Thinkware F770 Review by Sir Loin

Hi blackbox, mine only came with the hardwire kit no cig lighter adapter.

I looked at it again tonight and it gets weirder, still will only record in continuous mode (tried swapping live and switched 12v feeds made no difference), still won't accept me turning speed stamp off and stil won't switch to parking mode......

.........However, I checked recorded footage again and it actually played the segment i chose (last times I tried it has just given black screen), hmmmm I thought I'd try another, nope the next segment was a frozen frame with top half of the picture a blurred image and the bottom half of the picture was just green.........so I went back to the segment that had just worked previous.........that now displayed the same frozen/green image as the other segment ......weird?

Long story short I will just be calling thinkware UK tomorrow asking for replacement or a refund, it's not a cheap unit, I purposely went for what was supposed to be a dearer but better system so I don't expect these kinds of problems and I don't expect to have to sort out firmware issues or keep formatting the card, I just want a product that does what I paid for.

Fingers crossed they just replace it and the new ones fine........
 
What are you playing the footage in?

I've noticed that the video will play fine on mx player on my phone but a few media players on my PC play without audio and I haven't been able to get any of the files to play continuously on registrator viewer without script errors.
 
I'm just checking the footage using the dashcam cam over the wifi onto either an iPhone or iPad, I'm not removing the card from the unit and putting it in a computer.
 
Oh man, I love the sweeping parking LEDs. If they were red I could pretend to be knight rider. Of course, I turned them off. Don't want to advertise the fact I have a dashcam.

My thinkware micro SD card worked fine. I've switched to a 128gb Samsung evo+.

I found this image from an older thread
c488e779dbc4666f5ede0651ebb1df21.jpg


Have you checked that you've grounded the camera properly?
 
Lol ok iron I admit I turned on the sweeping led last night and immediately went back to me youth......and then promptly turned it off quick and hoped no one noticed me grinning like an idiot.

All the wiring is correct mate, if it wasn't earthed I would get continuous recordings filling there folder, if the perm 12v supply wasn't working the continuous recording I'm getting when I'm aware from the car wouldn't have any power to record in the first place and the switched 12v feed works fine as it's the same circuit the kids headrest DVD players are wired onto ( I know that worked as the eldest moaned and the baby cried when I turned off the ignition at the supermarket earlier and there films turned straight off)

It's the unit, no othe thing it can be, no other mode than continuous works, sometimes I get recorded images I can see other times I dont,meme times the images I could see suddenly become u viewable, parking won't work full stop and speed stamp option may as well not be there as no matter what I select I have the real choice of on or on

Tried calling thinkware UK today but only open mon to fri, will be calling them monday.
 
By the way iron how did you get on with the 128gb card?

I know the f750 and f770 say max 64gb but I did read somewhere that someone put a 128 in a f750 and it was fine

I want a bigger card than the 32gb it came with so if the 128 works I may as well go big as I can......once I get a camera that works of course ;o)

What's the exact details of the card you use so if it's fine I can order the same?
 
Yeah, sounds like it's a faulty unit. Hopefully you can get it sorted out quickly.

I've only been running the card for a couple of days worth of driving so far but it seems to be performing well.

It's the Samsung Evo+ 128gb.i bought this one from Amazon.

Samsung Memory 128 GB EVO Plus MicroSDXC UHS-I Grade 1 Class 10 Memory Card with SD Adapter

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B00WR0HIR4

I'll post an update when I fill the card and see how it behaves then.
 
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Thanks iron, fingers crossed the 128 works flawlessly, be handy to have the larger memory

Keep us updated and I will let you know what thinkware UK say
 
Just as a heads up for those planning to use Cellink with Thinkware (and many other Korean dashcams that come with direct hardwire kits)
If you use the cigarette socket it won't switch into parking mode and splicing of the Cellinks output + Dashcam's hardwire cable is needed
Wrote a little blog post about it here: https://www.blackboxmycar.com/blogs/news/connecting-korean-dashcams-to-the-cellink-battery-b

I have a celllink B (older model) and I use a cigarette socket adapter on PWR and GND and ACC is wired to my car fuse. Parking mode works fine.
 
I'm not sure if my findings help @PhilCRV, I hope it does.

I have my setup (front and rear F770 cameras with hard wire kit) combined with Cellink B battery. I was pretty certain that I had everything wired correctly, including the fuse box connection which I initially connected to the rear luggage compartment power / cigarette outlet fuse (15 amps). I had a similar problem as PhilCRV in that my cameras would record continuously, despite the engine being turned off, and not going into time lapse parking mode as I had it configured in the Thinkware menus. What I found was that the Cellink B battery and hence, the cameras in turn, were still being powered despite the engine being turned off, ie. it was plugged into a continuous power supply. I was rather baffled by this, since when I initially performed the testing for this luggage compartment power outlet, it only switched on when in 'ACC', or 'ON', switch mode (I tested with an old standalone GPS device). In the 'Off' engine mode there would be no power supplied to the GPS device.

The way I found / tested it; Since the Cellink B is a battery I disconnected it from the fuse box, with camera connections still in place connected with Cellink B (ie. forced Cellink B into battery mode). As soon as I did this I heard the announcements for parking mode from the cameras. Re-plugged the Cellink B back into the same fuse (luggage compartment power outlet) and both Cellink B (the chime for battery charging) and camera (announcement for normal driving mode) were both heard, despite the engine still being off. This confirmed that the luggage compartment power outlet connection was a continuous power supply (baffled, as I mentioned above regarding testing). Anyway, I swapped the fuse connection to the 'interior cigarette lighter' fuse (same socket type and 15 amp fuse rating) and this worked, ie. power only supplied when in 'ACC' or 'ON' switch mode and cameras switching on/off parking mode appropriately.

