Street Guardian has the SG9665GC listed

No, it doesn't bother me, since I'll only ever really need to look at video in the event of a collision or something that would require me to pull the SD card. I just thought that there might be something I was missing that would help with the reflection.

I'm sure adjusting the angle of the lens will help a bit too. We shall see. I was driving under overcast sun/clouds this afternoon, so it may have had an effect of making it worse than normal.

The only real problem I had with the camera was peeling the protective backing on the 3M tape. I swear I spent more time trying to get that protective backing off than actually routing the USB cable, placing the camera, and doing a test drive.
 
daver said:
No, it doesn't bother me, since I'll only ever really need to look at video in the event of a collision or something that would require me to pull the SD card. I just thought that there might be something I was missing that would help with the reflection.

I'm sure adjusting the angle of the lens will help a bit too. We shall see. I was driving under overcast sun/clouds this afternoon, so it may have had an effect of making it worse than normal.

The only real problem I had with the camera was peeling the protective backing on the 3M tape. I swear I spent more time trying to get that protective backing off than actually routing the USB cable, placing the camera, and doing a test drive.
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When adjusting the lens angle be careful not to include too much sky in the image or it will adversely effect the exposure.

Yeah, that protective backing on the 3M tape can be a real pain. I find that a small sharp blade, like an X-Acto knife is a useful tool to peel up the edge of the protective backing and get it started.
 
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Dashmellow said:
When adjusting the lens angle be careful not to include too much sky in the image or it will adversely effect the exposure.
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this model usually copes better with a bit more sky than some others do, we use a custom AE table and the upper part of the picture doesn't have as much impact on the results, one of those try it and see situations
 
jokiin said:
this model usually copes better with a bit more sky than some others do, we use a custom AE table and the upper part of the picture doesn't have as much impact on the results, one of those try it and see situations
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My SG seems to have a devil of a time with this issue and required much fussy adjusting and EV compensation but as you know, my particular unit apparently has a calibration issue and thanks to you and Pier28 the camera will be replaced. Since adjusting the ratio of sky and road in general can often have a dramatic effect on proper exposure in dash cams it just seemed like a good rule of thumb to mention but based on your remark about the AE table I see now that the sky/road ratio was more a part of that issue on my unit than I'd realized.
 
Boy, this thing really is set and forget. I adjusted the lens angle again a little bit, this time something like 20/80 dashboard/road, and it's much better with regards to reflection. But it's so small I've nearly forgotten that it's hiding behind my rear view mirror!
 
daver said:
Boy, this thing really is set and forget. - But it's so small I've nearly forgotten that it's hiding behind my rear view mirror!
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Small indeed and given mine is behind the RVM I do totally forget it is there - mind you in my case I have put that forgetfulness to having several 'senior moments' at the same time! I have the sound on and can hear a little 'twitter' as it fires up just reassuring that it is at least working away doing its 'thang' :cool:
 
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Apologies if this is a stupid question, but searching through this thread came up empty for me:

I'm wondering if there is anything to tell the camera to turn off if there is any inactivity? E.g. motion detection senses the car is not moving for more than 5 minutes, and shuts off the camera.

I ask this because I have noticed that, due to how my car handles powering the 12V outlets, there's always a 15-minute period between when I power off my car and when the device actually shuts off. This is because my car provides power to the 12V and USB outlets for up to 15 minutes after the car has powered off. However, as I'm parked and no longer driving, I just find that it is silly to be recording nothing during that time.

Of course, this is in no way harmful to anything, really, but I thought it would be a nice feature.

In other news, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! The supplied cable is short by less than 2 inches! I was routing the cable more properly yesterday (vs my hodge podge job just to make sure the camera itself was installed properly), and discovered that the cable is just short of what I would like it to be! It's run along the front edge of ceiling board, down outside of A-frame, along outer edge of dashboard, down crevice through glove box, along underside of centre console, then up into the centre console where I have my 12V outlet. Doing it that way means that the cable can't quite reach. I'll have to adjust the camera a bit to make sure the cable can reach the outlet.
 
You can turn motion detection on and change various time out values in the new release candidate firmware. (Not quite available yet, coming soon).

You can also look into getting the CPUSB01 hard wire kit.

You can look into using a male/female ended miniUSB extension cable or cigarette lighter power extension cable if needed alternatively.
 
Pier28 said:
You can look into using a male/female ended miniUSB extension cable or cigarette lighter power extension cable if needed alternatively.
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That's my plan. Well, that's my plan after I curse at everything and everyone, because you know what they say about best laid plans...

