of images it gives....

Quick note of my findings so far.... In low light situations (no streetlights and headlights only) I am seeing a slight flickering of light intensity on the recordings. To me it looks as if the sensor is adjusting up and down to the light conditions, but can't find a steady set point. It might just have been the local lighting conditions, so I'll run it a little longer on this setting to see what happens tonight.

In daylight I am seeing no visible difference in the recorded footage using the Standard Quality video setting. I haven't had a bright sunshine run yet though...

Interestingly the bit rate on Low Light setting (11800 kbps) is lower than on the WDR On (14750 kbps). I had anticipated that it would have been higher?!

 

[Isoprop]

Thanks Dashmellow, from Tom Franks comments on the RC Forum, I didn't think low light would be fixed. It's great that they got it working. From all reports, night time performance is supposed to be great.

Has anyone else tried it with success in daytime? @Isoprop is it perfected or should we expect changes? I know the team is eagerly wanting to get working on the phase 3 firmware.

I can't tell you if the low-light is perfected, but I can tell you that it's not easy to squeeze out the maximum from a sensor that wasn't specifically designed for good low-light performance!
Yes, it's important to get Step 3 completed ASAP. As long as other issues keep turning up the developer prefers to fix the most important ones first.
I'm afraid I don't have the time to test the Mobius in different lighting conditions, so don't know how well the low-light settings work. You can't expect wonders though.

 

[jokiin]

To improve low light further it would have to give up some daylight performance, its always a balancing act

 

[Hilts]

I can't tell you if the low-light is perfected, but I can tell you that it's not easy to squeeze out the maximum from a sensor that wasn't specifically designed for good low-light performance!
Yes, it's important to get Step 3 completed ASAP. As long as other issues keep turning up the developer prefers to fix the most important ones first.
I'm afraid I don't have the time to test the Mobius in different lighting conditions, so don't know how well the low-light settings work. You can't expect wonders though.

Being new to the forum.... What is being proposed for FW Phase/Step 3??

 

[Isoprop]

Being new to the forum.... What is being proposed for FW Phase/Step 3??

Step 3 will "finish up" the firmware adding the final parameters that were planned about a year ago. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you for the time being.

 

[Grimm]

Quick note of my findings so far.... In low light situations (no streetlights and headlights only) I am seeing a slight flickering of light intensity on the recordings. To me it looks as if the sensor is adjusting up and down to the light conditions, but can't find a steady set point.

Are you looking at the video through something like Registrator Viewer? You can go really slow and see which frames are changing, and what they are changing to. It may just be the Auto WB. I had similar flashing's with older firmware when the auto white balance corrects for a changing scene. I still dont know how the camera meters the scene (where from what it "sees" does it take the measurements from, all of it?, central?, central and a bit of the whole? etc)--not that this matters just curious.

 

[Grimm]

Step 3 will "finish up" the firmware adding the final parameters that were planned about a year ago. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you for the time being.

It's the "Retaliate Phase" isnt it? The add on rockets, flamethrower, and nuclear options? Sweet!

 

[GJHS]

Being new to the forum.... What is being proposed for FW Phase/Step 3??

Let me share what Tom Frank shared on the RC Group
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=27291536&postcount=6

Quote:
Originally Posted by corsur
Hi tried to set up the Mobius camera to record time lapse but it did not work in the yellow light mode. After reading the manual I set it to red photo mode. It done the time lapse clip alright, but it also saves loads of photos as will. Is this the only mode you can do time lapse ??
...
Answer by Tom Frank
To address the original question, the still phot mode is currently the only way to produce time lapse videos. But there are plans for the next MAJOR (Step 3) firmware to incorporate a number of slower frame rate movie modes, that can be sped up with post editing to produce a time lapse movie as well. This will fill a gap in the time lapse sequencing that currently cannot be done with the time lapse photo mode due to the limitation of the hardware to shoot more rapid still images. But FWIW, similar results can be obtained now by shooting normal video, and speeding it up with a video editor. The free Windows Movie Maker 2012, for example, can produce a very smooth playing video sped up by a factor of up to 64 times, by decimating (deleting) equally spaced frames throughout the video, then reassembling them to play back at the normal 30 fps.

Also FWIW, the Mobius Step 3 FW plans are for faster frame rate(s) with smaller frame size(s) to produce slow motion videos.

 

[Grimm]

To add to the mysterious Phase 3, PAL encoding is suppose to be implemented as well.

 

[old]

I hope a slower framerate (something like 10-15fps) can also be added. This would be very useful for those of us that want to leave the cam running while parked without worry of filling up the memory card so fast.

 

[Hilts]

Are you looking at the video through something like Registrator Viewer? You can go really slow and see which frames are changing, and what they are changing to. It may just be the Auto WB. I had similar flashing's with older firmware when the auto white balance corrects for a changing scene. I still dont know how the camera meters the scene (where from what it "sees" does it take the measurements from, all of it?, central?, central and a bit of the whole? etc)--not that this matters just curious.

I was using QuickTime Player... Away at the moment so I'll take a good look at the footage when I get back tomorrow.
The mysterious FW phase 3 sounds interesting.
Are there any plans to upgrade the sensor at a later date to one which is designed for lowlight usage??