PhilCRV, a few posts back I think I read that you wired your red 'ACC' power wire to your stereo / DVD player? Are you sure these devices don't turn on even when the engine is off? I know in some cars I have driven in the past, that the stereo system has the ability to turn on, even for a short time, when the engine is completely turned off, ie. still connected to a continuous power supply. It may be worth trying to connect the red ACC wire to something different like the wiper fuse.

I hope this helps you.
 
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Just wire your CellinkB as a "dumb" battery backup. It only charges when the ignition is ON and also provides power to the camera. When the ignition is turned OFF and the camera goes into parking mode, the CellinkB simply provides parking mode power to the camera until it is drained or the ignition is turned back ON (charging again).
 
image.jpg Hi Dashcamuser1, thanks for your information it nice to see im not the only one that can be baffled by such an easy instal.

I have spoken to steve one of the tech guys at thinkware UK and he has come up with a plausible explanation for the not going into parking mode scenario that I have to test when I get a minute.

Basically apparently I may have a "switched" live in that it's only 12v when the ignition is on but that may not mean it's totally dead when the ignition is off, apparently some new cars retain a lower voltage in some of the circuits and the problem arises when the appliance connected to them does not see sufficient voltage drop to turn it off or switch modes.

Like I say not tested it but it makes sense, my dvd headrests turn straight off when I turn the ignition off, there on same switched circuit as dashcam, the point is the headrest may only need to see a slight drop from 12v before they turn off where as the dashcam may need to see more of a drop before it registers the switched power has gone and turns into parking mode.

Apparently there is an easy way to meter this out and test it as shown in the photo, this wil show if there is a lower residual voltage going to the main unit.

Granted it doesn't explain why I am getting black videos or videos that will play one minute and not the next, or why the speed stamp won't turn off but atleast its a start
 
Hi PhilCRV,

We did speak the other day and im not going to lie i forgot to try turning off the speed stamp to see if it saves it. As i said my car was at a service that day. I will try shortly in my lunch though and let you know if mine worked.

FYI - Thinkware recommend using MX Player to view the footage now and that's what they are optimising their app for. People were using all sorts of video players and reporting various issues and it was becoming impossible to test / rectify them all so they thought using 1 player makes life a lot easier for everyone. I have 'watched' this thread now so feel free to keep me updated via this post.
 
Hi PhilCRV,

I have tried my F770 now and using an Android Phone (Sony Xperia X) i can turn off the speed stamp and it saves fine. However i don't think i have access to an iPhone to test at this moment in time. We have approx 45 people in the building but iphones are scarce! Our chairman has the iphone 6 plus but he is on holiday at the moment. Can you refresh my memory what handset you are using with your camera please?

Cheers
Steve
 
Hi Steve,

I'm using an IPad Air2 an IPhone 5c and IPhone 5s and none of them will keep the speed stamp turned off or display consistent video.

If it was the player software surely it would give consistent result ie just never play rather than be fine one minute, next be half green and frozen, next all black and static noise or then find the ones I could play fine duddenly won't play at all?

Hopefully I will get out to meter out the power lead at the main unit late, I will let you know what it shows up

Cheers
 
Just thought, better half has the iPhone 6 I will try and steal that to test it out as well
 
I managed to get hold of an iPhone 5 and try the speed stamp with that and there was an issue. On the actual iphone even after turning off the speed stamp and going back a screen (i did get the message about settings saved) then going back in it still showed on. I disconnected that phone completely and went back in on my Android and the setting did display as off. It's like the iphone was actually switching it off but it wouldn't show in the App. Can i ask if you have actually looked at footage of the camera to see if the speed stamp goes away or not? I was struggling for time a bit then so couldn't check. I'm hoping you have just looked at the App as i described above!

Either way i have already reported this back to Thinkware in Korea for investigation. I think i've mentioned on the phone the App isn't compatible with iPads, however iphones should be 100% providing MX Player is installed on the phone.
 
image.jpg Right just managed to get out and have a good look......

Steve you were spot on about my switched live, it wasn't switched, don't ask me why as it confuses me but if I meter at the cigarette socket its switched, if I put my dvd headrest on and turn ignition off it shows as switched ie they turn off, in fact when I metered the connector as per the photo you sent me there was barely any voltage drop, don't ask me how or why the others show as switched when there all on same circuit but that's what happens

Found another switched live by metering at fuse box and all works fine as in it now switches into parking mode.

Loads of wifi connection issues tonight, every other time I have tried it's straight in first time but didn't want to play ball tonight. (I'm talking like 25 fails)

Tried iphone 6 seemed fine. Tried the iPad again and worked fine for a while and then the dashcam app froze so I uninstalled it, must be the bit you were on about it not being comparable with iPads, it did work though as I used it on the iPad to set it all up, and have been using it while trouble shooting over the last week, was much better having the larger screen.

Not viewed on PC so no idea if speed stamp shows on video I'm just going by fact the speed stamp says on in Settings.

The photo above shows the kind of frozen image in getting on iPhone 5s and 5c, How do I make mx player the default player for the dashcam on my iPhone 5s? I have downloaded the app that's as far as I got so far tonight, I will then try that.

Out of interest why don't they make the app ipad friendly it would be so much better being able to use the larger screen when viewing files/ setting up.
 
Just out of interest (I've not tried myself), I've seen an application on the micro sd card which is basically the configuration menu options for the F770. It seems exactly the same as what I see on the smartphone app.

If you are having difficulty configuring your cameras via smartphone / tablet, it may be worth setting the camera configuration via pc / mac and then re-inserting the micro sd back into the camera to apply changes.

I found the application at: {micro sd card drive} \ Setting \ F770_setting.exe
 
That maybe we'll worth a go at some point dash, mind you hopefully there just get everything sorted so it all works fine with iPhones.
 
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