Would like to purchase the new version of b1w, how can i tell who and if i am getting it with the rtc battery ?

[lennyk]

Would like to purchase the new version of b1w, how can i tell who and if i am getting it with the rtc battery ?

 

[estore009]

You can buy it on amazon. It comes with an RTC battery!

 

[jdct]

All my B1W's were manufactured before the real time clock battery was added to the unit, and I did not even know that the B1W had been updated with one back in 2019 until seeing this post. I was also delighted to find that BlueSkySea added some logic to the V20200707 firmware in order to work around the file naming/overwriting issues that can occur when the clock resets back to the default time after the capacitors completely discharge in a few days of being powered off. For my use, I don't particularly care what the files are named, or what time is set on the dashcam, because any dashcam without GPS to set time will always be wrong in some way. When necessary, I can establish precise time for recordings from my GPS-enabled unit, and synchronize all individual videos to a single prior shared reference point. But losing video files, or even having the potential to lose video files is simply unacceptable.

That BlueSkySea added this file naming enhancement functionality to the B1W simply to help their dashcam owners avoid losing necessary video files in such cases -- for units which were already sold long ago -- shows their dedication to customer service, and I greatly appreciate it. I have had so many various issues with dashcams from different manufacturers that I actually added a timer circuit into my dashcam power wiring, which turns on all my dashcams for 2 minutes every 24 hours, simply in order to refresh the charge in capacitors all around, to help avoid various issues like these.

Maybe it's time that I give that new 4K BlueSkySea B4K dashcam a look for the most important front-facing position in my car...

 

[sdl87]

All my B1W's were manufactured before the real time clock battery was added to the unit, and I did not even know that the B1W had been updated with one back in 2019 until seeing this post. I was also delighted to find that BlueSkySea added some logic to the V20200707 firmware in order to work around the file naming/overwriting issues that can occur when the clock resets back to the default time after the capacitors completely discharge in a few days of being powered off. For my use, I don't particularly care what the files are named, or what time is set on the dashcam, because any dashcam without GPS to set time will always be wrong in some way. When necessary, I can establish precise time for recordings from my GPS-enabled unit, and synchronize all individual videos to a single prior shared reference point. But losing video files, or even having the potential to lose video files is simply unacceptable.

That BlueSkySea added this file naming enhancement functionality to the B1W simply to help their dashcam owners avoid losing necessary video files in such cases -- for units which were already sold long ago -- shows their dedication to customer service, and I greatly appreciate it. I have had so many various issues with dashcams from different manufacturers that I actually added a timer circuit into my dashcam power wiring, which turns on all my dashcams for 2 minutes every 24 hours, simply in order to refresh the charge in capacitors all around, to help avoid various issues like these.

Maybe it's time that I give that new 4K BlueSkySea B4K dashcam a look for the most important front-facing position in my car...

What makes you say that V20200707 has the workaround for the RTC losing time?

My understanding is that V20201117 has that fix, but shouldn't be used because it's buggy.

See here:

How long does the date & time stick on B1W if no power supply for long period of time?

Can you send me also new firmware? I'm looking for locked file and found a lot of 2015 year files. Strange is i'm driving car everyday, but have files only from Sep 12 and Sep 19, Sep 20 I found files between Sep 12 and Sep 19 with timestamp from 2015 year, would try new firmware , thanks It...

dashcamtalk.com

And the discussion here:

Firmware from their website. B1W V20200707

Clicking the download button takes me to Google Docs, and it only has one file to download -- cardvr_img.bin. The default_cfg.bin file is not available on the link. It used to take you to a page where you could download both files, now it does not. I did get it to work by using the newest...

dashcamtalk.com

I think their inability to actually publish a stable fix for this issue shows their lack of dedication to customer service. The issue has been around for years, and the only fix they produced is buggy beta firmware that they don't recommend people use.

 

[jdct]

What makes you say that V20200707 has the workaround for the RTC losing time?

