Mobius focused on windscreen brand - someone needs glasses!

[richcam]

I recently purchased a Mobius from the manufacturer direct from Hong Kong and am very pleased with the results to date.

So I put the Mobius in another car today, best guessed what it was recording then set off to the classic car show for the day. Tonight I viewed some footage and was quite astonished to note I could read the brand of windscreen wiper (which will be useful in the event of an accident) - am being somewhat sarcastic at this point. So apart from sending Mobius Quality Control to Specsavers opticians, or perhaps sacking them, is there a very easy to better focus the lens?

Even in this state the Mobius was far superior in terms of video quality to a dash cam costing nearly double, so I'm very happy with it, I just think how much better it would have been had the focal length been better.

 

[Bungus]

Yours is obviously adjusted too close. Don't be afraid to play with the focus adjustment. It's really easy with the Mobius.

 

[richcam]

Hi Bungus, thanks for the advice, though I'm having a few problems with connecting the Mobius as a camera so I can adjust the focus easily using the method provided by Dashmellow as shown below.

Also, note that on a Macintosh computer you can use the included QuickTime Player already installed on your computer to connect your Mobius as a web cam. In QuickTime, select "New Movie Recording" in the "File" drop down menu at the top of your screen. When the software launches a new video window it will default to your computer's built in iSight camera. Simply click the little white triangle in the control module at the bottom of the window and select the Mobius from the pop-down menu that appears instead of the iSight. (Be sure to first press the Mobius' shutter button (front-most) to get it to enter webcam mode so that it can appear in the QuickTime pop-down menu as an option.)

So this is what I've done so far without any luck.

1. Have ejected the card from the Mobius
2. Connected the USB cable from Mobius to MacBook
3. Held down the power button on the Mobius until the blue LED comes on, after a few seconds the small LED at the back goes red and the top LED goes to yellow but doesn't flash.
4. Press the foremost button which looks like a camera
5. Open Quicktime and select FILE > New Movie Recording
6. Click on the small white triangle shown in the bottom right of the new movie recording window, at which point the only camera shown in the list is the inbuilt FaceTime HD camera, there is no option for the Mobius!!!

Ought to mention I've tried opening QuickTime first and then trying the start-up sequence on the Mobius to see if it made any difference. Any tips on what I'm doing wrong?

 

[Dashmellow]

Yes, Open QuickTime first. Have the camera plugged in via USB. Turn on the camera. Select New Movie Recording in QuickTime. Press the shutter button. (button nearest lens). Click the little white triangle.
If you don't see the Mobius appear as an option, try pressing the shutter button again.

Note: I've never removed the micro SD card from the camera to view in web cam mode but I just tried it and it still works. In any event, there's no compelling reason to remove it from the camera. Try it with the card in the camera and see what happens. Once you press the shutter button to set the camera to web cam mode it will no longer be seen by your computer as a mass storage device. The requirement for removing the card from the camera is a Windows thing.

Also see: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201066

Hi Bungus, thanks for the advice, though I'm having a few problems with connecting the Mobius as a camera so I can adjust the focus easily using the method provided by Dashmellow as shown below
So this is what I've done so far without any luck.

1. Have ejected the card from the Mobius
2. Connected the USB cable from Mobius to MacBook
3. Held down the power button on the Mobius until the blue LED comes on, after a few seconds the small LED at the back goes red and the top LED goes to yellow but doesn't flash.
4. Press the foremost button which looks like a camera
5. Open Quicktime and select FILE > New Movie Recording
6. Click on the small white triangle shown in the bottom right of the new movie recording window, at which point the only camera shown in the list is the inbuilt FaceTime HD camera, there is no option for the Mobius!!!

Ought to mention I've tried opening QuickTime first and then trying the start-up sequence on the Mobius to see if it made any difference. Any tips on what I'm doing wrong?

 

[richcam]

Yes, Open QuickTime first. Have the camera plugged in via USB. Turn on the camera. Select New Movie Recording in QuickTime. Press the shutter button. (button nearest lens). Click the little white triangle.
If you don't see the Mobius appear as an option, try pressing the shutter button again.

No luck so far, I've connected the camera via USB cable to MacBook. Opened QT, switched camera ON, selected New Movie recording in QT, then pressed the shutter button on the Mobius (the button nearest the lens that looks like a movie camera) and it starts to record video footage instead of going to webcam. Pressing the button again stops the video recording. The Mobius isn't appearing in the menu list in QT.

For info am running OS 10.9.5 and QT 10.3 on the MacBook.

Have noticed one anomaly, and that is that when I connect the Mobius to the MacBook using the USB cable, it doesn't appear on the desktop as a removable drive which is what I expected to see, though the Mobius starts to charge when connected so something is happening. I've tried disabling USB data port charging and switched auto record OFF to see if it made any difference but it didn't, and also changed the webcam mode to MJPG to no avail.

As a footnote I've manually adjusted the focus of the lens by trial and error, but it's very long-winded to have to keep rechecking footage and comparing, when it would be far easier to adjust whilst viewing the sharpness of the image in realtime so would really appreciate being able to make this work.

