[DesertBike]

Bugs are in powered flight, rocks aren't though.

I need to take some new photos, but I'm basically using the same locations as before. The front cam is looking through the vent hole in my CalSci windshield. The rear is looking out from under the top case mount.

The thing I don't like about having the camera behind the windshield is that it's totally exposed to the sun. Glare is a problem at times, when reviewing the video. At least the camera is too high to get hit by flying rocks (typically) and seems to have no problem with direct sunlight.

I need to review the video to see how bad the vibration problem is this time.

 

[DesertBike]

Seems I got the GPS problem licked. All I did was move the GPS antenna. What a fussy little thing.

 

[DesertBike]

Ugh, front cam vibration is atrocious at any kind of speed. I'll have to find either a more, or less, rigid mounting point.

 

[Grimmer]

Sad to say that my motorcycle has been sitting parked for about 4 weeks. I confirmed this morning that the K2 power cube had shut itself off due to the voltage cut-off (blue LED was off). The motorcycle started right up like everything was normal. Since my commute is only 20 minutes, I'll put it on the charger/conditioner tonight just to be sure it is fully charged again.

Did you find a better mounting spot for your front camera? When I had my rear camera mounted using the L bracket, the vibrations were bad. Once I mounted it directly to a solid surface vibrations were much better, essentially non-existent.

 

[DesertBike]

Not yet. Planning to experiment with camera placement this week/weekend.

The existing mount point for the front cam is "solid," being a steel GPS shelf. However it seems to still transmit a lot of vibration at highway speeds.

 

[DesertBike]

Perhaps unexpectedly, vibrations on the rear camera are not a problem. It is mounted on one of the L-brackets (yeah, I still need to get photos!) hanging off the bottom of my top case plate:

You'd think the camera motion would be terrible way out on the end of the frame like that, but no, not really. Only gets bad on dirt roads, but that's hardly surprising.

I suspect that the front cam vibes are so bad due to the following: On the interstate, aerodynamics are such that the windshield vibrates.

While the windshield is soft-mounted using well nuts, plenty of vibration makes it into the Madstad bracket.

Much of that vibration gets into the GPS shelf, which is sandwiched to the front structure behind the Madstad bracket:

(Apologies for the crap photo, but it gets the point across)

 

[DesertBike]

Didn't get around to hunting for new front cam position last weekend, went riding though.

Reviewing some of the highway video from yesterday, I notice the windshield vibrating, but the front camera itself isn't being so badly affected. I think my new mounting setup must be part of that.

Previous L-bracket was thinner metal, and I didn't have as many rubber donuts in the setup. The rubber clearly helps.

 

[DesertBike]

Been riding and reviewing video a lot. Mostly, the windshield vibrates a lot and that's a bit annoying, but the camera view as a whole is not shaky-cam. I think I can live with it.

Also this happened at 75 mph:

 

[DesertBike]

That story has a happy ending. I tracked down the people who were dropping logs on the highway. After persistent requests, I was well-compensated for the damage to my bike.

Since then I've moved my front K2 camera to the right side of the fairing:

As I commented in the pinned Motorcycle Dashcam thread, this position has more benefits than drawbacks. I should post a still from the video.

I'm concerned that the 3M adhesive will not hold. I already had one of the cable clips let go (not seen in this photo, I added them later).

I should probably re-route the cable. It doesn't need to come out behind the windshield, since I no longer have the camera up there.

 

[Grimmer]

If you are using the actual 3M automotive trim tape, it might hold. That stuff is truly amazing.

The double sided tape that came with my Oxford heated grips didn't hold for more than a couple of days. I'm not sure what tape it was exactly. However, after it fell off I used black silicone glue and the control box has been 100% solid for a couple of years now. Might give that a try if the tape fails. Although, cleaning off the black glue from the fairing may or may not be better than drilling a small hole to bolt it on. The hole will be "permanent", but getting the glue off might just mess up the surface even worse...

Does the headlight block any of the camera's FOV?

 

[DesertBike]

Just a sliver of the view gets blocked by the fairing and headlight.

It's more than made up for by the completely clear view in the other 95% of the picture.

I'll post a still or two.

 

[DesertBike]

That gives an idea.

It's similar at night. I was concerned that the headlight might wash out the view, but it doesn't.

 

[DesertBike]

Another update: Innovv has changed the build of the power converter slightly, again. I just ordered a second one from OCD Tronic, because I now have a second bike that I might want to use the K2 on & it's just easier to not have to move the existing power converter back 'n' forth. New power cube looks like this:

differences vs. last revision:

--they've again flipped the orientation of the sticker
--wires still come out the same way - "stacked" rather than arranged horizontally
--now the converter has its own serial number.

 

[Grimmer]

I wonder if they are changing its behavior or just making the internals more robust.

The first revisions were to get the standby draw down.

 

[DesertBike]

It looks like this revision is just labeling & packaging.

The previous version with "stacked" wires (shown in post #196) fixed a problem with the older version shutting off as soon as it got a little warm. That was the problem that was driving me nuts for most of the first year I had the system. If they're smart, they aren't messing with the design of that revision. They may have added serial numbers to help with warranty service.

 

[BorisB]

Right now I still have the first gen power adapter. It's reliable but will drain my battery if left on for a couple of days. I had to install a switch on the battery wire so that I could turn it all the way off. Does this latest one draw less power in the standby mode? Do you think it's worth replacing the original with a new one?

Cheers!

 

[DesertBike]

That is correct. This newest power cube, of the "blue standby LED" family, draws very very little power in standby mode.

I haven't measured, but IIRC it's supposed to draw something like 2 mA in standby.

The new power cube is about $28. I think it's worth upgrading. Then you can dispense with your switch, or at least not have to remember to turn it back on when you go ride. You could also start using the K2's parking-mode features, if that's your thing.

 

[Grimmer]

I have one of the early blue light specials. I have let it sit for up to 2 weeks and the LED was still on and the engine fired right up. I have also left it for up to 4 weeks and the LED was off (low voltage cutoff) and the engine still fired right up.

Parking mode and shock sensor were both off for the above tests.

 

[DesertBike]

Right, cutoff voltage is supposed to be high enough that you can still start the bike, even once the power cube has turned itself off completely.

The power converter for my car dashcam (Viofo A129 Duo) has selectable cutoff voltage. I think I left it at the highest setting (maybe 12.5V?) because I don't care about parking mode type features.

 

[BorisB]

So, after killing a second battery, I finally installed the new power unit. But I still have one other problem - the app crashes every time I try to select the Settings. I have read that this is a known problem with the app. Does anyone know a solution or workaround for this?

Cheers