My understanding is that V20201117 has that fix, but shouldn't be used because it's buggy.

See here:

How long does the date & time stick on B1W if no power supply for long period of time?

Can you send me also new firmware? I'm looking for locked file and found a lot of 2015 year files. Strange is i'm driving car everyday, but have files only from Sep 12 and Sep 19, Sep 20 I found files between Sep 12 and Sep 19 with timestamp from 2015 year, would try new firmware , thanks It...

dashcamtalk.com

And the discussion here:

Firmware from their website. B1W V20200707

Clicking the download button takes me to Google Docs, and it only has one file to download -- cardvr_img.bin. The default_cfg.bin file is not available on the link. It used to take you to a page where you could download both files, now it does not. I did get it to work by using the newest...

dashcamtalk.com

I think their inability to actually publish a stable fix for this issue shows their lack of dedication to customer service. The issue has been around for years, and the only fix they produced is buggy beta firmware that they don't recommend people use.

OK then, so it's V20201117 with the RTC lost time workaround. But you say it's buggy. What bug have you personally experienced with it?

 

[sdl87]

OK then, so it's V20201117 with the RTC lost time workaround. But you say it's buggy. What bug have you personally experienced with it?

I don't say it's buggy. @estore009 says it's buggy:

Not sure! Still buggy for this beta firmware. It is best to send the camera back for the warranty if it cannot keep time!

 

[jdct]

I don't say it's buggy. @estore009 says it's buggy:

To me it matters greatly in what specific way it is buggy -- because every dashcam firmware from every manufacturer has some type of issue. Unfortunately it's just the state of the dashcam world, and most electronic devices in general. A perfectly engineered product costs more and we never want to pay more. So frankly, for a USD$55ish dashcam, it's good enough. If you want something closer to perfection, I can refer you to a dashcam costing ten times as much, which probably still has an outstanding issue or two too.

Now if the 'buggy' firmware stops recording and locks up the dashcam, then that would be a significant issue to me and something to be avoided. But if it fails to connect to the app on my phone every other time, then I could probably live with that even though an inconvenience. As long as the recorded video files are there when I need them, this firmware addressing the RTC clock reset file naming issue might be the firmware that works best for me. And if they could improve it further, then I would greatly appreciate that.

 

[sdl87]

Maybe @estore009 could tell us what the bugs are. Randomly losing the RTC and no longer working as a dashcam with no warning or indication seems like a pretty big bug - and frankly changes it from a dashcam to a window decoration. But the if firmware that's supposed to fix that is so buggy that the manufacturer says not to use it, I'm not too concerned about the specifics.

Again, @estore009 would have the best information on the state of that firmware. But good luck with that.

 

[jdct]

no longer working as a dashcam with no warning or indication seems like a pretty big bug - and frankly changes it from a dashcam to a window decoration.

Why are trying to you make it sound like the V20201117 firmware bricks the B1W? Do you even have a B1W that you've tried with any firmware version?

As mentioned in the thread that you quoted earlier, the manufacturer added a RTC battery to the B1W in the beginning of 2019 to address the original time loss issue due to capacitors draining after a few days of not being used, and happily offered to repair/replace fix any B1W's that don't function properly within their warranty period. I happen to have the earlier versions without RTC batteries because I bought B1W's very early and am still using them to this day, because I like the way they work for me as rear-quarter side cameras. I spot check the contents of the SD cards every once in a while in order to confirm that they are still recording properly, install new SD cards every year or so, and when I've needed to pull video from them it's been there. What more could I want for the side views?

Good luck to you in finding that perfect dashcam that you want for only USD$55.

For a proactive reply to your next response:
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/if

 

[sdl87]

I'm not interested in your purse fight. I doubt anyone is.

@estore007, please let us know what your timeline is for updating the B1W firmware to address RTC failures for those of us with older hardware versions of the B1W. Thanks.

 

[jdct]

@sdl87 - If you have an older B1W, why don't you just try the V20201117 firmware yourself to see if it works well enough for you needs?