Mobius support thread and Tech Guide (post all problems/help requests here) Read posts #1-8 first

Hi, when I power my camera on the yellow light blinks slowly around 17 times then blinks quickly around 6 times then the camera powers off. Any ideas?
 
DDM said:
Hi, when I power my camera on the yellow light blinks slowly around 17 times then blinks quickly around 6 times then the camera powers off. Any ideas?
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Check to make sure there is no problem with the microSD card.

Edit: Here is a quote from the Mobius operator's manual. It sounds quite similar to what you are describing. I am not positive but I believe the flashing sequence for a card error may be different depending on the firmware version.

Q. The yellow LED flashes once per second 4 times and then flashes very quickly before turning off.

A. There is no micro SD card inserted, the card is not properly inserted, the card is full or the card is defective. The card must be inserted with the gold contacts facing upwards, towards the buttons. There should be a distinct spring action when inserting the last 5 mm and there should be no friction whatsoever.

When the card is pushed 1 mm inside the body the card should latch with a distinctive click.
Never force the card, and never push the card more than max. 1 mm into the camera body.
 
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This was my initial thought but I can still use the memory card fine when plugged into a computer. Kingston 32gb class 4, is it possible for the card to be fine in the computer but not the camera? I'll try another micro SD just in case.
 
DDM said:
This was my initial thought but I can still use the memory card fine when plugged into a computer. Kingston 32gb class 4, is it possible for the card to be fine in the computer but not the camera? I'll try another micro SD just in case.
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Try reformatting the card in the camera using the mSetup GUI.

If that doesn't work, I don't know. Perhaps someone else can hazard a guess as to what the problem may be. BTW, has the camera ever functioned properly ?
 
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The camera functioned properly for the first few days and I copied the footage over and it looks good. Was driving past mount Rushmore and set the camera to record and later noticed it had turned off on its own. After this incident it has been acting as previously mentioned.
 
dirkzelf said:
I shall try the 2.10 - low light - high data rate - setting when recording at night rides. Will let you asap know guys.

If it fails, then I wonder what it is that you do different my dear reverend...
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To be honest I didn't mind the pulsing or frame slow down as the extra brightness brings up details I wouldn't see otherwise (and from doing various side by sides the Mobius even on 0.47 is picking up details other cams are missing). I do see the camera do that, it just doesn't bother me.

I'm going to move up to the latest 1.x firmware soon and then go back to the 2.x branch afterwards - Russ posted that there is an issue with WDR in v2.10 in that it's not quite working right, but I don't know exactly how they class that. They're getting great performance out of this little unit anyway :)
 
Hello everyone. My first post! I've just purchased my first Mobius ActionCam this week and installed it as a dash cam. I've installed v2.10 of the firmware and been playing around with all the features. Overall my first impressions are very good, so a big thank you to Isoprop and Tom.

What I'd like to know is what are the recommended settings for use as a dashcam (My usage is ~60:40 day/night)? Currently set to 1080p, standard data rate, and WDR to 'On'. I'm happy with the daytime footage, but I'm seeing some flashing at night which appears to be due to the street lights and the footage is a little grainy making it difficult to read number plates.


What can be done to improve this?

Other questions:
  1. Can anyone recommend some software to review footage on a PC, in particular to join the video files and to pan and zoom footage.
  2. As an iPhone user, it would be great to be able to review footage directly from the ActionCam without having to first copy the movie files to a PC. Can anyone suggest a simple/cheap way to do this? Would something like the Kingston Technology MLW221 Mobilelite Wireless Reader work, or is there a better way?
FYI, I can report that I've had no issues so far with firmware v2.10 and a SanDisk Extreme Plus 64GB SDXC card, looped recording is working correctly.

Thanks.
 
nir said:
Sticklebrick, read these:
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/new-msetup-and-firmware.6690/
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/mobius-grainy-at-night.6686/
Click to expand...

