Mobius heat tolerance

[Dashmellow]

Looks like it's made of licorice!

At this moment it is 7º F (-21.66º C) here and falling.

 

[jokiin]

Looks like it's made of licorice!

yeah that's the worst I've seen

At this moment it is 7º F (-21.66º C) here and falling.

Wouldn't mind some of that right now

 

[murcod]

@Dashmellow I couldn't understand how your Mobius could possibly survive those temperatures! Having said that, I have got one Mobius that times out around 12 minutes after locking the vehicle. That vehicle isn't left outside regularly.

PS: 39 degrees C and cloudy tomorrow for my area of the world... and only the first month of Summer.

 

[SawMaster]

My Mobius with caps has been recording 24/7 for about 3 years now. It resides in a closed work-van set back from the windshield to be out of the direct sun. This includes several days each summer where the outside temps reach or exceed 100F (38.8C); considerably hotter inside. Never a problem or a failure with the cam or card (Transcend 400X). I also run a Viofo G1W-S throughout the day- it had a bit of focus-shift but recorded reliably. Only a year on that cam but it seems to be OK

Mobius is probably the best cam for extremely high heat situations but everything has it's limits I just haven't found them yet with my Mobius
Phil

 

[Dashmellow]

@Dashmellow I couldn't understand how your Mobius could possibly survive those temperatures! Having said that, I have got one Mobius that times out around 12 minutes after locking the vehicle. That vehicle isn't left outside regularly.

PS: 39 degrees C and cloudy tomorrow for my area of the world... and only the first month of Summer.

My Mobius with caps has been recording 24/7 for about 3 years now. It resides in a closed work-van set back from the windshield to be out of the direct sun. This includes several days each summer where the outside temps reach or exceed 100F (38.8C); considerably hotter inside. Never a problem or a failure with the cam or card (Transcend 400X). I also run a Viofo G1W-S throughout the day- it had a bit of focus-shift but recorded reliably. Only a year on that cam but it seems to be OK

Mobius is probably the best cam for extremely high heat situations but everything has it's limits I just haven't found them yet with my Mobius
Phil

The original Mobius is a pretty amazing camera. Too bad the Mobius 2 has been such a miserable disaster. Even if it can handle more extreme temps than the M1, nobody will likely ever go to the trouble of finding out.

 

[SawMaster]

If any cam doesn't function correctly and reliably then nothing else about it matters. That is precisely why the original Mobius is so great even with it's dated hardware.

Phil

 

[murcod]

My Mobius with caps has been recording 24/7 for about 3 years now. It resides in a closed work-van set back from the windshield to be out of the direct sun. This includes several days each summer where the outside temps reach or exceed 100F (38.8C); considerably hotter inside. Never a problem or a failure with the cam or card (Transcend 400X). I also run a Viofo G1W-S throughout the day- it had a bit of focus-shift but recorded reliably. Only a year on that cam but it seems to be OK

Mobius is probably the best cam for extremely high heat situations but everything has it's limits I just haven't found them yet with my Mobius
Phil

Being shaded would make a huge difference, most cars that is impossible with the sloped windscreen. I've got an A119V2 that has been happily working in the spot the Mobius melted in. (I do prefer the narrower angle of the Mobius A lens.)

If any cam doesn't function correctly and reliably then nothing else about it matters. That is precisely why the original Mobius is so great even with it's dated hardware.

Phil

Ironically, reliability is why I've been looking at other options. The Mobius isn't 100% reliable in every application for auto recording. Knowing my luck I'll have an accident on one of the days it hasn't started recording (when I've forgotten to check before driving off.)

 

[Dashmellow]

Ironically, reliability is why I've been looking at other options. The Mobius isn't 100% reliable in every application for auto recording. Knowing my luck I'll have an accident on one of the days it hasn't started recording (when I've forgotten to check before driving off.)

Seven years of using dash cams and it's just become a routine to check to see if all my dash cams are up and running before I hit the road. With the RED LED blinking pilot light on the back of the Mobius it's always been especially easy, even with the one facing out the back that I see in my rear view mirror.

 

[murcod]

Seven years of using dash cams and it's just become a routine to check to see if all my dash cams are up and running before I hit the road. With the RED LED blinking pilot light on the back of the Mobius it's always been especially easy, even with the one facing out the back that I see in my rear view mirror.

Yes, the rear one is easy to see in the mirror. The front one (mounted under the rear view mirror) I can't see the LEDs from the driver's seat unless I move my upper body and head towards the centre of the vehicle. I've been meaning to pull it apart and enlarge the LED holes to increase the viewing angle.

