VIOFO A129 non-IR 1080p Modified Firmware MODs Archive

Joshude said:
I'm a bit confused. I'm running a version of this modified firmware (can't really tell which version at the moment. Installed it ~mid february).
I installed a hardwire-kit (from Amazon, this kit: https://www.amazon.de/gp/B07C3NGDRC (sry, from german amazon)) and the cam runs fine on battery.
Only is it recording 24/7. Until now i had no issues with a draining battery or something, but this cant be right, can it?
In the menu under parking mode "motion detection" is selected and my sd-card is full of files where nothing happens.

I've read some posts in this thread on parking mode, but the last ones all are about buffered parking mode (whatever that might be :D) so i'm a bit concerned, that one day after not driving for a while my battery might be dead (even if it should stop recording at 11.6v, but you'll never know).

So, what am i doing wrong? :(
Click to expand...
Viofo A129 Menu similar options:
Parking Mode = Off / Auto Event Detection / Time Lapse 1fps / 2fps / 3fps / 5fps / 10fps / Low Bitrate Recording
Time-Lapse Recording = Off
Motion Detection = Off

Hardwire Kit connected to A129 side USB port for Parking Mode - must turn OFF both Time-Lapse Recording & Motion Detection .
set Hardwire kit voltage cutoff switch to 12.0 volts .

A129 Parking Mode only works from MODs in Low Bitrate Recording continuous 30fps 4Mbps video and will fill the memory card.
 
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BCHobbyist said:
Common confusion about Parking Mode is the other seemingly related Menu options
Exposure = 0
Parking Mode = Off / Auto Event Detection / Time Lapse 1fps / 2fps / 3fps / 5fps / 10fps / Low Bitrate Recording
Time-Lapse Recording = Off
Motion Detection = Off
GPS = On

If you installed Hardwire Kit and its connected to camera side USB port and you intend to use Parking Mode - never ever enable the two Menu options Time-Lapse Recording & Motion Detection , leave them OFF.
If worried about Hardwire kit draining battery set the voltage switch to 12.0 volts .

Modified Firmware is not intended for A129 Parking Mode since it only works in continuous 30fps 4Mbps Low Bitrate Recording and will fill the memory card.
Click to expand...

Question. Is the continous 30 FPS 4mbps the Stock Parking mode for Low Bitrate Recording? Or is that what happens using your mod?
 
Thanks! My Hardwirekit says 11,6V for cutoff. So that is to low?

@BCHobbyist, you say the modified firmware is not intended for parking mode. So currently there is no good way to use parking mode? That was the only reason i've bought the hw-kit in the first place :(
But if i've seen it correctly, even if parking mode is "off" the camera appears to be on. So it'll stay on but won't fill the card?
 
Joshude said:
Thanks! My Hardwirekit says 11,6V for cutoff. So that is to low?

@BCHobbyist, you say the modified firmware is not intended for parking mode. So currently there is no good way to use parking mode? That was the only reason i've bought the hw-kit in the first place :(
But if i've seen it correctly, even if parking mode is "off" the camera appears to be on. So it'll stay on but won't fill the card?
Click to expand...

I don't speak german, so I am going off the pictures: https://www.amazon.de/gp/B07C3NGDRC
1. This is a 2 wire hardwire kit. So it DOES NOT support Parking Mode.

2. To Support Parking Mode: You need a 3 wire hardwire kit: https://www.amazon.de/gp/B07K82KSVV
Note,: The fuse protecting Dash camera should be a 5 AMP Fuse

With your current setup, nothing @BCHobbyist does will resolve that issue. Since you have installed an improper hardwiring kit.

3 Wire Hardwire Kit

Yellow = ACC (Ignition when Cars turned on)
Red = Runs on Battery
Black = Ground
 
Joshude said:
Thanks! My Hardwirekit says 11,6V for cutoff. So that is to low?

@BCHobbyist, you say the modified firmware is not intended for parking mode. So currently there is no good way to use parking mode? That was the only reason i've bought the hw-kit in the first place :(
But if i've seen it correctly, even if parking mode is "off" the camera appears to be on. So it'll stay on but won't fill the card?
Click to expand...
A129 Parking Protection works in all 7 Modes if you install the Viofo 3-Wire Hardwire Kit.
A129 Parking Mode works with all my MODs if select "Low Bitrate Recording" connected to Hardwire Kit or Power Bank.
If Hardwire Kit has selectable voltage cutoff use middle value.
The Viofo A129 Hardwire Kit senses when ignition is off and will automatically switch to Parking Mode if enabled. It can take over 5 minutes before Mode change occurs.
If your Hardwire Kit is from Viofo and correctly installed and connected to side USB power port and you disable Parking Mode but still turns on, simply wait 15 mins then power off and remove memory card to verify video was recorded.
 
