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

[RippleTheRippler]

Apparently, one of my Mobius cameras becomes frozen in extreme cold weather and won't start recording right away.

For quite some time I have been running a Mobius facing out the rear windshield of my vehicle. (wide lens - FW v.2.25) The camera has a super-capacitor and resides in the vehicle permanently. It has been hands down, the most reliable set-and-forget dash cam I own. Now and again I'll check the footage or reformat the card and no matter what the temperature, summer or winter or how long I neglect the camera, it has always worked perfectly. I've always enjoyed how I can see the rear red camera LED in my rear view mirror and observe the reassuring pulse of the pilot light to know that everything is working as it should.

Where I live in northern New England we have been in the midst of a vicious cold snap. Yesterday, the temperature fell to -12 degrees Fahrenheit (-24.45 Celsius) The day before it wasn't quite so bad with the temps in the single digits. Today is relatively balmy with the temperature up into the teens.

So, for the last few days when I go to start my vehicle the rear LED on the Mobius will flash red three times and then nothing happens.......dead camera. If I wait a few minutes and then unplug the power supply and plug the camera back in, the camera will flash red three times and proceed to function normally. If I bring the camera into my house and let it warm up to room temperature it starts up in the usual fashion, so it seems that when deeply frozen, it needs perhaps two or three minutes of power before it can start to run normally. When the camera is in temperature conditions ranging between the mid twenties and 30's Fahrenheit and even dipping a bit into the teens it seems to function just fine; it is only when the temperature falls dramatically and stays very cold overnight that this seems to occur.

I had wondered along with all this if the super-caps had somehow lost their ability to hold a charge in these conditions but upon checking the footage the proper date and time is on all the clips. There is something else at play here.

Interestingly, when the camera first starts to run in these extreme cold temperatures, the video clips show a serious out-of-focus shift in the footage that slowly begins to return to normal as the camera warms up. Some of the footage seems to have a sort of slightly grainy appearance but I need to explore that further.

you just described my issue perfectly.

i have two mobius's. One will turn on no problem in the cold..the other, three red lights and then nothing. Not until the car warms up will it turn on (maybe 10 minutes of driving). Pretty annoying. I have to unplug it and plug it back in for the auto start. at 3 degrees celcius it starts no problem, at around 0 and below, it fails to start (but yet my second one starts no problem).

I tried switching the capacitor with no change .

 

[dashtalk]

you just described my issue perfectly.

i have two mobius's. One will turn on no problem in the cold..the other, three red lights and then nothing. Not until the car warms up will it turn on (maybe 10 minutes of driving). Pretty annoying. I have to unplug it and plug it back in for the auto start. at 3 degrees celcius it starts no problem, at around 0 and below, it fails to start (but yet my second one starts no problem).

I tried switching the capacitor with no change .

Check your charger or power source, mine used to do that then I switched the charger and it solve itself.

Or just turn on the heater right when u get into the car

 

[dashtalk]

I want to be able to read plates clearer, will changing the settings from Wide FOV to Narrow help?

I got a B version

 

[RippleTheRippler]

Check your charger or power source, mine used to do that then I switched the charger and it solve itself.

Or just turn on the heater right when u get into the car

The power source is fine. I bought a USB amp/volt reader to be sure.

Turning on the heater does not help in the following sense:
1) I am also not going to let me car idle for 10 minutes before driving away, that is not ideal at all.
2) I still need to unplug and plug the player back in. I need a let-it-be solution so I don't wear components, or forget. There is also the issue of reliability if it is not recording

 

[dashtalk]

The power source is fine. I bought a USB amp/volt reader to be sure.

Turning on the heater does not help in the following sense:
1) I am also not going to let me car idle for 10 minutes before driving away, that is not ideal at all.
2) I still need to unplug and plug the player back in. I need a let-it-be solution so I don't wear components, or forget. There is also the issue of reliability if it is not recording

Mine did too, you cant be certain unless you use a multimeter and test it.

Just try different power source.

 

[RippleTheRippler]

Mine did too, you cant be certain unless you use a multimeter and test it.

Just try different power source.

eh?? I did use a multimeter on it. I have also used 4 different power sources. 3 are attached to my car, and one external battery pack. All sources work on my first mobius...all sources fail on my second when the mobius is cold.

 

[dashtalk]

Well you got a bad one then

 

[wozzzzza]

the solution to my Mobius not starting up first time, get a new one, then never had an issue since.
all I can think if faulty partly in some way.

 

[Bungus]

I still think it's cold. Temp in Vancouver is warmer now. (above freezing) Camera works great but I still keep an eye on the pulsing red LED.

 

[dashtalk]

I still think it's cold. Temp in Vancouver is warmer now. (above freezing) Camera works great but I still keep an eye on the pulsing red LED.

Did yours used to freeze? Here is quiet cold -15 C currently runs fine

 

[Bungus]

Camera freezing? No.
Overnight lows of below freezing cause the camera to not auto start the next morning. I just unplug and plug the connection and camera works. Not a big deal. I keep eyeing the pulsing red LED all the time.

 

[russ331]

Quote by Tom Frank at RCGroups today...

"The current Mobius will stay popular long after any new camera is released, I think, just like it's little predecessor, the #16HD keychain camera has remained very popular with those where cost and weight are prime considerations.

And the current Mobius (to my surprise) is not quite mature in it's capabilities (but very close), so there are still some functional enhancements being polished that will interest some of the more demanding users (don't ask what/when).

But the leap to higher frame rates, wider dynamic range, and better low light performance, though, needs more capable hardware, and the Mobius design team is not sitting on their laurels with this. I see on going development and improvement to meet user needs at affordable prices continuing to be their driving force. Too bad they don't have the resources of large companies like GoPro to tackle these, but then overhead costs would drive up the end prices to consumers. Smaller is better for our niche market."

 

[jokiin]

Too bad they don't have the resources of large companies like GoPro to tackle these, but then overhead costs would drive up the end prices to consumers.

nobody in this category does, GoPro has more software engineers alone than 95% of camera manufacturers have factory staff in total

 

[RippleTheRippler]

the solution to my Mobius not starting up first time, get a new one, then never had an issue since.
all I can think if faulty partly in some way.

im not sure you can really call getting a new one a "solution"
a solution usually involves fixing the unit...not just replacing it without knowing why it didnt work

 

[Bungus]

im not sure you can really call getting a new one a "solution"
a solution usually involves fixing the unit...not just replacing it without knowing why it didnt work

If the one I bought fails, my next one will be from another make. "To be cheated twice......"

 

[Signhere]

If the one I bought fails, my next one will be from another make. "To be cheated twice......"

Nonsense. And it does not cost much to ship the Mobius .

No problem with mine in -28°C .

 

[dashtalk]

You seem to be the only one.

Mobius is a budget camera if you got the money for for a panorama

 

[wozzzzza]

im not sure you can really call getting a new one a "solution"
a solution usually involves fixing the unit...not just replacing it without knowing why it didnt work

spent many many weeks trying different combinations of things, has to be a faulty unit. gave up.

 

[salatoimikud]

I ran mine -25 C and it was fine.

Same here. Also, last year there was -20 and lower ~2 weeks a row and my mobius was in car 24/7. Worked fine. Only one problem - mobius battery got emtpy such a cold weather and time went incorrect.

 

[jokiin]

Same here. Also, last year there was -20 and lower ~2 weeks a row and my mobius was in car 24/7. Worked fine. Only one problem - mobius battery got emtpy such a cold weather and time went incorrect.

Battery going flat and losing time means it didn't work fine, if it's working again it means it survived, more of that kind of use and you might not be as lucky though