Viofo A129 - Are You Getting Single-Beeps While Driving?

[StrayCam]

Thanks for your reply CasualSaiLo.... I was hoping someone would have replied to my question about interpreting "my card results". I believe the first number is for high-block sequential speed reads/writes, whereas the others are for smaller blocks at random read/writes.... I don't know, and I assume most here don't know, what those numbers translate to... do we ignore the random #'s? - - Incidentally mine were faster on the read and comparable on the writes in those tests (Random 4k). As I said in my original post, I have no clue on how to interpret those numbers. I asked for help, but the guys here were a tad too busy... np.


I was also going to ask, but didn't becuase I didn't want to overload my requests, "What are considered to be good SD Cards to use with the A129 (128 gb or 256 gb)?

 

[Nigel]

Thanks for your reply CasualSaiLo.... I was hoping someone would have replied to my question about interpreting "my card results". I believe the first number is for high-block sequential speed reads/writes, whereas the others are for smaller blocks at random read/writes.... I don't know, and I assume most here don't know, what those numbers translate to... do we ignore the random #'s? - - Incidentally mine were faster on the read and comparable on the writes in those tests (Random 4k). As I said in my original post, I have no clue on how to interpret those numbers. I asked for help, but the guys here were a tad too busy... np.


I was also going to ask, but didn't becuase I didn't want to overload my requests, "What are considered to be good SD Cards to use with the A129 (128 gb or 256 gb)?

Dashcams write sequentially most of the time, otherwise the frames would appear out of order!

So on CrystalMark, the top right number is the only one of real interest, see my previous reply linked to by CasualSaiLo for what it needs to be. The others might be an issue if they were really really bad, but I'm not sure what values that would be.

Read speed is irrelevant unless you are using the playback features.

 

[StrayCam]

Dashcams write sequentially most of the time, otherwise the frames would appear out of order!

So on CrystalMark, the top right number is the only one of real interest, see my previous reply linked to by CasualSaiLo for what it needs to be. The others might be an issue if they were really really bad, but I'm not sure what values that would be.

Read speed is irrelevant unless you are using the playback features.

Thanks for your reply Nigel! That explains the Crystal Mark Disk numbers.- - But, I'll ask again: perhaps you don't know.....???? What are considered to be good or great SD cards in 128 gb or 256 gb size for the A129?

 

[Nigel]

Thanks for your reply Nigel! That explains the Crystal Mark Disk numbers.- - But, I'll ask again: perhaps you don't know.....???? What are considered to be good or great SD cards in 128 gb or 256 gb size for the A129?

Hard to keep up with the changing card quality and availability, but there are a number of threads on card choice.

The Viofo cards, as used by Joe appear to be in the "great" category.

Samsung Evo Select from Amazon has always been a good cheap choice.

Lexar and Transcend currently appear to be in the Poor and Rubbish categories, although they have been good in the past so up to date information is necessary.

I suggest reading recent posts on the subject for other choices.

 

[StrayCam]

Hard to keep up with the changing card quality and availability, but there are a number of threads on card choice.

The Viofo cards, as used by Joe appear to be in the "great" category.

Samsung Evo Select from Amazon has always been a good cheap choice.

Lexar and Transcend currently appear to be in the Poor and Rubbish categories, although they have been good in the past so up to date information is necessary.

I suggest reading recent posts on the subject for other choices.

I have already searched many places including searching on this forum which is why I raised the question here.

I'm currently in contact with Lexar because my card should be at speeds well above 10 mb/s. I should have this resolved very soon. Thanks!

 

[jokiin]

see if you can get your card replaced under warranty, then buy a different card, Lexar are not a good choice for dashcam use

 

[BCHobbyist]

bad news about LEXAR microSD memory Cards ---IF--- purchased after August 31, 2017 when Micron Technology sold LEXAR memory card line to Longsys, a Shenzen, China-based memory company. The Lexar memory quality dropped along with reliability. I never buy Lexar cards now. I've posted a note about this on my Dashcam Guide blog > https://viofo-dash-cam-selection-advice.blogspot.com/2018/02/accessories.html

The minimum stable VIOFO dashcam memory card write speed is U1 nothing lower than 10 MB/s. What no one reveals is the minimum acceptable memory card spec is always dependent on the video bitrate and scene complexity. For maximum reliability always use 4K rated microSD cards which start at 70 MB/s U3 write speed. I have never found any SanDisk card to record flawlessly thus avoid them. Most memory cards list their maximum burst write speed which only lasts a few seconds then drops to normal write speeds so if you want minimum 40 MB/s buy card rated at 80 MB/s. The READ and WRITE speeds are very different, for Dashcams only the WRITE speed is important.

