My Vantrue dashcam expanded “ballooned” and stopped working exactly 14 months after purchase. I figured by now that they wouldn’t use lithium anymore I assumed they would use capacitor’s instead. Oh well. I now have a BlackView dashcam and are very happy with it… still going strong, so far:). Another wonderful video. Cheers.
Hi rphawx! and thank you! oh man I haven't tested the Vantrue but it's interesting to hear it's also plagued by this issue. Will take a look at the Blackview dash cams may have to add one to the list of dash cams to review. Cheers!
Nice teardown. I had a dashcam with that same swollen battery issue. I tried replacing it with a similar battery by splicing it in to the existing wires.. No desoldering from the main board. It worked for a while and then the battery stopped holding charge and then the dashcam failed. Its a lot harder to find a good battery replacement. That's why if you can get a super capacitor and other support board at a decent price then it might be worth it to get those parts instead of replacing.
Thanks mpcp27! interesting to hear the same happened to yours, in a way I give credit to this battery because it lasted a long time before it decide to call it quits but I do prefer a capacitor that won't (normally, because I have some some also go kaput LOL) do that. I'm curious to explore the super capacitor conversion board idea...
Hi Alex, I learned a lot watching you disassemble, I'll save the video to my favorites for future reference, just in case my H612T fail, thank you for this teardown!!! :)
Wow! You are really curious about tech! I love your videos! Thanks to you many of us will stop throwing away tech gadgets and start digging to find the problems, learning during the process and so becoming more educated. So many thanks for your videos. i just hope that kids and teens will find you soon so your videos will also keep them learning and in their right tracks.
This is an awesome video!! Thank you Alex! I always wondered what the insides of a dash cam looked like and now I have that answer thanks to this video. Keep up the great work and thanks again!😃
-Thank you very very much for this video. This helped me to recover my H612T, Funny enough I bought mine because the review you made about to month after you made it... and then here I am almost 2 month after you made this teardown with the very same connector Issue, exactly the same flickering behavior 2 years after, only that I had a Hardwired Kit with a custom made Motorcycle battery Power bank that draws current from the fuse box to the battery bank to avoid draining the small battery of my Toyota hybrid. So mine have a bit more mileage than yours. -I converted mine to USB-C at the cost of loosing the low profile on top, the USB C protrudes about 2 cm -The sad part of the history is that in the process I damaged the original plug of my camera and then I lost the Parking Mode of the dash cam, It draws the same current if I left it recording with the screen off or if I left it recording 1 sec Time Lapse, but I did lost the Parking Guard and then I have to constantly turn on the screen saver every time I get off the car. - Said all of this, I did heard that you prefer to buy a new one rather than repair this one, I would really really appreciate if you can send me the board of this one so I can fix it so I can recover the Parking mode again. -In the future I surely will go for a Mirror Dash Cam with USB-C and with at least WiFi, I hope to see in the future some LTE 3-Way mirror dash cam (If there is any) Thank you very much for all the reviews.
You're welcome EdrumSense! Glad to hear it helped. That is very neat to hear a conversion to USB-C was possible, I had another viewer replace his connector with same, another removed the old connector and connected the power cable directly to the PCB, but you are the first to have converted to USB C, neat! Ah yes regarding the board, I would totally send it your way but I'm using it as a reference board (got more tear down videos coming) so I can show the difference in between brands. But I do have a 2nd Vantop in service, if that ones goes then I will have a spare board to send you, will keep this in mind. Cheers from California!
@@AlexAutoFun Thank you very much, I was asking just in case you were thinking in throwing it away after the video. Of course I will cover the shipping costs. I am located at Chile but I think I can setup a forwarding mail box at Miami. Thanks for all those amazing reviews, specially the dash cam ones. If you can locate a good Mirror with 2.5K+WiFi+USB-C just let us know so I can start saving to swap my old vantop. The only one that I saw was the Veement (AKA vantop), the wolfbox are really amazing but there is no Mirror with WiFi Version. Also I dream of a Mirror dash cam with streaming or File Sync at least over WiFi, it could be amazing for Law Enforcement encounters.
@@edrumsense You're welcome EdrumSense! Yeah both Wifi and USB C are both still a very rare option on mirror dash cams, but I will keep an eye out for it. Ah yes regarding streaming dash cams (Cloud enabled) we have not seen those in mirror dash cams yet but here is one in stick style ua-cam.com/video/BAEH4f2ulEs/v-deo.html again Cloud dash cams are extremely rare but since I always recommend running dual dash cams systems (for redundancy) the Thinkware would be a good choice to pair a mirror dash cam with. Hope this helps, Cheers!
@@AlexAutoFun Thanks for the link, but I think I am stranded to Mirror dash cams, in any case, I think I will go for a very cheap Mirror Cam just for the rear view and maybe think on the thinkware Dash. The link you sent me served me to review the overal thinkware web page, Is in your road map any plans to review the Thinkware Multiplexer? Looks very interesting, kind of expensive for me, but who knows, maybe I can afford it in the future.
@@edrumsense That's odd, I just checked the links, they are working. But I have noticed that if you are in an area where Amazon does not carry the product, the link won't work. But I will look into that multiplexer and the required dash cam, be neat to test out, the only thing I see that maybe an issue is that it combines the images. I seen that before on the S50 ua-cam.com/video/7n4J8Bz6tLM/v-deo.html may not be an issue if you don't mind the combined image, but will look into it further, thanks for tip! Cheers from California!
Thank you Santa Claus! I may do a video on the battery replacement, not sure if there is much interest there for it but I'm thinking about (will also have replace the failed USB connector)..
