GoCam V4GB acting erractically. Dying? Please help!
Hello,
So, I have a Spartan GoCam. I've been using Spartan cams for years, and have several of their cellular cams, so I'm pretty familiar with the little issues that can crop up and how to resolve them, but I've never seen anything like this. Anyway, this is an older GoCam, V4GB. It's spent some time in the field, but I take VERY good care of all my cams, storing/transporting them in padded cases, climate controlled rooms, taking them down at the end of the season, etc. Hunting is my passion and I take good care of my gear. No obvious preceding event, such as a drop or exposure to unusually high temps, etc. Cam has no physical damage and could easily pass for like new. Last time I used it was in June when I wanted to see what was hitting our bird feeder, and it seemed to work fine then, though I do recall it had some issues sending pictures and "getting stuck" last fall. At the time I chalked it up to spotty service, but it was sending fine for a couple weeks when it stopped, and then it randomly would send an image every 7-10 days, even though it was revealed to have been taking several pics a day. Still, the cell service was bad and I was using Spartan's antenna in order to get a signal, so it's hard to say what caused all that.
So, this officially started a week ago when I pulled this cam out of storage for the season. I was testing the cam in my house prior to deployment as I do with every cam, and noticed it wasn't sending pictures despite solid cell signal. I switched the slider from ON to STATUS, and the screen stayed black as though the batteries were dead. Replaced all 12 batteries and inserted a brand new 32GB C10 SD card, just to be safe. Fired right up. Set it up for 3-shot burst. Tested it and noticed it was only sending one image per burst. And I couldn't retrieve the camera's settings using the mobile app, nor could I download HD images. The camera wouldn't respond to any mobile commands at all, in fact. Grabbed the cam, switched it back to STATUS, same thing, all black, no LED light on front. Switched to off for about 90 minutes while I made dinner. After dinner I resumed troubleshooting and grabbed the camera and immediately noticed the batteries felt warm to the touch. Unusually warm. I removed them all, reinserted them, cam came back on with full battery power.
Here's a breakdown of what I'm experiencing.
Some of the below issues are sporadic, some are constant, and I've noted that for each issue as well as how difficult it's been for me to purposely duplicate an issue, which may help with troubleshooting. Also, please note, i clear the command queue each and every time I reboot the camera, just to be sure it's not stuck processing pending requests.
- The camera will act as if it has no power. Switch to STATUS - nothing. OFF > ON > OFF > ON, nothing. Swapping SD cards has no effect. Removing/reinserting batteries is only fix. Sometimes the camera's batteries will also feel warm to touch. Using brand new, from the package Energizer Lithium batteries. (SPORADIC, difficult to duplicate consistently)
- Noticed when testing that the camera's reported temp, inside my house, during a 30 minute test climbed steadily from 75 > 90F over the course of 4 bursts of 12 images where the cam only sent 4 and did no respond to mobile commands. (SPORADIC, difficult to duplicate consistently)
- LED light on front usually works fine during setup and motion testing.
- Won't respond to mobile commands, requests for HD images, retrieve/update camera settings, etc. (CONSTANT)
- When transmitting photos, the camera will only send one photo from each trigger, regardless of the settings. If set to 2 or 3 shot burst, the camera will only ever send a single image, even though it usually does take the correct # of images. (CONSTANT)
- Camera stop triggering, or taking photos, usually within 15 minutes of switching it to ON, or 4-6 triggers. Switching it to STATUS when this happens works fine, LCD comes on and I can confirm setting, playback images, etc. It just stop triggering completely, though i can confirm in STATUS mode when this happens that the motion detector is functioning properly via the LED indicator on the front. (CONSTANT)
Here's what I've tried to fix this:
- Swapped batteries at least 3 times, each time using new batteries. Even tried Alkaline. No difference
- Used a new SD card perhaps 5 or 6 times, no impact.
- Reset to default settings 4 times. No impact.
- Installed firmware from SD card twice. No impact.
- I'm guessing this is a dying camera. I don't know that for a fact, but all of the problems being unaffected by the troubleshooting steps that typically resolve issues does no bode well. Please let me know if you have any suggestions that I could try.
I've already reached out to Spartan Tech Support, but had to leave a VM and waiting for a call back. Cam is out of warranty, so I'm guessing it won't matter much.
