Upgrade to the B1W hardware "Novatek 96675+IMX307"

[Blah Blah]

Hiya everyone hope your all keeping safe and well


So after a fair bit of chatting to @estore009 about the b1w being the best form factor to other dashcams I have had or tested out just due to its discreet tube size.. it looks like it may be possible to upgrade its current hardware inside the same shell / body

The upgraded hardware would be a Novatek 96675 and IMX307 sensor which I assume would then allow for a slightly higher recording bitrate and up to 1080P@60fps resolution with better night time picture clarity


Going from this information alone it would be great to know peoples opinions on this and how they would feel about this type of hardware upgrade.. is it something you would like or you would buy as an upgrade?

 

[SawMaster]

I also love the form-factor of the B1W and an upgrade like this would be a very good thing

Phil

 

[kamkar]

The B1W are not bad at all, but i cant help but think how much smaller the visual footprint would be if the put the lens in one of the ends.
Same with the remote cameras of my DR system, they would literally appear at least 50 % smaller if the camera was on the end.
And at least to me it would not matter if the camera protrude more into the car, that direction are not a problem on most cars windscreen or rear window.

 

[Nigel]

Yes, should give considerably better low light performance. A bit of extra bitrate would be nice, don't know if we will get it though!

The B1W are not bad at all, but i cant help but think how much smaller the visual footprint would be if the put the lens in one of the ends.
Same with the remote cameras of my DR system, they would literally appear at least 50 % smaller if the camera was on the end.
And at least to me it would not matter if the camera protrude more into the car, that direction are not a problem on most cars windscreen or rear window.

How would you mount it?

 

[kamkar]

same kind of mount as used now for barrel shaped cameras, but you must of course have a hinge/pin somewhere on the stalk so you can adjust it up and down, or maybe a ball if you also want to be able to adjust sideways.
And i think a ball-joint are okay with the small cameras.

 

[Blah Blah]

I also love the form-factor of the B1W and an upgrade like this would be a very good thing

Phil

Hopefully it can be done as @estore009 reply to me did seem pretty confident that it would be possible so would be pretty amazing

 

[Blah Blah]

Yes, should give considerably better low light performance. A bit of extra bitrate would be nice, don't know if we will get it though!


How would you mount it?

well i did ask about it so can only see where it goes as i told him this design and mounting is one of the most discreet ones i have had in the car.. it may not be the most fancy with gps etc but it does well for its size and a hardware improvement would be great which he mentioned the use of Novatek 96675+IMX307

 

[Blah Blah]

same kind of mount as used now for barrel shaped cameras, but you must of course have a hinge/pin somewhere on the stalk so you can adjust it up and down, or maybe a ball if you also want to be able to adjust sideways.
And i think a ball-joint are okay with the small camer

unfortunately this is for the the possibility of a B1W hardware upgrade only by using its current design.. your design looks good but it is basically a whole new dashcam and mounting system which even for me would not look discreet with it poking into the car or hanging down that far

If it was a new design I rather it took the larger barrel design of the Road Angel Halo Go or Blackvue DR750 for example which would allow more hardware to be squeezed in the b1w barrel and mount works perfectly so i don't see any need to fix what don't need fixing... but the fact it would be possible for a soc / sensor hardware upgrade interests me

 

[kamkar]

Yeah.
The B1W are by no means a intrusive or stupid design as it is.
But it wouldn't take much i assume, i think it can be made with a length of ALU pipe, and plastic plugs for the ends, or if you wanted to be flashy threaded AlU plugs as end caps, and then you need to mill a slot in it for the power plug.
You could also use a square pipe for housing, but thats probably more expensive than a round one.

 

[Blah Blah]

but all your doing is designing a new dashcam as i said this is for nothing more than an internal hardware upgrade to the b1w from its current soc and sensor.. nothing more its up to them if they wanna design a whole new dashcam at which you can give them all the ideas you want... but this is just for the b1w

 

[SawMaster]

The success of the B1W lies in the unique small form-factor which looks like a factory-installed part, it's good performance overall, and it's cheap price point. An upgraded version will likely do equally well as long as the price level compared to other cams doesn't rise too much. It seems possible from my desk.