Luckily, I've mounted the anchor on the clear temporary plastic sheet, so I am free to move it about to adjust. But based on what I have deemed the "perfect" spot on my windshield, the cable comes up short by an inch or two. I guess I'll just have to move it up a bit, maybe towards the right. Nothing that a bit of patience and lessened hyperbole can't handle :)
 
daver said:
I'm wondering if there is anything to tell the camera to turn off if there is any inactivity? E.g. motion detection senses the car is not moving for more than 5 minutes, and shuts off the camera.

I ask this because I have noticed that, due to how my car handles powering the 12V outlets, there's always a 15-minute period between when I power off my car and when the device actually shuts off. This is because my car provides power to the 12V and USB outlets for up to 15 minutes after the car has powered off. However, as I'm parked and no longer driving, I just find that it is silly to be recording nothing during that time.

Of course, this is in no way harmful to anything, really, but I thought it would be a nice feature.
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I'd be loving this, especially if it had an adjustable time accessories would stay on for up to 3 hours. what if someone rammed your car 3 minutes after you left it in the parking lot and your camera was off?? no video of it. I have power magic setup on mine with a 2 hour delay to turn off, I have caught some good things in parking lots with the cam.
 
daver said:
Apologies if this is a stupid question, but searching through this thread came up empty for me:

I'm wondering if there is anything to tell the camera to turn off if there is any inactivity? E.g. motion detection senses the car is not moving for more than 5 minutes, and shuts off the camera.

I ask this because I have noticed that, due to how my car handles powering the 12V outlets, there's always a 15-minute period between when I power off my car and when the device actually shuts off. This is because my car provides power to the 12V and USB outlets for up to 15 minutes after the car has powered off. However, as I'm parked and no longer driving, I just find that it is silly to be recording nothing during that time.

Of course, this is in no way harmful to anything, really, but I thought it would be a nice feature.

.
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What car make / model do you have ?
Is it possible to change accessories relay with the one which has some shorter time-out for your vehicle ? However I see nothing harmful even if its still runs 1-2h after you park you car, as @wazzzzza mentioned.
 
jokiin said:
oddly enough we get complaints that the cable is too long, ours is about 1 meter longer than what many use
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Personally I'd rather have it too long vs. too short. You can always tuck the excess away somewhere but I haven't yet found a 'cable stretcher' that works. :D
 
niko said:
What car make / model do you have ?
Is it possible to change accessories relay with the one which has some shorter time-out for your vehicle ? However I see nothing harmful even if its still runs 1-2h after you park you car, as @wazzzzza mentioned.
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I have the 2015 Ford Focus. I have seen discussion where some people use a tap fuse connector and tie into the headlamp circuit (on with the ignition/acc, and off within approx 1 min. of turning off engine/acc). I had considered doing this, but honestly, I thought this might be a bit more work that I believe is beneficial. As you and others have mentioned, it's really not much of a problem for the camera to be drawing power for another 10-15 minutes after turning the car off. I was just wondering if I had missed something with the camera, or if having an auto-shutoff was a feature the camera had. (Sounds like it's an upcoming feature in the coming firmware update!)

jokiin said:
oddly enough we get complaints that the cable is too long, ours is about 1 meter longer than what many use
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Yeah, I could see how that may be the case. I must have just routed my cable in such a way that it's just short by mere inches. This is how I have my cable routed. As you can see (attached below), I opted for the least obtrusive path. Evidently routing it that way requires more cabling that the more direct approach.
 

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daver said:
or if having an auto-shutoff was a feature the camera had. (Sounds like it's an upcoming feature in the coming firmware update!)
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No, not sure what you're referring to either

daver said:
Yeah, I could see how that may be the case. I must have just routed my cable in such a way that it's just short by mere inches. This is how I have my cable routed. As you can see (attached below), I opted for the least obtrusive path. Evidently routing it that way requires more cabling that the more direct approach.
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if the outlet is in the console then it makes sense now why you didn't have enough lead
 
I too have a Focus and was able to route the cable with quite a lot of slack to spare. Also, I opted to use the secondary socket that is located at the very rear of the centre console which is provided for rear passenger's use. This is probably a good 18 inches further back than your socket

From the picture you drew I think I can see the issue. When you thread the cable behind the A pillar trim then it looks as though you chose the side nearest the screen. This means that the cable follows the path of the windscreen, meaning that you then have to route it back along the top of the dashboard before tucking it behind the glove box. This will probably cost you a good 12 inches of cable if not more

If you change the cable route so that when you tuck it behind the a pillar trim you instead follow the path of the door rubber then you've immediately gained over 12 inches.

