Video Guide - Flashing International Firmware on a Chinese Yi Dash Cam

I am having a little bit of trouble with mine.
I did the SN.txt and when I did the factory reset the camera locked up. I used the reset button and tried it again. It froze again so i used the reset button. I decided to check the SN and it does say US.

Now I have tried to flash the firmware and when i plug it in the red light comes on and nothing else happens.

I tried doing it with the .bin as is
I tried renaming to .zip and unzipping. I got the 9MB file, but it still did the same thing.
I tried the file name firmware.bin and FWCARC10.bin both with no luck.
Camera still boots okay and shows what I am guessing is an insert card in Chinese when I take the card out.
Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks.

The update file must be exactly 9,323,004 bytes long. You can get it by clicking on "Download BIN file here" directly under the video in the first post in this thread if yours isn't that size. You'll need to extract it from the downloaded ZIP file.

Your microSD card must be formatted FAT32, and the .bin file must be the only file on the card.

Try it again first by naming it firmware.bin, and if that doesn't work, try calling it FWCARC10.bin. I know you've done that before, but FAT32 formatting and the file size are what's critical - the file size defines the English firmware.

It took me several tries, and at one point I thought I'd bricked the thing, but eventually I got it to take the English firmware (once I changed the SN to US, which went fine - it was the new English firmware that drove me crazy).

There's also a decent description of how to recover on the English Yi support page:

http://www.yitechnology.com/support/firmware_en.html
 
I've tried all these steps and failed....

changed the S/N, no worries.

procured a small SD card, formatted to FAT32

copied firmware.bin to SD card. This prompted a firmware installation prompt on the camera. Said yes, it did its thing with the red screen on and restarted to the language error.
renamed the firmware.bin to FWCARC10.bin and tried again, this time the camera went blank and flashed the yellow LED as I read it should, but when it restarted, still getting the language error.

File is the right bytes and all.

Stumped.

EDIT: errr, scratch that. Having that language error, I put ENGMODE on the card again, booted it, exited the menu, and since having done that, it works just fine. I put my 64gb card back in, and presto. English.
 
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Can I use this guide to change the firmware even if I have the latest Chinese 1.03.011 firmware?
 
Hi Guys,

Please help me!!! My dashcam is stuck.
 

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Finally... able to sort it out, it turns out that it requires FAT32 formatted card, so, it has to be 32Gb or smaller. tried to flash using 64Gb, but failed, it's due to it is ExFAT formatted.

Thanks to all of you, you guys are awesome!
Hi

Have you sorted out the language error issue. Please kindly help me to sort it out, as I too also stucked up at same point.

Thanks
 
Hi,

I solved the problem of showing "System Language Adaption Failed" message in Chinese language by changing 16GB microSD card. I ejected 64GB SD card from Yi Dashcam, formatted new 16GB SD card and copy US firmware bin file and then insert to Yi dashcam. Done.

Thanks
 
Just finished the video and it's 2am. I'm going to sleep. Hopefully I got everything right. I won't be replying until late tomorrow. Closed captions done tomorrow as well.

Thanks again to @scoup (scorup) for posting the first set of instructions.


Download BIN file here


Instructions:

1. Get a Desktop/Laptop, SD Card Reader, microSD Card and a minimum 1amp microUSB charger ready

2. Copy the serial number from the menu/label on the bottom of the camera. Take only the first 14 characters.

3. Write the serial number into a word processor and change the letters “CN” into “US”

4. Save as “SN.txt”

5. Create a blank file and name it “engmode”, no file extension.

6. Copy both files onto your SD card.

7. Insert the SD card back into the camera and power it on using your USB charger.

8. Once you see the engineering menu, scroll down until you see number 8 - Exit. Select it.

9. Go into the regular settings menu and select factory reset. If it doesn't reboot try turning off the camera manually. If it fails press the "reset" button the side of the camera next to the microUSB port.

10. Once it reboots, exit ENG mode again and enter the settings menu and check if your serial number shows “US”

11. If good, power off your card and insert it back into your reader. Format it.

12. Download the “FWCARC10.bin” file from XiaoYi’s page: http://www.yitechnology.com/support/firmware_en.html

Alternatively you can download it from my Google Drive folder: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByKO_8KOf2FQUkpZNUVIMUtwdnM/view

13. Add the .zip file extension by renaming by file.

14. Unzip this file using your favourite program (7-Zip, WinRAR, Windows).

14. Add the .bin extension to the 10MB file you extracted.

15. Copy this file to your SD Card.

16. Insert this card back into your card and power it on again using the power cable.

17. Your camera should start updating your camera, once finished, accept all prompts.

18. Format your card and you are finished!

I found a bigger problem here..the Chinese variant of this camera has two versions..one is the 60fps 1080p version with the ADAS(silver and gold) and the other is the 1080p 30fps version without ADAS(Black model)..they are both exactly same in appearance..this video is for the first version..the second version is a black variant known as the dynamic version..if you use this technique on the black variant your device willl be bricked..like what happened to mine..bacause it is not compatible with the firmware versions made for the 60fps model..so please beware..if you have the black model, please dont use this method..