Thanks. After reading those the main conclusion I came to was to revert to v1.20 firmware, but I'm reluctant to do this as I value the new features and bug fixes more than fixing the flashing (various reasons: I found pixelation issues with v1.20, plus I'm using the camera on my bicycle too and like having more separation of the options for the two video modes).

I will however experiment tonight with changing the White Balance setting to something other than 'Auto'.
 
Sticklebrick said:
Hello everyone. My first post! I've just purchased my first Mobius ActionCam this week and installed it as a dash cam. I've installed v2.10 of the firmware and been playing around with all the features. Overall my first impressions are very good, so a big thank you to Isoprop and Tom.

What I'd like to know is what are the recommended settings for use as a dashcam (My usage is ~60:40 day/night)? Currently set to 1080p, standard data rate, and WDR to 'On'. I'm happy with the daytime footage, but I'm seeing some flashing at night which appears to be due to the street lights and the footage is a little grainy making it difficult to read number plates.


What can be done to improve this?

Other questions:
  1. Can anyone recommend some software to review footage on a PC, in particular to join the video files and to pan and zoom footage.
  2. As an iPhone user, it would be great to be able to review footage directly from the ActionCam without having to first copy the movie files to a PC. Can anyone suggest a simple/cheap way to do this? Would something like the Kingston Technology MLW221 Mobilelite Wireless Reader work, or is there a better way?
FYI, I can report that I've had no issues so far with firmware v2.10 and a SanDisk Extreme Plus 64GB SDXC card, looped recording is working correctly.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
The flashing normally happens on WDR Low Light, check to see if it's enabled. Reading plate numbers at night is difficult for all cameras due to many factors, one being reflections from headlights, so this isn't a problem with your settings.

The Mobilelite is what I use to quickly view footage on my Ipad or Android. It's simple to just pop the card in and view what you want.

I agree with you about downgrading. I also like the ability to have three usable modes and I really like the time lapse video.
 
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Seems like I would need some help again...

I got my replacement cable for my mobius. Hooked everything back together and zilch. Nothing works. By which I mean, it powers on but doesn't seem to record. I was set on auto on, auto record. Which it did for a very brief moment. I got a video of my desk and the image was clear so it technically works.

That's the only time I managed to make it work. The rest of the time, if I plug it into a power supply or into the pc, it flashes blue then green, then off. If I press the power button, it goes and stays a hard green. No other control works.

I've reformatted using the recommended formatter (can't do it from the mobius as it doesn't respond) and the pc at different times.

It is not recognized whenever I plugged it. I tried with the battery, without the battery, with the lens or without the lens to see if there would be any differences and nothing. It's either green or off.

I've charged the battery.

I've tried a couple different cables.

I'm giving up for the moment as I'm fairly annoyed by it.

Any ideas on how to fix my issue?
 
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MrFluff said:
Seems like I would need some help again...

I got my replacement cable for my mobius. Hooked everything back together and zilch. Nothing works. By which I mean, it powers on but doesn't seem to record. I was set on auto on, auto record. Which it did for a very brief moment. I got a video of my desk and the image was clear so it technically works.

That's the only time I managed to make it work. The rest of the time, if I plug it into a power supply or into the pc, it flashes blue then green, then off. If I press the power button, it goes and stays a hard green. No other control works.

I've reformatted using the recommended formatter (can't do it from the mobius as it doesn't respond) and the pc at different times.

It is not recognized whenever I plugged it. I tried with the battery, without the battery, with the lens or without the lens to see if there would be any differences and nothing. It's either green or off.

I've charged the battery.

I've tried a couple different cables.

I'm giving up for the moment as I'm fairly annoyed by it.

