Stopped recording?

[kamkar]

Yes but at least you would know something is wrong, which i feel is better than driving for weeks / months and think everything are fine.
I dont think the RTC battery are monitored in any way, so the only way to get a alarm if it go bad would be to give a alarm in regard to irregular behavior as a result of failed RTC battery.

I am also assuming that in general all Dahscams have a memory card inside that is full, and so in the process of deleting old footage to make room for new stuff.
If the memory card was brand new and empty, the camera would work fine working from the default time / date for the whole drive, but then if you stop for a short while and set off again and the camera default your continued drive i assume would create files with the same names as the ones you created on the first part of your drive, and then i am not sure what would happen if the camera just name the new file xxxx.xx:xx #1 or what.

I have also wondered why i have never seen a dashcam that sort files in individual folders for the day, so in my case all recordings from today would be in a folder named 21:02:2021
I am assuming the logic to do this fairly simple job are not there in dashcams.
But i think i would not mind a dashcam with a such file structure,,,,,, i would be okay with a global RO folder for the events of any day, as after all ones dashcam should not crank out so many event files.

 

[gcent]

I also wondered if a numbering scheme would provide protection for something like this (assuming the date was the issue with my cam, seems likely). eg prefix the files with an autonumber, it could still have a timestamp but use the number to inform the decision on overwriting? it can read what is on the card to know what's next in sequence. I assume there is a reason it is not done that way currently and isn't as simple as that.

 

[kamkar]

Yeah i am just guessing here, throwing balls in the air, if it is the same this time, then it is not the first time my impulsiveness have forced me to storm head first down a path, only for someone to yell STOP before i hit a brick wall.
Even if i have learned many times in different matters, that often things are not as simple as they appear.

 

[jokiin]

1. Still older technology and sensors. Even if 1080p. 5 year old technology is still dated no matter how you slice it.

still outperforms a lot of current 1080p models in the market, just because it's older doesn't mean it's worse

 

[jokiin]

I assume there is a reason it is not done that way currently and isn't as simple as that.

correct, not simple at all

 

[jokiin]

The real solution would be to code the camera to notify the battery is bad or going bad and issue a warning beep or message.

not possible

 

[HonestReview]

not possible

Long story short then, there's no way to protect one's self from "overwriting files" except to periodically inspect camera and make sure the time is accurate.

Because dash cams are set to a continous loop (3, 5, 10 minutes what have you), eventually the memory card fills and files are overwritten. Unfortunately, if the RTC is bad, every time the car shuts off, the clock resets. Overwriting those original files earlier than intended. Since instead of a 24 hour cycle with a changing date, it loops to being the "same day" and starting at beginning.

 

[kamkar]

Well quite a few dashcams claim to be format free and so on, but i personally would not take them up on those words.

 

[jokiin]

Long story short then, there's no way to protect one's self from "overwriting files" except to periodically inspect camera and make sure the time is accurate.

any camera should be inspected periodically to make sure it's functioning as intended, no brand is exempt, RTC problems are easy to see on any camera with an LCD screen, bit more of a challenge on models without a display

 

[gcent]

hey @jokiin, would the gps unit have updated the date/time? I have not been using gps, I can't quite recall the reason (i want to say i had attempted to 'flip' it or something of that nature to put it on the windshield and broke it in the process but that memory is super vague at this point).

Just wondering if the gps would have saved me as well.

 

[kamkar]

Whatever RTC issues are still a minority in dashcam issues i think ( judging by my memory from frequenting this forum for a long time )
So to me it is just a potential source of problems, so anyone with due diligence should do his best in this regard, from the people making cameras, and the people using cameras.

 

[jokiin]

yes the GPS would have updated the clock, when you have a failed RTC battery and you use the GPS then it's normally only the first file of any recording that will be an issue, the rest of your recordings will be ok

 

[kamkar]

Using GPS, the camera will still get a fix pretty fast, but the very first file might still be created and named by the default time / date. so it is not a 100% fix using GPS, but i think it do mitigate the problem a bit.

 

[kamkar]

Dont fear the GPS

I know some people dont want to use the GPS as they are frisky drivers that might share footage in public, but these should know the video footage itself will always give a even more accurate picture of the speed.
But of course if you dont want to "in your face" your speed i think most cameras allow for not embedding / watermarking it in the footage if GPS are used, in that case all the GPS do is related to time/date.

I have always used GPS and had the speed in my videos, even if i still get a bit frisky now and then in regard to speed, and the way i deal with roundabouts if there are no cars there, well would probably also not be popular with police or self proclaimed angel drivers that never break a single traffic law.
But i also share these and other bad decisions i make in traffic, i feel thats only fair as i do point my finger at other motorists.

 

[gcent]

frisky drivers

lol not me, those days are behind me I think Not opposed to gps at all, I am pretty sure I just broke the unit and didn't bother trying to buy a replacement. Lots of lessons learned for me, for sure.

 

[kamkar]

I also do my best but some times i might be 5 - 10 kmh over until i see it, but thats also a far cry from the 90ties where my speed was my speed and usually 50 kmh or more over the speed of the other motorists.
Changed to 4 x 4 cars and that in itself took the edge of my driving, and then i think i also grew up finally, even if i am still very much willing to disregard some laws of the Danish society, but its of course a chance i take and must be a man about if i get nicked.
And there are quite a few items in the Danish traffic code i would like to see removed or changed, but there is only the democratic process to deal with that properly.

 

[HonestReview]

yes the GPS would have updated the clock, when you have a failed RTC battery and you use the GPS then it's normally only the first file of any recording that will be an issue, the rest of your recordings will be ok

Based upon your reply, I presume OP's model has a built in GPS? Not all Dash Cameras include integrated GPS. So you'd encounter the problem of a reset each shut down and power on. With GPS, as you and kamar stated, the first file would still be overwritten until the lock is acquired.

 

[HonestReview]

lol not me, those days are behind me I think Not opposed to gps at all, I am pretty sure I just broke the unit and didn't bother trying to buy a replacement. Lots of lessons learned for me, for sure.

General question. Do you still have the SD card from the accident? Have you continued using it AFTER the accident? Generally, you can try to use a file recovery program, and MAY be able to retrieve parts of the video from that day.

Handy Recovery
EaseUs Data recovery

A few worth trying to see. If you want to make an image of the SD card (not sure the size), and haven't used it further since the accident, your chances of some recovery are pretty good. Let us know. Maybe @jokiin or I could download the image of your sd card and run it through some recovery software or walk you through doing it.

 

[jokiin]

Based upon your reply, I presume OP's model has a built in GPS?

no, the GPS is external

 

[gcent]

General question. Do you still have the SD card from the accident? Have you continued using it AFTER the accident? Generally, you can try to use a file recovery program, and MAY be able to retrieve parts of the video from that day.

I still have the card but I ran the hardware test on it, which wrote files and filled up the card so anything that might have been there is toast, I think. The camera itself has only recorded a couple of files since then. Hopefully the other guy will just come clean, he initially admitted fault but then decided to lie when he realized his own insurance wouldn't fix his car.