Zenfox T3 Triple channel dash cams free test invitation, limited quantity

[SawMaster]

Would still be good if someone could build a "test bed" to prove the ideas given here will actually work, but yes it's up to Zenfox to fix this before full production starts going out the factory doors 😉

Phil

 

[HonestReview]

Since it's been unequivocally proven that the T3 does have a heating issue and as a result starts dropping channels. All these DIY suggestions are fine but now it's for Zenfox to address the highlighted flaws/issues.

The product is SOL without some serious fixes. Hardware + Firmware most likely. We're kicking around ideas on how to fix our own units, in case Zenfox doesn't devise a solution. Chances are, this isn't going to be a simple firmware issue, since the heatsink isn't properly cooling the cpu.

 

[EGS]

They started with 16 units in Amazon and now they have 4 left 😳😳.
Not counting the other sites that are selling them as well, such as Adorama and a few other retailers.
Interesting to see what those buyers will encounter. Hopefully they received a revised version

 

[EGS]

Interesting! They had a list of retailers in their page (where to buy) section I saw last week naming a few retailers and now it is gone. Maybe they made the right move by pulling off the market as it was way too soon to think it war ready. However, their amazon store still active.
They still have a potential if they desire to address this issues the correct way.

CORRECTION: the list is till there...

 

[Nigel]

Can we say overkill? I mean whatever epoxy they used, that heatsink is fused to the emi shield. There's no way in hell that's coming off. Making the only possibly modification being placing a copper plate between emi shield and processor.

A little extra glue is not going to cause problems, so I wouldn't worry about it.

That is not the only possible modification, you could come up with some more...

For example adding an extra ventilation grill at the bottom to allow cool air in allowing some convection inside. As I pointed out before, when it is installed in your car with a low angled windscreen, all the ventilation grills are at the top, so there is nothing to cause convection through the heatsink fins, so you either need another grill at the bottom, or a fan...

 

[HonestReview]

A little extra glue is not going to cause problems, so I wouldn't worry about it.

That is not the only possible modification, you could come up with some more...

For example adding an extra ventilation grill at the bottom to allow cool air in allowing some convection inside. As I pointed out before, when it is installed in your car with a low angled windscreen, all the ventilation grills are at the top, so there is nothing to cause convection through the heatsink fins, so you either need another grill at the bottom, or a fan...

The ventilation grill at the bottom is not obstructed. As I stated before, the camera isn't touching the glass and there's at least several centimeters between the bottom vent and my windshield.

The bigger issue here is poor design, poor cooling, and poor ventilation. If I were the only one with a problem, you could pick on me all day. Everyone but you has overheating! And that's because you live in a place that never gets hotter than 20-21C on a good day with rare exceptions.

 

[HonestReview]

They started with 16 units in Amazon and now they have 4 left 😳😳.
Not counting the other sites that are selling them as well, such as Adorama and a few other retailers.
Interesting to see what those buyers will encounter. Hopefully they received a revised version

I'm hoping you're right, but the lack of manufacturer feedback says otherwise. So we sit and wait. Ponder over modifications, and worst comes to worst, begin implementing our own fixes. I really think this camera has potential. And I would love to make it work, even if manufacturer vanishes into thin air, just because it is a cool design.

 

[Nigel]

The ventilation grill at the bottom is not obstructed.

I didn't say anything about it being obstructed. My point is that there is very little height difference between the vents when mounted on a shallow angle windscreen, the best place for a bottom vent would be around the screw hole below the front lens. The extra height difference between there and the top vent would cause extra convection over the heatsink and thus cool the processor.

 

[EGS]

Maybe there is a lack of understanding how convection works.

 

[EGS]

 

[HonestReview]

I didn't say anything about it being obstructed. My point is that there is very little height difference between the vents when mounted on a shallow angle windscreen, the best place for a bottom vent would be around the screw hole below the front lens. The extra height difference between there and the top vent would cause extra convection over the heatsink and thus cool the processor.

Hot air clearly rises. I'd say venting is definitely an issue. One below the front lens would be an ideal spot as it'd be able to suck in cooler air from the vehicle. Either way, none of this really matters unless Zenfox returns here to review our findings.

Otherwise, we'll be performing mods on our own to see if there's any potential resolutions to the overheating most of us are experiencing.

