Dash cams, what to get and where to get it (Q&A only)

cormie · 14-08-2013 6:19pm

You need the check the voltage on the adaptor of your old camera. My iTronics camera had the same as my old DSR1100 so they were fine, but you might find some will differ.

Gumbo · 15-08-2013 12:20pm

cormie wrote: »

You need the check the voltage on the adaptor of your old camera. My iTronics camera had the same as my old DSR1100 so they were fine, but you might find some will differ.

My old cam was 5V.
Whats the mobius one?

Chris Dolmeth · 15-08-2013 1:41pm

MyMemory are selling one for £21
Linky

No idea on the quality of it, just thought I'd post it as it's on sale down from £40 according to the email I got from them today.
720p
140 deg lens
up to 32Gb microSD

Pawwed Rig · 15-08-2013 1:56pm

Maybe we should be allowed post short clips to demonstrate the quality of the cam rather than actual incidents on this thread?

vibe666 · 15-08-2013 3:26pm

kceire wrote: »

My old cam was 5V.
Whats the mobius one?

5v and 1000mW, but if it's got the lead built directly into the cig adapter i'd be very wary of using it as you have no idea how it's wired as several of those types of camera have non-standard wiring and that could be a quick way of turning your mobius into a paperweight.

for the sake of a couple of quid to get one with it, i wouldn't be taking the chance personally.

Gumbo · 15-08-2013 4:30pm

vibe666 wrote: »

5v and 1000mW, but if it's got the lead built directly into the cig adapter i'd be very wary of using it as you have no idea how it's wired as several of those types of camera have non-standard wiring and that could be a quick way of turning your mobius into a paperweight.

for the sake of a couple of quid to get one with it, i wouldn't be taking the chance personally.

Would I be better off buying one of those little ciggy lighter to USB adapters and plug the supplied cable into it?

Gumbo · 15-08-2013 11:12pm

vibe666 wrote: »

5v and 1000mW, but if it's got the lead built directly into the cig adapter i'd be very wary of using it as you have no idea how it's wired as several of those types of camera have non-standard wiring and that could be a quick way of turning your mobius into a paperweight.

for the sake of a couple of quid to get one with it, i wouldn't be taking the chance personally.

Sorry to go on about this but I rooted out the box from my previous dash cam. I have the ciggy to mini USB cable as supplied with that. And the power of that cam was 5V / 500MA.

Would that cable be ok with the möbius?

cormie · 15-08-2013 11:32pm

Why don't you just use the cable that's supplied with the mobius? :P

vibe666 · 16-08-2013 7:14am

kceire wrote: »

Sorry to go on about this but I rooted out the box from my previous dash cam. I have the ciggy to mini USB cable as supplied with that. And the power of that cam was 5V / 500MA.

Would that cable be ok with the möbius?

only if you want to brick it.

5V/500mA isn't even close to the 5V/1000mA I've already stated is required for the mobius. ( and you even quoted me saying it!)

as I've also already stated, unless you know for a fact that the cable that came with your dashcam is wired in the standard usb configuration, even if it was 5V/1000mW you run the risk of bricking your mobius the first time you connect it.

I just don't get why you're making such a big deal out of not spending a couple of euro to use a proper adapter?

Gumbo · 16-08-2013 8:31am

cormie wrote: »

Why don't you just use the cable that's supplied with the mobius? :P

Seemly it doesn't reach where I want to plug it in. I will know for sure when I receive it.

Gumbo · 16-08-2013 8:34am

vibe666 wrote: »

only if you want to brick it.

5V/500mA isn't even close to the 5V/1000mA I've already stated is required for the mobius. ( and you even quoted me saying it!)

as I've also already stated, unless you know for a fact that the cable that came with your dashcam is wired in the standard usb configuration, even if it was 5V/1000mW you run the risk of bricking your mobius the first time you connect it.

I just don't get why you're making such a big deal out of not spending a couple of euro to use a proper adapter?

Jesus man relax, if you don't want to answer the question then don't. But don't go on a mini rant over it.

I just want to 100% make sure I know what I am looking for when it arrives.

My problem is not buying a new adaptor, but I want to make sure I buy the correct adaptor.

So just to confirm, I could use this adaptor I've attached and a USB cable?

PS. I am grateful for your answers

vibe666 · 16-08-2013 10:19am

kceire wrote: »

I just want to 100% make sure I know what I am looking for when it arrives.

My problem is not buying a new adaptor, but I want to make sure I buy the correct adaptor.