 

[Bungus]

Glad Dashmellow contributed. I'm not familiar with Mac at all.
I bought this,
https://www.ebay.com/itm/151071891306with the AV out wires.
I just open the mobius. Mark the lens to lens body for reference. Remove sd card and hook it to my Samsung HD smart TV with AV cables and power Mobius with my AC phone charger. Then adjust.

Manually adjust is OK too. Just try by 1/8" turn left and right from reference. You'll be surprise by the lens depth of field.

 

[richcam]

Glad Dashmellow contributed. I'm not familiar with Mac at all.
I bought this,
https://www.ebay.com/itm/151071891306with the AV out wires.
I just open the mobius. Mark the lens to lens body for reference. Remove sd card and hook it to my Samsung HD smart TV with AV cables and power Mobius with my AC phone charger. Then adjust.

Manually adjust is OK too. Just try by 1/8" turn left and right from reference. You'll be surprise by the lens depth of field.

Thanks Bungus, I used a Pentel Micro Correct pen I had in the office to put the white marks on the side of the lens body as a reference point, and like you say, I rotated the lens by about 1/8" in each direction until the image looked sharper. Would be easier and more accurate to do this focusing in realtime, so looks like I may well be going down this route with the AV out cables to the TV if I can't get this damn Mac to see the Mobius.

 

[map]

Thanks Bungus, I used a Pentel Micro Correct pen I had in the office to put the white marks on the side of the lens body as a reference point, and like you say, I rotated the lens by about 1/8" in each direction until the image looked sharper. Would be easier and more accurate to do this focusing in realtime, so looks like I may well be going down this route with the AV out cables to the TV if I can't get this damn Mac to see the Mobius.

Not sure if this has been answered, do you have access to an android device?

 

[Dashmellow]

No luck so far, I've connected the camera via USB cable to MacBook. Opened QT, switched camera ON, selected New Movie recording in QT, then pressed the shutter button on the Mobius (the button nearest the lens that looks like a movie camera) and it starts to record video footage instead of going to webcam. Pressing the button again stops the video recording. The Mobius isn't appearing in the menu list in QT.

For info am running OS 10.9.5 and QT 10.3 on the MacBook.

Have noticed one anomaly, and that is that when I connect the Mobius to the MacBook using the USB cable, it doesn't appear on the desktop as a removable drive which is what I expected to see, though the Mobius starts to charge when connected so something is happening. I've tried disabling USB data port charging and switched auto record OFF to see if it made any difference but it didn't, and also changed the webcam mode to MJPG to no avail.

As a footnote I've manually adjusted the focus of the lens by trial and error, but it's very long-winded to have to keep rechecking footage and comparing, when it would be far easier to adjust whilst viewing the sharpness of the image in realtime so would really appreciate being able to make this work.

I'm puzzled that this isn't working. I was half expecting you to say you were on OSX 10.10.3 Yosemite and perhaps that was the issue but as it happens I too am using OSX 10.9.5 with QuickTime Player 10.3 (on an older iMac) and all my Mobius cams mount easily and immediately.

If you have another USB-A to mini-B cable. I would suggest trying it. I'm speculating that the cable may be the problem here. It's certainly worth a try.

The Mobius AV wiring harness is indeed another option and I have used it but you do get better results on a nice sharp computer monitor at HD 720P than standard resultion AV output.

Yet another option you might try is to mount the Mobius with VLC app. Go to "File' > select "Open Capture Device" and then use the same pressing of the shutter button as previously to mount and select the Mobius. Set the resolution to 1024X768 and it should open. I was able to get this work and it seems like a viable alternative to using QuickTime to focus the camera.

 

[Dashmellow]

Hey, I just discovered that it's easy to get the Mobius to mount in the FaceTime app. (included in the apps folder on your Mac) There should even be a way to get it to switch to Landscape Mode but that part I couldn't get to work yet. Anyway, FaceTime is for video calling and chatting so the image is mirrored and vertical but the bottom line is that if you can use it to view the image or part of the image coming out of your Mobius you can focus the camera with it.

EDIT: As an experiment I just mounted a Mobius in QuickTime Player, then I mounted it in VLC and finally mounted it in FaceTime.......all at the same time......and it works! So obviously, the Mobius should be pretty mountable on a Mac.

Here's a screen shot.

 

[richcam]

If you have another USB-A to mini-B cable. I would suggest trying it. I'm speculating that the cable may be the problem here. It's certainly worth a try.

Success

Just tried another USB cable as you suggested and it connected straightaway to the Mac and appeared on the desktop, I clicked on the button closest to the lens and it appeared in the options list for Quicktime, I selected it from the drop down menu and the Mobius became a webcam, so have now been able to focus the lens in realtime. In fairness, it only needed a small adjustment of the lens, less than 1/8" inch turn.

I'm surprised that the 3m USB cable didn't connect as expected because I purchased it from the ebay seller eletoponline365 whom I purchased the Mobius from.

So Dashmellow, Bungus and map, thank you for your help and suggestions with this, at least I now know how to connect the Mobius to use as a webcam, and have also learned how to take it apart and focus the lens which was surprisingly easy to do.

 

[richcam]

Not sure if this has been answered, do you have access to an android device?