Any ideas on how to fix my issue?
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I'm not quite sure what works and what doesn't work :confused:
If you use a standard USB cable and connect your camera to your PC the camera won't start recording, but it should be recognized as an external drive if a card is inserted.
If you use the same cable and connect it to a power supply the camera may also not automatically start recording. Some external power supplies use pins #2 and #3 to indicate the max. power (Amps) possible. The Mobius won't work properly with these types of power supply unless you cut the two data wires. i.e. you only connect pin #1 (+5V) and pin #5 (GND).
If your camera is not recognized by the PC then the most likely cause is a low-quality USB cable or the cable is too long. Some people have had to try more than 3 cables to find one that works. As a rule of thumb, the thicker and shorter the cable the better. A 30 cm cable is ideal. Another problem can be the USB port or third party USB drivers. Drivers can also become messed up. In this case, the only reliable solution is to re-install Windows :eek:. I have had this problem occur numerous times, mostly on Windows XP, but also on Windows 7. I hardly use Windows 8 so don't know if the same problem exists there as well.
Try connecting your Mobius to your PC when the PC is turned off. Then, start your PC and see if the camera is detected.
When you connect your Mobius to your PC always use a direct connection. Don't use a hub. Try a different port.
If all this doesn't work, take your fattest and shortest USB cable and try connecting your Mobius to a different PC. When you connect your Mobius to your PC for the first time give the operating system plenty of time (like, say 2 minutes) to find and install the necessary USB drivers. Always be patient and don't start randomly connecting and disconnecting the Mobius to your PC. This can really mess up the registry.
 
My Mobius has started turning off by itself - but it seems to happen mostly in the afternoon. On my way into to work this morning it was fine, but on the way home it wouldn't run for more than about 20sec.

I have changed nothing since I bought it, and it's been working fine for since then (~ a year or so?)

It's not overly hot - I have a vent blowing more or less right on it, and the heatsinks (when running) do not feel *hot* hot (warm to hot, to be sure).

Is this indicative of a bad battery or something? I have a 2-USB plug that powers it; a 1A and 2.1A and both exhibit the same behavior.

Help?
 
Michael Campbell said:
My Mobius has started turning off by itself - but it seems to happen mostly in the afternoon. On my way into to work this morning it was fine, but on the way home it wouldn't run for more than about 20sec.

I have changed nothing since I bought it, and it's been working fine for since then (~ a year or so?)

It's not overly hot - I have a vent blowing more or less right on it, and the heatsinks (when running) do not feel *hot* hot (warm to hot, to be sure).

Is this indicative of a bad battery or something? I have a 2-USB plug that powers it; a 1A and 2.1A and both exhibit the same behavior.

Help?
Click to expand...

I had a hard to trace similar issue at one time that turned out to be a problem with the miniUSB port on the camera causing intermittent connection drop-outs. I finally discovered that the port had a hairline crack in the plastic center piece where the pins plug in. I'm not suggesting this is what is wrong with your camera but it's a good idea to check that your connections are secure.
 
Dashmellow said:
I had a hard to trace similar issue at one time that turned out to be a problem with the miniUSB port on the camera causing intermittent connection drop-outs. I finally discovered that the port had a hairline crack in the plastic center piece where the pins plug in. I'm not suggesting this is what is wrong with your camera but it's a good idea to check that your connections are secure.
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I dont' know if this is relevant, but when I plug the mobius into my computer (different cable, granted), I never get any "dropouts" in as much as the computer doesn't seem to ever lose connection and "re-connect".

I might try a different cable in the car, I guess, and see if that's any different.

Thanks.
 
Things can be very different in a vibrating car environment. My suggestion is simply just another troubleshooting thing to consider. :)
 