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Ditto on Johnny’s question about the SD cards. You didn’t mention formatting the SD cards in the camera (or if you did, I missed it because your message is so long, but given how thoroughly you documented everything, it’s interesting that the info isn’t right there with trying several SD cards).
Sending 1 photo of the burst is something the old 3G cameras do. Which shot of the 3-shot burst are you getting? Does the camera have photo + video as an option?
Have you cleaned the switch? Some of the problems with on/off could be symptoms of a switch problem.
- Remove batteries and SD card.
- Put a piece of tape across the switch and another across the cursor buttons to keep the buttons attached to the inside cover when you remove it.
- Unscrew the four tiny screws (one in each corner) holding the inside front cover in place.
- Spray electronics contact cleaner on the switch and move the switch back and forth rapidly several times.
- After the contact cleaner has dried, put four batteries (two top, two bottom, leftmost side of battery compartment) in the camera, as well as the SD card.
- Turn the camera to setup and see if it comes up properly, turns on properly, shuts off properly. If it doesn’t, repeat.
- Put everything back together.
BTW, the intermediate switch position is SETUP.
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I would check for corrosion on the battery terminals first. What are the specs on the SD cards that you're using?
Thank you for your reply. Sandisk 32GB class 10. Same as always. I have perhaps 50 of them. The camera is like new inside/out. No wear/tear/corrosion. Nothing.
Ditto on Johnny’s question about the SD cards. You didn’t mention formatting the SD cards in the camera (or if you did, I missed it because your message is so long, but given how thoroughly you documented everything, it’s interesting that the info isn’t right there with trying several SD cards).
Sending 1 photo of the burst is something the old 3G cameras do. Which shot of the 3-shot burst are you getting? Does the camera have photo + video as an option?
Have you cleaned the switch? Some of the problems with on/off could be symptoms of a switch problem.
Thank you for your reply. I generally format the cards in the camera or using my PC, but I can safely say I've ruled out the cards as a cause. Brand new cards, 32GB, 16GB, makes no difference.
I've been running multiple Spartan cams since the 3G models in summer of 2017, and have never had a 4G cam fail to send the entire burst, apart from intermittent cellular issues, despite Spartan's comments that older cams may struggle with this. What concerns me most is changes in camera behavior. Set up in the same place with the same signal strength, the cam never failed to send an entire burst in the past. Even during my recent testing it occasionally sent the whole burst initially, but on the next motion trigger it'd fail. Isolating which image in the burst was not possible every time, but I can confirm it was generally the last or second to last.
It's not the switch getting stuck. Switch movement is fluid and the individual switch positions are noticeable. When the black screen happens, the camera is still stuck ON, like it's processing something. This is likely a symptom of a failed component.
Most like the camera is dying, given the myriad issues. Spartan support told me this. Sad, since it only spent 3.5 seasons afield. I was actually in the process of filming segments for a review for an outdoor channel about cellular cameras comparing the Spartan GoCam, Ghost, and Reconyx Hyperfire 2 Cellular when it happened. I'll RMA it and see what they say. For now I appreciate the replies, but it's unlikely any settings changes or typical remedies will address these issues.
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What is the speed of the cards that you're using? Even if you format using the computer you still want to format in the camera when you install the card. Is the camera taking all three shots of the burst and not sending them all or is it not even taking them? Also a few of the things you have mentioned do sound like a potential switch issue.
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John: I mentioned this in my reply your question, but they're class 10 32GB cards. Though I've tried other sizes. How the cards are formatted makes no difference regarding the issues the camera is experiencing.
Sadly, it's not the switch. Wish it was that simple... I've had switch issues with another of my GoCam. Switch to Setup, see led, can confirm motion test works and that the cam arms when switching to On, everytime. Switching back to setup, led on front lights back up. Except when the camera is nonresponsive and heating up. Then it doesnt matter what you do.
Sometimes it takes the whole burst. Sometimes not. Usually on a per session basis. Sometimes the settings will say 3-shot burst and it'll take 1. Sometimes it'll take 3. Camera settings. Not the app.
