I have reviewed the various posts on corrupted files as this has been an ongoing issue for me. My K2 has been installed for over two years now and has generally been reliable, but I'm afraid that the video files will be corrupt when I most need them, e.g. I've been rear ended or a vehicle turns left in front of me. I have checked the camera cable connections (which I believe to be a poor design because if you overtighten the threaded connection it tends to come off the connection and loosen). I ended up putting a tie wrap on either side of the connectors and then a thrird tie wrap between the other two to keep them together in the event they were affected by vibration. I also wrapped the DVR with cushioning to minimize any vibration impacts there. But with my latest download from a recent ride I noted I still have corrupt files, as identified when viewing them in Windows Explorer. The good files will show a thumbnail, while the corrupt files just show the assigned video icon - see Explorer screenshot attached.
In reviewing the corrupt files, you notice the following:
- Both F and R cameras affected
- Corruption occurs at the end of the ride. That is, the corrupt files are the ones that are being recorded when the bike is turned off.
I have verified that the accessory power to the K2 is wired correctly and only present when ignition is ON. I am using an OEM accessory connector that is wired to a dashboard mounted switch.
Anyway, I've run out of further ideas to identify the problem so am coming to the forum to see if anyone else has experienced a similar problem and found a solution. Any thoughts useful in solving this issue so video will be available when most needed would be much appreciated.
Before doing a lot of work, I would first try some simpler tests.
Just connect the red and black wire directly to the battery (or any other 12V source, if the internal battery is too hard to reach). Then connect the yellow wire to + at the battery, too. After some seconds, the K2 will start. Wait 30 seconds, then disconnect the yellow wire. After 10-15 seconds, the leds on the DVR should turn off. If yes, the power module and the DVR are ok and the problem lies somewhere in the way you wired the K2.
If the DVR does not turn off, you should measure the control line of the power module in the connector to the DVR. Keep the red and black wire connected to the battery, but disconnect the yellow cable. Now measure the yellow marked pin in the connector. You will need to put some cables in there to measure. You should measure 0V
Now connect the yellow wire to 12V, too. After some seconds you should measure 5V at the control line. Disconnect the yellow cable now. After some seconds, the voltage at the control line should drop to 0V.
If it does not behave like this, the power module is faulty.
Are there any indications on the DVR itself that it has sensed loss of accessory power and is performing a graceful shutdown?
No, there is no indicator. The LED on the DVR will simply switch off after around 10 secs.
I also checked that the accessory power that goes to the timer also goes to the power converter, so that's not the issue.
I am not sure if I get what you mean by "accessory power". Do you mean switched 12V?
Does your configuration looks like this, witht the relay being a timed shutdown relay?
After converting from mp4 to TS format, no more corrupt video files at shutdown. BTW, I also checked that the accessory power that goes to the timer also goes to the power converter, so that's not the issue.
Frostie,
I checked again. I have a light on my relay to show when it's providing power to the K2. So I watched that after removing camera power via my accessory switch. The relay and DVR remained energized for approx. 45 sec. (I misspoke previously about the 90-sec delay, actually 45 s).
Are there any indications on the DVR itself that it has sensed loss of accessory power and is performing a graceful shutdown?
I have a relay as indicated that provides power to the K2 for 90 seconds after the ignition is shut down which was supposed to provide a graceful shutdown for file saving (and prevent battery drain).
Then the K2 should do a graceful shutdown and you should not see corrupted files. Did you verify that the K2 stays on for some seconds after ignition has been switched off?
INNOVV/Frostie,
Thank you for the feedback. I have a relay as indicated that provides power to the K2 for 90 seconds after the ignition is shut down which was supposed to provide a graceful shutdown for file saving (and prevent battery drain). But since both of you are advocating switching to the TS file format, I will do that straight away. Appreciate the help!
Hi HarleyFool,
MP4 files are prone to header corruption when they are not closed correctly. So whenever the K2 is not able to do a graceful shutdown (e.g when there is a hard power cut off), the current video files will get corrupted. To be more precisely the header of the MP4 file.
In a normal installation, the red/black wires are connected to the battery (a constant power source) and the yellow wire to switched power. This way the K2 gets power when ignition is switched off and is able to shut down.
I am using an OEM accessory connector that is wired to a dashboard mounted switch.
This sounds like you connected the red/black wires to the accessory connector, which switches off power as soon as you switch off ignition. If yes, then this would explain why the last videos are always corrupted.
There are two solutions to this:
Make sure that the K2 gets power for at least 20 sec after ignition has been switched off. You can connect the red/black wires directly to the battery or, if you do not want this (like me), use a timed relay to power the K2 for the necessesary seconds after ignition has been switched off. Please see here https://www.innovv.com/forum/main/comment/5c22bf579669d20fd3d92e96
You can switch the video format to TS. The TS format is not as sensitive as MP4 when it comes to the correct closing of the file. Regardless of your problem, switching to TS is a good idea anyway. If the power to the K2 gets cut off due to a crash, the current video (which shows the crash) will get corruped if you use MP4. It is possible to fix the MP4 header, but that's not that easy. I myself switched to TS long ago because of this.
Dear Harley, thanks for your message, would you please change the flle from MP4 file into TS file, MP4 file can be edited but can not be saved once the power was off, for example, when you turn off the ignition, the MP4 file will not be saved, so we suggested that you can use TS file if possible to aviod this kind of corrupted videos. Thanks.