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

[Dashmellow]

I've order my second Mobius cam for a rear view mount. It will be an interesting install in a pickup truck.

I have a Mobius (B lens) mounted in the rear window of a pick-up truck. Works great! Provides good coverage behind the truck and on both sides of the bed.

 

[Turtley]

I have a Mobius (B lens) mounted in the rear window of a pick-up truck. Works great! Provides good coverage behind the truck and on both sides of the bed.

This should be in the mounting solutions thread but did you mount at the top or bottom of the window? I assume the top as that is where I'll mount mine. I went with the standard "A" lens as my truck is a small Ranger and I could configure it to shoot in wide mode if narrow isn't enough.

I'll do a search to see if I can find a photo of your rear window install.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Dashmellow]

This should be in the mounting solutions thread but did you mount at the top or bottom of the window? I assume the top as that is where I'll mount mine. I went with the standard "A" lens as my truck is a small Ranger and I could configure it to shoot in wide mode if narrow isn't enough.

I'll do a search to see if I can find a photo of your rear window install.

Thanks for your reply!

Yeah, this really should be in the Mobius mounting solutions thread so I've posted my reply to your question there.

 

[philipfreire]

This should be in the mounting solutions thread but did you mount at the top or bottom of the window? I assume the top as that is where I'll mount mine. I went with the standard "A" lens as my truck is a small Ranger and I could configure it to shoot in wide mode if narrow isn't enough.

I'll do a search to see if I can find a photo of your rear window install.

Thanks for your reply!

Wouldn't the A lens be a better choice for a rear view of a truck? Take into account the bed? Would a wide angle be preferred or would a normal lens be better to catch the plates which would be further away by at least 5 1/2 feet more than a normal car because you have the bed?

 

[Dashmellow]

Wouldn't the A lens be a better choice for a rear view of a truck? Take into account the bed? Would a wide angle be preferred or would a normal lens be better to catch the plates which would be further away by at least 5 1/2 feet more than a normal car because you have the bed?

It's a question of preference based partly perhaps by the size and design of your particular truck. I switched from an A lens to a B lens and much prefer it but there was nothing really wrong with the A lens, per se.

 

[philipfreire]

It's a question of preference based partly perhaps by the size and design of your particular truck. I switched from an A lens to a B lens and much prefer it but there was nothing really wrong with the A lens, per se.

I can see the wider lens benefiting in the sense you get a better view of the surroundings. (Ie if someone hits your side you get a better picture)

 

[Dashmellow]

I can see the wider lens benefiting in the sense you get a better view of the surroundings. (Ie if someone hits your side you get a better picture)

Yes, exactly. I find the B lens to be a good compromise between rear coverage and side coverage. I regularly have my cameras running when I am away from my vehicle and I especially like to have lateral coverage in parking lots.

 

[philipfreire]

Yes, exactly. I find the B lens to be a good compromise between rear coverage and side coverage. I regularly have my cameras running when I am away from my vehicle and I especially like to have lateral coverage in parking lots.

I think that's the route I'll go when I get a rear one. I'm awaiting on a Mobius type c. Did you hardwire it to the vehicle? Was there a kit you used? Is there any guides on here on how to hardwire it or just use like a magicpro and hook it up that way?

 

[Dashmellow]

I think that's the route I'll go when I get a rear one. I'm awaiting on a Mobius type c. Did you hardwire it to the vehicle? Was there a kit you used? Is there any guides on here on how to hardwire it or just use like a magicpro and hook it up that way?

I've been using external power banks to run cameras in "parking mode" for about a year now and this works quite well for me. I'm using two power banks to run four cameras for quite a few hours at a time. On the other hand I have been considering hard-wiring my cameras when the weather warms up around here but I haven't decided on a particular method as yet. It will involve a battery discharge prevention device whatever method I choose. You'll find some good information here on DCT about hardwire techniques if you do some searching, especially in the DIY section. I've got a "C" lens Mobius on it's way to me and I plan to evaluate it in comparison to the "B" lens.

 

[Asharus]

Follow-up to my "failure to auto-start recording after sitting overnight" issue. Mobius-actioncam.com replaced the camera and now all is good, except for the fact that I have a C lens now instead of the B that I originally had. No big deal I guess unless there really is an issue with the C lens.

