Smallest Ambarella Car DVR a.k.a. Mini 0801

JazJon said:
I loved my previous BMW, and Audi before that. I don't miss trying to find parking or filling them up with gas though. ;-)
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Me too! Last car was a BMW M3 ... 19mpg. Before that a GMC Syclone ... 16mpg. Now a Mini Cooper ... 55mpg with aircon permanently on & stop-start system permanently off, & with the Cooper achieving similar journey times to the M3. Had to fuel the M3 every 200 miles or so ... wallet bruising at UK fuel prices.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Jez said:
I think you misunderstood? I haven't had any issues with the camera getting power.

When it was recording overnight (out of the car), I was using the mini usb with no problems. This was just to fill up the card to test it in the car the next day.

The next day, with the card full (and had probably been full and looping for a while) I unplugged the camera from the mains supply mini usb in my house. Then I went to the car, plugged it into the mount (with the pin connections), turned the car on and the camera came on straight away. But it had errors.

You've given me an idea though...if it has errors tomorrow then I'll try it without the mount, I suppose there's a possibility that the mount is causing problems. It wouldn't really make sense though since the errors are "low card speed" and "storage io error" which implies problems writing to the memory card, and not a power supply problem.
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ooops..lol I was not suggesting it was the solution to your particular issue, ;-) I mentioned the bad usb connection, as just something to bear in mind, as the sockets they are using really are not brilliant, and I'd had mini-usb issues myself causing mine to stop recording. Though I had no visible errors.

All us poor owners can do is try eliimating the 3 possibilties open to us. 1: Memory card 2. Cable/Power 3: Firmware .
If none of those fix it, it's a send back job, or in the bin..lol The type of errors your getting would definately suggest moving to a faster card as JazJon suggests, if only to say yourve tried it. (not sure what card you have in there at moment) Hope you get it sorted anyway.
 
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Hallo to everybody,

I have two 0801 and on both I have problems with the software update.
I have done the following:
  1. the camera is off
  2. insert the microSD card with the firmware: "firmware-NO1-SPI-TB15.bin" to the root (top level of the microSD card - not into any folder) of the microSD card
  3. insert the car loader into the camera (not into the GPS mount bracket - it is not connected to the camera)
  4. the camera switched to on
  5. the camera shows the welcome screen and begins to record. I do not see the screen for an software update :-(
  6. do I anything wrong?
  7. must I rename the "firmware-NO1-SPI-TB15.bin" filename to anything else?
  8. I have no idea what is going wrong. This happens on both cameras
BTW. I only have one file within the archive, not two as mentioned in the manual
 
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Evan55 said:
First it started flaking out, wouldnt stay on. Then there was a pop and burning smell and it was toast. Eprance wouldnt replace, but said it was under a 1 year warranty and I could ship it back for repair. I said ok, and then asked them for their shipping address 4 times without response. This was just past the ebay feedback / buyer protection window, so obviously the 'warranty' only lasts until then.
I would not reccomend anyone buying from eprance.

So, assuming that the issue was a fluke, otherwise i really liked the unit and id like another, but obviously I dont want to give eprance any more money after their poor service. But since aliexpress doesnt accept paypal im not comfortable buying from there. Ill try spytec, hopefully their prices are competitive.
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You may want to try Amazon also, they use "e-prance" versus "eprance", they appear to be different vendors. But, it will still ship from China using this method. In addition they are very aware of their ratings on Amazon.
 
Does this camera work yet? or does it still fail randomly no matter what card you use?
 
Can I ask if you were using the supplied car charger or your own charger? And also, if your power outlet is used by other electronics (eg a dual charger plug)
Also are you in a very hot climate?

Just wanted to get an idea if these things are reliable or are easily affected by external factors.

Evan55 said:
First it started flaking out, wouldnt stay on. Then there was a pop and burning smell and it was toast. Eprance wouldnt replace, but said it was under a 1 year warranty and I could ship it back for repair. I said ok, and then asked them for their shipping address 4 times without response. This was just past the ebay feedback / buyer protection window, so obviously the 'warranty' only lasts until then.
I would not reccomend anyone buying from eprance.

So, assuming that the issue was a fluke, otherwise i really liked the unit and id like another, but obviously I dont want to give eprance any more money after their poor service. But since aliexpress doesnt accept paypal im not comfortable buying from there. Ill try spytec, hopefully their prices are competitive.
Click to expand...
 
