VIOFO A129 non-IR 1080p Modified Firmware MODs Archive

[HonestReview]

More sunshine than we get in the UK!

The UK has never heard of sunshine. It rained the entire time I visited someone in England. Wales was equally windy and rainy....Matter of fact, Scotland was rainy and cold, too.....My shirt from Ireland had a sheep with an umbrella for Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring....

 

[HonestReview]

Spoiler
none of my A129 or A119S or A119 Pro or A119 Dashcams have failed and I create & test 100's of MODs at low & extreme Bitrates including A129 Duo with Rear camera connected at 33Mb/s and none have failed or even caused failed startup or file corruption. Many reported issues can be attributed directly to not Formatting new memory cards or not Resetting Defaults after update or card Brand/Type isn't 100% supported in Firmware yet or using Fake/damaged cards. I've been lucky using older Lexar 64GB TLC C10 U1, Samsung 64GB TLC C10 U3 and newest Viofo 64GB C10 MLC U3 cards with zero issues, considering I push the hardware beyond my own safe limits to prob the MAX i'm actually surprised nothing has happened. I did ofcourse modify each Dashcam by removing the black acetate tape over the cooling vents as shown in old Tips video #1. My MODs are very conservative compared with others, use at your own risk, and always start with 22-24Mb/s MODs since Viofo already uses these values.

About to post my A129 Duo 30Mb/s test footage recorded in snowy winter temperatures (not recommended for summer), just need another sunny day for the opening clip.

Need brave A129 Beta Tester for Color Saturation MOD testing. The current v1.50 Neutral color desperately needs a boost and the weather here is too cloudy for accurate testing.

One major point all your heat related posts are ignoring is very commonly skipped, higher density microSD cards actually get hotter adding to the overheating problem associated with running higher Bitrates and the main reason i've always used 30fps and smaller 64GB memory cards, 128GB cards get hotter, just eject one from dashcam and see for yourself. An interesting comparison is if 128 GB TLC 3x NAND chip cards get hotter (probably) than expensive 128 GB MLC 2x NAND chip cards.

Anyone reading this thread worried about MODs causing permanent damage must understand anything including running official 20Mbps firmware in HOT region in FULL sun or leaving Dashcam in Parked car with or without Parking Mode enabled will reduce the lifespan of the device if component temps reach above 70C or higher. That is even before loading MODs which do stress chipset in similar way as selecting 60fps instead of 30fps. Increasing the chipset/processor load increases heat as expected, exactly how much more heat depends on Bitrate levels, cooling vents (JooVuuX has almost zero vents, poor design & MOD was insanely high +38Mbs), interior & exterior temps and direct sun exposure.

Understood. These questions are worth asking because in a normal summer of 25-30C car probably gets about 50C after baking in heat...But I highly doubt 70C.... How would a 256GB Sandisk A2 Extreme fair for heat levels? Running that in my Viofo.

 

[jokiin]

Understood. These questions are worth asking because in a normal summer of 25-30C car probably gets about 50C after baking in heat...But I highly doubt 70C....

can easily hit 70°C if you park in the sun, we've measured temps greater than 80°C inside the car on 25°C days

 

[HonestReview]

can easily hit 70°C if you park in the sun, we've measured temps greater than 80°C inside the car on 25°C days

Yikes...Nothing like those days you burn yourself on the seatbelt and say every curse word in the dictionary...

What is the heat rating on the street guardians?

Viofo's website seems to state a safe operating temperature of -10C to 65C. Seems bit low on the "Cold Side"....

Viofo A129 Specs

 

[jokiin]

Viofo's website seems to state a safe operating temperature of -10C to 65C. Seems bit low on the "Cold Side"....

Viofo A129 Specs

their quoted figures would be a result of the test procedures which would be based on what they were able to measure, plenty of people using the cameras at higher and lower than their rated temps

 

[HonestReview]

their quoted figures would be a result of the test procedures which would be based on what they were able to measure, plenty of people using the cameras at higher and lower than their rated temps

Understood. I wonder what the max temperature (cold and hot) that these cameras can operate before running into trouble.

 

[jokiin]

Understood. I wonder what the max temperature (cold and hot) that these cameras can operate before running into trouble.

should be fine from about -30°c through to somewhere into the 80°c's

 

[HonestReview]

should be fine from about -30°c through to somewhere into the 80°c's

Well that eases the mind a bit on overclocking. I doubt upping bitrates to 27 / 17 would hit the 80s. Even on a hot summer day.

 

[Nigel]

should be fine from about -30°c through to somewhere into the 80°c's

I think the 80s is a bit warm if you want it to last 10 years, I would put the range at: -50°c to 75°c. Short times beyond that wont kill it, but they will shorten its life rather rapidly; of course in the UK we only ever get short periods beyond that so we don't need to worry, and if HonestReview is honestly where his flag says he is then he never has to worry! Of course if you only want it to last until just after the warrantee has run out then the 80s is fine.