 

[map]

I received the new C lens module yesterday. Unfortunately it didn't come with the new case, so I haven't been able to give it a proper test, I managed to do a short test holding the module in the kitchen, and tomorrow will try to get a short video of the car park.

It appears to be a new lens as well as the new back plate, ribbon and ribbon connector. The mk2 lens appears much darker than the mk1 lens when viewed front on.

I also noticed what appear to be a number of imperfections under the new lens, it almost looks like specks of swarf. They don't seem visible in my test video.

 

[richcam]

Apologies if some of the questions I'm asking have already been posted, I have trawled through quite a few pages, but at 85 pages is rather a lot of info to digest.

Am a newbie Mobius user having just received my Mobius from eletoponline365 which was delivered in 7 days direct from China. Am well impressed with the build quality of the unit and the communications from the seller have been excellent.

Noticed it was loaded with v1.2 firmware dated 17 Mar 2014, so being a Mac user I downloaded the Mac software 'MobiusManager.app' from http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2085613&pp=100 and altered various settings, and can confirm that the MobiusManager.app and the MobiusManagerV2.app work on my older Mac running 10.6.8 Snow Leopard.

Was a little bit surprised that the Mobius was running an older version of firmware (v1.2) even though it was shipped from the manufacturer.

So my questions regarding the settings:

Am a little bit wary of installing the latest firmware in case I screw it up, has anyone actually uploaded a short video onto YouTube showing the process of connecting the Mobius to the PC or Mac, then going through the procedure for updating the firmware to the latest version, if so, could you provide me with the Youtube link?

Regarding the settings, I'm based in the UK so assume the Artificial Light Frequency should be set to 50Hz, and TV OUT should be set to PAL, but not sure whether to select 4:3 or 16:9. Does this have any effect on the actual video footage?
Also, should field of view be set to Narrow or Wide.

Any help or advice much appreciated

 

[Dashmellow]

@richcam, download a PDF copy of the Mobius Manual HERE. The manual will provide detailed instructions on how to update the firmware. It's not very difficult and shouldn't require a video.

The latest firmware can be found HERE at the bottom of the page. (along with the instructions too.)

edit: BTW you can select 50Hz 0r 60Hz as well as PAL or NTSC in the configuration software.

 

[richcam]

@richcam, download a PDF copy of the Mobius Manual HERE. The manual will provide detailed instructions on how to update the firmware. It's not very difficult and shouldn't require a video.

The latest firmware can be found HERE at the bottom of the page. (along with the instructions too.)

edit: BTW you can select 50Hz 0r 60Hz as well as PAL or NTSC in the configuration software.

Hi Dashmellow and thank you for your reply, I've downloaded a PDF copy of the Mobius manual so am having a read through it. As regards updating the firmware, it's only easy if you know how to do it, so a video would be fantastic, it shouldn't be difficult to do

The firmware on my Mobius is well out of date (v1.20) having viewed the latest version number on the RC site, though have to say it works perfectly well at the current version I am running.

Have a feeling 50Hz is for PAL systems in Europe including the UK, whilst 60Hz NTSC is for USA. Anyone know whether to set Field of View for Narrow or wide?

 

[biggles]

You are allowed to read the posts on this forum which contain all the answers to your questions and why would you need a video to upgrade the firmware, you put it on the SD card and turn the Mobius on, simple.

Yes I'm being blunt but you're just being lazy!

 

[Dashmellow]

Hi Dashmellow and thank you for your reply, I've downloaded a PDF copy of the Mobius manual so am having a read through it. As regards updating the firmware, it's only easy if you know how to do it, so a video would be fantastic, it shouldn't be difficult to do

To be less blunt, the firmware update isn't a very visual thing to try to relate to someone, so a video would have nothing to offer you. Reading the very simple instructions in the manual is all that should be required.

 

[Osmosis]

...has anyone actually uploaded a short video onto YouTube showing the process of connecting the Mobius to the PC or Mac, then going through the procedure for updating the firmware to the latest version, if so, could you provide me with the Youtube link?...