Were I to change anything else I'd switch powering to a USB-C connection so that a right-angle plug could be fitted either way round which would add to it's stealthiness and sleekness in most installs. Not sure if that's possible without modifying the case and it wouldn't be worth a new mold just to do that.

Otherwise the B1W doesn't really need anything more. For a basic dashcam at a great price it's unbeatable and making too many changes could end that successful formula.

Phil

 

[Blah Blah]

exactly this is why i like the idea of a possible hardware upgrade to its internals while keeping this same small discreet look

once Chinese new year is over hopefully estore will be able to give some input as the usb c connection would work better in durability as well.... not to much modifying would need to be done as the plastic end cap just snaps on so this could be done and is actually a very good idea

 

[DashCamMan]

I like the B1W form factor and value for the money. Biggest gap is without a screen, you need a good app. App works fine if it can connect to the cam, but seems like there are many complaints on connectivity.

 

[estore009]

you need a good app

Yes needs a good app which compatible with all android phones

 

[relu]

I think it should be mentioned that the original application works perfectly with the iphone

 

[Nigel]

I like the B1W form factor and value for the money. Biggest gap is without a screen, you need a good app. App works fine if it can connects to the cam, but seems like there are many complaints on connectivity.

If it is moving to a Novatek processor instead of the GM processor then maybe the app connectivity issues will be solved, we don't see many issues with other Novatek based cameras, you also then get a choice of apps that will work.

 

[Blah Blah]

If it is moving to a Novatek processor instead of the GM processor then maybe the app connectivity issues will be solved, we don't see many issues with other Novatek based cameras, you also then get a choice of apps that will work.

This is true and something I didn't think of.. so in a way not only would it be an internal hardware upgrade it may very well allow better apps to be used to view back footage / setup dashcam.. leading to a overall better experience if not more stable dashcam when comes to connectivity

 

[kamkar]

I am still not able to connect to the wifi of my SG9663DR camera, it is very very very strange indeed, but no phone or tablet i have can do it, except for some days it is no problem at all, and then BAM and all i can do for the next months are looking at the wifi broadcast by the camera.
The A139 is like a wifi magnet, just turn it on and you are good to go.
And i have tried everything i can think off, and 20 times, but it is like the camera have a mind of its own, and it sure as hell want nothing to do with this self proclaimed wifi hater.

 

[Blah Blah]

I am still not able to connect to the wifi of my SG9663DR camera, it is very very very strange indeed, but no phone or tablet i have can do it, except for some days it is no problem at all, and then BAM and all i can do for the next months are looking at the wifi broadcast by the camera.
The A139 is like a wifi magnet, just turn it on and you are good to go.
And i have tried everything i can think off, and 20 times, but it is like the camera have a mind of its own, and it sure as hell want nothing to do with this self proclaimed wifi hater.

Sorry but what has this got to do with anything about the b1w dashcam or the discussion of this thread..

Go chat to Street Guardian about the issues you have with the SG9663DR

Also the viofo a139 is a new higher spec / priced dashcam so I expect it to perform better with the help of the community with issues

The a139 is a good discreet dashcam with no screen from what I have seen

 

[kamkar]

Just prove how important wifi is if it is a no screen camera, the DR i am having problems with are fortunately a screen camera, cuz none of us ( me and SG boss jokiin ) can figure out why mine behave like it do, no other have the problem, and it is also the only problem with the system.
So while i do prefer a system to have a screen i seldom use, then my B1W test sample behaved flawless the year i tested on it in the car and in the end in my living room window.
Same go for the B2W though i cant recall using wifi on it, also a fine camera aside for the in my perspective unfortunate design ( 2 in 1 camera ) so all the months the B2W was in my car, my rear view mirror was removed to be able to get just some use of the cabin camera when it was installed in a sensible place, and not middle of the windscreen which i would have had to do to make use of the cabin camera and my rear view mirror.

But we pretty often get people in here with wifi connection issues on a range of camera brands, so it is a pretty big deal if there are no LCD screen.
And while i am no fan of wifi in general, then i must test it if it is there in a system i am given, and to be honest my larger phone screen are also readable to me VS the small camera LCD which i can not read without my reading glasses.