My Mobius 2 / M2

[Dashmellow]

I meant just over the LED's, with everything else masked. Probably a second coat to dim it further if required.

Oh, I see what you were getting at; kind of the opposite of what I was talking about.
I'm not so sure about such an approach but I can see how it might work if you can control the spray well enough. It sounds like one of those ideas that could use a few practice runs on a disposable surface to figure out the best timing and distance for the spraying.

 

[jokiin]

Oh, I see what you were getting at; kind of the opposite of what I was talking about.
I'm not so sure about such an approach but I can see how it might work if you can control the spray well enough. It sounds like one of those ideas that could use a few practice runs on a disposable surface to figure out the best timing and distance for the spraying.

if only doing the LED's just a little dot of black nail varnish will do it, put it on thin and it's transparent and easier to do with the brush than trying to mask and spray something so small

 

[Dashmellow]

if only doing the LED's just a little dot of black nail varnish will do it, put it on thin and it's transparent and easier to do with the brush than trying to mask and spray something so small

Plus, you could even remove it with a quick careful dab of nail polisher remover if you wanted to make it brighter or maybe even eliminate it later. I like this idea.

 

[jokiin]

nail polish remover is often acetone based which can be a problem for some plastics so the sort of thing you need to check first, put the varnish on very thin though (or put a dot then wipe it with your finger while its wet) is the best idea, go slowly at it is the best approach

 

[Dashmellow]

nail polish remover is often acetone based which can be a problem for some plastics so the sort of thing you need to check first, put the varnish on very thin though (or put a dot then wipe it with your finger while its wet) is the best idea, go slowly at it is the best approach

Yup, acetone can be nasty on plastics, that's for sure; that's why I used the phrase, "quick careful dab". I would probably first mask the LEDs off too.

 

[SawMaster]

Quick and careful won't be good enough- acetone fumes alone will damage most plastics. I'd recommend trying a water-based paint meant for use in or on houses first as it is nearly inert regards plastics and it can be removed with water and a little rubbing within an hour of applying it.

Phil

 

[country_hick]

There is black out paint made specifically for car headlights and tail lights. It is transparent. More coats make it darker. I would not think it would hurt the plastic of a dashcam but surprises can always happen.

 

[jokiin]

There is black out paint made specifically for car headlights and tail lights. It is transparent. More coats make it darker. I would not think it would hurt the plastic of a dashcam but surprises can always happen.

it's just clearcoat with a couple of drops of black tinter added

 

[Dashmellow]

Quick and careful won't be good enough- acetone fumes alone will damage most plastics. I'd recommend trying a water-based paint meant for use in or on houses first as it is nearly inert regards plastics and it can be removed with water and a little rubbing within an hour of applying it.

Phil

I would probably stay away from using any kind of paint for this fix-it altogether but I've had some hands on experience with acetone on several dash cam related DIY projects and fumes were never an issue. Careful technique and sparing application is the key to working with the stuff as with any strong solvent.

The ultimate truth of the matter is that Mobius should address this problem on their end rather than produce a "dash cam" with such an obvious shortcoming that requires a DIY solution. (among others I'm afraid)

 

[SawMaster]

Guess I'll have to wait until I buy one, but I'll see whats up for myself then. I'm sure there's a more appropriate LED made if indeed there is a big problem and in something like this it shouldn't be hard to swap out.

Many years ago I remember reading about some product sold for this purpose on a PC-related site but I can't remember whether it was a liquid or sticker or what, just that it worked to dim the LED power light. Probably an overpriced repackaging like nail polish (varnish) which is essentially just lacquer paint being sold at several thousands of dollars per gallon

I learned about volatile fumes by leaving an open but totally dry on the outside can of lacquer thinner on a formica countertop. A few minutes later the hazy outline of the can was a permanent feature. Luckily it was scheduled for replacement; had it been the new one that would have been a very bad day for me When cleaning with solvents, always start with the weakest one and work up to stronger ones from there to help avoid problems.


Phil

 

[Dashmellow]

I think it depends on which type of plastic along with how long the fumes are permitted to linger over an object. The scenario you describe would be much different than a quick wipe with a Q-tip and perhaps a follow-up wipe with a clean Q-tip or soft cloth.

Anyway, the LEDs on the M2 pcb are extraordinarily tiny so working with them could be a real challenge and make for a rather time consuming DIY procedure that risks damaging the camera.

I finally went to the trouble of popping open my M2 to see what is actually involved and it is obvious that the most logical DIY approach to this issue would be to apply some sort of neutral density material to the back of the light pipe on the side of the case. Almost anything handy will do and there is plenty of room to work with so even a piece of appropriate plastic from a handy source would do such as a piece of old B&W film negative attached with clear packaging tape. This would make for the proverbial "piece of cake" DIY solution that could take a minute or so of work to achieve.