My Most reliable memory cards:
1 - 64GB VIOFO XC MLC C10 U3 <>+<> 128GB VIOFO XC MLC C10 U3
2 - 64GB Samsung EVO Plus TLC C10 U3 <>+<> 128GB Samsung EVO Plus TLC C10 U3 (red/orange not green)
3 - still testing various cards using extreme Bitrates

 

[Nigel]

(red/orange not green)

Are you excluding the green because it is not as good, or because you haven't tested it?

 

[EGS]

Are you excluding the green because it is not as good, or because you haven't tested it?

Good question and I’m interested on hearing details about it since I was eyeing to buy one of those from the “amazing amazon”

 

[BCHobbyist]

Are you excluding the green because it is not as good, or because you haven't tested it?

Samsung MicroSDXC EVO Select 128GB Memory Card (MB-ME128GA/AM) = green
Samsung MicroSDXC EVO Plus 128GB Memory Card (MB-MC128GA/APC) = red
The Plus is sold directly from Samsung to retailers while Select is rebranded by Amazon with the same chip specs.
I prefer the local retail store Plus version and Samsung warrantee option and dislike Amazon ordering and returns.
Buying Plus from Big Box retail store eliminates fake cards.
4K recordings require a constant write speed of 35 MB/s and the Plus version has never failed using extreme Bitrates.

 

[StrayCam]

see if you can get your card replaced under warranty, then buy a different card, Lexar are not a good choice for dashcam use

Okay, at Lexar's suggestion I did a full-reformat of my SD Card. It took a long time (over 3 hours). Anyway, I retested it after the full-reformat and came up with a write speed of 49.6 (attached); So, with this speed should I be okay with this card moving forward...?

Btw, I don't know why my Test Results display screen isn't like Joe384's with the green overlay....?

 

[jokiin]

the card will probably slow down again after a while, the card would be fine in a mobile phone or similar, it's just not a good choice for your application, cards don't let you know when they're going to fail so a better card is advisable, last thing you want is to have it fail to record when you need it the most

 

[StrayCam]

the card will probably slow down again after a while, the card would be fine in a mobile phone or similar, it's just not a good choice for your application, cards don't let you know when they're going to fail so a better card is advisable, last thing you want is to have it fail to record when you need it the most

k... thanks!


edit: btw, I just purchased via Samsung the card BCHobbyist recommended above - Samsung MicroSDXC EVO Plus 128GB Memory Card (MB-MC128GA/APC) = red - Thanks BCH for the tip & thanks again to Jokiin!

Not wanting to take a chance on Amazon selling me a fake card, I ordered directly through Samsung. It cost slightly more and will take about a week to get, but that's worth knowing the card is "genuine".

 

[joe384]

Btw, I don't know why my Test Results display screen isn't like Joe384's with the green overlay....?

Don't know, I am using the Zip file download extracted to a folder and just running the 64bit version on Windows 10

 

[StrayCam]

Okay

k... thanks!


edit: btw, I just purchased via Samsung the card BCHobbyist recommended above - Samsung MicroSDXC EVO Plus 128GB Memory Card (MB-MC128GA/APC) = red - Thanks BCH for the tip & thanks again to Jokiin!

Not wanting to take a chance on Amazon selling me a fake card, I ordered directly through Samsung. It cost slightly more and will take about a week to get, but that's worth knowing the card is "genuine".

I received my new 128 gb Evo Plus sd card direct from Samsung today. I just did the Crystal DiskMark Test and the top "sequential write speed" increased from about 50 on my Lexar Card to about 80 on the new card. I will give this a go and see if it stops the "videos being cut short w/ single or double beeps" on the A129.

 

[CaptnEric]

Ok I've finally had a good week to test the single and double beeps that have been happening in my A129 recently!

