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

[Lunar]

On the bottom of the setup menu it says; fw ver:20130402

I will be installing the camera in the car tomorow and test it out.
Is there any information available on wich filename to use for updating?

Very strange, as thats obviously indicating a firmware version way back in April, whats even more strange is the fact it's outputing in .MOV files, as I'm fairly sure firmware versions back in April would almost definately have been .TS files.

Personally, as long as it works okay.. I wouldn't concern myself too much, and leave as is, as one thing we have learned is that that the firmware versions seem to be all over the place...lol. There's so many different factors with camera's possibly not all being the same internally, hardware wise, as different factories produce them in China, resulting in non standardisation of firmware versions. ;-)

 

[Lunar]

Has anybody bought a right angle mini USB extension cable for this camera so that it doesn't strain the connection to the fixing holder. Any recommendations .

These are the one's I ordered and have been using with success in my own car. These are 3-mtrs in length.. seems to be the longest he does, but were long enough for me as it turned out. Shorter ones are in abundance on Ebay.. but this was the longest I could find.

 

[Lunar]

It's definitely interesting to think just how on the edge the 0801 is from being stable or not. (when turning off audio "fixes" things)

It seems the NEW post October batches are stable from what I'm reading. I'll have my E-PRANCE replacement soon, and will confirm things are solid once again. If this is the case, anyone with a problem is probably better off asking for a replacement. I know it's frustrating waiting and or could result in added shipping costs. (but it's worth peace of mind, and finally ending the never ending frustration)

I'm predicting my pending E-PRANCE fresh batch replacement will be good, and I'll use it as my rear DashCam.

The replacement Givoe is doing ok still but the G-Sensor post firmware update will never work again not that it matters though
. (as we talked about a few pages back) I'll probably let my Contractor friend use it in his Van.

Hope you are well matey, it looks like the latest batches from E-Prance with GPS only are now the 20131026 firmware versions, I've asked my very good friend at E-Prance if she will send me a copy of it, not sure if its hardware compatible, but have asked if she will forward a copy of it to us anyway.
EDIT: Had a reply, she said whe would try and obtain it from the factory and forward it on.

 

[HangFire]

My 0905 era e-prance is going back. Here is my conclusion on the matter:

"This DashCam is NOT recommended, too unstable, Alpha level hardware. We cannot find a consistent combination of OEM, model, seller, settings, and microSD card that works everyone that owns the combination."

 

[Sander]

Hello,
I have a question. I received my mini 0801 today and it seems to be working just fine. it records in .mov files and i am able to adjust the beep volume.
The fw is from 20130402. When i try to update it with the firmwares on this site does not work. I put the .bin file in the root and start de device but it never prompts me to do an update. Is this because my mini 0801 is from a different manufacturer?

I bought it from givoe from aliexpress. Its the no gps and no internal mem version. Also no software cd was supplied with it.

I have tested it today and the loop recording works fine only the quality of the movies is a bit disappointing. When i look at the details it shows 10.1 mbit/s.
I dont mind having .ts instead of .mov but how do i know which f/w to use? Do i need to open it up to check what hardware is inside? Or just rename filenames?

 

[Riconl]

Maybe you can try the CX4 .TS firmware in the other topic.
Give 15.5Mb bitrate so maybe you get better images with that.

 

[Muzza]

Hi, I'm a new member and I was keen on getting a 0801 (or one of it's variants) but after reading some of these posts, I'm concerned that I'll get a faulty or temperamental unit.

Being in New Zealand, I have the choice of buying either from the locally based Offthenet store (where Techmoan bought the one he used for his youtube review) or from e-prance/eprance off ebay. The advantage of buying from Offthenet is that any return is likely to be easier but they are significantly more expensive and are currently out of stock awaiting a new shipment. Would value your opinions!

BTW, is there any preference between the product from e-prance and eprance? Also, how useful are the GPS and built-in 8G options?

Thanks!

Murray

 

[efoo]

Hi, I'm a new member and I was keen on getting a 0801 (or one of it's variants) but after reading some of these posts, I'm concerned that I'll get a faulty or temperamental unit.

As of now, I would suggest to you and anyone new buyers NOT to purchase this Mini 0801 dashcam.

Mine was bought from Giveo at AliExpress a few months ago. Has internal 8GB and GPS mount. Currently running firmware version 20130923. Tested on both Samsung 32GB class 10 and Samsung 8GB class 4 cards, both have shown auto shutdown error. My current configuration is running the Samsung 8GB class 4 card with the power cable plugged into the dashcam, not into the mount, so far it has not failed for nearly 2 weeks but I am still considering it in testing phase. A lot of people experience this auto shutdown error during loop recording mode, however at one time mine did autoshut down (with the 32GB class 10 card) and when I checked the card it still has about 6GB free space. So that one incidence is not related to loop recording mode. I think Lunar is onto something there with his suggestion of poorly made miniUSB connector, causing loss of power supply thus triggering the auto shutdown. I do notice my USB cable can wiggle a bit when connected to both the mount and the dashcam, so I might try squeezing the miniUSB connectors myself soon to tighten the fit. I will continue my own testing and observation in the mean time. I have been following this thread and it seems a few new buyers of this dashcam have experienced auto shutdown error too recently.

