Mobius Maxi Support Thread

[country_hick]

Yeah, we get to be "beta-testers" when we buy a dashcam, and sometimes working with them is a PITA, but as long as you make a good choice of cams and companies, it's not that bad. And it gets us the mostest the fastest and the cheapest when things go right. I can't complain about this, but as always YMMV.

Phil

There are exceptions to this rule. 2 examples immediately come to mind. The mobius 2 that never was developed and never will be. The viofo G1W-S which needs firmware updates it will never get as it loses its date and refuses to delete files made after that date. Most would say mobius and viofo are good at making firmware updates but that is not as true as it should be.

 

[jokiin]

treating a model like it doesn't exist because you no longer sell it doesn't really win you any return business from most consumers

 

[SawMaster]

Yes, there are many cams which direly need updates that they never get. In fact, that is most cams. The M2 was an anomaly and Mobius should have dropped it the moment they knew they would not be able to do much more with it. I think (at least I hope) that they've now learned their lesson about not alienating their customer base in this way, but you can be cetain that I will not buy a Maxi now until it is developed a lot more fully and has performance worthy of the M1's reputation. I can't trust thos guys again yet. The G1W/S was Viofo's entry into the dashcam market, and the sluggish sales right from the start were more due to the platform being old and riddled with crappy cams than for the his cam's performance itself. It was the first budget dashcam with decent night-time performance via the Sony IMX 322/323 sensor which was a relatively new item then, so it had merit, but it just didn't sell. I was not pleased to see the WR-1 being thrown away similarly, but to Viofo's credit his "A" series cams are getting developed at an amazing speed and depth. I guess it's focusing on the winners while letting the losers go, and if one cannot do both together then that is a sensible business approach even if it leaves some of us out in the cold.

As so many here have said, it is best to make your buying decisions based on what the cam is like right now, because it may never get any better than that. Things aren't too bad now compared to when I got started with dashcams. Back then the only ones serious about development were SG and Mobius, but now we've got several more on that short list so it is getting better. But for sure, if Mobius fails with the Maxi as they did with the M2 then they're probably going to be looking for jobs at McDonalds within a couple years at best. People have very long memories, and the more bitter those memories are the longer they last.

Phil

 

[TonyM]

The mobius 2 that never was developed and never will be.. Most would say mobius and viofo are good at making firmware updates but that is not as true as it should be.

I remember spending quite a few months testing various beta FW updates for the M2. Sadly that product did not get to realise its potential and it does seem that further development is unlikely.

 

[jokiin]

I remember spending quite a few months testing various beta FW updates for the M2. Sadly that product did not get to realise its potential and it does seem that further development is unlikely.

apparently they've already said there will be no further updates

 

[Paul Blart]

Have you checked whether you connected the ribbon cable (where it joins the extension) is the right way around? I made the same mistake, thinking the copper pads should face UP with the connector. However, they need to face DOWN instead. The camera won't be responsive without a lens connected correctly and the behaviour you're describing matches that.

If you're unsure of what I mean then just try different orientations until it works.

Think you were right. Had another look and re-seated the cables and camera is now back with us

 

[country_hick]

You can be cetain that I will not buy a Maxi now until it is developed a lot more fully and has performance worthy of the M1's reputation. I can't trust thos guys again yet... But for sure, if Mobius fails with the Maxi as they did with the M2 then they're probably going to be looking for jobs at McDonalds within a couple years at best. People have very long memories, and the more bitter those memories are the longer they last.

Phil

I bought 1 maxi. I will not buy more unless everything works like it should. If this maxi ends up being problematic or disappointing it will be my first and last mobius ever. After having a G1W-S that is not usable without resetting the time stamp every 3 days or so that will not get a firmware fix I am not sure I want to buy another viofo product. I am sure a programmer could spend less than 2 hours to fix this overwriting a later file date problem.

I do wish they would offer a better low light image sensor. Although I can see something running just on my headlights the night images could be greatly improved with better firmware settings. Part of the problem is probably based on big city driving with every street lit up by streetlamps which effectively falsifies how effective night image gathering can be.

 

[TonyM]

I do wish they would offer a better low light image sensor. Although I can see something running just on my headlights the night images could be greatly improved with better firmware settings. Part of the problem is probably based on big city driving with every street lit up by streetlamps which effectively falsifies how effective night image gathering can be.