I do forget every now and then to check they're operating and the front one (the one which sometimes fails) requires me to unplug the power cable and then reinsert it + press the power button. Not something I want to be fiddling with while I'm driving. I just want a "set and forget" set up, I don't want to have to remember to check the camera is working. The vehicle is also driven irregularly which can result in the capacitors losing the date. Often the capacitor seems to discharge when it fails to start automatically- erasing the date/ time and overwriting files ( I end up with a bunch of Jan2012 files.) If I drive the car every 2-3 days everything usually fine.

 

[Dashmellow]

Yes, the rear one is easy to see in the mirror. The front one (mounted under the rear view mirror) I can't see the LEDs from the driver's seat unless I move my upper body and head towards the centre of the vehicle. I've been meaning to pull it apart and enlarge the LED holes to increase the viewing angle.

I do forget every now and then to check they're operating and the front one (the one which sometimes fails) requires me to unplug the power cable and then reinsert it + press the power button. Not something I want to be fiddling with while I'm driving. I just want a "set and forget" set up, I don't want to have to remember to check the camera is working. The vehicle is also driven irregularly which can result in the capacitors losing the date. Often the capacitor seems to discharge when it fails to start automatically- erasing the date/ time and overwriting files ( I end up with a bunch of Jan2012 files.) If I drive the car every 2-3 days everything usually fine.

I've experienced some of the same things you have and I guess that is in part why I've learned to check to make sure everything is up and running before I hit the road. One of my Mobius cams (the rear one) is an early V1 PCB version that won't start up if it has been sitting out in the extreme cold all night (10º F and below). I need to leave it plugged in for a minute or two to warm up the components and then unplug it and re-plug it to get it to boot up. The other two Mobius side facing cams are V3 PCB versions and they don't seem to be affected by the cold temps.

Anyway, if you have a buggy Mobius I guess you could just buy a new PCB for it but then again if you don't drive the car enough to keep the caps charged up it sounds like you may need a cam with a RTC battery along with super-caps like maybe a SG9665GC or a Viofo A119 series. There are a lot of great holiday deals available this time of year and so this might be a good time to look around for a new camera.

P.S. If you need to make the LED more visible an easy method is to glue a small piece of clear Lucite or acrylic over it to act as a light pipe.

 

[murcod]

Unfortunately I sometimes forget to check the camera has started- then it's a major hassle if I'm moving and trying to fix it. I'm looking for something more suitable, but am still debating on what would be best (plus waiting for new models in the pipeline.)

A piece of acrylic on the top or rear LED might just work- it's something I hadn't thought of (thanks!) I'll pull the camera out as it's due for a "functional check" and modify the case a bit.

 

[murcod]

A piece of acrylic on the top or rear LED might just work- it's something I hadn't thought of (thanks!) I'll pull the camera out as it's due for a "functional check" and modify the case a bit.

I started enlarging the rear LED opening and realised that was a bit pointless as it's a surface mount LED inside mounted at 90 degrees to the opening. I then remembered I'd bought some 3mm fibre optic cable, so enlarged the hole to 3mm, cut a short length, sliced the side off the fibre so it mates with the SMD LED and then glued it in place. It sticks out the case 3-4mm and I sanded the fibre end to round it off and rough up the surface for the light to show up.

It looks like a standard red 3mm LED is sticking out the back. It should be bright enough and very obvious even in daylight.

The Mobius buys itself some more time before being pensioned off. I've ordered a cheap "delay off" timer to experiment with for the dodgy auto record/ date being reset.

 

[Bungus]

Not sure if it's relevant. My 2 Mobius are hardwired and set to delay ON. I have no non start problem.

 

[Dashmellow]

I started enlarging the rear LED opening and realised that was a bit pointless as it's a surface mount LED inside mounted at 90 degrees to the opening. I then remembered I'd bought some 3mm fibre optic cable, so enlarged the hole to 3mm, cut a short length, sliced the side off the fibre so it mates with the SMD LED and then glued it in place. It sticks out the case 3-4mm and I sanded the fibre end to round it off and rough up the surface for the light to show up.

It looks like a standard red 3mm LED is sticking out the back. It should be bright enough and very obvious even in daylight.

The Mobius buys itself some more time before being pensioned off. I've ordered a cheap "delay off" timer to experiment with for the dodgy auto record/ date being reset.

Glad to hear that the light pipe idea worked for you!

 

[Lola]

Yikes! That's hot! I'm only talking interior cabin temps in a dark blue vehicle on a summer day in the sun so now I get what you were saying. Top external temperatures for me are probably in the neighborhood of 35º or thereabouts. I would never risk running cams while parked if the exterior temps were so high. And now I understand why your Mobius melted!