Firstly my setup:

• I'm using a 128GB Samsung Evo+ SDXC-I U-1 card since I bought the dashcam.
• I'm using my DOD DP4 hardwire kit for parking mode in Low Bitrate Parking (switches to parking mode after 5mins of being stationery).
• I have used both the official 1.9 and modded 1.9 (6WK) FW versions and have had same results with both.
• Using both front and rear cameras with the officially supplied rear cam cable.
• Power cable connected directly to the dashcam.
• After installing both official and mod FW I did a hard reset by inserting a pin in the R slot, then set to default settings and then changed settings to the following:
  Resolution: Front and rear 1080p/30fps
  Recording Length: 2mins
  Recording Bitrate: HIGH
  WDR: OFF
  WIFI: OFF
  Motion Sensor: OFF
  G-Sensor: Medium
  Parking Mode: Low Bitrate
  Sounds: ALL ON
  Boot Delay: 5mins
  GPS: Coordinates Only
  Everything else is set to default
• My PC has Windows 7 64bit OS

I do about 3-4 hours of continuous driving most days. Since buying the A129 I've been reformatting the SD card nearly every day as I was testing different MOD firmware on the advice by BCHobbyist to make sure I didn't have a defective lens, as my video footage using the official firmware were not sharp enough in some spots. Since finding the right MOD firmware, I've been driving without reformatting for the last couple of weeks. Since then I've been getting random single and double beeps during my drives. These beeps happened at least 30 minutes after switching from parking mode to driving mode. In one 2 hour continuous drive 2 days ago I got 4 single beeps and 3 double beeps. After reviewing the files on my pc, I saw that every time there was a single beep both front and rear footage files were 18 seconds long and for double beeps the front video files were 24 seconds long and rear were 23 seconds. So the beeps are definitely telling me the video footage is being recorded shorter than the 2mins length I selected in the menu. What's interesting is that every one beep related to both front and rear being equal length (ie. 18 seconds) where as the double beeps related to front and rear having one second difference (ie. front 24 seconds and rear 23 seconds).

Just a note...every time I heard either the single beep or the double beep, I pressed the far left menu button which turned the display on. I could see both the front and rear cam live footage at the same time so I don't think there is a rear cam connectivity issue there.

I have also noticed that the beeps started occurring once I stopped reformatting the SD card (as I used to reformat before the card got full).

First question:
Now that I've let the card get full and the files are being overwritten, would these beeps be happening to let us know the older files are being overwritten?

After I reviewed the files I reformatted the SD card again yesterday...firstly on my pc and then in the dashcam. After another full day of driving today...a 2 hour and a 3 hour continuous drive, not one beep occurred. Maybe because the card is not full? But still doesn't explain why the files are cut short to 18secs/24secs when the beeps happen.

Second question:
I'm using a 128GB Samsung Evo+ SDXC-I U-1 card and I've had no issues with this card. This card seems to be highly recommended but being a U-1 card, is it better if I use a U-3?

I've done tests using Crystal Disk Mark 6...first in the dashcam as a card reader and then in an SD adaptor. The sequential write speeds are very low compared to what @StrayCam and @joe384 got in their tests. Mine have been a little over 8MB/s with dashcam as card reader and a little over 4MB/s in the SD card adaptor. I have attached the screenshots below.

So far I'm not getting either the single or double beeps as the card is still around 70% full. I'll see what happens tomorrow when I go for another few hours of driving and the card gets full.

Third question:
I have also set the format reminder to 15 days. I'm thinking could the single/double beeps be the reminder reminding me to format the card?

Also, I'm considering getting a 256GB card as I'm finding my 128GB fills up in under 2 days as I use Low Bitrate Parking Mode for at least 4/5 hours every day. Is anybody using a 256GB card in their A129 and what brand/model card is it?

Image on left is dashcam as reader
Image on right is using an SD adaptor

 

[StrayCam]

Ok I've finally had a good week to test the single and double beeps that have been happening in my A129 recently!

... Since finding the right MOD firmware, I've been driving without reformatting for the last couple of weeks. Since then I've been getting random single and double beeps during my drives. These beeps happened at least 30 minutes after switching from parking mode to driving mode. In one 2 hour continuous drive 2 days ago I got 4 single beeps and 3 double beeps. After reviewing the files on my pc, I saw that every time there was a single beep both front and rear footage files were 18 seconds long and for double beeps the front video files were 24 seconds long and rear were 23 seconds. So the beeps are definitely telling me the video footage is being recorded shorter than the 2mins length I selected in the menu. What's interesting is that every one beep related to both front and rear being equal length (ie. 18 seconds) where as the double beeps related to front and rear having one second difference (ie. front 24 seconds and rear 23 seconds).

Just a note...every time I heard either the single beep or the double beep, I pressed the far left menu button which turned the display on. I could see both the front and rear cam live footage at the same time so I don't think there is a rear cam connectivity issue there.

I have also noticed that the beeps started occurring once I stopped reformatting the SD card (as I used to reformat before the card got full).

First question:
Now that I've let the card get full and the files are being overwritten, would these beeps be happening to let us know the older files are being overwritten?