So just to confirm, I could use this adaptor I've attached and a USB cable?

vibe666 wrote: »

you'll need to be sure your PSU can supply a minimum of 1000mW and 5 to 5.5v to avoid any problems down the line.

vibe666 wrote: »

so as long as the ciggie usb adapter can output a minimum of 5v and 1000mW it should be grand.

vibe666 wrote: »

5v and 1000mW, but if it's got the lead built directly into the cig adapter i'd be very wary of using it

vibe666 wrote: »

5V/500mA isn't even close to the 5V/1000mA I've already stated is required for the mobius. (and you even quoted me saying it!)

what do you think?

if i say it again, that'll be the 5th time in the last couple of days i've answered the same question.

I don't mind answering anyone's questions whenever i can help, but it annoys me when people keep making me answer the same question over and over in the same thread when i've already said it several times.

USB ciggie adapter from official Mobius reseller.

3M power lead from the same seller, even comes with little sticky clippy yokes to attach the lead.

vibe666 · 16-08-2013 4:06pm

in related news, i just ordered this Sandisk 64gb microSD from amazon a couple of hours ago and have already got the email saying it was dispatched and will arrive tomo, so i'll let you know how that goes.

64gb cards are not *officially* supported apparently, but everyone who's tried one says it works fine as long as you use the mSetup app for the mobius to format the card via USB with it in the camera, so I guess we'll see how that goes.

just for reference, you get 5 minutes of 30fps 1080p video for every 658mb on your memory card.

i believe the only real caveat with it is that you have to then copy files directly from the camera via USB from then on as you can't read the card in other devices, but it's fine for my purposes.

i'll let you know how i get on with it.

alyssum · 16-08-2013 4:57pm

vibe666 wrote: »

in related news, i just ordered this Sandisk 64gb microSD from amazon a couple of hours ago and have already got the email saying it was dispatched and will arrive tomo, so i'll let you know how that goes.

64gb cards are not *officially* supported apparently, but everyone who's tried one says it works fine as long as you use the mSetup app for the mobius to format the card via USB with it in the camera, so I guess we'll see how that goes.

just for reference, you get 5 minutes of 30fps 1080p video for every 658mb on your memory card.

i believe the only real caveat with it is that you have to then copy files directly from the camera via USB from then on as you can't read the card in other devices, but it's fine for my purposes.

i'll let you know how i get on with it.

about 8 hours?

vibe666 · 16-08-2013 6:26pm

alyssum wrote: »

about 8 hours?

no idea, my maths is terrible! :pac:

sounds about right tho.

Snake Plisken · 17-08-2013 12:31am

Thanks to Vibe666 I decided to order the Mobius with the cig adaptor 3mtr cable & 2 windscreen mounts. Went with Eletoponline 365, emailed them and they are sending all the bits in the 1 box, got them to send it to ParcelMotel Belfast address, they estimate about 2 weeks for delivery. Will update when it arrives and if I get hit with customs.

vibe666 · 17-08-2013 3:31pm

looks like my 64gb microSD has landed in belfast, so should be in my PM box by this evening.

also my buyincoins calculator for anyone following the BA alerts thread.

EDIT: got it, and it worked right out of the box and is visible in windows at the full capacity both in the mobius and in the SD slot in my laptop with an SD to micro adapter card.

still only copies at about 10MB/s via the mobius, but getting 17MB/s via the adapter directly plugged into the laptop, so all good.

one of these if anyone is looking for one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SDSDQU-064G-U46A-microSDXC-Including-Adapter/dp/B007JTKM30/

Chris Dolmeth · 19-08-2013 2:13pm

vibe666 wrote: »

looks like my 64gb microSD has landed in belfast, so should be in my PM box by this evening.

also my buyincoins calculator for anyone following the BA alerts thread.

EDIT: got it, and it worked right out of the box and is visible in windows at the full capacity both in the mobius and in the SD slot in my laptop with an SD to micro adapter card.

Why spend so much on such a large card for a dashcam where the main point of it is that you only record when there's an incident? 16gb would more than suffice and tbh, I'd be thinking about more like an 8gb.