JazJon said:
Here's a quick picture in picture video I threw together.

Vicovation Vico-WF1 in the front, Mini 0801 in the back.
At first glance, the WF1 Auto Exposure Control doesn't seem to be as smooth as the Mini 0801. (driving through shadows bright to dark to bright) The sun was setting so there was quite a bit of sun glare from the buildings but still. I'll do more testing and see if Vicovation can make improvements. My windshield isn't as clean as it could be. The microphone is MUCH better at least, and it's a true mono recording so plays from both speakers.

I'm not using the CPL currently, I should probably 3D print a new base for the WF1 so I can use it. Both the Mini 0801 and WF1 bases are easily susceptible to vibrations.

I need to optimize the location of the 0801 in the rear so I don't catch the edge of the window frame. (time to get out the dental floss)

It's pretty fun having full front and rear coverage though! I'm using CyberLink PowerDirector to do Picture in Picture if anyone is wondering.

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JazJon,
It might be nice to establish another forum area possibly called "Cruising" just for videos of different areas around the world. Your prior video of the person you recorded while using your car is a good example. Just think, I know you don't have too much free time, but how about a cruise down a section of the pacific coast highway, or Lombard street? Just a suggestion from a person in the corn fields of the midwest. :D
 
OldGoat said:
JazJon,
It might be nice to establish another forum area possibly called "Cruising" just for videos of different areas around the world. Your prior video of the person you recorded while using your car is a good example. Just think, I know you don't have too much free time, but how about a cruise down a section of the pacific coast highway, or Lombard street? Just a suggestion from a person in the corn fields of the midwest. :D
Click to expand...

Maybe but I think YouTube in General has that pretty well covered. I plan on doing more exciting tours in the near future.
 
Purecut said:
Hallo to everybody,
I have two 0801 and on both I have problems with the software update.
I have done the following:
  1. the camera is off
  2. insert the microSD card with the firmware: "firmware-NO1-SPI-TB15.bin" to the root (top level of the microSD card - not into any folder) of the microSD card
  3. insert the car loader into the camera (not into the GPS mount bracket - it is not connected to the camera)
Click to expand...
3. Camcorder battery must be charged before prosedury updates. Check it out before the procedure. The charger will not be needed.
Just turn on the device button on the side of the unit.

Purecut said:
BTW. I only have one file within the archive, not two as mentioned in the manual
Click to expand...
That is enough.
Ignore the manual, it to another file.
 
I had problems again today with my Class 4 card, however the problems are not due to the looping/recycling, but when the camera is initially turned on.

When I turn it on, it produces the errors and stops recording. Then I click OK to start it recording again then there are no more errors.

I have just noticed that the loop time is set to one minute, so I set it to 5 minutes and didn't get any errors when turning it off and back on. I have now formatted the card again and will leave it on 5 minute loop time overnight to see what happens.

A friend also lent me one of these so I'll have a play with this too... https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B007JTKLEK
I know it's class 10 which is not ideal but it's worth a shot.

I'll report back in a few days after experimenting with different cards and different loop settings.
 
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@ JazJon
Thanks for the reply

3. Camcorder battery must be charged before prosedury updates. Check it out before the procedure. The charger will not be needed.
Just turn on the device button on the side of the unit.
Click to expand...

The battery is full, but when I swish on the camera nothing happens to update.
Must there be a special folder for the file or do the update require a special file name to recognize the update?
I'm right that the file belongs to the root of the SD NOT into any folder that the formating tool created?

Is there another way to flash the mini0801?

Thanks.
 
One thing is certain - it is not resolved to the point where this product should be widely available - I have seen no firm logic from any vendors which says "this now works - we solved it - it was x,y,z - and we solved it by doing a,b,c........" - instead all there seems to be is "try this" or "have a go with that" or "change the firmware"

Trying different cards and different loop settings is a task of the manufacturer - not a task to pass onto us consumers. All this should be resolved in testing before release.

I wouldnt want a camera which I had to "change the firmware" on it - I would expect a stable version of the firmware to be present on my purchase.

Or is it just me?

I bought a camcorder once - if I had to change the firmware on it - or fiddle around with one brand and one class of memory card (with no clear direction on that either) - I would send it back - period.

Its a shame - because it looks like a great unit. I would pay more for it if it worked.