@@AlexAutoFun it'd be nice to see the process of it and if you can bring it back to life. I remember you saying it was one of your favorite dash cams so it'd be nice seeing it come back to life.
No need to replace batt, just bypass/remove the batt. This worked for my Pormido . You will lose some functions like "accident record when key is off".
Hi Nicedesk! Ah yes this may also vary from dash cam to dash cam but most seem to use the battery for park monitoring (if not hardwired) and closing out video files in the event of sudden power loss (such as in a serious car crash). Cheers!
Hi Andrew, correct, the wires can be de-soldered to separate the battery but probably the easiest way would be to cut the wires flush to the PCB to separate the battery. Just be aware that the battery is used to close out the video video file in case of sudden power loss (such as in a serious accident) or when turning off the car in the middle of a file being recorded. Without a battery the file may not have time to be closed by the dashcam and you can potentially ended up with a corrupted video file. Cheers!
Update, video files will not be closed correctly when the key (power) is turned off. This means any file made when the key is turned off will be corrupted. So if you bypass the batt, and NEED to save the current video file then make sure to feed power until the next video file is started. File run time length is user selectable on my unit. In case of accident where car battery power is lost the video file will be corrupted.
@Nicedesk Yep! Sounds right to me, that is one of the disadvantages of MP4 files over TS (but for some reason I still lean towards the MP4 container) Cheers!
Thanks for the detail video, very nice! Since this is supposed to be a fun exploration of a dashcam tear down, I wonder: 1. If we can hook up a larger capacity battery to give the unit a bit more juice to record while the car is in park? 2. If the larger battery is too large to fit in place then can we connect 2 of the the same size battery to get almost double the power for recording? Just a thought.
You're welcome John and thank you! Ah yes I had viewers experiment with their dash cams (both replacing the battery and also adding a higher capacity one) However the stock battery was more than enough for parking monitoring in my case, remember the battery is only used for standby during parking mode as the dash cam only turns on and records when there is an impact detected, so the battery consumption is low. That being said I'm personally moving away from batteries in my car. I prefer a dash cam equipped with a capacitor or a standard hardwire kit since here in my State we experience really hot temperatures which I would not want to subject the Li-ion battery. This includes the potential for a run away event (fire) during charging or discharging inside the car (as shown on the video this can also potentially happen as a result of battery degradation). And here is battery related fire I personally experienced ua-cam.com/video/XfWgJ8nu-RA/v-deo.html (destroyed the house) Cheers!
Always get combustible battery in any cam ! Any lithium battery is not good in heat . Lithium degrades and under extreme heat can get dangerous. Learning as I’m looking into things buying my next dash cam .
Hi Greg! Yes I had other adventurous viewers experiment with modifying their dash cams with either longer extensions, or attaching different cameras. However I usually do not recommend doing this unless you have the technical skills required to modify it, don't care about voiding the warranty by modifying the dash cam, and lastly we don't know the long term effects of modifying the system (both operational and safety). Hope this helps, Cheers!
So what if you swap out the mini USB with a USB c do you think it will fix alot of issues? I have 2 vantop mirrors both were glitching so I contact vantop and they replaced
Hi Walter! you could potentially swap the connector to USB-C but it won't be easy since the foot print is very different for them so both the mounting pads and solder pads for the connections won't line up (the case itself would also have to me modified to clear the new connector, in my case the battery would also need to be replaced) I think the easiest way would be just to swap in another Mini USB connector or like another viewer did, he just soldered the wires directly to the PCB eliminating the connector all together (but power cable will be permanently attached to the dash cam) Hope this helps, Cheers!
In my case, it was the positive pin, so bridging to the shell would not work. I abandoned the mini-USB entirely and left it in place, and instead used a pigtail with a power connector. I drilled a 9/64" hold to pass the cable into the mirror. I was able to solder the red positive wire from the pigtail by scraping away the green insulation on the copper circuit path that connected to the positive pin #1. Then I soldered the negative ground to the shell of the USB port. Then I cut away the mini-USB plug from the car power adapter and soldered on a mating connector. The mirror powered up right away. It flickered at first because the new 750mA battery needed charging, so I shut off the display until the battery was charged. Problem solved!
Thank you for this, and the previous video, that explain the failure of the USB port. While I might be able to replace the port, could the test +/- power terminals that are seen at 9:50 be used to power the device? Then I could install a short pigtail with a power connector, e.g. 1/8" connector.
You're welcome Bob! Ah yes an experience soldering technician (specially one with experience desoldering and soldering to very small lands) could potentially solder directly to the board (I'm currently working on soldering videos as well, starting from beginner to advanced soldering, stay tuned). Cheers!
@@AlexAutoFun Thanks for the speedy replay. But my question was more about the test power solder pads at the bottom center of the main board (see 9:50 in the video), not about replacing the USB. Is it possible to power the device at those points?
Hi S! Yes there are many good mirror dash cams in the market now. Here is a good alternative that I recently reviewed ua-cam.com/video/PKAKwdAHCeA/v-deo.html And I have more mirror dash cam reviews on my channel in the playlist "Dash Cams Reviews" if you like to compare them. Cheers!
I have had a van top H 609 for years and it has been very good, I should change the battery now, I don't know if I can update the firmware? I will try, the Chinese van top H609 are not as good as those from Taiwan, I see the difference.
Informative. but i am wondering why camera in front got higher resolution than rear camera. afterall it is the rear view i need when driving. for frontview i just look through the front window.🤔
Hi Rolf! thanks! ah yes the reason why dash cams have higher resolution in the front than rear is due to the assumption that a crash will be more likely to come from the front than the rear (unsure if that is the actual statistics, this is just what I seen in the dash cam market) Current mirror dash cams follow the same trend (prioritizing the best video quality for the front camera over rear) but I'm sure at some point someone will come up with a mirror that will switch this two (higher for rear and lower for front) for those that want to prioritize having a clear view of the rear over capturing the best possible video evidence of a crash in the front. Hope this helps, Cheers!
