SGGCX2PRO Begins Starting then Powers Off

[Keith11]

I just purchased a new vehicle and transferred my SGGCX2PRO to the new car, adding an SGR291CAM rear camera to my system at the same time to better capture the idiocy I witness every day in Detroit. I reused the old MEKNIC hardwire kit from my previous car and have the same Transcend Premium 400X 32GB microSD card. The dash cam powered on fine and I had a picture in a picture from the new rear camera and a green GPS signal. I had initially pulled power off an always-on fuse so I could enable the parking mode - forgetting that it isn't available unless I use the official SG hardwire kit. While I had it on, I checked all my settings, updated the time, turned on the speed stamp, and changed the startup delay from 15 to 5 seconds since I had frequently been missing the first few seconds of my drive in my previous vehicle. Since I couldn't enable the parking mode, I swapped it off of my dome light circuit and onto my 12V outlet circuit that only works with the ignition on. I turned on the ignition and the red REC light and white POWER lights came on for a few seconds before a flicker from the red MIC light and then everything went out without the screen ever coming on. I cycled the ignition a few times with the same result. I then pulled out the 12V outlet cord that came with the camera but had the same result. I unplugged the rear camera and GPS and tried a couple more times then removed the SD card and tried a couple more times, all with the 12V plug, but had the same result. Reading other posts, it sounds like updating the firmware fixes some problems like this, however, the firmware instructions require the card be formatted in the camera which I cannot do with the camera not powering on. Am I likely to cause any additional damage if I give the firmware update a try using a computer formatted card? Any other troubleshooting recommendations?

 

[kamkar]

Welcome to the forum Keith.

Erratic dashcam behavior are often blamed on a insufficient power supply, but if you have tried the provided SG power supply thats probably not it.
Next up on the list of problem generators are the memory card, testing these we use the H2testw software and for formatting / resetting the SD orgs own SDformatter tool, which as i recall are in version 5.0 these days.

Adding the rear camera as i recall you need to change the firmware and if i am not mistaking also the boot leader, i bet if you unplug the rear camera things will be better.

your old 32GB card though, replacing it will probably be a good idea, with a 2 channel system, and for sure if you want to use parking guard down the road, at least 128 GB will be needed, personally i use 256GB cards in my main cameras if supported.

There will probably soon be a official SG guy to help you out.

 

[DT MI]

and transferred my SGGCX2PRO to the new car, adding an SGR291CAM rear camera to my system at the same time

@kamkar is correct in that the X2PRO needs to be upgraded to an X2PRO+ to work with the 291 rear cam. (I went through the same upgrade some time back.)

Tagging @Street Guardian USA to get assistance for you as to the exact steps to take to effect the upgrade.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

@Keith11 I just sent you the special two-part firmware update to convert your SGGCX2PRO to SGGCX2PRO+ to work with the IMX291 rear camera. Check your forum inbox.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

PS, Unplug your rear camera to make sure it works normally first. If it does, confirm your firmware version first. (see firmware version page)
You can't perform a firmware update using a card that was formatted via computer if it's 64GB or larger. (a 32GB card will work though)

 

[DT MI]

Not bad, 30 minutes from problem reported to problem solved, and on a Saturday night no less. Kudos to SG.

 

[Keith11]

Wow! Thanks for all the quick responses! I followed kamkar's advice before heading to bed and used the H2testw software (card was found good) and got the the SD Card Formatter 5.0.2 running. This morning, with the card reformatted to factory specs (though I see now from SG's response that 32GB card would have been fine) I followed the first step of SG's instructions. I put the LDGCX2P.bin file on the card, used the SG 12V cable, and connected the camera to power. Unfortunately, I had the same symptoms as last night. When I plugged the camera in the red REC light and white POWER lights came on for a few seconds before a flicker from the red MIC light and then everything went out without the screen ever coming on. I had no peripherials plugged in. To make sure I didn't interrupt the update, I did leave it on power for 7 or 8 minutes at which point I cycled the ignition and had the same lights come on with nothing from the screen. FWIW, when I pulled the SD card last night, I did have three sets of A and B camera footage ranging in length from 10-45 seconds from when I first powered it up last night and was changing the settings. Could the first time taking it off power after connecting the SGR291CAM have done something? Do I have any other options or is this the end for my poor dash cam? Oh, and my SanDisk Extreme 256GB card arrives tomorrow - cost about the same as my old 32GB card did when I bought it back in 2015!

 

[kamkar]

Indeed times have changed, i have a 64GB card, when i got it not all that long ago,,,,, okay 5 - 6 - 7 years ago, but at my age thats nothing as time pass by at a increasing speed as i have passed the age event horizon. It was my most expensive card ever.
Today for the same price i can easy get a 256GB card even a cheap 512 GB card

BTW that 64 GB card, i got another one about the same time, and both of these, well the one i barely got to fill up 1 time before it died and i had to RMA it, the other one i did fill a few times but then it too also had to go thru RMA at Amazon.
The after RMA surviving one ( trancend ultimate ) still work, and are most often found in my dji osmo action camera.

Going big on memory card, in theory this mean it should also last longer, as memory cards are measured in card wide read / Write cycles, so it give itself that a larger card take longer to fill and so it should also last longer.
Today i dont go under 128 GB for the test memory cards i pick up for my collection of memory cards to check compatibility, but my primary cameras ( and these days they are all 2 or 3 channel ) well in those i have 256GB memory cards.

Could also be you have a internal problem of some sort, but i will not get involved with that as i am just a affiliate in that i have tested a lot of SG cameras over the years.
The official guys will figure something out with you.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Respond with your order number and other contact details in the private message or via email. I’ll confirm your warranty status and can also provide some main camera replacement options

 

[DT MI]

...When I plugged the camera in the red REC light and white POWER lights came on for a few seconds before a flicker from the red MIC light and then everything went out without the screen ever coming on....

Have you tried using a power source other than the car? Maybe try powering with a USB phone charger - just make sure it has adequate output for the camera, 1.5 to 2A. There's always a (remote?) possibility that the car power is a bit 'flaky' causing the symptoms you see. Won't hurt to try before doing anything more extreme.

 

[Keith11]

@DT MI that's a good thought. I did scrounged up a cable and gave it a try with a wall charger that provides up to 4.8A but, unfortunately, the symptoms remained the same.

 

[Keith11]

Well, the conclusion is that it's a gonner. Thank you @Street Guardian USA for the great support. Looking forward to getting my replacement and getting my camera system back up and running.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Replacement on the way