A129 Plus Duo-clips missing

[goddi]

Greetings,
The dash cam is missing several video clips. I had reformatted the card and did a couple short test drives. I drove to stores close by and looked at the files after I got home. I am missing several video clips. Please see the attached files. They are screenprints of files for both trips.

1-The initial trip to the store was not recorded by the front or the rear camera. Should have had a 24F and a 25R file.

2-The return trip from the store was not recorded by the front or rear cameras (should be after 75PF).

3-The rear camera file is missing for the 77F file.

4-The rear camera files are missing for the 86F and 87F files.

5-The rear camera files are missing for the 105F and 106F files.

Is this a problem with the microSD card or the dash cams?

Gary

 

[Capture Your Action]

What card is it?

 

[goddi]

It's the card that came with the A129 Plus Duo...

 

[Capture Your Action]

Not sure why a Viofo dash camera would come with a Thinkware memory card, but I assume the seller has tested the card with the Viofo and they are compatible.
First thing I would do is make sure your running the latest firmware.

 

[goddi]

Greetings,
These are the cards that BlackBoxMyCar includes with the A129 Plus Duo cameras.
The firmware I currently have is:
A129 Plus V 1.0
Build 20200925
Rear: V1.0_20200925

I have not yet reflashed or updated my firmware. Not sure if there is a more current version. I do see a V1.4 but it would be nice if they put that info in the name of the .bin files that we are to download. I have only reformatted the microSD card. I have not reflashed/updated the firmware because the steps from the Viofo site are not clear at all.
https://support.viofo.com/support/solutions/articles/19000117980-viofo-a129-plus-duo-dash-camera-firmware

For example, Step 2, does not make sense:
"Plug the rear camera and connect the front camera with an external charger, it will start to upgrade the front camera automatically. After the front camera upgraded, the camera will restart automatically."

What does 'Plug the rear camera...'mean? Which port?

What does 'connect the front camera with an external charger...' mean?

My front and rear cameras are installed in the cars. Do I have to remove them? Disconnect them? What port do I plug in the external charger? What is an 'external charger'? It it the cable for the cigarette lighter that came with the camera? A short cable also came with the camera. The two cables are already plugged into the front camera.

Step 3 says '...then reboot the camera'. How does one 'reboot the camera'?

The initial instructions says '...you need to upgrade the front camera and the rear camera firmware separately'. But the steps don't show a 'separate' step for the rear camera. All the update files are loaded onto the microSD card. After that, there are no 'separate' instructions for the rear camera. Please explain.

The instructions should be rewritten, with pictures, so we know what the instructions mean. It is very poor English, bad punctuation, and just too frustrating to follow. I am so frustrated with the lack of clear, concise, instructions. Even the menus on the APP are different from the menu on the dash cam screen. It took me days to figure this out. It has taken me many hours to figure out how to get the Parking Mode to function properly. Now the Parking Mode works, but these are new problems with clips not being recorded.

I have the A129 Plus Duo installed in my two cars and it has be taking me much too much time to figure out the proper settings and explain the problems. Viofo and BlackBoxMyCar should create better videos and instructions so we can see better what to expect when we are trying to use the dash cams and set menus.

I will reflash or update the firmware once I get clear instructions on how to do it.

I understand that update instructions were made, I believe, in China, so their English is not the best. But please rewrite them so they can be better understood.
Thanks...
Gary

 

[Paul's Dashcam]

Easiest way to update firmware is onto a blank card, put it in the dashcam, and power it in-situ. The FW will be written and then you need to do a full reset, and re-input your own text (name, reg., etc).

 

[goddi]

Sounds too easy compared to what I have seen written! I'll give it a try. And it looks like that is the way it should work.
Is a 'full reset' putting in the paper clip in the little hole?
And is V1.4 the lastest firmware version?
Thanks...
Gary

 

[Paul's Dashcam]

Hi Gary.


Download the newest firmware here: https://support.viofo.com/support/solutions/19000101567/

Make sure your card is formatted. Copy the firmware onto it. Then place in camera and start it up as if you were going out for a drive.

It will seem to nothing but blink a red LED for a while, and then it will start up as normal.

Stop it recording by pressing the record button, and enter the menu. Scroll down until you find RESET and press OK button. Once it has done that, you';; need to stop it recording again, enter the menu, and input all your chosen settings (car reg, resolution, etc) and then it should be sorted.

Paul.

 

[goddi]

Paul,
I just got this reply from BlackBoxMyCar after I asked for better instructions. I'll give it a try soon. Thanks...
Gary

"1. Take your microSD card out of the camera and insert it into your computer using the supplied reader.

2. Click on the link below and download all three files (RearcamA129FW.update, RearcamA129FW.bin, FWA129S.bin):
https://support.viofo.com/support/solutions/articles/19000117980-viofo-a129-plus-duo-dash-camera-firmware

3. Format your memory card in your computer (the memory card should be empty after doing this).

4. Open your Downloads folder and drag/drop (or copy/paste) all three firmware files onto the root of your memory card.

5. Once the files are transferred over, go ahead and eject your memory card and pop it back into your front camera.

6. Turn on the car for the camera to boot up, and wait for it to reboot (the red LED light will flash during this process and the screen will be black). Once the camera boots up and the screen shows live view, short press the WiFi button (the one on the far right) and you'll see a message stating 'Send FW to TX.."

7. After about a minute or so, you will see 'Tx Start Update FW...'. Once the message disappears, unplug the power cable and plug it back into to reboot the camera.

You can confirm that the camera is on the latest firmware by going into the settings and verifying that it is running on V1.4.

You can leave your cameras and the cables in your vehicle during this process, no need to remove them."

 

[Capture Your Action]

These sound pretty much like the instructions on the Viofo site. Just structured better I guess.
One change I would make. Format the card in the camera, not on the computer.

 

[Paul's Dashcam]

Ah yeah, thus needs the TX Send as well... Go with theirs and you should have no issues. Plus format in camera like CYA says though.

Paul.

 

[goddi]

Greetings,
I updated both of my cars to V1.4. All went well. Pain to have to reset all the menu items. Hard on the neck and need a flashlight! But done. However, I did not do the "Once the message disappears, unplug the power cable and plug it back into to reboot the camera." All seemed to go well anyway. And turning off the car and turning it on seems to do the same thing, I'd think. Just hard to get to the cable...kinda tight.
Thanks all,
Gary