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Along with the class and size there's also an mbs rating on the cards, you really want 80mbs or higher/faster. I'm also assuming your are using full sized cards, not micros in adapters correct? Could you post a screen shot of your last status report from the very top all the way down to the SD card info on the bottom please and maybe a picture of the cameras info screen, you can access that through the cameras menu. Also, dealing with these cameras all the time it does make a difference how the cards are formatted and you always want to format in the camera when you install. I have seen other devices add files to SD cards that can keep them from working in the camera and bad/incompatible SD card can cause all kinds of issues, I've even seen them keep a camera from even turning on.
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I never, ever switch a camera from ON to SETUP. Always from ON to OFF, brief pause, then to SETUP.
It is very odd that the camera is sending only one of the burst. On the old 3G cameras, the last photo of the burst is sent and that’s why I was asking. There’s probably no way that the camera would work if the FW were accidentally updated to 3G FW, but it’s odd behavior, to be sure.Did support ask you to pull the logs and send those to them? The logs might show errors for the photos that aren’t being sent and that might help diagnose the problem.
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John: Unfortunately I don't have one on me, but i have ruled out the cards as a cause as I tried 5 or 6 different cards initially and it had no effect. All class 10, some 16 some 32GB. All fullsized. couple were straight out of the packaging and formatted in cam. I've never formatted a card on a PC and had an issue with it on a cam, personally. I'm not saying there aren't people who don't know whether to use FAT32, exFAT or NTFS, but I've never experienced any issues there. Even so, formatting in cam has no effect as I typically do so anyway. I am out of town until tomorrow, so I'll have to wait until then to start taking photos, etc.
Elizabeth: This is a 4G cam. Using the latest 4G FW for the cam, which is from 2018. Even prior to manually reinstalling the FW, the issue persisted. I was very surprised when it made no impact. Wish I could download an older firmware. Just to experiment.
Support asked a few questions, but did not request logs. Said based on the number and seriousness of the issues that component failure was likely and to send it in. I will do so if only to document that portion of their support processes. But it doesn't just send one or two of a larger burst sequence, it also stops taking photos altogether. It's not consistent either. Sometimes it'll take 4 burst sequences, then stop, sometimes 6 over a 15 of 20 minute time span. That whole time it'll take the correct #, send some subset of that #, or occasionally send the entire burst, then it'll stop taking photos completely. The cam itself is still responsive when that happens, it's not "stuck" and in setup I can take test photos, test motion, run diagnostics successfully, the whole deal.
What is the typical lifespan of the GoCam/Ghost, from what you've seen? In preparing for this comparison video I bought other models, and noticed the Reconyx, for example, has a 5-year warranty, though the purchase price is $100 greater than the Ghost model. Still, I wish Spartan offered a longer warranty or extended warranty option, even as an add-on option for a price. I have noticed, across all my Spartan cell cams, Ghost models included, that the cams are a bit inconsistent. Sometimes missing motion, trigger delay (like 1.5s) etc. Never been a huge issue for me, but worth noting now that I have another high end cellcam to compare it to.
Anyway, thank you all for the help thus far. I have a feeling this'll end with Spartan providing me with a small discount I can use to buy another cam...but I hope I'm wrong.
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I am talking about the mbs read speed because it is a factor with cell cameras that need to write and read, especially with burst mode, in order to send pictures. You want 80 mbs minimum and they aren't that expensive, usually well under $20. As far as life of the camera I have some that I got in late 2014, early 2015 that are still working.
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Yes, the 80 MB/s speed. We've found that anything slower may not work well. Who knows why? Also, U3 SD cards and those faster than about 120 MB/s may have problems. My "sweet spot" is the silver label, 80-about 100 MB/s. (Many/most Spartan users are using the described SD cards since that's what's recommended in the Knowledge Base. They're not that expensive, I think $6 or so for 16G in quantity 5 the last time I bought.)
I'm just remembering that some people have had luck using class 4 cards in this particular model camera. However, that wasn't to resolve these unusual problems you are having. It may be worth trying, but I would be surprised if it changes anything.
Have you run it with just one photo or photo + video? (I don't run any cameras in burst mode, always one photo for the two 3G and photo + video for all the others.)
Missing motion may have to do with your set/detection zones but that's another situation.My oldest cameras that I'm still using as cell cameras are a GC-ATTb that I deployed on 8/26/2015 and a GC-VZWb that I deployed on 2/6/2016. I do have various models that have died, though, so I can't give you any kind of guess as to longevity. I'm running several GC-ATTxb, with my first test cam being deployed 4/17/2017.
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