Zenfox T3 recived

[HonestReview]

The highest pick in Casablanca can reach 43°C the average max is around 30°C as well.
During summer hottest days inside car reach 50°C witch in my opinion is still within dashcam temperature range. I would say that the campany did carried deeply stress test process to master a key element in automotive industry. Moreover I guess that the cutoff phenomena is mainly due to internal semicon heating and dissipation efficiency , It's some way frustrating to discover safety weaknesses in some accessories manufacturing reliability.

Prepare to be disappointed....I would bet that since Zenfox played Magician and Vanished after hearing our criticisms, that the issues were never resolved. His best effort was to make a firmware that disabled the interior camera in hopes of preventing overheating. All that did was prolong recording AT BEST before the whole unit overheated and shut off completely.

Let us know how it works out. I wouldn't hold my breath about having a fully functional unit based upon Zenfox's disappearing act and attempts to garner "Great Camera Reviews" from redditors. Redditors who never did more than plug it in for 30 seconds and then left a glowing review.

 

[Nigel]

We simply don't know if the overheating was resolved.

I think we can be quite sure that if you leave it recording 3 channels in a parked car in the middle of summer then it will still shut down to protect itself, whatever version you have! And yes, the production models have been improved, but that doesn't mean they have no temperature limit, only that they should not shut down while driving which was a problem for a few people during testing.

You are being unrealistic in your expectations, many dashcams shut down when parked in full sun in hot weather, some don't but then die fairly fast, a few seem to struggle on, but they are all lower resolution cameras such as your 1080 resolution Viofo A129, the T3 has 2K resolution, twice the image detail, plus an extra channel.

Maybe the Viofo A139 will meet your expectations, we will have to wait and see...

 

[SawMaster]

High heat is the bane of every dashcam. Few are well-designed for it and even fewer handle it well. The more you ask of a dashcam the hotter it runs so naturally a multi-channel cam or a high-resolution cam are going to run warmer than the hoary old Mobius 1080p single channel cam which is probably the best there is for a high-heat-environment dashcam. But even the Mobius has limits; over several years use mine stopped recording in high heats when parked more than a few times.

As dashcams are made, there is not yet any cam which is fully reliable in the highest heats It simply can't be done without taking an entirely different approach with how they're made which would have to include active cooling and that brings on other issues such as powering while parked. The T3 and dare I say the A139 cannot be the best with high heats simply because they are multi-channel cams- they work the processor harder so they make more heat than a single-channel cam does.

I don't see the possibility of the T3 doing well in Morocco due to certain design elements which are no different in the production models versus the ones tested here, but it could possibly be a good choice for cooler climates now. In finding out how it does with this user that question will be answered and I'm always open to seeing how reality compares with my expectations

Phil

 

[EGS]

, we had a test batch built to find problems and we found very few problems.

So here you are admitting you have a direct interest to this company? I'm not saying it wasn't obvious in the past.

 

[Nigel]

So here you are admitting you have a direct interest to this company? I'm not saying it wasn't obvious in the past.

You had one one the test units too!

 

[kamkar]

My T3 was a bit strange with its sudden stops, which i am not entirely sure was heat related.
And then mine not liking memory cards other testers had better experience with

I think the pre production samples was a big mess, but the hardware seem to be okay stuff, so done right in production it should be a okay camera if you can live with the form factor.

 

[EGS]

You had one one the test units too!

Yes indeed. And based in my experience with that particular unit I would make cautious recommendations. And since I don't have a direct knowledge there are production or consumer grade units being sold, I would not sway anyone to purchase one. You may have been told (instructed) differently and separately.
Mine performed way better after all modifications I did to the heat sink and shell to improve cooling but some firmware bugs where still present.
I wish I had one of the supposed consumer grade in hand for inspection purposes but I don't think it is worth putting the money on it since Zenfox seems focused on sales only.

 

[HonestReview]

I think we can be quite sure that if you leave it recording 3 channels in a parked car in the middle of summer then it will still shut down to protect itself, whatever version you have! And yes, the production models have been improved, but that doesn't mean they have no temperature limit, only that they should not shut down while driving which was a problem for a few people during testing.

You are being unrealistic in your expectations, many dashcams shut down when parked in full sun in hot weather, some don't but then die fairly fast, a few seem to struggle on, but they are all lower resolution cameras such as your 1080 resolution Viofo A129, the T3 has 2K resolution, twice the image detail, plus an extra channel.

Maybe the Viofo A139 will meet your expectations, we will have to wait and see...

Again, how do you know the production models are improved? Do you work for Zenfox? Are you a retailer reselling the cameras? Exactly how can you make these statements without providing proof of revisions.

Either you are the master of assumptions or your bias the whole time because you've got a financial conflict of interest in the company.

 

[HonestReview]

You had one one the test units too!

I had two test units. Both did same thing. Plus EGS's unit. That makes 3. So the odds that him and I got the only 3 "faulty pre production models" is about slim to none.