Do you plan on making/storing vids of other things (Trackdays)?

vibe666 · 19-08-2013 2:58pm

i plan on using it for whatever i want to use it for. i wanted to see if it would take a 64gb card and it does.

the cam records whenever there is power to it, so what happens if something happens on a long journey that i want to save? if i've only got a small card in it i would have to unplug it and leave it off, potentially missing another important incident.

a 64gb card is peanuts (€47 delivered, give or take) compared to ending up potentially paying out for an accident that wasn't my fault, it's a bargain.

the mobius action cam is a great quality and versatile 1080p HD video recorder the size of a matchbox. I can think of a lot of uses for it that would required a big sd card and i'm also pretty sure that what with it being a free country and all, i can spend my money on pretty much whatever gadgets i want? :rolleyes:

eamonnq · 19-08-2013 3:12pm

vibe666 wrote: »

it being a free country and all, i can spend my money on pretty much whatever gadgets i want? :rolleyes:

No you can't, you have to run it by the Bargain Alerts forum first so that people can tell you whether it is a bargain or not, or tell you that you could get a better one from somewhere else for half the price!! :P

rovoagho · 19-08-2013 4:02pm

vibe666 wrote: »

the cam records whenever there is power to it, so what happens if something happens on a long journey that i want to save?

Insert a second card, then you're covered no matter how long the journey. Unless you've 3 things you want to keep, of course; but that's a vicious circle -- if that were the case you'd be better off buying a rake of small cards.

You have a fair point and I will actually be buying another card for that reason, but 64GB is the high-end of MicroSD at the moment, so it's overpriced. You'd get two higher spec 32GB for the same or less.

vibe666 · 19-08-2013 4:30pm

rovoagho wrote: »

Insert a second card, then you're covered no matter how long the journey. Unless you've 3 things you want to keep, of course; but that's a vicious circle -- if that were the case you'd be better off buying a rake of small cards.

You have a fair point and I will actually be buying another card for that reason, but 64GB is the high-end of MicroSD at the moment, so it's overpriced. You'd get two higher spec 32GB for the same or less.

and you've either had to stop to replace one card with another one, or you've missed the opportunity to film yourself crashing into someone because you were busy fumbling with your dashcam trying to change the card because you wanted to keep a video of a dead badger (or whatever) on your other card.

personally, i'm a lot happier paying a couple of quid extra to not have to worry about it. if i wanted the cheapest microsd out there i wouldn't have paid for the sandisk ultra 64gb, which incidentally is £38.60 compared to the £20.15 for the 32gb one on amazon, so like for like, one 64gb card was cheaper than two of the same 32gb cards.

just checked a couple of sites and there is negligible difference between 32gb cards and 64gb ones of any given brand, so given the choice and not much of a price difference, a single 64gb card seems to make more sense if you know your dashcam will support it, which thanks to me testing the waters, you now know it does.

i've also had some trouble with non-branded cards in the past that weren't recognised in my old dashcam (although they worked perfectly in everything else I tried) which i then ended up buying a replacement for in a bricks and mortar shop at much higher expense to get me out of a pinch, so i went for the sandisk from a known good seller that i've used before to save myself some bother and it works perfectly.

Snake Plisken · 22-08-2013 3:40pm

Just a quick update placed order with Eletoponline 365 ordered on the 16th of August shipped on the 17th got it sent to Parcel Motel address in Belfast and it was in my pick up point this morning, no customs issue, was in a small jiffy bag and they through in a video out cable as a gift, so 6 days from China now that was quick! just need to set it up and test it and then decide on memory card to get.

Snake Plisken · 22-08-2013 6:28pm

@vibe666 got a transcend class 10 32gb card from memory, would have got the 64gb but they had no stock camera work fine have it set to 1080p 30fps, 1 thing that concerns me is the temp of the heatsink it gets really hot i'm not sure if this will shorten the life of the components but it looks like it could do with a larger heatsink or better ventilation for the heat to escape, does yours get as hot?

Vote 4 Pedro · 22-08-2013 6:43pm

Iv'e just got a Prestigio RoadRunner 511 from Memoryman.ie €119 from his ebay store with free delivery, it's wicked

He has other models as well, cheaper ones etc.
already had a class 10 SD card,
It's my first dash cam so i don't know to much about them but i'm impressed with it so far, only had it a few days,
the camera works really well and the picture quality is great.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Prestigio-RoadRunner-511-In-Car-Dashboard-Video-Recorder-2-5-LCD-HDMI-Out-NEW-/261239420376?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_Video_Camcorders&hash=item3cd31535d8

http://www.memoryman.ie/index.php?route=product/product&filter_name=RoadRunner&product_id=593

vibe666 · 22-08-2013 7:45pm

Snake Plisken wrote: »

1 thing that concerns me is the temp of the heatsink it gets really hot i'm not sure if this will shorten the life of the components but it looks like it could do with a larger heatsink or better ventilation for the heat to escape, does yours get as hot?

that's the whole point of the heatsink, it's supposed to get hot, that means it's working.

seriously though, it's fine. check out the techmoan review, he mentions the heatsink and temps.

