Strange noise going over bumps

[relive]

My recordings have a strange noise that sounds like a squeak or a frog ribbit when going over certain bumps. This is not audible in the car, but is picked up by the microphone, so it is something that is within the camera. Here are a couple of clips where the noise can be heard. Does anyone have any idea where this is coming from and how to fix it?

 

[Nigel]

Maybe you have left the cable loose and it is rattling against the glass?
I had a similar rattle that was coming from my rear view mirror.
I doubt it is from the camera itself, doesn't sound right for that.
Obviously it must be something close to the camera otherwise you would hear it in the car, but it could be 10cm away, probably less than that.

 

[Tractor]

I have a similar problem with the A129 Pro and A119V3. As Nigel said it is almost certainly external to the cams. It my case it is the centre front mirror consul with so much additional electronics and necessary access to the units component. It is not surprising that there is a sound transfer as sound travels better through solids.
It took me quite a while to trace as it is inaudible to the ear.

 

[Nigel]

There is a possibility that it is the A129 Pro buttons rattling, put some tape over them to test this theory out.

 

[Harsh]

Sounds familiar. Don't know what it is but wasn't the buttons.

 

[relive]

Maybe you have left the cable loose and it is rattling against the glass?
I had a similar rattle that was coming from my rear view mirror.
I doubt it is from the camera itself, doesn't sound right for that.
Obviously it must be something close to the camera otherwise you would hear it in the car, but it could be 10cm away, probably less than that.

The HK3 power cable is tightly tucked into my headliner, and I used the cable clips to hold the section around the ferrite core in place, so it's not a loose cable. I reviewed clips from before I installed the HK3 and the noise was present then.

I have no electronics in my rear view mirror. It's just a solid mount and a ball/socket joint, so that's not likely the culprit either.

I will do a test by taking the camera off the GPS mount and out of the car. If I can replicate the noise by shaking the camera, then it's something internal. Otherwise, it's likely coming from the domelight panel, or the windshield itself.

Could it be the lens moving slightly in its swivel? There's a bit of play between each of the clicks.

 

[EGS]

Mine has the same problem and I can confirm that in mine, noise is coming from the buttons. They don't have any padding to dampen vibrations. Currently I'm looking for a solution to solve that on mine.

 

[Nigel]

Mine has the same problem and I can confirm that in mine, noise is coming from the buttons. They don't have any padding to dampen vibrations. Currently I'm looking for a solution to solve that on mine.

A strip of tape over the buttons solves the rattle, but doesn't look too good!

 

[EGS]

Lol, I'm not willing to band-aid the problem. I will try to fix the root of the problem instead. Unfortunately that is something not anyone can or should do as it will void the warranty. Also, there is a chance that in some units the problem could be coming straight from the microphone itself since it is not seated where the mic orifice is. The mic is attached on top of side of the heat sink secured with a piece of tape. I will post pictures of it later when I get back home...

 

[EGS]

Actually I had one on my phone.

 

[EGS]

I got home, pulled my dashcam out of the base and did some shake-up and I found that there are 3 things that are producing noise on my cam (could be more) and same could apply to yours as well. But let's take in consideration that vibrations transferred to the camera varies from the type of vehicle and off-course the terrain you are driving on, and a hand shake can not replicate those accurately. Never the less, I have determined that the parts I will point are obviously lose enough to resonate and produce the unwanted noise while driving in rough roads.

First one... the CPL filter has some play and provably produces the most noise
second one... swivel lens assembly has some play as well. Perhaps the spring doesn't provide enough pressure
third... keypads have a very small amount of play but they will produce noise as well at a certain frequency

The CPL could be an easy fix by adding some padding to the clip sides. The rocker lens assembly and keypads I do not know yet as that requires me to open the camera and some spare time.

In my opinion those should be addressed to prevent from continuing reproducing this issues at production time.

 

[relive]

I don't have a CPL filter, so that at least eliminates one possibility. I will try taping up the buttons to try to rule that out, but I am leaning towards either the lens assembly (as that is the only moving part of the camera and has quite a bit of play), or the microphone being loose internally.

 

[EGS]

I don't have a CPL filter, so that at least eliminates one possibility. I will try taping up the buttons to try to rule that out, but I am leaning towards either the lens assembly (as that is the only moving part of the camera and has quite a bit of play), or the microphone being loose internally.

As for the mic, it all depends how well the tape over the mic was put in place by the person who put it together at the assembly line.
More than likely the situation with yours is the lens assembly...

 

[relive]

As for the mic, it all depends how well the tape over the mic was put in place by the person who put it together at the assembly line.
More than likely the situation with yours is the lens assembly...

I think you may be right. I reviewed some of my footage carefully, and using the interior of the car as a reference, the frame is shifting a few pixels up and down while going over bumpy terrain. This doesn't always coincide with the ribbit noise, so there may be an amplitude threshold or a certain frequency that sets it off.

I hope that I didn't exacerbate the problem by adjusting my lens too many times while I was installing it.

 

[EGS]

I think you may be right. I reviewed some of my footage carefully, and using the interior of the car as a reference, the frame is shifting a few pixels up and down while going over bumpy terrain. This doesn't always coincide with the ribbit noise, so there may be an amplitude threshold or a certain frequency that sets it off.

I hope that I didn't exacerbate the problem by adjusting my lens too many times while I was installing it.

Just for testing purposes you can try with some painters tape or any other that won’t leave any residue, like I did in this pictures and take it for a ride and see what results you get. After that test is completed, you can try to put another piece on top of the buttons and see if that improves things further. I would be interested what you can find in yours.

 

[CaptureYourAction]

Sounds like button rattle to me.