Street Guardian SGZC12RC Remote Lens, Sony Exmor IMX322, WDR

Is the microphone in the main unit? I put my unit in the glove compartment and the unit shifts around when I drive so I hear a lot of clink clank sound in the videos.
I'm wondering if I can velcro the unit down so it doesnt move.
 
I just installed this unit yesterday and when I opened up the box there were two power adapters, one looks to be the one in all the unboxing videos and the other has a slightly shorter body. Which one is the preferred one to use? Also, I think somewhere in these 35 pages it was mentioned that there is a firmware update being worked on ... any chance that it may help with video quality? I'm noticing the the recorded images are not very sharp and it is difficult to read license plates and road signs. Temperature wise it has been pretty cool here the last few days so it is not likely a heat focus problem. Perhaps the camera is just out of focus? If so, any way to fix that?
 
I just installed this unit yesterday and when I opened up the box there were two power adapters, one looks to be the one in all the unboxing videos and the other has a slightly shorter body. Which one is the preferred one to use? Also, I think somewhere in these 35 pages it was mentioned that there is a firmware update being worked on ... any chance that it may help with video quality? I'm noticing the the recorded images are not very sharp and it is difficult to read license plates and road signs. Temperature wise it has been pretty cool here the last few days so it is not likely a heat focus problem. Perhaps the camera is just out of focus? If so, any way to fix that?

We should have a new re-designed lens in July to replace any faulty units. We'll send you a new one once it's ready. It will be dialed in correctly. Did you order from Pier28 or CDC Canada? Let me (or CDC) know and we'll add you to the replacement list. You can self focus the camera. Since it will be replaced, it won't void your warranty. If you want to try refocusing send me a PM and I'll send you detailed instructions. (medium difficulty) No ETA on firmware release but we'll post as soon as we know. (have some ideas we will be adding soon)
 
Thanks Jon, I got the unit from CDC, I'll touch bases with Robert ...
 
Oh yeah, which power adapter ... the short one or the long one?
 
So out of the two power adapters included in the box, it makes no difference which one I use? My concern was that one was perhaps an updated one and the other shouldn't be used. Neither one has any markings which was why I asked.
 
can't see which you have there but I'm guessing one has a straight connector and the other has a right angle connector?
 
Yes, the ends that plug into the head unit are different (one straight and one angled) ... the ends that plug into the power source are both straight.
 
The straight one was supplied originally but we didn't think the quality was that good so we changed to the angled ones, the straight one still works so we still included them as a spare, either will work fine though
 
I have got two of these babies just installed in a new Dodge Challenger. The screens are in the glove box.
So far they work great. I hardwired mine. Did everything myself. I will try and get some pics of my install up soon.

Anyway, for those that run a rear cam, any model, do any of them have, in the settings, a setting called "mirror image" or likewise? It just bothers me somehow that when a car comes up on my left, the video being recording from the rear cam looks like its coming from the right. And vise versa. I just wish they had this option.
 
I installed an SGZC12RCin my Mini Cooper last Wednesday. I spent the weekend at my girlfriend's place, which meant that my car was not garaged overnight, which it is when I'm at home.

As it was parked outside for 2 nights, I thought it a good opportunity to test the buffered motion detection. Also to see how long it would record when powered by external power bank.

On Saturday I used an Anker Astro E4 13000mAh. Bought it in January 2014. It's been in daily use charging phones. MP3 players, etc. Last year I used it to power my Mobius overnight in loop recording mode when my car was in a hotel car park. After around 10 hours use from fully charged, 3 of the 4 charge indicator LEDs on the Anker were lit, indicating it still held between 50% to 75% charge.

It powered the SGZC12RC in motion detect mode for 18 hours, & then was completely discharged. Note that I first used the 12v supply to fully charge the capacitors, before switching to power bank supply. I did anticipate getting around 24 hours use from the Anker Astro E4 13000mAh between charges, but perhaps all that daily use has taken a toll on its capacity, & perhaps the SGZC12RC is a little 'thirstier' than the average dashcam?

On Sunday I spent the day with the SGZC12RC powered by 12v accessory socket, until the car was parked up for the night. I switched power supply to a new PowerAdd 10000mAh power bank. It powered the SGZC12RC for 15 hours, & then was completely discharged.

The card is a Kingston 32GB Class 10. The 167 files it currently contains start at 7.55pm yesterday through to 8.08am today when the PowerAdd went flat. 12 hours 13 minutes coverage while parked overnight. Plus 28 minutes driving today while powered by 12v accessory socket. Total 12 hours 41 minutes coverage on a 32GB card.

Since installing the SGZC12RC, all recording has been done with buffered motion detect & buffered G sensor enabled. The G sensor has ignored potholes & recorded just 1 event when I braked very hard to avoid a cat that ran out from behind a parked car.

It's early days but, so far, I'm very pleased with the SGZC12RC.

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When I first became interested in DashCams, Motion Detect wasn't even on my feature list. But needs / wants change over time, & buffered motion detect is now on my requirement list. Without buffering, I'd be wondering what triggered the motion detect here...

image.jpg

If this bloke had actually hit my car, as opposed to just getting as close as possible, I'd have the evidence leading up to the collision, & not just the aftermath...

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I'm hoping a new version of Panorama X1 will be released.
Here's how I see it:

Main Unit:
- has 2 mini/microUSB ports for 2 channel setup
- has 2 microSD slots for 1 card per channel
- has a mic IN port, to capture audio from where the user wants it instead of from inside a glove box, under the seat, or in the trunk.
- has independent control over each channel's recording options and will not stop working if only 1 camera is plugged in or 1 memory card is working
- has upgradeable firmware to support multiple sensor models
---optional
- remote head display unit with touchscreen, main unit is tucked away
- main unit is user upgradeable to 4 channel system

Remote Cameras:
- can be upgradeable by the user depending on price, lens, performance, mounting options, size, etc.


FYI, I work for an image sensor manufacturer and the image sensor digital logic, like in most sensors has the ability to flip the image that comes out, whether it's flip horizontally, vertically or both, it's a simple register change in the sensor operation, the fact that it's not available most likely means that the firmware wasn't written to support it, and by support I mean change sensor register values that would flip the image. It's a shame really because it's so simple, yet very painful for customers because their rearview video is flipped.
 
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