Screen not displaying after taking out of mount

[maiku]

Hi all!

So I finally got around to setting up this dashcam in my car yesterday. I had just placed the 2-sided tape onto my windshield, and took the camera out of the mount (which required a bit of effort). After I took it out, the power light changed to a solid white, and the screen shows completely blank (as in it's not on). I've tried pressing the Reset button, but nothing happens. I've also tried pressing all the other buttons, but nothing happens. I can, however, press and hold the power button to turn off the device. When I turn it back on, I still get the solid white LED power light, and the screen does not show at all.

Has anyone else run into this issue? Any suggestions?

 

[Gibson99]

sounds like something may have been jarred loose when you took it off the mount. of course that shouldn't happen since the mount is made to be quick-release.

when you plug it into power, does the REC light start flashing after a few seconds, indicating that it's recording? the power light shouldn't ever flash from what i recall, only the REC light.

might want to check with your vendor to see if it's ok to open the unit (breaking any possible QC seal) and see if the screen's ribbon cable came loose. otherwise you'll just have to exchange it.

 

[maiku]

when you plug it into power, does the REC light start flashing after a few seconds, indicating that it's recording? the power light shouldn't ever flash from what i recall, only the REC light.

No, the REC light doesn't flash at all, and the power button is a white light (instead of red).

might want to check with your vendor to see if it's ok to open the unit (breaking any possible QC seal) and see if the screen's ribbon cable came loose. otherwise you'll just have to exchange it.

Is there a good guide on opening up the unit?

 

[Gibson99]

No, the REC light doesn't flash at all, and the power button is a white light (instead of red).

the car that has this camera is at the body shop right now (fixing the body shop's mistake from last time - paint peeling off) or i'd go check to see what color each light is because i don't remember offhand. but if the camera is turned off and you plug in power, the rec light should start flashing within a few seconds, unless you had set the option to not auto-record (i don't know if that's actually an option. if it was, i wouldn't use it).

Is there a good guide on opening up the unit?

the only thing special i remember when i looked at it was that one of the screw holes was covered with a QC sticker so they'll know if it was tampered with. i just opened my old F70 and it was the same way. nothing special, just a #00 (very small, like for eyeglasses) phillips screwdriver was all i needed. and be gentle when you have all the screws out and start separating the case, so you don't damage any cables or lose any buttons.

 

[reverend]

Niko took apart an A118 here:

https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/disassembly-inside-tiesfong-b40-a118-ae-cc30.5876/

 

[maiku]

Good news! So I got everything working again (at least for now). Here's what I did in case anyone runs into the same problem:

1. Let the cam's battery drain completely.
2. Removed the memory card.
3. Examined the files on the memory card on my laptop. The last file was corrupted (from when I removed the cam from it's mount), so I deleted it.
4. Recharged cam, started up without the memory card. Welcome screen appeared this time, and the message that there was no card in the SD slot.
5. Turned off the cam, put the SD card back in.

I'm not sure if all those steps are truly needed, but at least I have a working dashcam again