Updated SG9665GC user manual (suggestions for further improvements are welcome!)

Street Guardian USA

Street Guardian USA

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should mention this is something we are prepping for the next firmware release so there may be some features listed that you don't see in current release firmware
 
This is great. I just installed mine last week and thought the manual was lacking details. I would add a pic of the reset button in the camera layout pic and maybe some basic info on hard wiring as another option.

BTW, does every SG966GC come with spare 3m tape mount and string for bracket removal? I purchased it in one of those massdrop deal and never saw those in my box.
 
ChibiSqueeze said:
This is great. I just installed mine last week and thought the manual was lacking details. I would add a pic of the reset button in the camera layout pic and maybe some basic info on hard wiring as another option.

BTW, does every SG9665GC come with spare 3m tape mount and string for bracket removal? I purchased it in one of those massdrop deal and never saw those in my box.
Click to expand...

It should have been in the box, if it's missing contact: @BlackboxMyCar (they arranged that one time flash sale)
 
ChibiSqueeze said:
BTW, does every SG966GC come with spare 3m tape mount and string for bracket removal? I purchased it in one of those massdrop deal and never saw those in my box.
Click to expand...

it's a standard inclusion although there are some variations with some deals, not familiar with that deal to know if the offer was any different
 
Maybe an expanded explanation of the different options for the technically disadvantaged like myself, such as;

G-Sensor - Explain that high sensitivity requires less force to trigger the lock feature and that low sensitivity requires more.

AE Metering - Explain a bit about what each setting is designed to achieve.

It’s not a big deal. Only a suggestion.

Cheers,

Oldace
 
I'm coming at this as a person who has never handled the camera, and so these are suggestions from a real "newbie":

Anyplace in the manual that has a metric measurement should also include an approx English measurement in parenthesis. While I realize that the majority of the world uses metric, and that those of us in the US are significantly behind the times, we are also probably the worst educated. We only learn one language (barely) and one measurement system (that really makes no sense at all.)

Page 5 (installation): below the diagram of the cable routing, in a small font, add something indicating that the layout of the car would be reversed depending on region.

Also, in the same area of the manual, it might be a good suggestion to determine if the cable cover top (what is it called?) should be used and to ensure that the camera is mounted in a location that leaves room for that cover. It might suck to mount the camera bracket with intention to use the cover, only to realize that you mounted the bracket 1 inch (er.. 2.5 cm) too high.

Page 8 (Settings): This talks about setting the timezone... Is the timezone offset stored (and/or displayed) with the recorded video? If so, it would be good to mention that here. Some of us would rather set/leave a GMT (+0) timezone rather than fiddle with timezone settings twice a year. (I tend to do this with any electronic device that pulls GPS time, but doesn't set summer/winter offsets automagically.)

Page 11 (setting list with defaults in blue): The "Auto Restart" setting has a default of 1 min. It's documented as "setting to automatically restart the DVR if there is no active recording or power is interrupted during boot." The setting value is a time (or timer?) but I don't see how that description would have a time/timer value. Is it the time before the DVR restarts? How long it spends restarting?

Page 11: The "Screen Saver" setting has a similar issue as above. In this case, I actually understand the intention, so I can suggest the description to be "setting that determines the amount of time of no user interaction before the LCD display is automatically turned off."

Page 12 (buttons): The description of disabling the backlight of the screen is confusing. Does this function turn off the screen (the same as the screen saver) or is the screen still active, but just the backlight turned off? If the former, it should be simplified to just "turns off the screen display." (What good would the LCD be if not backlit?)

Page 15 (more buttons): In describing the fourth function of the MIC button (disable or enable audio recording), it would be useful to indicate if the setting made here is persistent or not. In many US areas, users might want to persistently disable audio recording for legal reasons. (I really, really, really hope it IS persistent.)

Page 16 (basic operations): #2, "manual recording".. this is confusing. It's titled "Manual Recording" and then says that pressing the power button will power on the device and being recording automatically. Is it manual or automatic? (I was expecting this section to describe the REC button.)

Missing: AV-out port should be documented. (Technical documentation so people know what to buy to use with it.)

Missing: power requirements for the miniUSB. 5v 1 amp? Many modern cars have USB ports dedicated for phone charging - those often provide 1 amp.

Perhaps add to the FAQ some info on the CPL filter option. (used to help remove/reduce reflected glare - available from the same distributor your DVR was purchased from.)

...another FAQ (that I've seen asked on this forum a few times): Include a diagram showing how to insert and remove the camera from the mounted bracket.
 
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ugh. I forgot my first suggestion (because I wanted to make sure it wasn't included before I wrote it):

Page 2, under product safety and precautions, in BIG RED LETTERS:

WARNING: DO NOT OPERATE THE DVR WHILE DRIVING.

