My theory why the S/X will never get sentry mode

[drklain]

Thanks for the explanation

 

[verygreen]

You're confusing multiple things. The reason why AP1 and AP2 cars can't have the dashcam feature and AP 2.5 cars can has nothing to do with software, licensing, Mobileye, or camera types. It's a hardware/wiring issue. There is a physical connection between the AP 2.5 computer (which gets the camera signals) and the MCU 2 computer which ultimately allows a video signal/file to be sent to the USB port and to a USB stick. That connection does not exist in the AP1 or AP2 cars, so there is no way for the video signal to be sent to a stick and saved. I think it was @verygreen who reported this difference but am not sure. As I understand it, doing this would require replacing both the AP and MCU computers as well as additional wiring in the car between those units and the camera(s).

you are the confused one.

MCU2 has nothing to do with sentry mode. MCU1 sentry mode works just fine provided you have hw2.5 autopilot.

While the difference is there for the backup cam, it's not important and backup cam is not part of sentry mode anyway.

The important differences are: hw2.0 has RCCC cameras - hard to get proper colors out of those, hw2.5 has RCCB - easy to get proper color.

And also with sentry mode they moved this whole shebang on to the secondary autopilot node, but there's no such node on hw2.0

 

[drklain]

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[dogldogl]

MCU2 has nothing to do with sentry mode. MCU1 sentry mode works just fine provided you have hw2.5 autopilot.

Would you presume that includes the recording of video to USB (or is that only feasible via MCU2 hardware)?

 

[verygreen]

Would you presume that includes the recording of video to USB (or is that only feasible via MCU2 hardware)?

yes, recording works too

 

[JoshM]

@verygreen -- in your opinion, then, would you suggest that my AP2.0 S would be compatible with dashcam and/or sentry mode once I'm upgraded to HW3?

 

[verygreen]

@verygreen -- in your opinion, then, would you suggest that my AP2.0 S would be compatible with dashcam and/or sentry mode once I'm upgraded to HW3?

Sentry mode works just fine on hw2.0 in 19.12

What does not work on hw2.0 is recording video. My theory is this is mostly because they don't want to store black-and-white video that would paint them in a bad light and they cannot do passable color interpolation in the car in real time (or at all - dashcam was never promised in the past after all). So it's not a given hw3 will bring you a dashcam unless they also do RCCB camera retrofits.

 

[JoshM]

it's not a given hw3 will bring you a dashcam unless they also do RCCB camera retrofits.

Makes sense, thanks.

 

[Bumper]

Sentry mode works just fine on hw2.0 in 19.12

What does not work on hw2.0 is recording video. My theory is this is mostly because they don't want to store black-and-white video that would paint them in a bad light and they cannot do passable color interpolation in the car in real time (or at all - dashcam was never promised in the past after all). So it's not a given hw3 will bring you a dashcam unless they also do RCCB camera retrofits.

I would be happy with black and white video if that was all they could offer post HW3 upgrade from HW2.0. It was never promised so I won't be too upset if it never comes but B&W is better than nothing at all.

 

[Art VandeIay]

So it's not a given hw3 will bring you a dashcam unless they also do RCCB camera retrofits.

@verygreen Could we retrofit ourselves the RCCB cameras if we have AP2.0 hardware in our cars?

Let's say we HW2.0 owners who purchased FSD miraculously get our AP3.0 retrofit eventually...
Could we get our hands on a wrecked Model S with AP2.5 hardware, and just purchase the side repeaters, the inline triple front camera and the B-pillar cameras and just switch them over? Are they all plug-and-play or do they have different connectors or even wiring harnesses?

We would probably need additional help from the Service Center in order to change some configuration settings so that the AP3.0 unit recognizes the RCCB cameras and maybe even the Service Center needs to calibrate the inline triple front camera, (like with a windshield replacement procedure), as this camera tends to be quite sensible to minimal manipulations, let alone an owner performed switcheroo...

 

[verygreen]

@verygreen Could we retrofit ourselves the RCCB cameras if we have AP2.0 hardware in our cars?

you can, but the autopilot would stop working. There's now an assertion in the code to ensure ap2.0 gets RCCC and ap2.5 gets RCCB cams. (not sure if that would be retained in the future and there were cars that had hw2.5 and some RCC cams - widely documented here, AP stopped working once they implemented the assertions)

Since it looks like they'll need some different HW3 for ap2.0 (Assuming they'd even go that route) - they might as well keep the assertions in place in those.

 

[croman]

Ok, finally had a chance to test it. Here is proof AP2.0 Sentry works great. I approached the car. MCU stayed off but the car started whirring. When I banged hard on the glass, it popped up and started recording to cloud I presume. No USB stick at all.

 

[verygreen]

Ok, finally had a chance to test it. Here is proof AP2.0 Sentry works great. I approached the car. MCU stayed off but the car started whirring. When I banged hard on the glass, it popped up and started recording to cloud I presume. No USB stick at all.

I am trying to verify recording is actually happening to the cloud. so far very little evidence of any actual transfers, but I'll update here once I know for sure.

 

[croman]

I am trying to verify recording is actually happening to the cloud. so far very little evidence of any actual transfers, but I'll update here once I know for sure.

Seems like they should tell AP2 owners sentry is a veneer if they aren't cloud recording. I thought Tesla said AP2.5 is both local and cloud "for now" ?

 

[Art VandeIay]

Ok, finally had a chance to test it. Here is proof AP2.0 Sentry works great. I approached the car. MCU stayed off but the car started whirring. When I banged hard on the glass, it popped up and started recording to cloud I presume. No USB stick at all.

Seems like a feed from the backup camera is displayed on the top half of the screen. I don't remember seeing that before...

I think AP2.5 cars (both S&X and Model 3's) have a full black background.
Could that have changed for all cars starting with 2019.12?