Hi AKHN! While the battery is primarily used to enable parking mode without hardwire, it is also used to close out video files in the event of a sudden power loss (such as in a serious car crash) and when turning off the car while a file is being recorded. Without a battery the file may not have time to be closed by the dashcam and you can potentially ended up with a corrupted video file. Cheers!
Hi Jonny! This is the H612T, but the issue seems to potentially affect other dashcams with batteries. Here is another model that also failed ua-cam.com/video/GQZne5fsWw0/v-deo.html Cheers!
Hey Alex, im having a issue with low battery. I was able to open the unit and took a look at the battery. It looked intact. No soft spots or was it looking swallowing. Do you think it could still be the battery or something else? Please let know
Hi David! Yeah I seen cases where the battery itself does not have any physical indications of failure but the inside has lose the ability to hold a charge or only holds a partial charge (normal Li-ion degradation). Hope this helps, Cheers!
Hi David! Ah yes that is good idea to test out using another Vantop power supply/cable or ideally with the hardwire kit for it. Here is the video for the hardwire kit ua-cam.com/video/83a3w6EtzXo/v-deo.html Hope this helps, Cheers!
David/Alex: how do I pry off the back to access and replace the battery. I have the pry off tool but can’t see a slot where I might be able to start prying it off. My battery is not swollen…
Hi C Rumble! oh no! are you still in warranty? they may just swap it out for you (they have since upgraded the T10 to a super capacitor) I really like my T10, mine still has a battery, will see how long it lasts..
@@AlexAutoFun I doubt I'm still under warranty as I bought it over a year ago plus although I bought it in the US I don't live there so it would be difficult to send it back if I were still under warranty
Hi Angel! yeah it was very disappointing to see mine fail but at least I got 2 yrs of use out of it and I got a second one that is still going strong so I image that how long it will last will vary from person to person. Cheers!
Hi Jason! It's possible the dash cam is on it's way out or the power supply it's on it's way out. The easiest way to check for this is to connect the dash cam to know good working power supply (either hardwired or cigarette plug style) to confirm if the issue is with the dash cam or with the power supply. Cheers!
@@AlexAutoFun I watched another video of yours and I indeed have a misaligned pin in the usb connector. Might need to solder leads on the board and bypass the poor quality usb B.
Hi Jason! Ah yes this one ua-cam.com/video/trpMjXbjOcU/v-deo.html yep I have a few do something similar bypassing the connector or replacing the connector with a brand new one. However I personally wouldn't fix it unless you want to do it for fun or as a learning experience. In my case while I often solder as a hobby, I choose not to repair mine and just moved over to a new dash cam considering the time and effort to source parts needed (I had viewers sometimes find additional parts that needed replacement in addition to the connector), de-solder and solder and reassemble is just didn't make sense for me with the price of new dash cams rapidly dropping (remember soldering equipment and materials for soldering along with any replacement part will need to be purchased) However like I said if you enjoy DYI projects or just really want to fix your old dash cam It is definitely possible. I actually do have a series of soldering videos coming up, starting from beginner to advanced soldering so this maybe an interesting video to do as a culmination of my soldering video series. Cheers!
Good morning. My name is Nelson. I have been watching some of your mirror cam videos. They are great! They are very informative and educational. Thank you for taking the time to help us. I have a Vantop H612T for over a year and I'm having issues with the USB charging port. I'm in the process of ordering it. I also would like to get a better battery. I would like to ask for your help. Would you have any information about where to buy it or a number to call? I would appreciate your help. Thank you for your time.
Thank you Nelson! ah yes the parts can probably be sourced from Amazon, DigiKey or another electronics parts supplier. However remember desoldering and soldering will be involved (if you have been trained or have experience soldering and assuming you have the right equipment and materials, it should be pretty straight forward) In my case while I am trained in soldering, I choose not to repair mine and just moved over to a new dash cam (the time and effort me to select the parts, desolder and solder new ones and reassemble is just didn't make sense for me with the price of new dash cams rapidly dropping) However if you enjoy DYI projects or just really want to fix the H612T It is definitely possible to fix it. Another viewer for example choose to connect the power cable directly to the dash cam eliminating the connector all together, so some people are fixing theirs, Hope this helps, Cheers!
@@AlexAutoFun Good morning Alex, thank you so much for your reply, is well appreciated. I'll be sure to follow your advice. once again thank you for all the help. Nelson.
Alex i have a problem with GPS 3.5mm jack. I thought that GPS anntena was broken, but my friend have same dashcam and i try with that dashcam and it works. I dont have speed on my unit anymore. So 3.5mm jack for gps anntena is probebly problem. Is this can be fixed? First i did not get speee worning by tone just red sighn (!), and now i dont have speed anymore. What do you think?
Hi Nemanja! It can definitely be fixed (assuming what has failed is the jack, which is very possible, I see them wear out on audio equipment). However remember de-soldering and soldering will be involved (if you have been trained or have experience soldering and assuming you have the right equipment and materials, it should be pretty straight forward) Like I mention on the video in my case while I am trained, I choose not to repair mine and just moved over to a new dash cam (the time and effort me to select the part, de-solder and solder the new one and reassemble is just didn't make sense for me with the price of new dash cams rapidly dropping) However if you enjoy DYI projects or just really want to fix the H612T It is definitely possible to fix it. Another viewer for example choose to connect the power cable directly to the dash cam eliminating the connector all together which should also be possible with the GPS antenna cable, so some people are fixing theirs! As they say, when there is a will, there is a way! Hope this helps, Cheers!