(or while the vehicle is moving, or whatever.)
 
when it's finished we'll do a US version with the images reversed, imperial values etc as we do on other models

timezone is a setting, it's displayed in video

auto restart will time out after the value set if no active recording, eg you manually stopped recording, you were in the menu and forgot etc, if power is interrupted during the boot process it will restart straight away

power button turns off the backlight (same as turning off the display)

mic will stay on or off depending on how you set it until you change it otherwise

we don't list spec for the charger as we don't want people using other chargers, a lot are very poor quality, USB power outlets in cars are not supported either

there's still further stuff to be added yet so some of the things you asked about are coming still
 
I would like to add to manual (or just ask these questions):

1) The manual says the operating temperatures are 0*C to +60*C. I suggest you add the Fahrenheit (*F) equivalent, for those of us not brought up on the metric system.
EDIT: I see you mentioned that a separate US manual will be made.

2) Does the unit need "continuous power" (always hot 12V) at the Cigarette Lighter? I think this unit is designed for "Parking Monitoring" via the motion detector feature - if so you would need cigarette lighter to be hot with Key Off.

3) If the unit needs to be hard wired for "continuous 12V" can the cigarette plug just be cut off to access power and ground wires or do you need a "hard wire" kit? If this does require continuous hot for parking mode, you may want to mention the optional "battery discharge prevention device" is recommended. At least be sure to mention the power requirements for parking mode so buyers can order the pieces they need at the same time.

4) The manual references "TV mode - PAL". Is there a TV mode - NTSC? If so, the manual should read "TV Mode - PAL or NTSC". Same for the Frequency - 50 Hz (is there a 60Hz?).
EDIT: okay US manual will cover this.

5) If the Motion Detection feature is designed for "parking monitoring" (vehicle off), I suggest you add a little more description of that feature.

6) GPS antenna. It says unit may come with a window mount or dash mount type. Is this a purchase choice (can one tell which type they are getting with their purchase)? I can see where some would want the windshield mount to keep all the camera equipment close together and hidden behind mirror and it would be difficult to hide the excess cable if the dash mount type was sent.

7) AV out extension cable. How long is this cable? It looks too short to reach a laptop or external monitor set on the front seat. What is it's purpose (to viewing live camera feed for setting up camera EV/AE)?

8) lastly, on the power cable. How much cable is there between the camera plug and that big "power brick"? And how much cable between the cigarette plug and the brick? You would want enough cable to hide that brick under the dash somewhere.
 
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1) North America edition of the manual coming soon

2) The majority of customers hookup the included plug and play cigarette power cord. The majority of cars, the cigarette port is only energized once the car is started. This means the GC auto starts and records any time you drive the vehicle.
If you have a car with a cigarette port that is energized 24/7 it's not recommended to power this way or you risk killing your battery. The recommended hard wire optional accessory is the CPUSB01 (wired to a Switched ACC power source) or Vico-Power Plus is the best way around an always hot cigarette port. It will also free up your cigarette port and make for a cleaner install. More info here
https://dashcamtalk.com/battery-discharge-prevention/

3) GC doesn't "need" or require continuous power (see #2). The motion detection system made available in the Novatek 96655 SDK is a pause resume recording system. It's better to leave it recoding continuous as needed with a larger memory card inserted. Use the Vico-Power Plus timer option so you can do on demand extended recordings at the flip of a switch while you're out shopping etc. it's not really recommended to leave any DashCam recording 24/7 non-stop, a bit punishing. The Vico-Power plus + a large memory card works very well though and I have many customers happily paired this way.

4) see #1

5) see # 3

6) the new pre-flipped short GPS cable is coming soon, next production. As of today only the long non-flipped original GPS is available. Search YouTube for SG9665GC flip GPS for a video I made several months ago. We found there are so many people doing it was best to have a pre flipped GPS made available.

7) here is more info on the AV out cable. We could / should certainly add some of this to the user manul for sure.
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/av-hook-up-to-car-stereo.18273/

8) listing more measurements is always helpful good idea.
 
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These are just questions I think new a buyer might have. Something for you to consider addressing or discussing in your future manual (or on your website, since many buyers probably won't know about this forum).
 
Thanks for all the feedback we like to continuously improve and clarify everything for sure. Keep it coming.
 
Is there anyway to show a screen shot of the screen on the camera and identify what all the icons mean on one page?
 
kiru said:
Is there anyway to show a screen shot of the screen on the camera and identifying what all the icons mean on one page?
Click to expand...

Good idea, that's something we have on the fine tuning list for sure. We just changed a bunch of the icons in the latest beta firmware so were waiting for the final ones to be decided on.
 
kiru said:
Is there anyway to show a screen shot of the screen on the camera and identify what all the icons mean on one page?
Click to expand...

working on that now, we just extracted all the icons out of the firmware yesterday for exactly that reason
 
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