B40 / A118 / AE-CC30 Mounted in your Car. ( Photos )

[Gibson99]

My rain sensor never actally worked so I'm thinking - is it possible to remove it and place the camera where it was. It has a small clear window where the actual sensor is but I'm not sure if it will be big enough to not block the camera view. How big of a hole does the camera need?

it will be different for every car depending on the angle of your windshield. so the only way to find out would be to hold the camera up to the glass (or go ahead and stick the mount to the glass), then turn it on so you can see the screen. set screen saver to OFF just for this test. hold a piece of paper against the glass then slowly slide it towards the lens and watch the screen to see when the paper shows up on the screen. then use a marker to draw on the glass to mark the line. or just move the marker towards the lens and when the tip shows up, make a mark. do this all the way around and that will show you how big the hole needs to be.

 

[rld17]

Hello, I'm using this DVR and have some questions:
- can I use this charger on the left, instead of the original one?

- is it possible to charge the camera at home with a specified charger? I'm worried that is not recommended

but if it's possible, a charger with what specifications (amperage) is needful?

 

[kamkar]

I think so, the pin out for the power cables should be standard, so the only problem could be if the other PSU / charger do not provide enough power.

If the camera do not get enough power you will see random failures to start recording when you turn on your car, or the camera might start recording but then stop later on.
In that case it is always best to try / use the original PSU to make sure it is not the camera.

As i do testing of cameras i often need many plugs ( 12 V ) so i have two 3 way splitters in my glove box so i can do testing with the original power supplies, and this way i also have my cars original ciggerette lighter plug free for other stuff.

Something like this, connected to a 30 A fuse in the fuse box.

It do not matter if your charger was 30 A, the camera will only pull the 1 - 2 A of power it need to work, so no chance of setting fire to your car.

 

[kamkar]

Dashcams dont really need charging, though some have a battery inside it is a very small one only there to finalize the last file in case of a violent crash where the regular power may be cut.
Dashcams with lipo batteries are not super good, at least not if you live in a very hot or cold place, cameras with capacitors for the same job er much better, the batteries can die early and need replacement.

I myself testing cameras at home on my computer table use old phone / tablet wall chargers to power the camera when i work with them, here like in the car you need to have a strong anough charger,,,,,, the ones i use are 2 - 3 A chargers.

 

[kamkar]

Also know the USB wires, some can be made with cheap CCA wires inside ( Copper Clad Aluminum ) this are less good than true all copper wire cables, this can especially be a problem with longer wires.

 

[rld17]

Dashcams dont really need charging, though some have a battery inside it is a very small one only there to finalize the last file in case of a violent crash where the regular power may be cut.

You're right. So, this dvr only needs power to record and is pointless to charge it at home.
Regarding usb cable - still wondering should I by this one for example:
USB AM/Min USB 5P 2.0V
Supports 480Mbps data rate
Nickel-plated connector
Perfect for printers, scanners, digital cameras and more
Compliant with USB 1.0V,1.1V, devices

or continue using the "original" one
And first need to drive about two hours with the dvr plugged in but not recording, right?

 

[Gibson99]

You're right. So, this dvr only needs power to record and is pointless to charge it at home.
Regarding usb cable - still wondering should I by this one for example:
USB AM/Min USB 5P 2.0V
Supports 480Mbps data rate
Nickel-plated connector
Perfect for printers, scanners, digital cameras and more
Compliant with USB 1.0V,1.1V, devices

or continue using the "original" one
And first need to drive about two hours with the dvr plugged in but not recording, right?

The battery in the camera charges up after only a few seconds. No need to do anything special to charge it - it's automatic. Just plug in, let it start recording, and drive.

If the battery ever goes completely dead (which takes at least a week if not more), you might have to set the time and date after plugging it back in, but that's all.

 

[rld17]

Still didn't mounted on the car - wonder myself where to place it. If is hidden behind rear view mirror, the display wouldn't be visible when driving. If is placed left on the mirror, will look a bit noticeable [emoji2]

 

[Gibson99]

Most cameras you don't need to see the screen during normal driving. I like to see the LEDs at the top of the camera, and I was able to mount mine so that I can just barely see the LEDs above my rear view mirror. If I ever need to see the screen, I do it while stopped, and just lean forwards to see it.

 

[rld17]

Finally, the best position will be behind rear view mirror, on the right side. So, I will only see led lights and wouldn't have problems removing the camera.
But wondering will a tape harm black dotted protection folio on the window when removing?