Gumbo · 02-09-2013 10:58pm

Camera arrived safe and sound this morning.
Taking vibe666's advice and i wont be plugging it into the car until the official mobius 3M USB cable and Ciggy Adaptor arrives

Gumbo · 02-09-2013 10:59pm

Just have to do the initial set up and configuration now.

Snake Plisken · 02-09-2013 11:54pm

Vibe do you leave it up fulltime on the windscreen or do you take it down when not in use? I take it down every time I leave the van as don't want someone to see it and break in and rob it, but it's a pain as then your taking it down and putting it up 5 or 6 times a day.

Voodoomelon · 03-09-2013 12:36am

I'm ditching my Roadhawk, just ordered one of these moments ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdPHXv8Hzj8

Quality looks fantastic and is nice and compact too. Ordered from the link in the video description.

vibe666 · 03-09-2013 9:38am

Snake Plisken wrote: »

Vibe do you leave it up fulltime on the windscreen or do you take it down when not in use? I take it down every time I leave the van as don't want someone to see it and break in and rob it, but it's a pain as then your taking it down and putting it up 5 or 6 times a day.

depends on where I am. usually leave it in at home or if i'm parked somewhere off the street where it isn't too bright (multi storey car parks etc.), but if i'm somewhere for a while where it's likely to attract the attention of someone dodgy i'll take it down.

on the cig lighter front, my car is in for repairs and i've ended up driving the mrs's car for a while and annoyingly the cig lighter socket is constantly powered even with the ignition off so i have had to keep plugging it out and after a couple of weeks of constant plugging in and out the mobius cig lighter gave up the ghost.

i've since picked up a sturdier looking one in the local garage which seems to be doing the job nicely and doesn't look like it's going to break any time soon (touch wood).

if you're not plugging the mobius one in and out all the time though it shouldn't be an issue for you.

Gumbo · 03-09-2013 10:04am

vibe666 wrote: »

depends on where I am. usually leave it in at home or if i'm parked somewhere off the street where it isn't too bright (multi storey car parks etc.), but if i'm somewhere for a while where it's likely to attract the attention of someone dodgy i'll take it down.

on the cig lighter front, my car is in for repairs and i've ended up driving the mrs's car for a while and annoyingly the cig lighter socket is constantly powered even with the ignition off so i have had to keep plugging it out and after a couple of weeks of constant plugging in and out the mobius cig lighter gave up the ghost.

i've since picked up a sturdier looking one in the local garage which seems to be doing the job nicely and doesn't look like it's going to break any time soon (touch wood).

if you're not plugging the mobius one in and out all the time though it shouldn't be an issue for you.

On the E60 its the same.
I have an adaptor that converts the torch charger in the glove box to a ciggy female holder, which powers down 15 mins after the car is turned off (like all BMW's).

So i route my cables to there and leave the camera plugged in constantly and only remove if i need to acces some of the video clips.

rovoagho · 03-09-2013 1:10pm

Amateurs.

I'm sticking dual usb ports behind the dash, one for this and one for the phone. I looked for a hub, but they're either mad money or not voltage controlled.

Gumbo · 03-09-2013 9:24pm

rovoagho wrote: »

Amateurs. I'm sticking dual usb ports behind the dash, one for this and one for the phone. I looked for a hub, but they're either mad money or not voltage controlled.

I done that before, and the hubs burned out from the constant 12V feed and bricked my previous dashcam. Hence the need to buy this new one and making sure im doing it right this time

rovoagho · 04-09-2013 2:58am

My ports'll only be live when the ignition is on. Need to do the same thing for a two-way anyway. Been a while since I wired a relay mind....

vibe666 · 04-09-2013 9:49am

should be okay as long as you make sure it's capable of pushing 5v and 1000mA to each usb port or you may end up frying the dashcam.

Gumbo · 04-09-2013 10:45pm

rovoagho wrote: »

My ports'll only be live when the ignition is on. Need to do the same thing for a two-way anyway. Been a while since I wired a relay mind....

So were mine!
Connected to IGN on only wire.

rovoagho · 04-09-2013 11:34pm

kceire wrote: »

So were mine!
Connected to IGN on only wire.

Where did the constant 12V feed come from then?

Gumbo · 05-09-2013 9:47am

rovoagho wrote: »

Where did the constant 12V feed come from then?

i may have worded it wrong, but what i meant was the hub burned out from daily use after 2 months.
My map lights in the E36 were IGN live and thats what they were connected to using the hub/12V-5V convertor.