The only android device I have is a Google Nexus 7 (I think) but it's very small so not particularly useful for focusing purposes.

 

[map]

The only android device I have is a Google Nexus 7 (I think) but it's very small so not particularly useful for focusing purposes.

It wouldn't have worked with the 3m cable anyway, as the 3m mobius cable does not support data.

I did a bit of lens testing using a 2012 Nexus 7 and found it was adequate when trying to focus on large letters at about 6m distance. Obviously it wasn't as good as a larger screen, but it was good enough that I knew my lens was focussing too close. It wouldn't be ideal for fine focussing though.

 

[Dashmellow]

Success

Just tried another USB cable as you suggested and it connected straightaway to the Mac and appeared on the desktop, I clicked on the button closest to the lens and it appeared in the options list for Quicktime, I selected it from the drop down menu and the Mobius became a webcam, so have now been able to focus the lens in realtime. In fairness, it only needed a small adjustment of the lens, less than 1/8" inch turn.

I'm surprised that the 3m USB cable didn't connect as expected because I purchased it from the ebay seller eletoponline365 whom I purchased the Mobius from.

So Dashmellow, Bungus and map, thank you for your help and suggestions with this, at least I now know how to connect the Mobius to use as a webcam, and have also learned how to take it apart and focus the lens which was surprisingly easy to do.

That's great news! I'm glad to hear of the happy outcome and the resolving of a mystery.

I had no idea you were using a 3 meter cable to connect to your computer and wish you had mentioned it sooner as it would have offered a clue to the problem. I'd previously experimented with a longer USB cable extension to connect a Mobius to my computer and found that it wouldn't work. At first I thought this had to do with excess resistance in the longer cable but I've come to understand that it is more likely related to a signal timing issue with how certain devices like the Mobius communicate with the computer. So for example, my printer will work with the long USB cable but a Mobius won't.

 

[Bungus]

Glad to know you've solved the issue.
I've learned something about the supplied 3 m cable too. It work powering Mobius in car but not on my PC. I just assumed the cable is faulty. I've since hard wired in car and use a old Sony USB cable to connect to PC to download.

 

[richcam]

That's great news! I'm glad to hear of the happy outcome and the resolving of a mystery.

I had no idea you were using a 3 meter cable to connect to your computer and wish you had mentioned it sooner as it would have offered a clue to the problem. I'd previously experimented with a longer USB cable extension to connect a Mobius to my computer and found that it wouldn't work. At first I thought this had to do with excess resistance in the longer cable but I've come to understand that it is more likely related to a signal timing issue with how certain devices like the Mobius communicate with the computer. So for example, my printer will work with the long USB cable but a Mobius won't.

Sorry Dashmellow, to be honest it never crossed my mind to mention the USB cable length, and I had no idea that the 3m cable I purchased from the ebay seller eletoponline365 for the Mobius wouldn't work as a webcam, perhaps add this question to your list of questions to ask when other users are having problems with the Mobius connecting as a webcam?

Must say I've learned a more tips and tricks over the last few days with using the Mobius, and solving the Mobius webcam connectivity problem will hopefully assist other users who may be encountering the same issues.

 

[Dashmellow]

Sorry Dashmellow, to be honest it never crossed my mind to mention the USB cable length, and I had no idea that the 3m cable I purchased from the ebay seller eletoponline365 for the Mobius wouldn't work as a webcam, perhaps add this question to your list of questions to ask when other users are having problems with the Mobius connecting as a webcam?

Must say I've learned a more tips and tricks over the last few days with using the Mobius, and solving the Mobius webcam connectivity problem will hopefully assist other users who may be encountering the same issues.

Who would really think of mentioning which length cable they used? There's really nothing to apologize for. Just glad in the end I thought to suggest trying a different cable and you can use the camera in web cam mode now.

 

[Signhere]

Success

Just tried another USB cable as you suggested and it connected straightaway to the Mac and appeared on the desktop, I clicked on the button closest to the lens and it appeared in the options list for Quicktime, I selected it from the drop down menu and the Mobius became a webcam, so have now been able to focus the lens in realtime. In fairness, it only needed a small adjustment of the lens, less than 1/8" inch turn.

I'm surprised that the 3m USB cable didn't connect as expected because I purchased it from the ebay seller eletoponline365 whom I purchased the Mobius from.

So Dashmellow, Bungus and map, thank you for your help and suggestions with this, at least I now know how to connect the Mobius to use as a webcam, and have also learned how to take it apart and focus the lens which was surprisingly easy to do.

Are you sure it's from eletoponline365? Because they are currently not selling it. And that cable might be a power/charger cable only ( not for data connection).

 

[richcam]

Are you sure it's from eletoponline365? Because they are currently not selling it. And that cable might be a power/charger cable only ( not for data connection).

Yes, I purchased the Mobius with a 32GB card from eletoponline365 on ebay, link is https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181168320228
And you are quite right about the 3m cable being for charging only, I only noticed this after you mentioned it and it does quite clearly state it in the ebay description, was my error. Link is https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181168320228 I purchased quite a few additional items from this seller and put them all in the same bag!