Also, instead of going right round the back of the glovebox I elected to go underneath it. I used a couple of the provided sticky cable clips to secure it to the underside of the glovebox. You can't see the cable as it's hidden by the bottom of the dashboard.

Hope this helps :)
 
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GrahamS said:
From the picture you drew I think I can see the issue. When you thread the cable behind the A pillar trim then it looks as though you chose the side nearest the screen. This means that the cable follows the path of the windscreen, meaning that you then have to route it back along the top of the dashboard before tucking it behind the glove back. This will probably cost you a good 12 inches of cable if not more

If you change the cable route so that when you tuck it behind the a pillar trim you instead follow the path of the door rubber then you've immediately gained over 12 inches.

Also, instead of going right round the back of the glovebox I elected to go underneath it. I used a couple of the provided sticky cable clips to secure it to the underside of the glovebox. You can't see the cable as it's hidden by the bottom of the dashboard.
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Good point.

3875854690cac277162fbada57eb44e7.jpg
 
jokiin said:
No, not sure what you're referring to either
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I was reading about the upcoming firmware update, but now I realized I was getting confused about what "motion detection" actually is. It is not the movement of the vehicle (e.g. using G-sensor to detect the car has come to a complete stop), rather it is the motion of something in the camera's FOV.

I was indicating that it would be nice if the camera would detect that the car has fully stopped, and so long as it doesn't move again, it initiates a timer to auto-shut down.

GrahamS said:
I too have a Focus and was able to route the cable with quite a lot of slack to spare. Also, I opted to use the secondary socket that is located at the very rear of the centre console which is provided for rear passenger's use. This is probably a good 18 inches further back than your socket
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Do you mean the Estate? The sedan/hatch has two 12V outlets: one in the front console beside the stick, the other in the rear of the centre console. There is no outlet for the rear passengers in my hatchback (Titanium).

From the picture you drew I think I can see the issue. When you thread the cable behind the A pillar trim then it looks as though you chose the side nearest the screen. This means that the cable follows the path of the windscreen, meaning that you then have to route it back along the top of the dashboard before tucking it behind the glove box. This will probably cost you a good 12 inches of cable if not more

If you change the cable route so that when you tuck it behind the a pillar trim you instead follow the path of the door rubber then you've immediately gained over 12 inches.

Also, instead of going right round the back of the glovebox I elected to go underneath it. I used a couple of the provided sticky cable clips to secure it to the underside of the glovebox. You can't see the cable as it's hidden by the bottom of the dashboard.

Hope this helps :)
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Thanks for the pointer! Indeed, I tried to go underneath the A pillar (as you can see in my image, I went "above" the A pillar), but due to the way the door frame seal wouldn't re-seat properly with the cable in the underside, I sadly had to opt with going the longer route. And I am also going underneath the glove box. The image doesn't really show it, but I'm actually tucked away underneath the glove box, and didn't need any of the anchors. I drew that red line to the right of the box to try to indicate that I'm dropping vertically beside the glove, and then going right underneath it. You can really only do so much in MSPaint :)

But it is completely hidden from view. The only cable you see is a tiny bit sticking out from the camera and going into the edge of the ceiling.

But no matter, it's not a real problem: my problem is my own problem because of that little nitpick of the door frame rubber seal! When I build up enough patience I will work at getting the cable tucked away properly into the underside of the A pillar. I suspect I'll need a proper spudger to get in there. Right now I've adjusted everything so it's working quite well. Haven't permanently afixed the camera to the windshield, however, still fiddling with this and that for now.
 
Hi.
Yes I wasn't sure where you were going underneath the glove box. Like you say, MSPaint isn't the easiest tool to demonstrate multiple direction changes:p

Mine's the ST model but the secondary socket is indeed where you described. I only mentioned that as an example of how far into the car I'd been able to route the cable.

I'm surprised there was no room behind the door rubber. Mine has enough room to stick your fingers into (picture attached). I guess the trims must differ between models and countries.

The easiest thing for you to do then would be to just pull off the trim. It comes off quite easily without the need for special tools. You can probably even just prise it away from the bodywork slightly and slip the cable behind, without needing to take the whole thing off

Good luck with whatever you decide to do :cool:
 

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