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  #31  
Old 07-03-2014, 03:59 PM
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Location: Sonoma Wine Country
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Lawyers and other reptiles

I just ordered from Amazon a G1W camera and a 32GB class 6 microSD card [the G1W does not support class 10 cards, according to the Techmoan review], being careful to choose a camera that has "shipping-from" and "supported-by" locations in the same country that I am in, just in case.

The Techmoan review noted that the shiny chrome lens on the G1W camera makes it a bit too obvious; I'm looking for some flat black paint to apply once my camera arrives and I'm sure it's not DOA.

A chat with my attorney this morning also provided information on a comment that was (IIRC) in the TDI forum: can the police take your camera if they believe it has evidence they need? The answer was "definitely maybe." A lot depends on the country you're in and, for US residents, the state, as this falls into the "personal freedom vs. public safety" category.

The argument that your camera is untouchable because "my attorney bought the camera for me" probably won't fly unless you're doing "research" for the attorney and even then will be argued in court long after the camera or its memory card has been taken from you. OTOH, there has just been handed down a court decision that police cannot confiscate smart phones and snoop through them for anything they might like to find; this probably also applies to dashcams.

Jeremy

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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  #32  
Old 07-03-2014, 04:03 PM
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In the G1W setup menus you can set it to keep recording for 30 sec, 5 min or 10 min after you turned off the ignition. This might be useful if you want to record your conversation with a LEO after getting pulled over. The microphone on the camera (it can be turned off) is freakishly good. The camera doesn't come with any useful instruction (mostly Engrish) but if you seach a couple of people have made some nice user manuals online.

I used some black model plain on the chrome bit and flash. Worked out fine. Its been on the car for a week including sitting in the sun every other day and its still kicking. The version I got is branded "E-prance". There are a few knock off versions floating on amazon with an inferior chip set. Pay close attention to the reviews.

A lot of G1W users can be found at /r/dashcam
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  #33  
Old 07-06-2014, 10:23 PM
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I recently installed my dash cam. After hours of research and comparing the options I elected to get the G1WH unit, which is the slightly wider angle version of the G1W with a black bezel on the lens rather than the chrome one. So far I am exceedingly pleased with the results and the performance. I was more than a little concerned, given the number of counterfeit ones out there, but managed to get a genuine one with the proper chip and lens. You can find better units - but not for $50.

My diesel SL provides a perfect mounting situation for the dash cam in that the rear view mirror is attached to the windshield frame, not the window and is set back enough that there is plenty of room for the camera to sit centered, directly behind the rear view mirror.



I modified the cigarette lighter adapter that provides 5v power to the unit through a micro USB port to connect to a switched 12v power source. I ran the wire through the passenger side A pillar following the wires for the lights in the windshield frame, across the frame and brought it out in the gap between the left and right side trim pieces behind the rear view mirror mounting bracket. It's very clean.



Here's a side view of the camera showing the relative position to the rear view mirror.



Here's the view from the drivers seat. The camera is completely tucked in behind the mirror with no obstruction whatever.



Here's a quick test video shot at dusk.



Dash Cam Video Test - YouTube
Attached Thumbnails
Dash cams-dashcam1.jpg   Dash cams-dashcam2.jpg   Dash cams-dashcam3.jpg   Dash cams-dashcam4.jpg   Dash cams-dashcamvid1.jpg  

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  #34  
Old 07-06-2014, 10:48 PM
Jeremy5848's Avatar
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G1WH

Looks good. As usual, I find out about a slightly better camera after ordering another. Maybe I'll return the G1W and get a G1WH. I like the electrical wiring and would do something similar. A 5V regulator chip would be an easy addition and there's already 12 Volts in the overhead for the mirror (I have an aftermarket auto-dimming mirror w/compass and Homelink).

Jeremy
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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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  #35  
Old 07-14-2014, 08:17 PM
Jeremy5848's Avatar
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Location: Sonoma Wine Country
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Returned the G1W, got a G1WH. Looks good so far, having a bit of a hard time figuring out the instructions.

Jeremy
__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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  #36  
Old 07-15-2014, 05:19 PM
Jeremy5848's Avatar
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Sonoma Wine Country
Posts: 8,408
In the "setup" screen(s) for the G1WH (and no doubt the G1W also) there's a screen that allows you to set "Resolution," "Loop Recording," "WDR," and "Exposure."

What the heck is "WDR?"

J.

==============================

EDIT

Found the on-line instructions by "Herb" http://www.octabode.com/herb/Baiklov_Instructions.pdf and answered my own question: WDR means "wide dynamic range."
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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Last edited by Jeremy5848; 07-15-2014 at 05:32 PM.
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  #37  
Old 07-15-2014, 09:41 PM
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WDR is Wide dynamic range

Wide dynamic range - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  #38  
Old 07-17-2014, 11:24 AM
Jeremy5848's Avatar
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Sonoma Wine Country
Posts: 8,408
Car camera as computer camera

The G1W car camera is supposed to be able to act as a computer camera when plugged into a pc (or Mac). However, all I get is the "mass storage" function. Anyone know how to activate the camera function when connected via the usb cable to a computer?
__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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  #39  
Old 07-25-2014, 12:22 AM
Jeremy5848's Avatar
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Sonoma Wine Country
Posts: 8,408
Camera installation complete!

The camera installation in my 1995 E300 (W124) is complete. It looks very much like Mach4's since it is the same camera installed in the same place. To connect power to the camera without cords dangling, I bought a small usb to mini-b retractable cord . . .



. . . and took it apart. The nice thing about this kind of cable is that it is essentially a tiny (flat) ribbon cable and so is easy to slip between the roof of the car and the header panel at the top of the windshield.

I built a power converter from a three-terminal 5 Volt regulator and put that in the overhead where the front dome light lives. The sunroof switch gets power whenever the ignition switch is in position 1 and so does the camera.



I notice that the camera's display stays on for a minimum of 3 minutes, then blanks. Not sure if this will be distracting at night; the camera is mostly out of sight in front of the rear view mirror. I suppose I could always put black paper over the display. I did put a piece of black electrical tape over the IR light, the only non-black part of the camera.

Jeremy


__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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