@@AlexAutoFun I know. I will try tomorrow. There is one dashcam which i wont to have, and it is the best of all of them i think. WOLFBOX G900 you did not review it. But i can not buy in Europe just from there web page in USA. And its arround 225USD with discount. But ineed to pay also and customs. And maybe something else. Can you review it?
@@nkojic Hi Nemanja! ah yes the G900, it may have to add it to the list of dash cams to review (List is getting longer by the day LOL!) stay tuned Bud!
@@nkojic Hi Nemanja! Did you try Amazon? here is the link for the G900 amzn.to/3FJRAIn (sometimes Amazon carries it EU and sometimes they don't). Hope this helps, Cheers!
They are the same board, just with different names! Mirror cams suffer from the same issues. 😏😀 Here's what's up: The GPS module isn't inside the mirror and needs dirty wiring. Rather than supercapacitors, they use cheap batteries, which can catch fire at high temperatures and have a short lifespan. The wiring! Instead of just one wire connecting GPS, power, and the rear camera, there are three.
Hi Ata safarzadeh! here is a good alternative that combines all the cables into a single one that comes out the back, direct mount style so need for strap either ua-cam.com/video/Yk2EEacXZ7g/v-deo.html Hope this helps, Cheers!
Hi MyNicePC! I have heard several theories on why some lithium batteries do this (Bloat due to gas build up), the most common one is the one that says this is due to the battery aging or being overcharged (or charged while hot). What's odd is that it seems to affect lithium batteries in general, I seen this before in a cell phone and recently on 2 of my GoPro Hero 4 batteries (genuine GoPro ones that were not even that used, they were barely past a 1yr old) So it's hard to say from my experience it has seemed a little random. Maybe someone with some background in the battery industry can chime in an give us their two cents? Cheers bud!
Hi Boone! It's a standard battery size, here you go amzn.to/3OS5YCK However I personally wouldn't fix it unless you want to do it for fun or as a learning experience. In my case while I often solder as a hobby, I choose not to repair mine and just moved over to a new dash cam considering the time and effort to source parts needed (I had viewers sometimes find additional parts that needed replacement in addition to the battery), de-solder and solder and reassemble is just didn't make sense for me with the price of new dash cams rapidly dropping (remember soldering equipment and materials for soldering along with any replacement part will need to be purchased) However like I said if you enjoy DYI projects or just really want to fix your old dash cam It is definitely possible. I actually do have a series of soldering videos coming up, starting from beginner to advanced soldering so this maybe an interesting video to do as a culmination of my soldering video series. Cheers!
I'm gonna play with my mirror! I have this model and the mini USB charging port is giving me problems, so I'm gonna try and replace it! Anyone already tried that? Did it work?
Hi Marco! Ah yes I cover that issue on my previous video here ua-cam.com/video/trpMjXbjOcU/v-deo.html While I had some viewers bypass the connector or replaced the connector with a brand new one, I personally wouldn't fix it unless you want to do it for fun or as a learning experience. In my case while I often solder as a hobby, I choose not to repair mine and just moved over to a new dash cam considering the time and effort to source parts needed (I had viewers sometimes find additional parts that needed replacement in addition to the connector once they get in there), de-solder and solder and reassemble is just didn't make sense for me with the price of new dash cams rapidly dropping (remember soldering equipment and materials for soldering along with any replacement part will need to be purchased) However like I said if you enjoy DYI projects or just really want to fix your old dash cam It is definitely possible. I actually do have a series of soldering videos coming up, starting from beginner to advanced soldering so this maybe an interesting video to do as a culmination of my soldering video series. Cheers!
1st time I've seen a teardown for a dashcam with this quality video/audio. Great job, Alex!
Thank you Loc Pham! it's my first tear down video too, glad to hear you enjoyed it!
My Vantrue dashcam expanded “ballooned” and stopped working exactly 14 months after purchase. I figured by now that they wouldn’t use lithium anymore I assumed they would use capacitor’s instead. Oh well. I now have a BlackView dashcam and are very happy with it… still going strong, so far:). Another wonderful video. Cheers.
Hi rphawx! and thank you! oh man I haven't tested the Vantrue but it's interesting to hear it's also plagued by this issue. Will take a look at the Blackview dash cams may have to add one to the list of dash cams to review. Cheers!
Nice teardown. I had a dashcam with that same swollen battery issue. I tried replacing it with a similar battery by splicing it in to the existing wires.. No desoldering from the main board. It worked for a while and then the battery stopped holding charge and then the dashcam failed. Its a lot harder to find a good battery replacement. That's why if you can get a super capacitor and other support board at a decent price then it might be worth it to get those parts instead of replacing.
Thanks mpcp27! interesting to hear the same happened to yours, in a way I give credit to this battery because it lasted a long time before it decide to call it quits but I do prefer a capacitor that won't (normally, because I have some some also go kaput LOL) do that. I'm curious to explore the super capacitor conversion board idea...
Hi Alex, I learned a lot watching you disassemble, I'll save the video to my favorites for future reference, just in case my H612T fail, thank you for this teardown!!! :)
You're welcome drift4fun! 😁
It's not a question of with, it's when. I just got a vantop too... Thinking about removing the battery to prevent explosion
Wow! You are really curious about tech! I love your videos! Thanks to you many of us will stop throwing away tech gadgets and start digging to find the problems, learning during the process and so becoming more educated. So many thanks for your videos. i just hope that kids and teens will find you soon so your videos will also keep them learning and in their right tracks.
Thank you C I really appreciate that, Cheers!
