Mobius Firmware v0.53 Now posted for download

[russ331]

Just now posted at http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1904559

This FW v0.53 update is available for D/L in Post #3.

ALERT! You MUST D/L the latest GUI to work properly with this new FW since it has added some new functions, which include:

• 60Hz and 50Hz settings to eliminate flicker with some lighting caused by AC power line frequency.
• Global 180 deg. image rotation has been replaced with individual toggles for both video modes and photo mode.
• Lens A and Lens B auto WB correction options for Standard (Lens A) and Wide Angle (Lens B) lenses.
• Narrow AOV mode added to 1080p mode to capture 1920x1080 native pixels from the larger CMOS array. Original mode (now called Large) has been and still is a scaled down image that captures the full AOV of the larger 3:2 aspect ratio CMOS in a 16x9 aspect ratio image.
• Auto recording can now be toggled to start when power button is press and/or when external USB power is connected (with no active data lines).
• Auto recording started with external USB power can now be toggled to stop/save immediately, continue for 10 seconds, or continue until internal battery power runs out.
• Battery Charge Indicator blinks the rear red LED only from 1 to 3 times when camera first boots to show approximate state of charge (1=low and 3=high).
  
  NOTE: Before anyone complains about their recording time based on the number of LED blinks, please read this post and those linked in it so you know the limitations of this method of determining battery state of charge.

 

[russ331]

Tom Frank of RCGroups later added...

"...this is NOT the next major (Step 2) upgrade to the FW that has been mentioned here. Instead, we hope this will be the last update for the initial (Step 1) FW, so the development team can devote all their attention to finishing the Step 2 FW."

I'm not sure about what Step 2 Firmware will add to Mobius functionality, but it's good to know that it's developer is intent on making it even better.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Dashmellow]

Personally, I am hoping for improved white balance and the elimination of color shifts. I know there has been discussion of this issue elsewhere but on my camera there is often a sudden shift to a cyan cast over the entire image, always when just after a large red object enters the FOV. This can be a red vehicle or even a red brick building. After that, things return to normal and in a dash cam, this is more or less tolerable but I would love to see it fixed. Curiously, the colors shifts I've seen described in RCGroups and elsewhere are often different than the cyan shift I've been experiencing. Firmware update vO.44 addressed this problem somewhat - "Adds further WB stabilization tweaks" but I was disappointed that the issue persisted to the degree it has. None of my other cameras have this issue at all, even my old obsolete AT20 so I wonder what it is about the Mobius that has made color shifts such a challenging problem?

 

[russ331]

Posted a few minutes ago by Tom Frank on the RCGroups site in response to someone complaining about the lack of a waterproof housing...

"Where did I say a waterproof case is NOT being considered? I only said it is likely way down on the list of things to do! Maybe the camera should have just been called something else, like maybe the #30, marketed with a case and the original FW, and left at that, like the #26? This thread would then be a very short one!

The camera still has a long way to go with features and image quality improvements with the FW, something that will benefit the full spectrum of users, not just a smaller segment. Also, you may not know the development team is a very small group, not a large organization with many people to work on different projects simultaneously.

Much time has been already been devoted to incorporating user suggestions in the accessories and FW features... time that could have been spent developing a waterproof case, I suppose, but priorities are being set by the developer to impact the broadest segment of camera users. And only the developer can know what the broad base of user's want most. We only see a segment of it here. I think we all should put aside personal priorities and respect the developer's decisions on the sequence of improvements that best fits the total user base."


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Mtz]

The priority number 1 is the quality of night mode.

enjoy,
Mtz

 

[Isoprop]

Tom Frank of RCGroups later added...

"...this is NOT the next major (Step 2) upgrade to the FW that has been mentioned here. Instead, we hope this will be the last update for the initial (Step 1) FW, so the development team can devote all their attention to finishing the Step 2 FW."

I'm not sure about what Step 2 Firmware will add to Mobius functionality, but it's good to know that it's developer is intent on making it even better.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Step 2, which I have previously referred to as "Phase 2", will include the color settings similar to, but not the same as, the #16. This functionality will most likely be the most complex to implement. Its development was interrupted in order to add some minor enhancements, including the auto-connect power-on (specially for dashcam use!). Auto-connect power-on was vastly more complex to implement than anticipated and there are still issues that need to be solved - so step 2 will be further delayed .

You can be assured that the developer is fully concentrating on adding more functionality to the Mobius, but these enhancements are not easy and take time. The more parameters that are added, the more difficult it is to test. Much more time is now needed to implement new functionality than when only a few parameters existed. The developer has a small team and doesn't have the resources of a multinational company.

 

[Mtz]

Color settings are not important for a dashcam or for a RC camera, at least compared with features. If developer runs out of time he need to let that time consuming color feature and implement the real needed ones.
In dashcam world I didn't read too much if the human skin is too red, the sky not so blue and the trees are not so green. They want good night mode but also the car number plates to not be a white blob and to read the characters from that plates. For many people this is the priority number one. I saw many dashcams with an ugly sky (around the sun) but very good picture quality at least at day. The differences are made in the night and that is what is makes the differences for real.
I understood that Mobius have great lens, maybe have other great things in it so we expect quality pictures, sharp, clear and good in night mode, offering what users need most.
Is something like asking a blind man: do you want to just see now even black and white or you want to see how blue is the sky but after some time, not now.
We know the developer is good in firmware things so we expect to use his time for the real priorities.

enjoy,
Mtz

 

[Usually Unfocused]

It looks to me like the rear LED does not work in time-lapse mode.
I thought it did in older revisions....