So for now, NOT RECOMMENDED to buy this dashcam. I think the moderator of this site should remove this cam from the best-bang-for-your-buck list and put down "reliability issue" as the negative reason.

 

[Muzza]

As of now, I would suggest to you and anyone new buyers NOT to purchase this Mini 0801 dashcam.

So for now, NOT RECOMMENDED to buy this dashcam. I think the moderator of this site should remove this cam from the best-bang-for-your-buck list and put down "reliability issue" as the negative reason.

Thanks, Efoo!

Since I still need a car cam, will likely buy the G1W as a cheap but good value interim camera until such time as they either fix the 0801 or bring out the next (debugged) model.

 

[DashCamMan]

I have removed this from the "best bang for your buck" list. I know many people are very happy with their Mini 0801's but I was under the impression the latest firmware was stable (which does not appear to be the case).

Perhaps the manufacturer should go back to selling the TS firmware with 12Mbps bit rate since there were very few firmware complaints from early owners of this camera.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

I have removed this from the "best bang for your buck" list. I know many people are very happy with their Mini 0801's but I was under the impression the latest firmware was stable (which does not appear to be the case).

Perhaps the manufacturer should go back to selling the TS firmware with 12Mbps bit rate since there were very few firmware complaints from early owners of this camera.

It's possible the newest fresh batch 0801's October and newer will continue to be stable, but only time will tell. Until then I agree, newbis need to buy a 0801 with caution.

 

[Reg dashcam]

This is a shame. The only dash cam I like enough to buy (and is not uber-expensive) and it is no longer recommended. The only other dash cam on the market I like is the procam cx4, which is currently impossible to get outside of Russia. I'm going to have to try my luck and get it anyway, and hope that mine does not have problems.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

This is a shame. The only dash cam I like enough to buy (and is not uber-expensive) and it is no longer recommended. The only other dash cam on the market I like is the procam cx4, which is currently impossible to get outside of Russia. I'm going to have to try my luck and get it anyway, and hope that mine does not have problems.

If my new fresh batch E-Prance 0801 comes with an October firmware, and proves to be stable like everyone else's new new one's it might be ok again. We need multiple confirmations though.
Disabling Audio is not a good long term solution for older models. You never know which batch you'll receive if bought elsewhere as well. That confusion alone is enough to keep the 0801 off the recommended list for awhile.

 

[edc1]

This is a shame. The only dash cam I like enough to buy (and is not uber-expensive) and it is no longer recommended. The only other dash cam on the market I like is the procam cx4, which is currently impossible to get outside of Russia. I'm going to have to try my luck and get it anyway, and hope that mine does not have problems.

There is no reason to buy CX4. They're all from one factory. You can use theirs firmware 20130823 with TS, it is very stable as everyone with TS.

 

[Peter Wilson]

I thought techmoan had had a similar power connection fault and he warmed the plastic up and made the connection a little stronger thus no more loss of power.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lunar]

I thought techmoan had had a similar power connection fault and he warmed the plastic up and made the connection a little stronger thus no more loss of power.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The connectors on the mini usb frame end are metal, same on the sockets on the camera, just squeeze in slightly where the split is opposite the contacts. 30 second job.

 

[Josh]

Well that sucks.
I bought one Thursday, installed Friday. SanDisk 32gb class 4 in it. 0922 firmware. Couldn't even update to new firmware in FAQs

Worked well until I got the auto power off this morning driving to work. Card isn't even full yet.

 

[HangFire]

Well that sucks.
I bought one Thursday, installed Friday. SanDisk 32gb class 4 in it. 0922 firmware. Couldn't even update to new firmware in FAQs

Worked well until I got the auto power off this morning driving to work. Card isn't even full yet.

Sorry to hear that, Josh. The best workarounds are to set to no audio, 1 min loops, and make sure your power jack is firmly in place, you can tweak it a bit with pliers or a vice until it fits tight.

If that doesn't work out, if you bought it from any of the recommended vendors here (Givoe, E-Prance, etc.) they will be happy to give you a refund on return. I'm thinking strongly about the Panorama II, once I get my money back. I may even get another Mini 0801 in the future once the bugs are worked out.

 

[Josh]

Sorry to hear that, Josh. The best workarounds are to set to no audio, 1 min loops, and make sure your power jack is firmly in place, you can tweak it a bit with pliers or a vice until it fits tight.

If that doesn't work out, if you bought it from any of the recommended vendors here (Givoe, E-Prance, etc.) they will be happy to give you a refund on return. I'm thinking strongly about the Panorama II, once I get my money back. I may even get another Mini 0801 in the future once the bugs are worked out.

Thanks I'll mess with it when I get home. Hopefully it's just the ground on the usb but I worry might be the +5 VDC connection on the unit itself.
Panorama II looks great at night (the downfall of the 0801), can't find it on Amazon though.

 

[Sema]

There is no reason to buy CX4. They're all from one factory. You can use theirs firmware 20130823 with TS, it is very stable as everyone with TS.

Yep. - This guy knows what he's talking about. I've been following some Mini0801/Procam CX4 related Russian forums, and his knowledge on the subject is very extensive. - I myself, following his advice, rolled back to the 20130823 from Procam CX4 (the TS version) after all the hassle with MOV versions, and I can confirm that it does work as it should.