 

[HonestReview]

Yes indeed. And based in my experience with that particular unit I would make cautious recommendations. And since I don't have a direct knowledge there are production or consumer grade units being sold, I would not sway anyone to purchase one. You may have been told differently and separately.
Mine performed way better after all modifications I did to the heat sink and shell to improve cooling but some firmware bugs where still present.
I wish I had one of the supposed consumer grade in hand for inspection purposes but I don't think it is worth putting the money on it since Zenfox seems focused on sales only.

Can't say root cause, by my unmodified unit (where wifi died on it) freezes in parking mode even in cold weather after prolonged usage (I.E. overnight). Could be the camera is now faulty due to badspot with wifi. So I can't really say this is an across the board issue.

Quality control on these things leaves a lot to be desired.

I've staked my hope in A139. Since I missed out on the beta testing, I'll have to wait for retail.

 

[HonestReview]

I think we can be quite sure that if you leave it recording 3 channels in a parked car in the middle of summer then it will still shut down to protect itself, whatever version you have! And yes, the production models have been improved, but that doesn't mean they have no temperature limit, only that they should not shut down while driving which was a problem for a few people during testing.

You are being unrealistic in your expectations, many dashcams shut down when parked in full sun in hot weather, some don't but then die fairly fast, a few seem to struggle on, but they are all lower resolution cameras such as your 1080 resolution Viofo A129, the T3 has 2K resolution, twice the image detail, plus an extra channel.

Maybe the Viofo A139 will meet your expectations, we will have to wait and see...

It's called low bitrate park mode, and yes, it's a perfectly acceptable option. No one is expecting a camera to record in full quality while parked. The A129 does just fine in all conditions using low bitrate.

Yes, I await the release of the A139. I missed out on the beta testing because I was busy at that point in life, and all units had been given out by the time I realized the open offer. While I prefer a single unit with 2 cameras, the three individual cameras would still fulfill my needs if the setup functions properly.

 

[EGS]

Could be the camera is now faulty due to badspot with wifi.

It is very possible a faulty component somewhere or a bad joint (solder spot) and I don't think there is anything you can do to repair it. If it was mine, the only thing I would do as the last attempt is to disassemble it, remove the ribbons, remove the lcd display and bake it in an oven to reflow possible bad cold solder joints.
I've done that on TV main boards as a temporary fix. Remember these things run quite hot and solder joints can become dry over time.
That procedure requires the right temperature and baking time. Nothing else some experience. I wouldn't recommend you trying that.

 

[HonestReview]

It is very possible a faulty component somewhere or a bad joint (solder spot) and I don't think there is anything you can do to repair it. If it was mine, the only thing I would do as the last attempt is to disassemble it, remove the ribbons, remove the lcd display and bake it in an oven to reflow possible bad cold solder joints.
I've done that on TV main boards as a temporary fix. Remember these things run quite hot and solder joints can become dry over time.
That procedure requires the right temperature and baking time. Nothing else some experience. I wouldn't recommend you trying that.

Definitely a bad spot where Wifi is concerned. I tried the Wifi antenna from the modified camera and it didn't resolve issue. Far as freezing, it records fine while driving. Park mode freezes up after extended use for no good reason. Just beeps (warm or cold outside). So could be another bug. Could be due to my board having bad spot. Hard to say.

I did check all cables and reseated wifi but didn't help. Minute I turn on Wifi, the unit locks up. This is on the unmodified stock unit. I still have the modified with melted case I could use or frankenstein back to a working stock unit.

 

[Haydora]

Hi guys, the conversation is very constructive and I appreciate the level of cross-fertilization you demonstrate in this topic, I probably mad the wrong choice on this purchase , but learn a lot from your feedbacks.
Let continue please, it's a gold mine for dashcamtalk team.

 

[Haydora]

Yes indeed. And based in my experience with that particular unit I would make cautious recommendations. And since I don't have a direct knowledge there are production or consumer grade units being sold, I would not sway anyone to purchase one. You may have been told (instructed) differently and separately.
Mine performed way better after all modifications I did to the heat sink and shell to improve cooling but some firmware bugs where still present.
I wish I had one of the supposed consumer grade in hand for inspection purposes but I don't think it is worth putting the money on it since Zenfox seems focused on sales only.

@EGS interested on improvement dissipation you tried with heat-sink, can you share the link ?

 

[Nigel]

@EGS interested on improvement dissipation you tried with heat-sink, can you share the link ?

I'm pretty certain that yours will be different. EGS's posts further back up this thread are interesting, but not very relevant to current production.

 

[Haydora]

According various inputs, I would say that dashcams products in today's market perform well when driving and provide proof in case of incident. The parking mode is not yet robust at the expected
level or at least as advertised.
I have to reconsider my assumptions and will start looking for a car alarm during parking outside and CCTV @home.

 

[Haydora]

from where did you order Viofo A139 ? no seen on Amazon

 

[EGS]

I'm pretty certain that yours will be different. EGS's posts further back up this thread are interesting, but not very relevant to current production.

You keep saying that, but you, the manufacturer or someone else needs provide evidence of such improvements. NOW that sounded like the current political situation here in America. Is that relevant?

 

[Haydora]

@EGS interested on improvement dissipation you tried with heat-sink, can you share the link ?

as electronic engineer close to retirement, I'm saying it could be interesting to deal with it