 

[Nigel]

Well that eases the mind a bit on overclocking. I doubt upping bitrates to 27 / 17 would hit the 80s. Even on a hot summer day.

Upping the bitrate will not affect the ambient temperature!

When you are overclocking, it is the internal temperature that you have to worry about.

 

[jokiin]

what it will work at, and what it will last the longest at, are two different things

 

[TonyM]

Need brave A129 Beta Tester for Color Saturation MOD testing. The current v1.50 Neutral color desperately needs a boost and the weather here is too cloudy for accurate testing.

What do you require from a 'brave' tester?

More sunshine than we get in the UK!

Plenty of sunshine here today

I would have posted a shot from my A129, but it failed to record again this morning

 

[jokiin]

I would have posted a shot from my A129, but it failed to record again this morning

firmware issue or something else?

 

[kamkar]

The K2S i am testing have the option to embed dashcam temperature ( not sure from where inside )
So did the 0906 when we tested that, and that logged temperatures over 90 degrees, though this was early and probably not the actual temperature.

The K2S are logging 45 degrees this time of the year, after a half hour or so of driving and a nice warm car.

You do not want to record in normal mode when parked in the sun on a hot summer day, that will probably just give you a thermal shut down and a shorter camera and memory card life.
That is why many use time lapse for parking mode now, and i even think they are starting to also use a lower bitrate for parking which are alright as most things are moving slow if you factor out the guy tearing off your side mirror when you are parked at the side of a road.

 

[TonyM]

firmware issue or something else?

Not sure. It's happened a few times that I've noticed. I think I'm using 5s boot delay, though I will check again. Might turn on the beep to monitor it since it's hidden out of sight.

On the last two occasions it started OK from cold for the short drive to drop off the kids at school (approx 2-3min recording time), but then failed to restart and record my drive to work a few minutes later. The other 3No cameras (1x M1, 2x Maxi) plugged into the same USB adapter all recorded just fine.

I'm using MOD 6Uk on high bitrate with low bitrate parking (although in this instance it was not recording whilst parked).

 

[BCHobbyist]

Running multiple Dashcams off one Hardwire kit or socket adapter could split voltage or amps lower than A129 needs causing failed recordings. Easy enough to confirm.

 

[HonestReview]

Upping the bitrate will not affect the ambient temperature!

When you are overclocking, it is the internal temperature that you have to worry about.

Ambient = Outside Temperature. And yes, I realize the bitrate and ambient temperature aren't the same. When I said hit the 80s, I meant internal components running won't fry. Not that the camera running in 80s will somehow change the outside / room temperature.

 

[HonestReview]

Plenty of sunshine here today

I would have posted a shot from my A129, but it failed to record again this morning

Liar! UK never has sunshine. I call photoshop! But seriously, when I visited UK, sunshine seemed to be in short supply! Enjoy it, because I'm sure tomorrow's forecast calls for run.

 

[HonestReview]

Not sure. It's happened a few times that I've noticed. I think I'm using 5s boot delay, though I will check again. Might turn on the beep to monitor it since it's hidden out of sight.

On the last two occasions it started OK from cold for the short drive to drop off the kids at school (approx 2-3min recording time), but then failed to restart and record my drive to work a few minutes later. The other 3No cameras (1x M1, 2x Maxi) plugged into the same USB adapter all recorded just fine.

I'm using MOD 6Uk on high bitrate with low bitrate parking (although in this instance it was not recording whilst parked).

So are you not hardwired to the vehicle? And just using a 3 socket USB Plug? You might be overloading that given circuit and so the cameras aren't getting enough juice. Why not hardwire the Viofo and run other camera off USB? Less strain on the vehicle's electrical system for that given fuse.

 

[HonestReview]

Running multiple Dashcams off one Hardwire kit or socket adapter could split voltage or amps lower than A129 needs causing failed recordings. Easy enough to confirm.

Hardwiring is always best bet but requires a bit of electrical and technical knowledge. Was a total pain in the ass to remove my A and C Pillars to route wires behind airbag. And I enlisted the friend of a mechanic buddy to test the fuses, crimp, and solder my wires. As that fell outside my comfort zone. But I now understand where one might put fuses.. I.E. Always On = Driver or Passenger Seat if electric Seats... and then ACC (Yellow).. .. when car turns on...

None the less. He could hardwire Viofo to one set of fuses and other camera to another. Or simply plug second camera into USB. I agree on power draw issue. This is most likely culprit. Overloading the fuse with a 3 plug usb splitter.