This is an awesome video!! Thank you Alex! I always wondered what the insides of a dash cam looked like and now I have that answer thanks to this video. Keep up the great work and thanks again!😃
Thanks canucha1985! glad to hear you enjoyed it, Cheers!
-Thank you very very much for this video. This helped me to recover my H612T, Funny enough I bought mine because the review you made about to month after you made it... and then here I am almost 2 month after you made this teardown with the very same connector Issue, exactly the same flickering behavior 2 years after, only that I had a Hardwired Kit with a custom made Motorcycle battery Power bank that draws current from the fuse box to the battery bank to avoid draining the small battery of my Toyota hybrid. So mine have a bit more mileage than yours.
-I converted mine to USB-C at the cost of loosing the low profile on top, the USB C protrudes about 2 cm
-The sad part of the history is that in the process I damaged the original plug of my camera and then I lost the Parking Mode of the dash cam, It draws the same current if I left it recording with the screen off or if I left it recording 1 sec Time Lapse, but I did lost the Parking Guard and then I have to constantly turn on the screen saver every time I get off the car.
- Said all of this, I did heard that you prefer to buy a new one rather than repair this one, I would really really appreciate if you can send me the board of this one so I can fix it so I can recover the Parking mode again.
-In the future I surely will go for a Mirror Dash Cam with USB-C and with at least WiFi, I hope to see in the future some LTE 3-Way mirror dash cam (If there is any)
Thank you very much for all the reviews.
You're welcome EdrumSense! Glad to hear it helped. That is very neat to hear a conversion to USB-C was possible, I had another viewer replace his connector with same, another removed the old connector and connected the power cable directly to the PCB, but you are the first to have converted to USB C, neat! Ah yes regarding the board, I would totally send it your way but I'm using it as a reference board (got more tear down videos coming) so I can show the difference in between brands. But I do have a 2nd Vantop in service, if that ones goes then I will have a spare board to send you, will keep this in mind. Cheers from California!
@@AlexAutoFun Thank you very much, I was asking just in case you were thinking in throwing it away after the video. Of course I will cover the shipping costs. I am located at Chile but I think I can setup a forwarding mail box at Miami.
Thanks for all those amazing reviews, specially the dash cam ones.
If you can locate a good Mirror with 2.5K+WiFi+USB-C just let us know so I can start saving to swap my old vantop. The only one that I saw was the Veement (AKA vantop), the wolfbox are really amazing but there is no Mirror with WiFi Version.
Also I dream of a Mirror dash cam with streaming or File Sync at least over WiFi, it could be amazing for Law Enforcement encounters.
@@edrumsense You're welcome EdrumSense! Yeah both Wifi and USB C are both still a very rare option on mirror dash cams, but I will keep an eye out for it. Ah yes regarding streaming dash cams (Cloud enabled) we have not seen those in mirror dash cams yet but here is one in stick style ua-cam.com/video/BAEH4f2ulEs/v-deo.html again Cloud dash cams are extremely rare but since I always recommend running dual dash cams systems (for redundancy) the Thinkware would be a good choice to pair a mirror dash cam with. Hope this helps, Cheers!
@@AlexAutoFun Thanks for the link, but I think I am stranded to Mirror dash cams, in any case, I think I will go for a very cheap Mirror Cam just for the rear view and maybe think on the thinkware Dash.
The link you sent me served me to review the overal thinkware web page, Is in your road map any plans to review the Thinkware Multiplexer? Looks very interesting, kind of expensive for me, but who knows, maybe I can afford it in the future.
@@edrumsense That's odd, I just checked the links, they are working. But I have noticed that if you are in an area where Amazon does not carry the product, the link won't work. But I will look into that multiplexer and the required dash cam, be neat to test out, the only thing I see that maybe an issue is that it combines the images. I seen that before on the S50 ua-cam.com/video/7n4J8Bz6tLM/v-deo.html may not be an issue if you don't mind the combined image, but will look into it further, thanks for tip! Cheers from California!
Excellent teardown video, Alex! I hope you have replaced that battery and reassembled your H612T and placed it back in service.
Thank you Santa Claus! I may do a video on the battery replacement, not sure if there is much interest there for it but I'm thinking about (will also have replace the failed USB connector)..
@@AlexAutoFun it'd be nice to see the process of it and if you can bring it back to life. I remember you saying it was one of your favorite dash cams so it'd be nice seeing it come back to life.
@@canucha1985 Yeah that is true!
totally agree with the comments. I upvote for this video! great video as always, Alex!
@@HorizonClouds-Swoosh Thank you James! 🍻
I thought I was watching a Monroe tear down video. Great information! A lot of detail in a short amount of time! Thanks!
Thank you Davil! I really appreciate that! I like to watch him to when he does the Tesla teardowns 😁 Cheers!
Excellent !,thank you !
You're welcome!
No need to replace batt, just bypass/remove the batt. This worked for my Pormido . You will lose some functions like "accident record when key is off".
Hi Nicedesk! Ah yes this may also vary from dash cam to dash cam but most seem to use the battery for park monitoring (if not hardwired) and closing out video files in the event of sudden power loss (such as in a serious car crash). Cheers!
Hi to bypass the battery do you need to desolder red and black cables from the board?
Hi Andrew, correct, the wires can be de-soldered to separate the battery but probably the easiest way would be to cut the wires flush to the PCB to separate the battery. Just be aware that the battery is used to close out the video video file in case of sudden power loss (such as in a serious accident) or when turning off the car in the middle of a file being recorded. Without a battery the file may not have time to be closed by the dashcam and you can potentially ended up with a corrupted video file. Cheers!
