My Mobius thread: initial contact, some questions and why I didn't keep it (read this before buying)

[russ331]

Limited? How limited? Don't tell me it won't last until May!

At RCGroups I've seen reports of Mobius being put away for the Winter then, come the Spring, the LiPo is dead. I read somewhere that LiPos should not be stored in a fully charged condition, but last longer when stored in a half-charged state.

I've seen those mounts in the Mobius mounting solution's thread. What's the mount's name? Or if you'd be so kind as to post a link to an European seller, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

I thought the Android app no longer worked with the Mobius.

For mount see...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400801091173
The original Android App is back, so you have a choice.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=therau2000.amcamobiusac

At the front edge of the cradle, there's two, small, locating lugs on the end of springy/flexi arms. I used a sharp craft knife to trim these lugs a little so that they hold the cam in place but with a bit of pressure on the back, the cam can slide forwards & out

I used a small file. Only takes a few strokes. Care needed, as one stroke too many & Mobius becomes a loose fit in it's cradle.

 

[Module 79L]

Here's the video:

After reviewing this footage a couple of times I noticed that although we can see the bonnet/hood moving, what's in front and on the sides doesn't seem to be shaking at all. Anyway, the conditions are not the best to get a clear picture but they won't get any better, at least until the 16th.

 

[dash riposki]

That doesn't seem so bad. On the brick street section, you can see the little SUV ahead of you is riding pretty rough.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

I think you are doing great so far with your camera. Bad conditions are a good way to make an accurate assessment as to the quality of the camera.

 

[Module 79L]

At RCGroups I've seen reports of Mobius being put away for the Winter then, come the Spring, the LiPo is dead. I read somewhere that LiPos should not be stored in a fully charged condition, but last longer when stored in a half-charged state.

Well (knock on wood), I hope mine won't be put away for a very long time! It'll be used every single day and I expect the battery to last for how long they're supposed to.
Anyway, thanks for the info. I'll remember to drain the battery before I swap the battery by the capacitor.

About the bicycle helmet mount, I remembered bike shops might have it because I've seen several riders with cameras mounted on their helmets. There are a lot of bike shops around here, so I don't know why I didn't think of that yesterday. Well, as a matter of fact, I do: I was annoyed and disappointed with the Mobius's first test and it was late. That's why.

 

[Module 79L]

That doesn't seem so bad. On the brick street section, you can see the little SUV ahead of you is riding pretty rough.

Guess what? This morning I unscrewed the camera from the mount to change the FOV setting and I noticed the lock-nut wasn't very tight. I tightened it as much as I could, went for a drive in a bumpy road and when I got back and checked it again, it only took a small nudge to untighten the nut!
I have another of these mounts that has a larger lock-nut, so I swapped them. This morning I had to go to some places that have pretty bad streets and lo and behold, the shakiness and the audio noises are gone!
One more "problem" solved.

 

[Module 79L]

Try Narrow FOV Mode.

That did it. The narrow FOV is the same as the AT11DA's, which it's larger than the G1W's, for example. I thought it would be something like 90 or 100 degrees but it must be over 110, which is what I expected from the wide FOV. However, the top and bottom of the picture are a bit rounder than on the AT11DA but I just have to live with it.

 

[Module 79L]

I tried aiming the camera with the laptop, using VLC, but in 1080p mode I only got the wide AOV picture, not the narrow FOV, even in 4:3 format. I tried it in 720p but then I can't see the bottom of the windshield.
I had to adjust it by recording some seconds in a certain position, take out the card, view the video in the laptop and then repeat the process until it was pointing to where I wanted.

 

[dash riposki]

You are now certified as a Mobius technician!



(I earned mine by misplacing [permanently] the lens caps that come with them, so would not forget to remove them.)

 

[Module 79L]

You are now certified as a Mobius technician!



(I earned mine by misplacing [permanently] the lens caps that come with them, so would not forget to remove them.)

I don't think I even qualify as a Mobius user yet, let alone a technician!

 

[Module 79L]

I think you are doing great so far with your camera. Bad conditions are a good way to make an accurate assessment as to the quality of the camera.

Well, the "Gloomy Weather" box is already ticked, that's for sure!

 

[Deleted member 46308]

I tried aiming the camera with the laptop, using VLC, but in 1080p mode I only got the wide AOV picture, not the narrow AOV, even in 4:3 format. I tried it in 720p but then I can't see the bottom of the windshield.
I had to adjust it by recording some seconds in a certain position, take out the card, view the video in the laptop and then repeat the process until it was pointing to where I wanted.

I never could get VLC to really work well for me. I downloaded AMcap and it works great for me. http://amcap.en.softonic.com

 

[Module 79L]

I never could get VLC to really work well for me. I downloaded AMcap and it works great for me. http://amcap.en.softonic.com

VLC is not the problem, it only shows what the camera is sending.

 

[Module 79L]

Bad news. Very bad news. Night video quality. Here are some examples:


Is this colored fuzziness normal? I mean, this is just horrible! It's nowhere near the night time quality I was expecting and it's miles away from the cheap G1W-H's night quality, or even the AT11DA's!
I just hope this has something to do with some setting, otherwise...

 

[jokiin]

how is the focus?

window clean?

lens clean?

what settings did you choose?

 

[Rajagra]

Bad news. Very bad news. Night video quality. ..
Is this colored fuzziness normal? I mean, this is just horrible! It's nowhere near the night time quality I was expecting and it's miles away from the cheap G1W-H's night quality, or even the AT11DA's!
I just hope this has something to do with some setting, otherwise...

I've just bought a Mobius myself. Haven't mounted it yet but I'd like to know what to expect.
What do you have Wide Dynamic Range set to? It seems to default to off, but the tooltip does warn that in 'Low Light' setting it can duplicate frames.

 

[jokiin]

Should only duplicate frames in that situation when set to 720p60

 

[Module 79L]

how is the focus?

Good, as you tell by the video on post #22.

window clean?

Yes. I mean, you can clearly see the problem also inside the car, so it could never be something related to the windshield.

lens clean?

Yes.

what settings did you choose?

Basic Settings:
- Lens: 'C'
- Artificial Light: 50Hz
- File System for Cards >32GB: FAT32

Misc. Settings:
- TV Video Out:
- Display mode: PAL
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Webcam Mode: H.264 + audio

Mode 1:
- Video or Sound File Type: MOV
- Rotate Video 180º: Yes
- Loop Recording: Yes
- Video Data Rate: Standard
- Video Clip Length: 5 Mins.
- Wide Dynamic Range: On
- Field Of View: Narrow
- Video Resolution: 1920x1080 (1080p)
- Video Frame Rate: 30 fps

Advanced Image Settings:
- Sharpness: Normal (0)
- Exposure: Normal (0)
- Contrast: Normal (0)
- Saturation: Normal (0)
- Lock Mode: Disabled

- Color Options: Normal
- White Balance: Auto
- Lock Mode: Disabled

I'm using the Integral Ultima Pro 64GB CL10 U1. I included everything, even things I'm sure are not causing that.

I know someone has already complained about this somewhere in the forum but right now I'm not in the mood to go looking for it.

 

[jokiin]

I didn't watch the video before but going by that the issue is possibly motion blur (which is far more apparent in low light) due to the mount not being solid

 

[Module 79L]

I didn't watch the video before but going by that the issue is possibly motion blur (which is far more apparent in low light) due to the mount not being solid

That's impossible because in the 2nd and 3rd pictures the car is stopped.

I uploaded a video but YT made it even worse than it was, so there's no point showing it.