I find that at night the metering tends strongly towards highlight-priority, which has the effect of not blowing out highlights on street signs and number plates, but does result in an overall darker scene. In the advanced settings options for the M2 there was an option for bright light or low light priority. If this could be copied to the Maxi, you might find that low light priority gives you the kind of result you are looking for.

 

[country_hick]

As firmware updates are needed would it be possible to include a setting in the middle of bright and low light priority? By measuring both the high and low light and applying a value halfway in between those 2 settings there potentially could be a better compromise setting for some users. High, middle, or low settings might be helpful. We could then choose which one is best for our needs. Night video is to dark to see many details.

Maybe offering a left spot and right spot metering would help for those on both sides of the road. Exposure could be based on the lighting seen in the ditch instead of from oncoming headlights.

In the advanced settings options for the M2 there was an option for bright light or low light priority. If this could be copied to the Maxi, you might find that low light priority gives you the kind of result you are looking for.

 

[TonyM]

As firmware updates are needed would it be possible to include a setting in the middle of bright and low light priority? By measuring both the high and low light and applying a value halfway in between those 2 settings there potentially could be a better compromise setting for some users. High, middle, or low settings might be helpful. We could then choose which one is best for our needs. Night video is to dark to see many details.

Maybe offering a left spot and right spot metering would help for those on both sides of the road. Exposure could be based on the lighting seen in the ditch instead of from oncoming headlights.

I've never found spot metering to be particularly effective on any camera used as a dashcam. There are far too many situations with changing positions of cars and light sources on straight roads, around bends and at junctions for a spot-type approach to work.

 

[country_hick]

if you don't mind DIY I've used these before with good success https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-3a-ubec-with-low-voltage-buzzer.html

I have seen you say that we need to beware of substandard power supplies. How can we know if any power supply is good or will destroy our cams? Is it all trial and error?

 

[jokiin]

I have seen you say that we need to beware of substandard power supplies. How can we know if any power supply is good or will destroy our cams? Is it all trial and error?

yeah something that needs testing, I've gone through a lot of power supplies, even some of the more expensive ones in the market are rubbish

 

[Matt_V939]

M2 was doomed by design. They embarked in a task too big to achieve max flexibility and failed....I remember they were on the brink of releasing the camera and they stopped for month and released it eventually after a long time afterwards.
Thus the Maxi took a "safe" road, developing from the mini hw....very Safe I'd say or better way too safe (I'd expect something like the Viofo F1)

Tom Franks on rcgroups wrote (2017):
"..The M2 FW is not yet mature, I agree. Part of the problem is that the hardware manufacturer's low level library code tools for developer's FW development were abandoned early in the development process in lieu of writing all the control code from scratch with a Linux core OS in an attempt to give more access to the hardware for more flexibility in FW control. This was a double-edge sword as I see it, and has slowed down some of the function additions that were envisioned to be more like the M1. ..."

 

[jokiin]

not sure what was envisioned but the explanations offered so far don't sound right

 

[TonyM]

Thus the Maxi took a "safe" road, developing from the mini hw....very Safe I'd say or better way too safe (I'd expect something like the Viofo F1)

I'm hoping for an M3 that's something like the GitUp F1.

 

[country_hick]

The next mobius version after the maxi should have a much better low light image sensor. There are good sensors available that give better low light images than what mobius uses.

 

[Matt_V939]

I'm hoping for an M3 that's something like the GitUp F1.

Yep,, I meant the GitUp F1, my mistake.

 

[dirkzelf]

I've never found spot metering to be particularly effective on any camera used as a dashcam.

Unless you place the camera BEHIND the driver, and shoot from back in the cabin through the windshield. If you don't have center weighed metering or spot metering, than the whole image is being measured. You end up with way under exposed inside, and way overexposed outside. Center weighed (or spot) metering measures the right place for exposure, the windshield, and not the dark inside of the car/cabin.

 

[dirkzelf]

What are the general conclusions so far for the F1.5 lens version Mobius Maxi?

 

[Harsh]

Very noisy (day or night), even more apparent in webcam mode. Still darkens a bit with CW metering. If it's going to replace one of your cameras, I'd wait.