 

[Isoprop]

It looks to me like the rear LED does not work in time-lapse mode.
I thought it did in older revisions....

The rear LED never blinked in time-lapse mode when the time-lapse is set to 1 second or less. I'm not aware that this functionality has been changed. Time-lapse periods less than 2 seconds require special coding and are extremely time-critical. A 'simple' blink requires a count-down timer which takes away precious processing power for functions that are not integrated in the DSP. This is also the reason that photos taken with a time-lapse less than 2 seconds will never include a timestamp. An acceptable compromise for having such short periods, IMO.

 

[Usually Unfocused]

The rear LED never blinked in time-lapse mode when the time-lapse is set to 1 second or less. I'm not aware that this functionality has been changed. Time-lapse periods less than 2 seconds require special coding and are extremely time-critical.

OK, I was not aware of the 1 sec. difference. It makes sense that the controller is very busy at those rates.

 

[Dashmellow]

On my drive home this evening I noticed that the rear red LED pilot light was not blinking on my Mobius. There was only so much I could do while driving but I tried unplugging and replugging the USB cable and the camera just appeared dead. This is new behavior since the last firmware update but the camera was functioning earlier in the day. It appears that this is likely the "lockup-bug" that Tom Franks mentions yesterday in post # 4059 over at RCgroups. He says, "A lockup-bug has been found in FW v0.53 when the new external power auto-record function is toggled on. A bug fix is in the works......" Later yesterday, in post #4067 he says, "The lockup bug has been fixed....."

FW vo.53 is still the most recent one posted and Tom doesn't clarify, so I'm confused. I would have thought a fixed version would be vo.53.1.

In any event, the unit rebooted normally when I restarted it after disconnecting the external power supply and at the moment it is happily connected to my PC and downloading what's on the card.

Not sure what to do next. Re-flash again with a freshly downloaded v0.53? Would appreciate some feedback.

Has anyone else run into this?

Isoprop, if you see this post, I hope you'll offer some advice.

 

[russ331]

I upgraded to v0.53 on the day it was released. My Mobius remained in permanent standby after disconnection from the PC, until I used a paper clip in the reset hole.

That fixed it, & it's worked perfectly since then.

If necessary, you can revert to 0.47 until the issue has been resolved.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Dashmellow]

Thanks, Russ. Yes, I had to do a paper clip reset after the update too and everything seemed fine until earlier this evening. I will revert to v.47 if necessary, or maybe even use another cam in the meantime and wait for another firmware update.

I am still curious to know what Tom F meant when he said, "The lockup bug has been fixed" later in the same day he reported the bug.

 

[Necromancer]

Wait for a new firmware release. It will be a different number (v0.54)

Better night quality would be awesome, espacially now that winter kicks in (DST is over) and half of our "days" will be nights.

I would also appreciate if the back red LED would blink 3 times when the camera auto-starts (with LEDs off) just like the yellow LED at the top of the Camera (which can't be seen) to signal it works.

LEDs on/constant blinking distracts too much, but every now and then the camera does not auto-start, but i only notice it mid-way by touching the heatsink. Since im driving all i can do is pull the power cable out and plug it in again properly.

 

[Gurkha9]

Dashmellow, the same thing happened to me the other day after the 0.53 update.
However manually starting it worked ok. Has only happened once or twice so far.
Now that my GT300W is back from China, the Mobius is in the rear so easy to see that flashing red light!

 

[Necromancer]

@Dashmellow - well, it means several things
1. The bug does exists.
2. The cause for the bug has been traced down and the bug fixed.
3. Since it was fixed i would expect a new/fixed FW version to be released soon.

 

[Dashmellow]

Yes, I could wait for the next update. Like I said earlier, a fixed version of v0.53 should be just be vo.53.1.
You know, if necessary, I 'spose I could really just turn off "external power auto-record" and hit the button to turn the unit on and off for the time being as long as this was only temporary.

 

[Dashmellow]

@Dashmellow - well, it means several things
1. The bug does exists.
2. The cause for the bug has been traced down and the bug fixed.
3. Since it was fixed i would expect a new/fixed FW version to be released soon.

That certainly sounds quite logical. It just seemed a little vague I guess to hear it was fixed without further indications of how the fix-it will be addressed. Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part to be hoping for v.53.1

 

[Necromancer]

Looks like you want a more solid release date. Unfortunatley nobody can point it.
Bugs that lock the Camera are pretty bad, i know i would take a little more time to test it as much as i could before releasing to avoid other potential bugs, especially a similar one.
I assume it will be released no further then two days from now. Well, not sure how weekends work in china though...make it business days then.

 

[Dashmellow]

Dashmellow, the same thing happened to me the other day after the 0.53 update.
However manually starting it worked ok. Has only happened once or twice so far.
Now that my GT300W is back from China, the Mobius is in the rear so easy to see that flashing red light!

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm curious to see what happens if I reset the thing and run it on external power again. I may try that later with a USB AC adapter just to see what happens.

My current set-up is just the opposite of yours - Mobius up front and GT300W in the rear.