Upgrading to a U3000 Pro

[Onetenner]

As per title, my current Q850, despite being just over a year old, isn't giving the clarity I'd like, so I've bought a Q3000 pro. Here's my experience so far in changing over...

Connections - the Q850 has the connections on the side, with right-angled connectors, giving an unobtrusive mount - something that's important to me, hence part of the reason for choosing Thinkware as a brand, lack of screens and relatively small camera housings. The U3000 Pro has the connections on the top of the housing and the cables are straight, for me, this would mean that the camera housing is further down the screen - the housing is 'in portrait' in orientation, wheras the Q850 is 'landscape.

As you can see, once you add the connectors, it's quite a long camera...
The existing power connector is the same (except right-angled) and is connected to a vehicle-specific harness in the roof console, it works with the U3000 Pro so I bought a short Mini-USB right-angled extension to help shorten the camera profile.

So far, all as expected - what I didn't anticipate however, was just how far from the windscreen the camera lens is - and the effect the mirror mounting frame (which is extra-deep due to also having a camera for TSR & LDW etc. contained in it) has on the wide-angle lens being a lot further away from the screen.

Consequently, I've had to drop the camera down and to the side to minimise (but not eliminate) the intrusion of the mirror housing.

Perhaps something to bear in mind if you like to keep things visually unobtrusive like me.

I've run in the cable for the rear camera but in the best British traditions, 'rain stopped play' and I've found an aftermarket circular polariser which I'm going to fit to the rear camera before installing it - the camera housing is curved around the lens but the mounting ring is flat, so I'm intending to fix the mounting ring with epoxy resin ('Araldite') before fitting the camera to the car. Here's the polarising filter.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162327017535
I'm not going to use the lens hood, the lens housing measures ~16mm but the item description says to add 2mm, presumably as the filter diameter is the outer dimension of the mounting ring.

I've also noted that there doesn't seem to be any option to have the time displayed in 24 hour format, handily, there's a 'submit a request' form in the Dashcam Link app, so the request has been submitted - oddly, it was a feature of the Q850....

 

[lufa6977]

I would be interested to see how the CPL adapts to your lens. I have a need for a few CPL where the external lens housing is 20 mm and 16.5 mm.

 

[Onetenner]

I've been thinking about the front lens, if it could be made to 'telescope' from the housing - not to change the focal length, but the lens, sensor & RADAR as one in an inner 'sleeve' with a sawtooth friction lock in the rotational element then it would help with situations such as mine and other issues such as dash reflections, heated screen elements etc.
Here's a quick drawing - excuse the shaky lines, writing etc., my hands are not as precise as they used to be....
The top plan & side sections are how I envisage it currently being assembled, if the front plate was made part of a rectangular tube that was a friction fit inside the rotating element - with a fine sawtooth friction lock and the ability to extend by 12-15mm, I'd imagine that would prevent similar dead areas or focussing on heating elements etc.

 

[Onetenner]

One of the downsides of upgrading - although probably a positive for current draw...
My old camera generated just enough heat in parking mode to clear mist and even prevent light icing around the camera, which gave a clear view, even in inclement weather. In parking mode with RADAR, the U3000 Pro does not...
I may well set it to motion detection tonight to see if there's a difference.

 

[Onetenner]

Well, the screen stayed clear around the main body, but as heat rises and the lens is at the bottom....
Sadly, I think I'm going to return the U3000 Pro, there is plenty of promise, but for me, the orientation of the main unit and all that entails is not a good fit for my needs.

I've had a brief look around at the screen-less options, there are very few that are unobtrusive, even less that have a 'landscape' orientation (which suits the available space in my vehicle without being visually jarring), whilst not of the same iteration of sensor, the ARC 700 seems to be the one that will fit my criteria - although it does not have the ability to be 'connected', that was for me, always a potential 'nice to have', not a 'got to have', it does have the ability to add-on RADAR, which was one of the attractive features of the U3000 Pro, albeit only one sensor, so until the ARC 700 is available in UK, I'll be reinstalling the Q850.

 

[Lenin]

Hi Onetenner. Which short Mini-USB right-angled extension cable did you purchase? It seems like Thinkware is using a non-standard cable for the U3000 Pro. Thanks.

 

[Onetenner]

This one
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B072B821VV I never got around to using it though so it may not fit if indeed the cable isn't to the USB standard.
The camera & cable have been returned so I can't even do a trial fit for you, sorry.

 

[Lenin]

Some new info that I found on the Thinkware U3000 and U3000 Plus. So it appears unless Thinkware starts making a cable with a 90 degree connector, we will have to live with a straight connection cable.

The cable used with the U3000 is a dedicated, custom-wired cable. Thinkware does not publish an official wiring schematic or pinout for this proprietary cable because it is intended to be a replacement part that users purchase directly from them if needed.
Key features of the Thinkware cable:

• It has specific connectors marked "F" (Front) and "R" (Rear) to ensure correct installation.
• It is designed to transmit high-resolution 2K QHD video data and power simultaneously, which standard USB cables are not configured to do in this manner.
• The cable and ports are designed with a specific locking mechanism, requiring an audible "click" to ensure full insertion and proper function, including radar features.

 

[Onetenner]

2K QHD data rate is in the 10-20 Mbp/s range, a USB3.0 cable has a theoretical maximum of 5Gbp/s so even in poor conditions, the rate required should be achievable. USB also has the ability to power attached devices so again, I can’t see there being any need for a non-standard USB cable, of course, there may be a ‘want’, to keep control of spare parts supply…

 

[middletoncj]

This one
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B072B821VV I never got around to using it though so it may not fit if indeed the cable isn't to the USB standard.
The camera & cable have been returned so I can't even do a trial fit for you, sorry.

I have used one of those on the rear camera on both my U3000 and now my U3000 Pro and it works fine with both cameras.

Cheers
Col