Out of all the people who took the plunge - I wonder how many got a good one? It would be interesting to know the stat on that.
 
smitty69 said:
One thing is certain - it is not resolved to the point where this product should be widely available - I have seen no firm logic from any vendors which says "this now works - we solved it - it was x,y,z - and we solved it by doing a,b,c........" - instead all there seems to be is "try this" or "have a go with that" or "change the firmware"

Trying different cards and different loop settings is a task of the manufacturer - not a task to pass onto us consumers. All this should be resolved in testing before release.

I wouldnt want a camera which I had to "change the firmware" on it - I would expect a stable version of the firmware to be present on my purchase.

Or is it just me?

I bought a camcorder once - if I had to change the firmware on it - or fiddle around with one brand and one class of memory card (with no clear direction on that either) - I would send it back - period.

Its a shame - because it looks like a great unit. I would pay more for it if it worked.

Out of all the people who took the plunge - I wonder how many got a good one? It would be interesting to know the stat on that.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the world of rock bottom price Chinese DashCam's! Confusion, and lack of details are the driving force for DashCamTalk. Factory uses an outsourced solution provider to write firmware. Specs vary re-seller to re-seller. There is no single unified brand name like Panasonic, Sony, LG, etc. It's DashCamSoup, and only the good ones will rise to the top. I haven't give'n up on 0801 yet, but I will when the WDR version comes out.
 
Purecut said:
Hallo to everybody,

I have two 0801 and on both I have problems with the software update.
I have done the following:
  1. the camera is off
  2. insert the microSD card with the firmware: "firmware-NO1-SPI-TB15.bin" to the root (top level of the microSD card - not into any folder) of the microSD card
  3. insert the car loader into the camera (not into the GPS mount bracket - it is not connected to the camera)
  4. the camera switched to on
  5. the camera shows the welcome screen and begins to record. I do not see the screen for an software update :-(
  6. do I anything wrong?
  7. must I rename the "firmware-NO1-SPI-TB15.bin" filename to anything else?
  8. I have no idea what is going wrong. This happens on both cameras
BTW. I only have one file within the archive, not two as mentioned in the manual
Click to expand...


hmmm not sure :-(
firmware-NO1-SPI-TB15.bin works for me. Who did you buy it from? Contact your re-seller and ask them for the right firmware update. It might have been built from one of the other factories. (their are multiple ones with slightly different specs)
 
bugelrex said:
Can I ask if you were using the supplied car charger or your own charger? And also, if your power outlet is used by other electronics (eg a dual charger plug)
Also are you in a very hot climate?

Just wanted to get an idea if these things are reliable or are easily affected by external factors.
Click to expand...

supplied charger in its own factory 12v socket. New 2014 vehicle.
My basic EE skills tell me that the problem was most likely the cheap charger they provide. Im guessing that one of the components inside it that converts 12v to 5v probably failed, so it sent 12v instead of 5v to the camera and burned it out.
 
JazJon said:
"eprance" seems flaky, too bad.
"e-prance" is two thumbs up, A+ though. Demi (who runs "e-prance") let me return my camera for a new one well over 2 months after the eBay sale. (and even offered to reimburse my shipment cost) I'm not sure if they are always this nice or just know I'm very active on DashCamTalk with my feedback. SpyTec is a bit more expensive but not unreasonable. (at least you'll get it quicker if they have it in stock yet)
Click to expand...
interesting, i figured eprance and e-prance were identical, but it sounds like at least there is a difference in the people staffing each storefront. I did notice that eprance is a couple dollar cheaper on their listings.
Candy was the person who I interacted with who was not very interested in helping me.
 
Evan55 said:
interesting, i figured eprance and e-prance were identical, but it sounds like at least there is a difference in the people staffing each storefront. I did notice that eprance is a couple dollar cheaper on their listings.
Candy was the person who I interacted with who was not very interested in helping me.
Click to expand...

Yeah Demi from e-prance deserves a raise. She always goes above and beyond with lightening fast communication and motivated to help me/us.
 
So i am currently on the 20130727 TS firmware and it is rocksolid for me.
Never had any problems and cams runs already for weeks in my car.
I want a little better quality with a higher bitrate then the current 10Mbit.
The latest firmware here looks like a nice candidate but is it possible to get te firmware off the cam so i can flash it back?
Or would you say if it works good now leave it like that because better a 100% working cam then one that g\does not work 100% with a bit better quality?
 
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