Update, video files will not be closed correctly when the key (power) is turned off. This means any file made when the key is turned off will be corrupted. So if you bypass the batt, and NEED to save the current video file then make sure to feed power until the next video file is started. File run time length is user selectable on my unit. In case of accident where car battery power is lost the video file will be corrupted.
@Nicedesk Yep! Sounds right to me, that is one of the disadvantages of MP4 files over TS (but for some reason I still lean towards the MP4 container) Cheers!
super useful video! one if a kind. i may now be able to fix
eplace my usb charging port, which doesn't work sometimes.
Thanks DennisTV, glad to hear it helped, Cheers!
Thank you for your video . My Vantop is doing the very same thing
You're welcome Ricardo!
very much liked your teardown. thank
You're welcome RayBs! glad to hear you enjoyed it! 🍻
Thanks for the detail video, very nice!
Since this is supposed to be a fun exploration of a dashcam tear down, I wonder:
1. If we can hook up a larger capacity battery to give the unit a bit more juice to record while the car is in park?
2. If the larger battery is too large to fit in place then can we connect 2 of the the same size battery to get almost double the power for recording?
Just a thought.
You're welcome John and thank you! Ah yes I had viewers experiment with their dash cams (both replacing the battery and also adding a higher capacity one) However the stock battery was more than enough for parking monitoring in my case, remember the battery is only used for standby during parking mode as the dash cam only turns on and records when there is an impact detected, so the battery consumption is low. That being said I'm personally moving away from batteries in my car. I prefer a dash cam equipped with a capacitor or a standard hardwire kit since here in my State we experience really hot temperatures which I would not want to subject the Li-ion battery. This includes the potential for a run away event (fire) during charging or discharging inside the car (as shown on the video this can also potentially happen as a result of battery degradation). And here is battery related fire I personally experienced ua-cam.com/video/XfWgJ8nu-RA/v-deo.html (destroyed the house) Cheers!
Always get combustible battery in any cam ! Any lithium battery is not good in heat . Lithium degrades and under extreme heat can get dangerous. Learning as I’m looking into things buying my next dash cam .
Do you think replacing the battery currently inside one with a larger mah rating will increase the time that it can monitor the car in Parking Mode?
Hi Will! Yeah definitely that would extend the parking monitor time, interesting idea too, I haven't even thought about it! Cheers!
is it possible to change the female contact that is used for the backup camera?
Hi Greg! Yes I had other adventurous viewers experiment with modifying their dash cams with either longer extensions, or attaching different cameras. However I usually do not recommend doing this unless you have the technical skills required to modify it, don't care about voiding the warranty by modifying the dash cam, and lastly we don't know the long term effects of modifying the system (both operational and safety). Hope this helps, Cheers!
So what if you swap out the mini USB with a USB c do you think it will fix alot of issues? I have 2 vantop mirrors both were glitching so I contact vantop and they replaced
Hi Walter! you could potentially swap the connector to USB-C but it won't be easy since the foot print is very different for them so both the mounting pads and solder pads for the connections won't line up (the case itself would also have to me modified to clear the new connector, in my case the battery would also need to be replaced) I think the easiest way would be just to swap in another Mini USB connector or like another viewer did, he just soldered the wires directly to the PCB eliminating the connector all together (but power cable will be permanently attached to the dash cam) Hope this helps, Cheers!
In my case, it was the positive pin, so bridging to the shell would not work. I abandoned the mini-USB entirely and left it in place, and instead used a pigtail with a power connector. I drilled a 9/64" hold to pass the cable into the mirror. I was able to solder the red positive wire from the pigtail by scraping away the green insulation on the copper circuit path that connected to the positive pin #1. Then I soldered the negative ground to the shell of the USB port. Then I cut away the mini-USB plug from the car power adapter and soldered on a mating connector.
The mirror powered up right away. It flickered at first because the new 750mA battery needed charging, so I shut off the display until the battery was charged. Problem solved!
so do the buttons you found do anything?
Thank you for this, and the previous video, that explain the failure of the USB port. While I might be able to replace the port, could the test +/- power terminals that are seen at 9:50 be used to power the device? Then I could install a short pigtail with a power connector, e.g. 1/8" connector.
You're welcome Bob! Ah yes an experience soldering technician (specially one with experience desoldering and soldering to very small lands) could potentially solder directly to the board (I'm currently working on soldering videos as well, starting from beginner to advanced soldering, stay tuned). Cheers!
@@AlexAutoFun Thanks for the speedy replay. But my question was more about the test power solder pads at the bottom center of the main board (see 9:50 in the video), not about replacing the USB. Is it possible to power the device at those points?
@@BobBlarneystone You're welcome Bob! Ah that I can't tell you as I do not know the actual circuit schematic for this PCBA. Cheers!
@@AlexAutoFun I'll try it and let you know, ok?
What is the replacement for the now defunct Vantop h612t? Wolf? Peelee?
Hi S! Yes there are many good mirror dash cams in the market now. Here is a good alternative that I recently reviewed ua-cam.com/video/PKAKwdAHCeA/v-deo.html And I have more mirror dash cam reviews on my channel in the playlist "Dash Cams Reviews" if you like to compare them. Cheers!
I have had a van top H 609 for years and it has been very good, I should change the battery now, I don't know if I can update the firmware? I will try, the Chinese van top H609 are not as good as those from Taiwan, I see the difference.
Great video.
Thank you DD1 Z!
Informative. but i am wondering why camera in front got higher resolution than rear camera. afterall it is the rear view i need when driving. for frontview i just look through the front window.🤔
Hi Rolf! thanks! ah yes the reason why dash cams have higher resolution in the front than rear is due to the assumption that a crash will be more likely to come from the front than the rear (unsure if that is the actual statistics, this is just what I seen in the dash cam market) Current mirror dash cams follow the same trend (prioritizing the best video quality for the front camera over rear) but I'm sure at some point someone will come up with a mirror that will switch this two (higher for rear and lower for front) for those that want to prioritize having a clear view of the rear over capturing the best possible video evidence of a crash in the front. Hope this helps, Cheers!
i have the exact same model with the exact same issue. is it possible to bypass the battery and just power the dashcam from the fuse box?