After I reviewed the files I reformatted the SD card again yesterday...firstly on my pc and then in the dashcam. After another full day of driving today...a 2 hour and a 3 hour continuous drive, not one beep occurred. Maybe because the card is not full? But still doesn't explain why the files are cut short to 18secs/24secs when the beeps happen.


Second question:
I'm using a 128GB Samsung Evo+ SDXC-I U-1 card and I've had no issues with this card. This card seems to be highly recommended but being a U-1 card, is it better if I use a U-3?

I've done tests using Crystal Disk Mark 6...first in the dashcam as a card reader and then in an SD adaptor. The sequential write speeds are very low compared to what @StrayCam and @joe384 got in their tests. Mine have been a little over 8MB/s with dashcam as card reader and a little over 4MB/s in the SD card adaptor. I have attached the screenshots below.

So far I'm not getting either the single or double beeps as the card is still around 70% full. I'll see what happens tomorrow when I go for another few hours of driving and the card gets full.


Third question:
I have also set the format reminder to 15 days. I'm thinking could the single/double beeps be the reminder reminding me to format the card?

Also, I'm considering getting a 256GB card as I'm finding my 128GB fills up in under 2 days as I use Low Bitrate Parking Mode for at least 4/5 hours every day. Is anybody using a 256GB card in their A129 and what brand/model card is it?

Image on left is dashcam as reader
Image on right is using an SD adaptor

View attachment 48829 View attachment 48830

Hey CaptnEric, nice to see you on the boards!

Question 1 - I don't believe the beep(s) are alerting us that files are being overwritten. I think based on what others have said that the beep(s) are telling us there's something wrong such that the files are being shortened.


Question 2 - Yes, I think everyone should be using a u-3 SD Card... - - BCHobbyist made that point very clear. You need to run an sd card capable of 4k recording (u-3 card) in order to eliminate some of the problems associated with using a slower write speed card. I'm using the Samsung Evo Plus Class 10, u-3 128 gb card.


Question 3 - Based on input from Jokiin, it's definitely good to format your sd card at least once a month and possibly 2 or more times a month. - - Per the above, the beeps are signaling an abnormality with the recording. I've never seen the reminder to reformat, but I assume it will be a written reminder??? - But then again, perhaps there will be beeps as well. - - Unfortunately Viofo has never told us A129 Duo users what any beeps from the dash cam mean.


Your Crystal Disk Mark speeds look similar to what I was getting with my Lexar sd card before switching over to the Samsung card - - too slow! - - You'll definitely want to upgrade. - - BCHobbyist had mentioned that 256gb cards might result in extra heat in the dash cam.... I don't know if there are recommended 256 gb cards but it will be good to hear what others say on this topic. -

Thanks for such detailed and organized research Eric!!! - - Keep us posted on your progress!

 

[TonyM]

Second question:
I'm using a 128GB Samsung Evo+ SDXC-I U-1 card and I've had no issues with this card. This card seems to be highly recommended but being a U-1 card, is it better if I use a U-3?

I've done tests using Crystal Disk Mark 6...first in the dashcam as a card reader and then in an SD adaptor. The sequential write speeds are very low compared to what @StrayCam and @joe384 got in their tests. Mine have been a little over 8MB/s with dashcam as card reader and a little over 4MB/s in the SD card adaptor. I have attached the screenshots below.

If you are using modified firmware 6WK then the combined front & rear camera bitrate is 26+18=44Mb/s

MOD-6Wk

- Front 26 Mb/s Rear 18 Mb/s = Better Detail = Medium MP4 size

Your card write speed is showing as 4.1MB/s = 32.8Mb/s in the card reader. Even in-camera at 8.1MB/s = 64.8Mb/s is a bit slow to keep up with file handling when the card is full.

You need a card with a faster write speed for reliable loop recording.

 

[joe384]

@CaptnEric Yeah you definitely need a faster card.

@StrayCam - Have you had any random beeps since you changed your card?

 

[StrayCam]

@CaptnEric Yeah you definitely need a faster card.

@StrayCam - Have you had any random beeps since you changed your card?

Hey Joe, no I haven't had any single/double beeps (cutting videos short) since I changed cards. As I mentioned before, as a precaution I ordered my card directly from Samsung online. I didn't want to take the chance of getting a "fake card" on Amazon. It was about $6 more and 3 days slower ordering through Samsung...but to me that was worth knowing I have a legit card.

I know you already have a fast sd card...you're not still getting the beeps are you?