I thought he was talking about the inside also! If there are any plastic parts in the camera lens the highest ratings I have ever seen are 80 C (176 F), but most are 60 C (140 F). So no wonder things are melting. In my truck I have the plastic rain deflectors around the top/side of my windows and always leave them cracked at least, that helps get rid of some of the heat.
If I had to contend with that kind of heat I would shield camera if at all possible and set up a fan (quiet computer type) for some cross ventilation. Man you are talking heart failing temperatures !!!!

 

[Dashmellow]

I thought he was talking about the outside also! If there are any plastic parts in the camera lens the highest ratings I have ever seen are 80 C (176 F), but most are 60 C (140 F). So no wonder things are melting. In my truck I have the plastic rain deflectors around the top/side of my windows and always leave them cracked at least, that helps get rid of some of the heat.
If I had to contend with that kind of heat I would shield camera if at all possible and set up a fan (quiet computer type) for some cross ventilation. Man you are talking heart failing temperatures !!!!

I used to have those rain deflectors in my old truck but never installed the when I got a new one. One of my rain reflectors got damaged and it was so hard to remove that I didn't want to mess with anything like that again. Anyway, when it gets really hot out I crack the windows too and sometimes open the rear window sliding panel.

You're right, that's pretty hot! Somehow when @murcod said "I leave them in parked cars" I was thinking inside temps and also not completely making the C to F conversion as well as I might have.

At least for me, the Mobius cams can take a licking and keep on ticking, so I don't worry about them too much at this point. I figure after having them in service this long they don't owe me anything even if something goes wrong and it would be cheap to buy a new case or even a new PCB if I ever need to. Actually, I thought I'd be using Mobius 2's by now anyway so but who knew the M2 would be such a lousy product. Good thing the Mobius holds up so well!

 

[Lola]

I used to have those rain deflectors in my old truck but never installed the when I got a new one. One of my rain reflectors got damaged and it was so hard to remove that I didn't want to mess with anything like that again. Anyway, when it gets really hot out I crack the windows too and sometimes open the rear window sliding panel.

You're right, that's pretty hot! Somehow when @murcod said "I leave them in parked cars" I was thinking inside temps and also not completely making the C to F conversion as well as I might have.

At least for me, the Mobius cams can take a licking and keep on ticking, so I don't worry about them too much at this point. I figure after having them in service this long they don't owe me anything even if something goes wrong and it would be cheap to buy a new case or even a new PCB if I ever need to. Actually, I thought I'd be using Mobius 2's by now anyway so but who knew the M2 would be such a lousy product. Good thing the Mobius holds up so well!

I made a mistake but corrected it. When I said I thought he meant outside, I should have said "inside", I guess any way you cut it, that's hotter the you know where!
Ever since you mentored me on dash camera and the Mobius, I've read a lot of reviews and peoples geneal observations and about the Mobius 1 and in general I would have to say that the Mobius 1 relative to heat is the leading camera in the vast field of dash cameras, to bad it's son has been such a flop, but like the saying go's, poo happens!

 

[murcod]

Not sure if it's relevant. My 2 Mobius are hardwired and set to delay ON. I have no non start problem.

I read that the other day and didn't think too much into it. I just thought of a benefit to doing it - it gives the super cap some time to gain charge before powering up the camera. I think part of the reason I lose the time/ date is because the Mobius starts recording then a couple of seconds later suffers a power spike with the engine starting. If the car has been driven in the last 1-4 days the Mobius copes fine, but any longer it crashes and won't auto record (plus loses the time/ date.) My theory is the cause is the low charge level of the capacitor, so I'll set the power on delay and see if that helps.

(Apologies for dragging this thread off topic.)

Edit: The Mobius app says the Power On Delay "Defines how long the power button has to be pressed before the camera turns on" - so does it delay the turn on with external power too and for how long?? I'll check and post back any changes.

 

[murcod]

I read that the other day and didn't think too much into it. I just thought of a benefit to doing it - it gives the super cap some time to gain charge before powering up the camera. I think part of the reason I lose the time/ date is because the Mobius starts recording then a couple of seconds later suffers a power spike with the engine starting. If the car has been driven in the last 1-4 days the Mobius copes fine, but any longer it crashes and won't auto record (plus loses the time/ date.) My theory is the cause is the low charge level of the capacitor, so I'll set the power on delay and see if that helps.

(Apologies for dragging this thread off topic.)

Edit: The Mobius app says the Power On Delay "Defines how long the power button has to be pressed before the camera turns on" - so does it delay the turn on with external power too and for how long?? I'll check and post back any changes.

I've just tried changing it - I get around 2 seconds from power application to the first flash of the rear LED for both settings. No discernible difference- it would have been good if it did delay the external power start up.