 

[Gibson99]

No the dots will be fine as long as you don't use something like sandpaper on them. Just make sure you clean them real good before sticking the camera - I use isopropyl alcohol.

 

[rld17]

I've installed the camera, but there's a problem with recording. Put a 32gb class 10 sd card. When turning on the camera, it shows 2 hours available for recording. I've selected 3 minutes loop recording. It starts recording and after a few minutes of driving the display turns off and only the blue light is on. There was 3 or 4 records found on the sd card at home.

Tried without loop mode but again the display turns off after a few minutes of driving. Watched the video at home, it was about 10 minutes but has no length or video quality info. Played with VLC, because the other players said - Broken video.

Connect it to the laptop and start record to monitoring what's going on. After a few minutes, the display again turns black and the recording stops. No overfilling of the sd card
Does anyone have the same problem?

 

[DT MI]

Connect it to the laptop and start record to monitoring what's going on. After a few minutes, the display again turns black and the recording stops. No overfilling of the sd card
Does anyone have the same problem?

That could be caused by the laptop not supplying enough power to the camera. Most cameras require 1A to 1.5A which is more than many computer USB ports supply. It's better to use a phone charger or similar power source versus a computer.

I've installed the camera, but there's a problem with recording. Put a 32gb class 10 sd card. When turning on the camera, it shows 2 hours available for recording. I've selected 3 minutes loop recording. It starts recording and after a few minutes of driving the display turns off and only the blue light is on. There was 3 or 4 records found on the sd card at home.

Tried without loop mode but again the display turns off after a few minutes of driving. Watched the video at home, it was about 10 minutes but has no length or video quality info. Played with VLC, because the other players said - Broken video.

It's normal for the screen to turn off after after a short period of time.

How long did you drive with loop recording on and when off? A 10 minute drive with 3 minute loop recording will create 3 or 4 files. Did you try to view each of them?

How did you remove the SD card from the camera? You have to 'power off' the camera before removing the card, removing the card while the camera is powered on and recording will almost always cause a corrupt or 'broken video'.

 

[kamkar]

Even if i have a okay view at screens on cameras mounted in front of my mirror, i still prefer to have a little slack wire above the headliner, and then pull them off the mount and down a little when working with them.

Only for testing do i use the LCD on all the time ( if possible ) or the longest time out period ( often 5 min )
I do so to generate as much heat in the camera to test heat tolerance, and of course after i while i stop doing that as a LCD screen on are silly to have.

Have you tested your memory card to see if it is a fake one, it is quite normal to use a 8 GB memory card and then fake it so it look to me 32 GB.

 

[rld17]

Forgot to mention that I'm using a voltmeter and USB cable for charging. Formating again the card and drive for more than an hour and everything works. Recorded files are 3 minutes long, but looks too bigger - 600 mb each.
That's a screenshot from the player - does it looks well?

Cannot see the license plate of the vehicles in front of me, but on those on the left and the right - yes... maybe because of the lights.
My battery is brand new, it shows usually 14.2 - 14.8 while driving with headlights, radio turned on. Noticed that after a driving with plugged dvr camera, sometimes the voltage drops to 13.2 which is too low.
Drive again the next day but shortly - holds between 14.2 - 14.8
What's the typical consumption of this camera?

PS - I'm attaching youtube screenshot which looks slightly clearer than mine

 

[Gibson99]

Looks normal for night video. This camera is older so it doesn't have the latest image sensor but it's better than a lot of other junk cameras out there.

Here's an old clip from my a118 (basically the same camera) at night for you to compare.

 

[rld17]

Maybe I've made a wrong choice [emoji849]Do you think that Xiaomi 70mai 1s will be better? It has SONY IMX 323 Image Sensor.
B40 A118 cost me 25€

 

[jokiin]

You bought cheap and got the level of performance you paid for, the IMX323 will give a better result in low light, there are still better options to be had but you need to raise your budget to get there

 

[rld17]

I will consider it but for now, I couldn't spend more than 40 euros on camera. That's the price for 70mai 1s.
For now my camera works, just wondering why no matter of the length, files size is 600 MB when loop recording is set to 3 minutes? 1-second file - 600 MB, 3 minutes files - again 600 MB

 

[SawMaster]

Have you viewed the video files both ways? If you can get the cam to record reliably all of the time I would just go with however it is which gives you that.

Not necessarily a bad cam or bad choice, just an older design which was once considered to be good for the price. I use a different cam with similar specs as one of my rear cams and I'm happy enough with it because it is so reliable It will probably stay there till it finally dies.

Phil