Nope. But I'm on a Mac too and remember not quite trusting the process either. I'll clarify some of the steps (in bold).

Page 10
Method 2 by pressing the power button :

• Turn off the camera.
  
  
• Connect the camera to the computer and wait until the card is recognized as a Removable Drive. Mounts on the desktop
  
  
• Copy the new firmware file into the camera's flash card root folder. All firmware files are named FWTLCAM.BIN. The name must not be changed. Download the firmware file and drag it to the Mobius. Don't put the file in a folder.
  
  
• Disconnect the camera from the computer and wait until it turns off. Eject the Mobius and pull out the USB cable. Leave it alone.
  
  
• Wait until all the LEDs are turned off.
  
  
• Turn on the camera and WAIT.
  
  
• The blue LED will turn on for about 13 seconds and then begin to flash. WAIT.
  
  
• After another 7 seconds the blue LED will turn off. WAIT.
  
  
• After a second or two the yellow LED will turn on indicating the firmware file has been automatically deleted.
  
  
• The camera is now in standby mode and ready for use.
  

Connect the Mobius to the Mac and check the firmware file is now missing. If it is, it's updated. You can then use the v2 version of the Mobius for Mac application to check and change settings.

 

[richcam]

Hi Dashmellow and Osmosis, can I just thank you for your clarification on what needed to be done to update the firmware and I think some of the confusion over this updating is the fact that the link to the latest firmware isn't actually at the bottom of the page on the Dashcamtalk forum as quoted by GJHS.

The most up-to-date firmware (and bootloader, if applicable) file is available for manual download at the bottom of this page.

Reason being that the text has been copied across from the rcgroups forum which does indeed have the link: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1904559

To any newbies you need to scroll down to the paragraph 'Firmware' which is in the 2nd post made by Tom Frank.

So how to update the firmware if using a Mac:

1. Using a Mac I downloaded the ZIP file from http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1904559, unzipped it on the Desktop which in this case is a folder named 'Mobius FW v2.33', opened the folder which revealed two files, one is the release notes in a .txt format which provide instruction on use, and the other file is the important one, namely the FWTLCAM.BIN - leave this folder open on the desktop so that you can drag the FWTLCAM.BIN file out later on.
   
   
2. I ejected the SD card from the Mobius camera and put the SD card into the card reader in my Mac which after a couple of seconds appeared on my desktop as a folder named 'NO NAME'
   
   
3. I then dragged the FWTLCAM.BIN file across from the folder I had just downloaded onto the 'NO NAME' folder on the desktop, please note there is no need to open the 'NO NAME' folder or rename the file, just drag it onto the folder.
   
   
4. Now eject the NO NAME folder then remove from the Mac card reader, refit the SD card in the Mobius and switch it on and wait for a few seconds as per the instructions given by Osmosis.

That's it....

For changing the camera settings using a Mac you need to download either 'MobiusManager.app' or 'MobiusManagerV2.app' depending upon which version of firmware is installed on your Mobius, you can download the software from http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2085613&pp=100 and don't worry if you install the wrong version because it tells you!



If any Mac users need help or clarification over the install of this software then I will try and help you out as best I can.

 

[AllThumbs]

Too bad we don't hear from user's from the Tropics where their daily noon temp is 100+ degrees F and with high humidity.

Hi guys,
I live in the tropics, Hawaiian Islands. Right now the temp range from 70-90 on most days. Problem is I only have B lens. I have my Möbius attached to my mirror extender. You know the tube between the mirror and the attachment at the windscreen. That pretty much jkeeps it in the sun. When driving A/C on. When parked, it obviously gets sun and heat, interior gets egg frying hot.
Has anyone put an eye chart at 6m, 12m and 24m and run a stationary test. Doesn't need to be an eye chart but something about 1m sq.

 

[manijak]

i left mobius in the car in the sun at 70F
it has aluminum passive cooler with Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound http://www.pohrani.com/f/3F/10l/3XDV7pnz/dsc05169.jpg
and cooler got very hot i could barely touch it
i wonder what could happen to the camera when the temps go over 90F
could bigger copper cooler be any better? copper transfers heat better..
or it doesnt help much without fan anyway?