Here are the two links

First version (gold and silver)

http://www.xiaoyi.com/yicarcam/yicarcam.html

Second version (Black)

http://www.xiaoyi.com/yi_dash_camera/

The black version seems to be new and doesn't have any firmware versions online..
 
Need help everyone!!

i Just purchased my xiaoyi dashcam.

i flash my yi dashcam to V-0.08.013 as direction because cannot change the SN. but after update done and dashcam rebooted, the cam just hang at startup screen ( YI See Different).
already try to reboot and reset but nothing happen.

Pls Help Me!!
 
I found a bigger problem here..the Chinese variant of this camera has two versions..one is the 60fps 1080p version with the ADAS(silver and gold) and the other is the 1080p 30fps version without ADAS(Black model)..they are both exactly same in appearance..this video is for the first version..the second version is a black variant known as the dynamic version..if you use this technique on the black variant your device willl be bricked..like what happened to mine..bacause it is not compatible with the firmware versions made for the 60fps model..so please beware..if you have the black model, please dont use this method..

Here are the two links

First version (gold and silver)

http://www.xiaoyi.com/yicarcam/yicarcam.html

Second version (Black)

http://www.xiaoyi.com/yi_dash_camera/

The black version seems to be new and doesn't have any firmware versions online..

Oh no. I seem to have bought this new, second version without knowing that it is different. Although I am still waiting for my package to arrive, it is fortunate that I read about this.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Hope you are able to return your device (the seller that I bought from has strictly mentioned that warranty and return will be void if I tried to change the language).
 
Same thing happened to me..i also thought it was the same and bought the black version since it was much cheaper..anyway i was finally able to get it fixed..but i had to open up the camera and reset it through the UART port on the motherboard.
 
how to do that? which area UART port?


i already flash to many firmwares but... the result remain same....
 
but my dashcam is grey version. 165 deg angle.
i tried to flash firmware but the result still same..just red start up screen (yi, see different) appear.
does this case need same method? or there another firmware i can try? because original FW is 2.00..sumthin.. and flash to lower ones.
 
i have no idea about the grey version..it might work or not..but id recommend trying to flash the English firmware versions and see first..
 
Need help everyone!!

i Just purchased my xiaoyi dashcam.

i flash my yi dashcam to V-0.08.013 as direction because cannot change the SN. but after update done and dashcam rebooted, the cam just hang at startup screen ( YI See Different).
already try to reboot and reset but nothing happen.

Pls Help Me!!


I already flashed to all CN firmware back and also US firmware but the result remain same. After i chg to FWCARC.bin, my cam yellow led lid and after finished goes to red startup screen and hang there.

Really need advise regarding this.
As i remember, the original FW is start with 2.xxx.xxx.025 i think..

Pls share...
 
Hello,

My Chinese Yi dash cam came with a newer firmware V.1.03.026-CN and the engmode file with SN.txt file method didn't work. There's no engineering menu after a reboot. I tried resetting from the menu and the serial number wasn't changed to US. So I tried flashing an older Chinese firmware and got the Yi into a hang at the Yi startup screen. Gotta download the latest Chinese firmware from http://www.xiaoyi.com/dash/firmware/download/ to fix the hang.

Any updates on how to flash English firmware?
 
Hi, all. I just purchased mine. Grey Version 165 degree. It comes with serial number starting with CABAACN. I heard from somewhere in this forum that this the cam comes with this serial cant be flashed to english. Is it true?
 
Hi guys, i am new here, i tried the method from the 1st post. But no success. I have the same Q as Toon Mun. Today i recieved my camera and the serial is the same CABAAACN (yes 3x AAA).
And on the bottom side is also "v 2.1" Thanks for the info

edit: Some photos attached
 

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Cheers to Gordz, ever since that red screen comes on, it seems it could not support my 64GB, so after placing the firmware file (the one in .bin extension), it powered on, loaded the english firmware and them boom! up and running!

thanks a lot!
 
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