Thanks! What i pity i wasn't aware that i need a 3 wire kit. Just ordered the one from VIOFO. Will install it on saturday.
Why do I have to use the side port? I have the GPS-Unit installed and the power cord plugged in to the unit.
 
BCHobbyist said:
A129 Parking Protection works in all 7 Modes if you install the Viofo 3-Wire Hardwire Kit.
A129 Parking Mode works with all my MODs if select "Low Bitrate Recording" connected to Hardwire Kit or Power Bank.
If Hardwire Kit has selectable voltage cutoff use middle value.
The Viofo A129 Hardwire Kit senses when ignition is off and will automatically switch to Parking Mode if enabled. It can take over 5 minutes before Mode change occurs.
If your Hardwire Kit is from Viofo and correctly installed and connected to side USB power port and you disable Parking Mode but still turns on, simply wait 15 mins then power off and remove memory card to verify video was recorded.
Click to expand...

Please see my response to Joshude. The link posted by Joshude is a 2 wire, 3rd party, hardwire kit. Until he rectifies the situation, park mode will remain non functioning
 
Joshude said:
Thanks! What i pity i wasn't aware that i need a 3 wire kit. Just ordered the one from VIOFO. Will install it on saturday.
Why do I have to use the side port? I have the GPS-Unit installed and the power cord plugged in to the unit.
Click to expand...

If I understand what you're asking, after installing the 3 wire hardwire kit, the power plug goes directly into the Camera and NOT to the GPS unit. Otherwise, if you plug into the GPS, Parking Mode will not work correctly.
 
Joshude said:
Thanks! What i pity i wasn't aware that i need a 3 wire kit. Just ordered the one from VIOFO. Will install it on saturday.
Why do I have to use the side port? I have the GPS-Unit installed and the power cord plugged in to the unit.
Click to expand...
The GPS Mount was designed with a single miniUSB port split into 4 contact points , 2 are GPS signal , 2 are +/- 5 volt Power.
The Hardwire Kit is 3-wire , when connected to GPS mount it drops the ignition signal wire which is required for Parking Mode functionality.
The A129 side miniUSB power port has 5 contacts and able to input the 3-wire kit correctly.
Ask Viofo if they'll be upgrading the GPS mount.
 
BCHobbyist said:
The GPS Mount was designed with a single miniUSB port split into 4 contact points , 2 are GPS signal , 2 are +/- 5 volt Power.
The Hardwire Kit is 3-wire , when connected to GPS mount it drops the ignition signal wire which is required for Parking Mode functionality.
The A129 side miniUSB power port has 5 contacts and able to input the 3-wire kit correctly.
Ask Viofo if they'll be upgrading the GPS mount.
Click to expand...

Not sure why Viofo would need to modify GPS power port to support Parking Mode, unless they're aiming for redundancy. I.E. If Camera or GPS power port went bad, you'd have a backup.
 
Hello
Is it possible to do one firmware with 2mbps for parking mode to save more sdcard space?

Thanks
 
Thanks, @BCHobbyist for the info!

€: Another question on the low bitrate recording: How is an event captured in low bitrate? @BCHobbyist stated, that Motion Detection needs to be turned off. So i assume on low bitrate recording the SDCard should be large enough so that i see a damage on my car i have to go through the files and find the according one? Or am i missing something?
 
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Joshude said:
Thanks, @BCHobbyist for the info!

€: Another question on the low bitrate recording: How is an event captured in low bitrate? @BCHobbyist stated, that Motion Detection needs to be turned off. So i assume on low bitrate recording the SDCard should be large enough so that i see a damage on my car i have to go through the files and find the according one? Or am i missing something?
Click to expand...
Many A129 owners don't know the differences between the Parking Mode options.
Many months ago some A129 owners complained Time Lapse recording didn't include sound and missed the impact event.
Viofo added Low Bitrate Recording - continuous video with sound but at 4 Mbps or 8 Mbps.
Low Bitrate Recording doesn't need 3-wire Hardwire Kit and even works with Power Banks and MODs.
Low Bit Rate Recording records without entering low power Standby Mode using more power.
Parking Mode setting Time Lapse 1/2/3/5/10fps remains in low power Standby Mode until visual motion or G-sensor impact is detected requiring Viofo proprietary 3-wire Hardwire Kit.

