SG9663DCPRO out of focus

Traveler80

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Hello. Wish you are all doing well and keeping safe.

I've had a Street Guardian SG9663DCPRO Dual Channel Dash Cam since March 2019. It is hardwired to fuses 23 (Acc) and 2 (Bat) on a 2008 Honda Accord and has firmware v.1.17 installed. I got this cam off Amazon and it came with a Street-Guardian-supplied 256GB SanDisk MicroSD Card.

This dash cam has never performed as it should from the very beginning. It freezes and beeps randomly, sometimes it beeps when a door opens/closes or the wipers are activated. Other times it won't just start up. I opened a couple of tickets in the past and followed instructions to format/replace memory cards, but ultimately ended sending it to Street Guardian for testing/repair under warranty in August of 2020. Both the front and rear cams were found OK after testing and I was provided with a replacement rear cable which I installed but issues persisted (beeping and freezing).

Right now both the front and rear dash cams are permanently out of focus. Changes in weather won't bring it back to normal. I have used ammonia-free windshield cleaners without luck and made sure lenses are spot clean too. I still want to believe in the brand that I initially paid $400 for. I saw it at that time as a safety investment and went after what I considered to be the best product available in the market. But honestly I haven't seen my money's worth so far. I came to this forum to share my experience and hopefully find a fix. I am also attaching the fuse box schematics for your consideration.

Have a nice rest of your evening y'all.
 

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@Street Guardian USA is a member here and is the official US agent for these cams. Very likely he can offer some assistance.

Phil
 
Maybe we never received additional feedback after it was tested returned with cable replacement. We would have been happy to continue working together to resolve whatever it might be.

Do you use a heat shield sun reflector up in the windshield when parked outdoors in the sun? If so that would have baked the camera well above max temp specs. (so they should be avoided at all costs with any dashcam) I don't see how else both cameras could go out of focus together especially after we updated our lens supplier a few years ago. (and they have been rock solid ever since)

Beeping while driving would point at an intermittent rear camera connection or memory card error. Freezing could be power fluctuations CANbus issues with the 3-wire hardwire kit. (wrong fuse slots)

I don't have recommended fuse locations for a 2008 but I do for a few years newer. (should be the same or similar usually)

Please email or private message me your contact details and I'll send an additional action plan with options.
 
Thank both of you for your prompt reply. I have a sun reflector that I do use occasionally (I prefer to park in the shade if one is available) but it makes sense. I'll PM you
 
In less than 2 hours turnaround time from this thread being created, a replacement is already on the way.
Wow...That is great customer service. Not sure if there is a dash cam company that provides better.
 
I found this thread after I had need to review some video from a recent trip, and finding a real out of focus issue had developed over time. So yesterday I took the camera down, fully cleaned the lens, filter and inside/outside of the windshield with no real difference in clarity. Focus issue is now to the point that a standard license plate 15 feet in front of the car in broad daylight is virtually unreadable due to blurriness. As my unit was purchased in 2019 it is certainly outside of any warranty period, but I was wondering if Street Guardian offers a service to address the issue at my expense? If the cost is reasonable, I would be perfectly happy with returning the unit for servicing at my expense.
S/N : DCPRO- 2019170308
 
I found this thread after I had need to review some video from a recent trip, and finding a real out of focus issue had developed over time. So yesterday I took the camera down, fully cleaned the lens, filter and inside/outside of the windshield with no real difference in clarity. Focus issue is now to the point that a standard license plate 15 feet in front of the car in broad daylight is virtually unreadable due to blurriness. As my unit was purchased in 2019 it is certainly outside of any warranty period, but I was wondering if Street Guardian offers a service to address the issue at my expense? If the cost is reasonable, I would be perfectly happy with returning the unit for servicing at my expense.
S/N : DCPRO- 2019170308
Tagging @Street Guardian USA
 
If the focus shift are permanent you could refocus the lens, though that do necessitate some work and it is not plug and play.
If the fucus shift come and go with temperature it is most often a totally failed lens and so would need a new one.

SG USA might well be able to do something for you, they are tagged in so should see that soon.
 
If the focus shift are permanent you could refocus the lens, though that do necessitate some work and it is not plug and play.
If the fucus shift come and go with temperature it is most often a totally failed lens and so would need a new one.

SG USA might well be able to do something for you, they are tagged in so should see that soon.
SG USA and I exchanged info, and I decided to go with their offered drop-in replacement at a good price, and a discount that they provided on top of that.
Very happy with the outcome.
 
Nice :)
I think the system are still a very valid one, though i have lately been testing some 1440p cameras and they are nice too, and even match my computer monitor resolution.