Isoprop said:
I'm not quite sure what works and what doesn't work :confused:
If you use a standard USB cable and connect your camera to your PC the camera won't start recording, but it should be recognized as an external drive if a card is inserted.
If you use the same cable and connect it to a power supply the camera may also not automatically start recording. Some external power supplies use pins #2 and #3 to indicate the max. power (Amps) possible. The Mobius won't work properly with these types of power supply unless you cut the two data wires. i.e. you only connect pin #1 (+5V) and pin #5 (GND).
If your camera is not recognized by the PC then the most likely cause is a low-quality USB cable or the cable is too long. Some people have had to try more than 3 cables to find one that works. As a rule of thumb, the thicker and shorter the cable the better. A 30 cm cable is ideal. Another problem can be the USB port or third party USB drivers. Drivers can also become messed up. In this case, the only reliable solution is to re-install Windows :eek:. I have had this problem occur numerous times, mostly on Windows XP, but also on Windows 7. I hardly use Windows 8 so don't know if the same problem exists there as well.
Try connecting your Mobius to your PC when the PC is turned off. Then, start your PC and see if the camera is detected.
When you connect your Mobius to your PC always use a direct connection. Don't use a hub. Try a different port.
If all this doesn't work, take your fattest and shortest USB cable and try connecting your Mobius to a different PC. When you connect your Mobius to your PC for the first time give the operating system plenty of time (like, say 2 minutes) to find and install the necessary USB drivers. Always be patient and don't start randomly connecting and disconnecting the Mobius to your PC. This can really mess up the registry.
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Thanks.

I'll try another pc.
I've tried 3 other cables so far, for a total of 5 different ones and waited for it to boot up. No dice.
The only thing that happens is it flashes blue, then green, then off. If I turn it on, it just goes green and that's it.
I let it charge for a few hours and tried starting it on the battery and nothing either.

The camera is set up to record when power is detected but so far there's no other file on the card except the SYSCFG.

Is it possible the board is messed up somehow? If it was the lens it'd flash yellow or red according to the manual. Can't recall which.
 
MrFluff said:
Thanks.

I'll try another pc.
I've tried 3 other cables so far, for a total of 5 different ones and waited for it to boot up. No dice.
The only thing that happens is it flashes blue, then green, then off. If I turn it on, it just goes green and that's it.
I let it charge for a few hours and tried starting it on the battery and nothing either.

The camera is set up to record when power is detected but so far there's no other file on the card except the SYSCFG.

Is it possible the board is messed up somehow? If it was the lens it'd flash yellow or red according to the manual. Can't recall which.
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If you're using a PC there's absolutely no reason to have a SYSCFG.TXT file on your card.
Use a card reader and format your card with SDFormatter. Also try a different card, if you have one. In your original post you said your camera recorded video. Why doesn't it record any more? Have you changed something or opened the case?
The two most common problems for the camera not to record is a badly formatted or non-compatible card or an incorrectly inserted lens module cable. Also, if the battery is dud you'll also get strange results.
I think you should try and resolve one problem at a time. The first step is to get the camera to record video.
So, SDFormat your card. Does the camera now record?
If not, let the camera generate a new SYSCFG.TXT file as described in the manual. Did this work? If yes, then the FW is running correctly and most likely there's something wrong with your card.
Once the camera records properly it's time to find out why it isn't recognized by your PC.
 
What could be the reasons of some corrupted files , aleatory dispersed among correct ones , in same temperature condition , 5 min loop recording , in a Mobius with Kingston 32 4 class , that have recorded corecctly till this event ? After , for example , four 5 min files corrected , in sequence , have appeared one corrupted , (with this message : Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The Player might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file. ) , the following 2-3 in sequence were correct ones again and so on ...( an exemple of my recording ) . Thank you
 
Michael Campbell said:
I dont' know if this is relevant, but when I plug the mobius into my computer (different cable, granted), I never get any "dropouts" in as much as the computer doesn't seem to ever lose connection and "re-connect".

I might try a different cable in the car, I guess, and see if that's any different.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Well, a new cable didn't help. Also went back to 1.20 firmware and still it turns off.

I think it's a power thing. I've ordered a new battery and hope that helps, but in the meantime I've run the power cable to the socket in the console rather than under the dash. When I run the camera without the phone (in one of those 1A/2.1A dual powered USB plugs), it seems to behave much better; like it used to.

So now my phone and camera are being powered by separate power outlets in the car, and neither is "splitting" the power from one. We will see.
 
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