If an important event occured it can be found among all other 100's of recorded clips.
 
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NomadTech said:
Camera also has 4 pin connector to GPS module so an upgraded GPS module will not be interchangeable for current camera owners.
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You are correct and this actually all happened with A119S owners and Viofo was forced to replace the GPS mount and camera backplates as a set which today is known as V2 for A119 , A119 Pro , A119S.
If history repeats itself, the possible A129 V2 will be sold with this new mount upgrade but not available to older pre-sold V1's.

Based on the A119/Pro/S GPS mount upgrade fiasco I wouldn't expect Viofo to make any changes to the mount connectors unless 1000's of owners requested it.
 
Sergiosmvc said:
Hello
Is it possible to do one firmware with 2mbps for parking mode to save more sdcard space?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Currently all Parking Mode settings and bitrates are locked and not adjustable by any MODs.
At night 2 Mbps bitrate would have very poor detail, especially with anything in motion driving or walking by.
 
BCHobbyist said:
Many A129 owners still don't know the differences between the Parking Mode options.
Many months ago some A129 owners complained Time Lapse recording missed first few seconds of impact events and had no sound.
Viofo later created Low Bitrate Recording - it records sound in 30fps continuous video but at 4 Mbps in dual camera mode or 8 Mbps in single camera mode.
Low Bitrate Recording doesn't rely on 3-wire ignition signals so works perfectly with Power Banks or MODs since its basically normal video recording at a lower Bitrate.
Low Bit Rate Continuous Recording runs all night filling memory card and draining battery without entering low power Standby Mode.
Time Lapse 1fps / 2fps / 3fps / 5fps / 10fps stays in low power Standby Mode then records when visual motion is detected or G-sensor impact is detected , this requires Viofo proprietary 3-wire Hardwire Kit.

Low Bitrate Recording works exactly like normal Drive video recording but only turns on while parked for more than 5 mins. Any important event will be contained in one of the many 100's of recorded clips.
Click to expand...

So, for you the best parking mode option is Time Lapse with G-sensor detection?
 
Sergiosmvc said:
So, for you the best parking mode option is Time Lapse with G-sensor detection?
Click to expand...
If 3-wire Hardwire Kit is installed for long duration parking protection (over night) to reduce battery drain and reduce recorded clips selecting Time Lapse 1fps / 2fps / 3fps / 5fps option offers best balance of protection until new Buffered Parking firmware is released in 21 days.
Without Hardwire Kit for short duration complete parking protection select Low Bitrate Recording to record sound and continuous footage for hit and run damage evidence.

How the new Buffered Parking feature works is unknown but I'd expect it records continuously in flash memory but only writes to MP4 file when visual motion or impact is detected which will probably use slightly less power than continuous Low Bitrate Recording.
 
How many hours it should record with Time Lapse and G-sensor detection with a standard car battery before drains out?

With my car appends one strange thing: if i drive then park the car the camera records all night but for some reason if i need open the doors on something that use the battery the 3HK controller shuts down the camera.
I think the voltage drops when i open the car door.
 
Sergiosmvc said:
How many hours it should record with Time Lapse and G-sensor detection with a standard car battery before drains out?

With my car appends one strange thing: if i drive then park the car the camera records all night but for some reason if i need open the doors on something that use the battery the 3HK controller shuts down the camera.
I think the voltage drops when i open the car door.
Click to expand...
A129 Parking Mode long duration protection depends on 3-wire Hardwire Kit voltage cutoff selection, temperature, size, capacity and condition of vehicle battery.
Opening the door while Parking Mode is enabled may be perfectly normal operation, it could also be the Hardwire Kit was connected to similar circuit as door, but your observation is probably correct and A129 is detecting voltage drop. In that case I'd leave hardwire kit connected in current state IF camera turns back on after 5 mins, if not change Hardwire Kit fuse Tap circuit.

Keep in mind if Parking Mode has drained vehicle battery close to Hardwire Kit cutoff switch value and door is opened or impact is detected it can shutoff camera and won't turn it back on.
 
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