 

[Nigel]

Hot air clearly rises. I'd say venting is definitely an issue. One below the front lens would be an ideal spot as it'd be able to suck in cooler air from the vehicle. Either way, none of this really matters unless Zenfox returns here to review our findings.

Otherwise, we'll be performing mods on our own to see if there's any potential resolutions to the overheating most of us are experiencing.

Since you have two, you could run them side by side with some extra vent holes drilled in the bottom of one, then we would know how successful that solution is for people who live in warmer parts of the world and want to use parking mode.

Maybe there is a lack of understanding how convection works.

Your video shows that a chimney is required to get good airflow. Maybe adding a chimney to the top ventilation grill on the T3 would solve the cooling problem?

 

[SawMaster]

The main problem is not airflow so doing anything there will yield very little results. Getting the heat to that point is the problem and even with that done well there's still little to be gained with better convective airflow.

It's like squeezing 4 lanes of travel into one then opening it up to 8 lanes after that- the only way you'll move more traffic (or heat) is to remove the restriction first. Changing those 8 lanes into 12 or 20 will do nothing without that. As this cam is now, even placing the heatsink fins in ice-water will have almost no effect 😱

You've got to get the heat to the air efficiently before the air can take the heat away, and that's not happening here 😡 Without a heatsink redesign this cam is a complete failure and always will be 😢

Phil

 

[kamkar]

Some Danes made a CPU cooler, just like a heat pipe cooler just a closed loop instead of dead end pipes, so in a sense it was just like water cooling just with liquid metal instead.
They then filled it with liquid metal, and put on a small pump too, and then expected big things to happen.

But as its dissipation surface area was just like a heat pipe cooler, and the liquid metal not transporting heat better than gas, well it was a massive flop and expensive coolers too.

Danish startup announces "Liquid Metal" CPU cooler; Terminator jokes ensue

Danamics has announced a new CPU cooler which uses an electromagnetic pump …

arstechnica.com

 

[HonestReview]

Since you have two, you could run them side by side with some extra vent holes drilled in the bottom of one, then we would know how successful that solution is for people who live in warmer parts of the world and want to use parking mode.

Your video shows that a chimney is required to get good airflow. Maybe adding a chimney to the top ventilation grill on the T3 would solve the cooling problem?

Any gains from drilling holes would be minimal without a more aggressive approach. I.E. finding a copper plate and using artic silver.

 

[Nigel]

Any gains from drilling holes would be minimal without a more aggressive approach. I.E. finding a copper plate and using artic silver.

How do you know? Have you proved it? Might turn out that poor airflow is the biggest restriction.
My guess is that the pink stuff is the biggest restriction, but that is only a guess, and an improvement anywhere will help.

 

[HonestReview]

How do you know? Have you proved it? Might turn out that poor airflow is the biggest restriction.
My guess is that the pink stuff is the biggest restriction, but that is only a guess, and an improvement anywhere will help.

Because the heatsink is sitting on top of the EMI Shield, which looks to have too much of a gap and poor conductivity. I'm sure that pink crap isn't helping. I truly doubt a few extra holes will do the trick. There's are multiple vents above the lens and on the side.

 

[HonestReview]

This seems to be the only cost effective option since all the other's give one size thickness. Problem a few reviews say these aren't as thick as claimed or a bit jagged. Read reviews. Otherwise, you'll be ordering several kits to get the different thicknesses to see which works.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B01N2XYFJ4

 

[Nigel]

This seems to be the only cost effective option since all the other's give one size thickness. Problem a few reviews say these aren't as thick as claimed or a bit jagged. Read reviews. Otherwise, you'll be ordering several kits to get the different thicknesses to see which works.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B01N2XYFJ4

Remember that the bigger it is, the more it will spread the heat out, which is a big advantage.
You can always file/sand them to size, copper is soft and easy to work.

 

[SawMaster]

How do you know? Have you proved it? Might turn out that poor airflow is the biggest restriction.
My guess is that the pink stuff is the biggest restriction, but that is only a guess, and an improvement anywhere will help.

It's pretty clear to everyone except Nigel (and possibly Trump too) that the heat path here isn't optimal if it works much at all- the 'pink goo' that none of us have ever seen and the tape interference is the clue to this. There's enough knowledge and experience about the subject here to be quite certain of this. But as I suggested it is something better proven by doing if one of you can because it's also equally clear that Zenfox does not think there is a problem so he's not going to be looking for a solution without it being shown to him in a way he cannot ignore 🙁

Phil