Hi AKHN! While the battery is primarily used to enable parking mode without hardwire, it is also used to close out video files in the event of a sudden power loss (such as in a serious car crash) and when turning off the car while a file is being recorded. Without a battery the file may not have time to be closed by the dashcam and you can potentially ended up with a corrupted video file. Cheers!
Thanks sir
You're welcome! 🍻
Mine just gets stuck at the vantop screen it used to get stuck on a black n screen I’m not sure how to fix it I desoldered the battery but no luck
My sd card is stuck in my dash cam how to get it out.
Hi which model? I ve vantop mirror dashcam with battery problems
Hi Jonny! This is the H612T, but the issue seems to potentially affect other dashcams with batteries. Here is another model that also failed ua-cam.com/video/GQZne5fsWw0/v-deo.html Cheers!
Hey Alex, im having a issue with low battery. I was able to open the unit and took a look at the battery. It looked intact. No soft spots or was it looking swallowing. Do you think it could still be the battery or something else? Please let know
Hi David! Yeah I seen cases where the battery itself does not have any physical indications of failure but the inside has lose the ability to hold a charge or only holds a partial charge (normal Li-ion degradation). Hope this helps, Cheers!
@AlexAutoFun ok I can try to replace it. I was thinking it was the USB charging cable do you think it could be that?
Hi David! Ah yes that is good idea to test out using another Vantop power supply/cable or ideally with the hardwire kit for it. Here is the video for the hardwire kit ua-cam.com/video/83a3w6EtzXo/v-deo.html Hope this helps, Cheers!
David/Alex: how do I pry off the back to access and replace the battery. I have the pry off tool but can’t see a slot where I might be able to start prying it off. My battery is not swollen…
Same thing happened to wolfbox T10, thing literally fell apart the other day😢
Hi C Rumble! oh no! are you still in warranty? they may just swap it out for you (they have since upgraded the T10 to a super capacitor) I really like my T10, mine still has a battery, will see how long it lasts..
@@AlexAutoFun I doubt I'm still under warranty as I bought it over a year ago plus although I bought it in the US I don't live there so it would be difficult to send it back if I were still under warranty
I don't know what to think now I have the same dash cam I hope the battery won't do the same thing on mine
Hi Angel! yeah it was very disappointing to see mine fail but at least I got 2 yrs of use out of it and I got a second one that is still going strong so I image that how long it will last will vary from person to person. Cheers!
It’s a pretty good camara tho
Yeah it definitely was, Cheers Angel!
This looks to me that the solder joints were done manually rather than by machine because of the inconsistent look of them.
My VanTop will begin to boot up,says welcome then says "going to parking" and turns back off.
Hi Bamaboy! this maybe the issue ua-cam.com/video/trpMjXbjOcU/v-deo.html (mine did something very similar to yours) Hope this helps, Cheers!
Mine just boots over and over again. Anything I can do to fix it?
Hi Jason! It's possible the dash cam is on it's way out or the power supply it's on it's way out. The easiest way to check for this is to connect the dash cam to know good working power supply (either hardwired or cigarette plug style) to confirm if the issue is with the dash cam or with the power supply. Cheers!
@@AlexAutoFun I watched another video of yours and I indeed have a misaligned pin in the usb connector. Might need to solder leads on the board and bypass the poor quality usb B.
Hi Jason! Ah yes this one ua-cam.com/video/trpMjXbjOcU/v-deo.html yep I have a few do something similar bypassing the connector or replacing the connector with a brand new one. However I personally wouldn't fix it unless you want to do it for fun or as a learning experience. In my case while I often solder as a hobby, I choose not to repair mine and just moved over to a new dash cam considering the time and effort to source parts needed (I had viewers sometimes find additional parts that needed replacement in addition to the connector), de-solder and solder and reassemble is just didn't make sense for me with the price of new dash cams rapidly dropping (remember soldering equipment and materials for soldering along with any replacement part will need to be purchased) However like I said if you enjoy DYI projects or just really want to fix your old dash cam It is definitely possible. I actually do have a series of soldering videos coming up, starting from beginner to advanced soldering so this maybe an interesting video to do as a culmination of my soldering video series. Cheers!
Good morning. My name is Nelson. I have been watching some of your mirror cam videos. They are great! They are very informative and educational. Thank you for taking the time to help us.
I have a Vantop H612T for over a year and I'm having issues with the USB charging port. I'm in the process of ordering it. I also would like to get a better battery. I would like to ask for your help. Would you have any information about where to buy it or a number to call? I would appreciate your help. Thank you for your time.
Thank you Nelson! ah yes the parts can probably be sourced from Amazon, DigiKey or another electronics parts supplier. However remember desoldering and soldering will be involved (if you have been trained or have experience soldering and assuming you have the right equipment and materials, it should be pretty straight forward) In my case while I am trained in soldering, I choose not to repair mine and just moved over to a new dash cam (the time and effort me to select the parts, desolder and solder new ones and reassemble is just didn't make sense for me with the price of new dash cams rapidly dropping) However if you enjoy DYI projects or just really want to fix the H612T It is definitely possible to fix it. Another viewer for example choose to connect the power cable directly to the dash cam eliminating the connector all together, so some people are fixing theirs, Hope this helps, Cheers!
