Where can I get a non-defective A119 V3? (SOLVED)

gse said:
MS621FE is a rechargeable battery
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OK, I have never read the p/n on it and it looks to me just like a normal tabbed lithium coincell. If you know for the fact that MS621FE is used in V3 as an RTC battery then I take back my statement and apologise for confusion.
 
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gse, thanks.
That photo is not in the "teardown" ("razborochka") section of the A119V3 thread at the other forum.
Worth adding?
 
ds2010 said:
VIOFO-Support, perhaps you had to be more clear in your last post that the firmware you uploaded in there, is NOT new, and has NOT been specifically built by VIOFO recently to address the issue with random loss of settings, although I can see by the likes of your post that it has most certainly been taken that way by some users.

The reality is that the firmware version you uploaded above, is the fairly old test firmware v2.6T, build 20220215, which has been made available by VIOFO to the users out there long time ago.

The feedback I can give you right now is that this firmware version actually does NOT fix the settings loss issue. That has been reported by at least one user at the alternative forum, who had that version installed when it was first made available, and still reports periodical resets of the settings to their factory default values.

Sorry for me having to be a bad news messenger.
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Thanks for your reminder. (y) It is my fault for not posting it clearly, which may mislead others. I will improve it in each reply in the future.
 
VIOFO-Support, can you please clarify one more thing for us, thanks.
This question came up in the conversation at another forum. It is related to the subject of occasional unpredictable user settings loss (reset to factory default) reported by some users.

Can you please tell us where and how the user menu settings are stored in A119V3:
- in the internal EEPROM of Novatek processor? (does it have one?)
or
- in the external (to micro) EEPROM IC?
or
- in the internal RAM (volatile) memory area, which is supplied by the MS621FE RTC backup battery, so technically should be permanently powered on?
or
- in some other way? (please describe)

And could you also please separately answer the following specific question:

If, for example, I change the settings via user menu, quit the menu (settings saved), then disconnect the USB power from the Mini-USB connector, wait for the dashcam to power off, open its case and remove the MS621FE battery, wait for an hour and reconnect the MS621FE battery, then power up the dashcam via USB - will my user settings now be lost (reset to factory default) or kept?

Thanks in advance for your response.
 
ds2010 said:
VIOFO-Support, can you please clarify one more thing for us, thanks.
This question came up in the conversation at another forum. It is related to the subject of occasional unpredictable user settings loss (reset to factory default) reported by some users.

Can you please tell us where and how the user menu settings are stored in A119V3:
- in the internal EEPROM of Novatek processor? (does it have one?)
or
- in the external (to micro) EEPROM IC?
or
- in the internal RAM (volatile) memory area, which is supplied by the MS621FE RTC backup battery, so technically should be permanently powered on?
or
- in some other way? (please describe)

And could you also please separately answer the following specific question:

If, for example, I change the settings via user menu, quit the menu (settings saved), then disconnect the USB power from the Mini-USB connector, wait for the dashcam to power off, open its case and remove the MS621FE battery, wait for an hour and reconnect the MS621FE battery, then power up the dashcam via USB - will my user settings now be lost (reset to factory default) or kept?

Thanks in advance for your response.
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The settings are kept on spi-flash. If you remove the battery, only the time setting will be influenced. Other settings will not be affected.
 
After you change your settings come out of the settings menu, then go back in and roll round all 5he settings categories

Are they set as you selected ?

I don't use my dashcams very often now and only the first video has had it's time reset to 'day 1', all my other settings are correct

It is easy to think you've 'selected' a setting only to find you've come out the wrong way so it's still as it was
 
VIOFO-Support, thanks a lot for your prompt response and for the clarification. I am assuming that it is the same spi flash IC where the firmware is written to, that is 25L6436F. Right?
Then I have another question, if I may.
At what moment of time do those user settings get saved into the spi-flash?

The specific question is as below:
After user changes the settings via menu, when exactly do those settings get written from ram into the spi-flash :
- individually, as user changes them, immediately upon each change, while the user is still using the menu mode on the A119V3 ?
or
- all together in one bunch, when user quits the menu and the dashcam goes to the normal recording mode?
or
- only at the end of the work session, after the external usb power removal, that is while dashcam is still powered by supercaps, just before the complete power off?

Thanks heaps!
 
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Kremmen said:
After you change your settings come out of the settings menu, then go back in and roll round all 5he settings categories

Are they set as you selected ?

I don't use my dashcams very often now and only the first video has had it's time reset to 'day 1', all my other settings are correct

It is easy to think you've 'selected' a setting only to find you've come out the wrong way so it's still as it was
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Not sure if this is just a general advice or you are addressing anyone in particular.
Good suggestion, but does not explain the case when all previously saved settings suddenly get reset to their factory default states, with no apparent reason and no related intentional action from the user.
A few users have reported such behaviour.
 
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It was just a general comment as I've made the mistake of pressing the wrong button after having changed a setting(s) and when checked it wasn't saved

Over the years since the V3 was released this resetting of settings is new. The only time my settings have defaulted is when I do a firmware update. When I do, as soon as the dashcam has rebooted and started recording, I turn the power off, remove my small firmware card and put my larger main sdcard in
 
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Just a bit unclear how this is going to help the users with regular unexplainable loss of their settings.

Btw, performing manual reset to factory defaults every time you load the new firmware, is strongly advised by VIOFO.
 
VIOFO-Support, just a gentle reminder that I asked some further questions in the post #68 above on this page.
Could you please give us your answers to those Qs, thanks!
 
ds2010 said:
VIOFO-Support, thanks a lot for your prompt response and for the clarification. I am assuming that it is the same spi flash IC where the firmware is written to, that is 25L6436F. Right?
Then I have another question, if I may.
At what moment of time do those user settings get saved into the spi-flash?

The specific question is as below:
After user changes the settings via menu, when exactly do those settings get written from ram into the spi-flash :
- individually, as user changes them, immediately upon each change, while the user is still using the menu mode on the A119V3 ?
or
- all together in one bunch, when user quits the menu and the dashcam goes to the normal recording mode?
or
- only at the end of the work session, after the external usb power removal, that is while dashcam is still powered by supercaps, just before the complete power off?

Thanks heaps!
Click to expand...
The settings will be kept on spi-flash immediately after being changed before quitting the menu.
 
Kremmen said:
Try running it indoors on a mobile phone charger just to rule in or out the device.

Ditto with SDCard after testing it with h2testw.

I've seen so many dashcams of various brands throwing errors in the car but working OK on a smooth indoor power source.

If the unit works indoors and if the card passes integrity and speed tests then it has to be a bad power connection.
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These aren't bad power connections, it's the cameras that are bad that are unable to handle some power fluctuations or don't save settings to flash first of all. It is a bad design ALWAYS if a device loses firmware settings when power is briefly lost, especially in an automotive application.
And this is also why VIOFO has been making FIXES to the bad design.
 
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