Of all the SG cameras i have gotten to test over the years only the first one ( SG9665GC ) had the focus shift, but i just reset the lens as thats no problem for me to do, and then years later i had a model that backed itself into a corner, but just flashing with the same firmware and it was good to go for 1-2 years more of service.
I hope i will get to test new SG cameras in the future, but with the death of the founder there do seem to have been some changes,,,,,, also very much OK.
 
sorry for the delay responding on here. For some reason Tapatalk iOS app never notifies me of tags or new threads anymore. (and don't think I can get dashcamtalk to email me on tags)

Looks like this was all taken care of via support ticket.
 
Nice :)
I think the system are still a very valid one, though i have lately been testing some 1440p cameras and they are nice too, and even match my computer monitor resolution.

Of all the SG cameras i have gotten to test over the years only the first one ( SG9665GC ) had the focus shift, but i just reset the lens as thats no problem for me to do, and then years later i had a model that backed itself into a corner, but just flashing with the same firmware and it was good to go for 1-2 years more of service.
I hope i will get to test new SG cameras in the future, but with the death of the founder there do seem to have been some changes,,,,,, also very much OK.
Curious as to what have changed...
 
Yes, everything went through the support ticket system. Time from my first submission to final resolution was only about twenty minutes. Absolutely outstanding support ticket system.
As an aside, I had difficulties running a 512 mb card in that unit from the first day that I bought the card. Multiple efforts, and interactions via tech support to no avail. Within about an hour of booting up, the unit would chirp, and toss a memory error code. Finally took it out and went back to the initial SG supplied 128mb cad with no issues. BUT...recently when I finally realized that I was at -5 time zone, and NOT +5 time zone, the 512 began, and continues to work flawlessly. Go figure.
 
I have never owned a 512 GB card, but SG have tested their cameras lately with that large cards, even larger as i understand Jon have tested with 1TB card.
It could be not all brands / models of the big cards work, having tested SG cameras for many years it is rare i have found a card they will not work with, though this compatibility is not something that are in the hands of SG but are probably the work of the SOC maker.
Also while i have a suite of cards to test with, i surely do not have all the models that are out there.
 
As an aside, I had difficulties running a 512 mb card in that unit from the first day that I bought the card. Multiple efforts, and interactions via tech support to no avail. Within about an hour of booting up, the unit would chirp, and toss a memory error code. Finally took it out and went back to the initial SG supplied 128mb cad with no issues. BUT...recently when I finally realized that I was at -5 time zone, and NOT +5 time zone, the 512 began, and continues to work flawlessly. Go figure.
I've been using 512GB - I assume you meant GB verus MB - cards in SGs 'DC' and 'X2' series cameras for going on 3 years now with no camera related issues (had 1 'flakey' card from the factory). Make sure your firmware is up to date as I vaguely recall there being an issue quite a while back regarding problems with some time zones on some SG cameras that was corrected with a F/W fix.
 
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Yes, 512GB, Still not used to a card that has more memory than my laptop hard drive. Anyhow, the firmware was confirmed as up to date. Ran the card through the memory checker software that SG recommended. Ultimately, for whatever the reason, only after correcting the time zone did the card begin to work consistently and long term. Related? who knows. I just figured I would share. simply out of the head scratching oddity of it.
 
...Ultimately, for whatever the reason, only after correcting the time zone did the card begin to work consistently and long term...
Seems like it would be easy to test by changing the time zone back and see if the problem returns. SG has historically been receptive to feedback like this.
 
Yes, everything went through the support ticket system. Time from my first submission to final resolution was only about twenty minutes. Absolutely outstanding support ticket system.
As an aside, I had difficulties running a 512 mb card in that unit from the first day that I bought the card. Multiple efforts, and interactions via tech support to no avail. Within about an hour of booting up, the unit would chirp, and toss a memory error code. Finally took it out and went back to the initial SG supplied 128mb cad with no issues. BUT...recently when I finally realized that I was at -5 time zone, and NOT +5 time zone, the 512 began, and continues to work flawlessly. Go figure.
You did not mention to us what card...and from where you bought it from.

My understanding is that Street Guardian bundles Samsung EVO Select(green and white) memory with their products if you select the 512GB option. I would assume that they have tested that card if that is what they bundle with their products.

If you select anything lower than 512GB, you will receive SanDisk High Endurance.
 
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You did not mention to us what card...and from where you bought it from.

My understanding is that Street Guardian bundles Samsung EVO Select(green and white) memory with their products if you select the 512GB option. I would assume that they have tested that card if that is what they bundle with their products.

If you select anything lower than 512GB, you will receive SanDisk High Endurance.
Sorry about that. Samsung EVO Select from the Memory Warehouse on Amazon in August of 2019.
 
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