Im no sparks btw so you may have more knowledge than me in that area, just be carefull would be my advice, dont want to brick it

Atomic Pineapple · 05-09-2013 12:00pm

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Ordered from the link in the video description.

Do you know how much the final cost in euros to your door is?

Vote 4 Pedro · 05-09-2013 2:13pm

Are we aloud to sell on this thread ?
I have a brand new dash cam i want to sell.

rovoagho · 06-09-2013 3:40am

kceire wrote: »

i may have worded it wrong, but what i meant was the hub burned out from daily use after 2 months.
My map lights in the E36 were IGN live and thats what they were connected to using the hub/12V-5V convertor.

Im no sparks btw so you may have more knowledge than me in that area, just be carefull would be my advice, dont want to brick it

Perhaps it was a standard hub that happened to run on 12v? They don't have any conditioning so they can't deal with surges coming from the engine switching on. Purpose built hubs for cars and trucks are silly money.

I went for a simple dual-port job that likely has a very simple filter in it, like a cigar-lighter charger. It's expensive, but just what I need. There's another similar one on eBay, I just preferred the look of this one, and from a quick look at it when it arrived yesterday, the build quality seems ok. Gonna stick it right at the back of the glovebox, in case someone else wants to charge something.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0082CXEI8

I'm no sparks either, but my wiring is definitely better'n my plumbing.

Voodoomelon · 06-09-2013 6:52pm

Yup, was about €130 including the optional GPS unit. Will post details when it arrives.

rat catcher · 01-10-2013 12:19pm

Hi, just a word of warning to anyone buying dash cams with gps tracker. I ordered a unit from Aliexpress
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/263229466.html

I ordered the item at the start of the month and today I got a letter from com reg to say that the item does not have CE mark and it does not conform to the rules and reg here.Detention of non-compliant Apparatus by ComReg One page in the letter is for me to sign giving com reg the right to dispose of the item any way they seem fit. :eek: I have to say I got a shock reading the letter. So it looks like thats €90 down the drain!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Gumbo · 01-10-2013 12:20pm

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

Do you know how much the final cost in euros to your door is?

I had to buy one for my boss. Without the GPS unit, €97.10

aristotle25 · 01-10-2013 12:57pm

rat catcher wrote: »

Hi, just a word of warning to anyone buying dash cams with gps tracker. I ordered a unit from Aliexpress
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/263229466.html

I ordered the item at the start of the month and today I got a letter from com reg to say that the item does not have CE mark and it does not conform to the rules and reg here.Detention of non-compliant Apparatus by ComReg One page in the letter is for me to sign giving com reg the right to dispose of the item any way they seem fit. :eek: I have to say I got a shock reading the letter. So it looks like thats €90 down the drain!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

You can just detach the gps part off that gps tracker I believe?

But even then I can believe comreg are getting involved. How did they know to contact you? Customs?

cormie · 01-10-2013 12:59pm

How is the GPS unit making the difference with comreg out of curiosity?

vibe666 · 01-10-2013 1:17pm

rat catcher wrote: »

Hi, just a word of warning to anyone buying dash cams with gps tracker. I ordered a unit from Aliexpress
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/263229466.html

I ordered the item at the start of the month and today I got a letter from com reg to say that the item does not have CE mark and it does not conform to the rules and reg here.Detention of non-compliant Apparatus by ComReg One page in the letter is for me to sign giving com reg the right to dispose of the item any way they seem fit. :eek: I have to say I got a shock reading the letter. So it looks like thats €90 down the drain!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

tell them to return it to the sender and then get a refund from them once it's returned.

failing that, it technically wasn't delivered to you and you have not signed for it, so i would be requesting a refund from the seller anyway.

personally, i wouldn't be rolling over and letting myself end up out of pocket because a seller sold something to me that was not legally allowed to be sold to someone in the EU. not without a fight anyway.

rat catcher · 01-10-2013 5:06pm

aristotle25 wrote: »

You can just detach the gps part off that gps tracker I believe?

But even then I can believe comreg are getting involved. How did they know to contact you? Customs?

Yea the item was passed on from customs :mad:

rat catcher · 01-10-2013 5:09pm

vibe666 wrote: »

tell them to return it to the sender and then get a refund from them once it's returned.

failing that, it technically wasn't delivered to you and you have not signed for it, so i would be requesting a refund from the seller anyway.

personally, i wouldn't be rolling over and letting myself end up out of pocket because a seller sold something to me that was not legally allowed to be sold to someone in the EU. not without a fight anyway.

Thanks, yea I sent a email of to the person dealing with my case, so just have to wait and see

Dash cams, what to get and where to get it (Q&A only)

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