Powering on, screen working but maybe sensor bad?

[bedpan]

Hey folks.. Had my 119s since February. Noticed yesterday it is no longer recording.

When power is applied I see it turn on and display the VIOFO red logo. It then goes to a black screen with all the text overlayed with the date, time record mode etc. The right had third of the screen is covered in random colored pixels but the text is still overlayed on it. It is not recording.




Thoughts?

Whats the warrant like on these things? Should I rip it apart and try reseating the sensor harness?

 

[jokiin]

tried reloading the firmware?

 

[bedpan]

Had it in my head a Firmware update would not work as once it makes it to the screen in the photo it is completely hung and will not respond to any button presses...
Went through the motions. Now running 2.1 and all good again...

Many thanks for the suggestion!

 

[jokiin]

make sure after reloading the firmware to go into the settings menu and reload the default settings and then set your personal preferences again

 

[bedpan]

Exactly what I did.. Thanks for following up though with the suggestion.. Will test later today to confirm it is actually fixed.

make sure after reloading the firmware to go into the settings menu and reload the default settings and then set your personal preferences again

 

[5Cowbells]

Exactly what I did.. Thanks for following up though with the suggestion.. Will test later today to confirm it is actually fixed.

This is a variation of the (for lack of a better name) "X-box" problem. Following @jokiin 's suggestions should fix the symptoms. Photos below show two variations that occurred to me:

Common symptoms: Camera doesn't record, buttons don't work, red REC button light steady ON, red record dot on LCD screen not blinking, and no audible alarm. The second variation had an active real-time image on the LCD screen. Noted 13 X-Boxes. Both problems cleared by defaulting settings after getting to menu by operating camera without microSD card installed. Problem does not easily repeat. More info this thread: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/viofo-a119s-stopped-working.28058/.

 

[BCHobbyist]

This is a variation of the (for lack of a better name) "X-box" problem. Following @jokiin 's suggestions should fix the symptoms. Photos below show two variations that occurred to me:
View attachment 33980 View attachment 33981
Common symptoms: Camera doesn't record, buttons don't work, red REC button light steady ON, red record dot on LCD screen not blinking, and no audible alarm. The second variation had an active real-time image on the LCD screen. Noted 13 X-Boxes. Both problems cleared by defaulting settings after getting to menu by operating camera without microSD card installed. Problem does not easily repeat. More info this thread: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/viofo-a119s-stopped-working.28058/.

excellent diagnosis, witnessed same issue at vendor office as they removed micro SD card while in Menu Settings then reinserted card.. I suspect it either corrupts the users CMOS settings or BootLoader which control all hardware IDs and functions. Will create a video replicating this issue next time I have spare A119S on my bench. Probably several ways to 'break' the dashcam resulting in same video corruption.

As part of regular maintenance owners should :
- format micro SD card every 2 months.
- reset Default Settings every 6 months and after each Firmware Update.
- when powered from GPS module clean contact plate every 6 months
- always insert & remove micro SD card while Dashcam is off
- never Update Firmware using power bank battery