@@AlexAutoFun Good morning Alex, thank you so much for your reply, is well appreciated. I'll be sure to follow your advice. once again thank you for all the help. Nelson.
@@nelsoncruz5400 You're welcome!
Alex i have a problem with GPS 3.5mm jack. I thought that GPS anntena was broken, but my friend have same dashcam and i try with that dashcam and it works. I dont have speed on my unit anymore. So 3.5mm jack for gps anntena is probebly problem. Is this can be fixed? First i did not get speee worning by tone just red sighn (!), and now i dont have speed anymore. What do you think?
Hi Nemanja! It can definitely be fixed (assuming what has failed is the jack, which is very possible, I see them wear out on audio equipment). However remember de-soldering and soldering will be involved (if you have been trained or have experience soldering and assuming you have the right equipment and materials, it should be pretty straight forward) Like I mention on the video in my case while I am trained, I choose not to repair mine and just moved over to a new dash cam (the time and effort me to select the part, de-solder and solder the new one and reassemble is just didn't make sense for me with the price of new dash cams rapidly dropping) However if you enjoy DYI projects or just really want to fix the H612T It is definitely possible to fix it. Another viewer for example choose to connect the power cable directly to the dash cam eliminating the connector all together which should also be possible with the GPS antenna cable, so some people are fixing theirs! As they say, when there is a will, there is a way! Hope this helps, Cheers!
@@AlexAutoFun I know. I will try tomorrow. There is one dashcam which i wont to have, and it is the best of all of them i think. WOLFBOX G900 you did not review it. But i can not buy in Europe just from there web page in USA. And its arround 225USD with discount. But ineed to pay also and customs. And maybe something else. Can you review it?
@@nkojic Hi Nemanja! ah yes the G900, it may have to add it to the list of dash cams to review (List is getting longer by the day LOL!) stay tuned Bud!
@@AlexAutoFun do you know where can i buy it in Europe maybe or just in USA?
@@nkojic Hi Nemanja! Did you try Amazon? here is the link for the G900 amzn.to/3FJRAIn (sometimes Amazon carries it EU and sometimes they don't). Hope this helps, Cheers!
They are the same board, just with different names! Mirror cams suffer from the same issues. 😏😀
Here's what's up:
The GPS module isn't inside the mirror and needs dirty wiring.
Rather than supercapacitors, they use cheap batteries, which can catch fire at high temperatures and have a short lifespan.
The wiring! Instead of just one wire connecting GPS, power, and the rear camera, there are three.
Hi Ata safarzadeh! here is a good alternative that combines all the cables into a single one that comes out the back, direct mount style so need for strap either ua-cam.com/video/Yk2EEacXZ7g/v-deo.html Hope this helps, Cheers!
Was this caused by hot temperatures inside your car or just a cheap battery lithium battery?
Hi MyNicePC! I have heard several theories on why some lithium batteries do this (Bloat due to gas build up), the most common one is the one that says this is due to the battery aging or being overcharged (or charged while hot). What's odd is that it seems to affect lithium batteries in general, I seen this before in a cell phone and recently on 2 of my GoPro Hero 4 batteries (genuine GoPro ones that were not even that used, they were barely past a 1yr old) So it's hard to say from my experience it has seemed a little random. Maybe someone with some background in the battery industry can chime in an give us their two cents? Cheers bud!
Did anyone find a battery to replace it or where to go to find one?
Hi Boone! It's a standard battery size, here you go amzn.to/3OS5YCK However I personally wouldn't fix it unless you want to do it for fun or as a learning experience. In my case while I often solder as a hobby, I choose not to repair mine and just moved over to a new dash cam considering the time and effort to source parts needed (I had viewers sometimes find additional parts that needed replacement in addition to the battery), de-solder and solder and reassemble is just didn't make sense for me with the price of new dash cams rapidly dropping (remember soldering equipment and materials for soldering along with any replacement part will need to be purchased) However like I said if you enjoy DYI projects or just really want to fix your old dash cam It is definitely possible. I actually do have a series of soldering videos coming up, starting from beginner to advanced soldering so this maybe an interesting video to do as a culmination of my soldering video series. Cheers!
@@AlexAutoFun thank you my man.
You're welcome! @@boonelieb8850
I'm gonna play with my mirror! I have this model and the mini USB charging port is giving me problems, so I'm gonna try and replace it! Anyone already tried that? Did it work?
Hi Marco! Ah yes I cover that issue on my previous video here ua-cam.com/video/trpMjXbjOcU/v-deo.html While I had some viewers bypass the connector or replaced the connector with a brand new one, I personally wouldn't fix it unless you want to do it for fun or as a learning experience. In my case while I often solder as a hobby, I choose not to repair mine and just moved over to a new dash cam considering the time and effort to source parts needed (I had viewers sometimes find additional parts that needed replacement in addition to the connector once they get in there), de-solder and solder and reassemble is just didn't make sense for me with the price of new dash cams rapidly dropping (remember soldering equipment and materials for soldering along with any replacement part will need to be purchased) However like I said if you enjoy DYI projects or just really want to fix your old dash cam It is definitely possible. I actually do have a series of soldering videos coming up, starting from beginner to advanced soldering so this maybe an interesting video to do as a culmination of my soldering video series. Cheers!
My camera died a couple of days ago after 2 years.😭
Im trying to use a old nokia phone battery 3.7 v 850 mh and it works perfect and it costme 0.0🤭
LOL!!
❤️❤️🙏🙏U.K.
Thanks M Virdi! Cheers! 😎
Do not buy this dash cam. I have replaced the battery several times. One hot day and its done smh
HI ILL ORBIT! yep unfortunately as you can tell from the video, my dash cam also when kaput from that same battery issue. Cheers!