Edit: This method would be easily reversible too, which might be a consideration for some.

 

[SawMaster]

Ah, a light pipe instead of an exposed LED! That makes all the difference in the world Covering it from the inside would be the better solution then. Perhaps some thin masking tape would work- or would that be too dense? Lots of possibilities with it made this way including changing the light pipe itself. I'm still looking forward to the day I can have one here in front of me to call my own

Phil

 

[c4rc4m]

Just use some water based acrylic paint. You can probably peel it back off with a finger if needed or a good rub with a damp cloth. If it comes off unexpectedly you can always add more. However, water based is the way to go in my opinion as no nasty solvents.

Alternatively, I masked my GoPro with some black self adhesive windscreen vinyl (the type that goes across the top of the screen often with kevin and Sharon on it (although plain highly recommended!) . A small round circle should stick over the top and easily removed or replaced.

Also, why try to cover the LED's over on the PCB? just stick a small circle or other appropriate shape of black vinyl on the case of the camera over the LED hole!

 

[Dashmellow]

Just use some water based acrylic paint. You can probably peel it back off with a finger if needed or a good rub with a damp cloth. If it comes off unexpectedly you can always add more. However, water based is the way to go in my opinion as no nasty solvents.

Alternatively, I masked my GoPro with some black self adhesive windscreen vinyl (the type that goes across the top of the screen often with kevin and Sharon on it (although plain highly recommended!) . A small round circle should stick over the top and easily removed or replaced.

Also, why try to cover the LED's over on the PCB? just stick a small circle or other appropriate shape of black vinyl on the case of the camera over the LED hole!

There was never any suggestion to cover the LEDs. In fact, you wouldn't need to go anywhere near them the way the camera is designed. But why use a messy paint or cover the hole from the outside with vinyl? Since there is easy access to the back of the light pipe from the inside you wouldn't need to interfere with the cosmetic appearance of the camera at all while at the same time having much greater control over the lighting modulation you want.

 

[c4rc4m]

I missed the last post about the light pipe.

Yep, covering that is a better solution.

 

[Dashmellow]

Ah, a light pipe instead of an exposed LED! That makes all the difference in the world Covering it from the inside would be the better solution then. Perhaps some thin masking tape would work- or would that be too dense? Lots of possibilities with it made this way including changing the light pipe itself. I'm still looking forward to the day I can have one here in front of me to call my own

Phil

When you do buy an M2 you will see why changing the light pipe itself wouldn't make much sense. The "light pipe" is really more of a "diffusion lens" than a pipe and it is flat against the interior side of the camera housing. There is a second identical "pipe" above it on the top of the housing that will likely require the same treatment the side one gets, whatever that may turn out to be. Both of these "diffusion lens light pipes" are approximately 10 millimeters away from the LEDs themselves lined up side by side on the PCB and the lenses collect light from all three. Thus when we see purple we are seeing both the red and blue LEDs illuminated simultaneously.

Perhaps a future iteration of the Mobius 2 will use LEDs with different values or include already neutral tinted light pipes so that the camera is more discrete when used as a dash cam. As things are now these LEDs are distracting at night and call too much attention to what is otherwise a stealthy camera, even during the day and especially if used when parked.

 

[jokiin]

they won't be able to alter the brightness without a hardware change but could make a setting option to turn LED's off, the danger is when there's no speaker and no screen is you have no other way of knowing what's going on without the LED's

 

[Dashmellow]

they won't be able to alter the brightness without a hardware change but could make a setting option to turn LED's off, the danger is when there's no speaker and no screen is you have no other way of knowing what's going on without the LED's

I can't see any reason whatsoever why the light pipe lenses can't come pre-tinted to tone down the brightness. This would hardly be a major "hardware change". The original Mobius has been through three different hardware PCB versions and some interim changes that were undocumented so swapping for less bright LEDs seems plausible as well without having to do anything dramatic.

 

[jokiin]

I can't see any reason whatsoever why the light pipe lenses can't come pre-tinted to tone down the brightness. This would hardly be a major "hardware change". The original Mobius has been through three different hardware PCB versions and some interim changes that were undocumented so swapping for less bright LEDs seems plausible as well without having to do anything dramatic.

doesn't need to be major to still be a hardware change, ie; if you have an M2 already this wouldn't help you, but yes they could certainly address it for future production by changing the plastic or using low bright LED's

 

[Dashmellow]

doesn't need to be major to still be a hardware change, ie; if you have an M2 already this wouldn't help you, but yes they could certainly address it for future production by changing the plastic or using low bright LED's

Well, that is why I used the phrase, "Perhaps a future iteration of the Mobius 2" when I suggested such changes in my earlier post that you were responding to.