TeslaCam: Don’t use USB flash drive

[Knightshade]

And you've ran how many measured read/write tests across how many drives?

Over 600 different drives benchmarked at the link I've previously posted in the last 78 threads on this same topic.

Is that not enough for you?

See also the guy who posted in one of them recently having 2 Model 3s. One had the too slow write message- the other did not.

He swapped storage devices between the two cars.

And the problem didn't follow the storage device- it stayed with the problem car.

Because it is not a hardware problem

It's a software problem.

If it was a HW problem the error would follow the hardware, not the software.

 

[XLR82XS]

I'm curious, does the drive run hot when it's plugged into the car?

When my old thumb drive died, it no longer register when it's plugged into a regular PC. Does your drive not get recognized also?

I do suspect that there are aspects of the Tesla dashcam software that lead to certain drives failing faster, namely having a massive amount of writes and rewrites which can ultimately kill any flash devices. Though I do wonder if certain variables would affect the lifespan of a usb drive.

It's not hot when plugged in and I check it. If I can't get it to work soon I may invest in a SSD unless it's a car software issue.

 

[WPJohnny]

Yeaup... just use highendurance microSD and stick inside USB adapter

 

[Kevy Baby]

...unless it's a car software issue.

It's a car software issue

Yeaup... just use highendurance microSD and stick inside USB adapter

Those fail too. it's a car software issue.

 

[Allistah]

Just in case someone needs another suggestion, I found one specifically made for constant writing which comes from dash cams and home monitoring systems. It's been working great since July.

SanDisk 256GB High Endurance Video microSDXC Card with Adapter for Dash cam and Home Monitoring Systems - C10, U3, V30, 4K UHD, Micro SD Card - SDSQQNR-256G-GN6IA

It was $55 on Amazon.

I put the drive in this tiny little adapter since I didn't already have one: SanDisk MobileMate USB 3.0 microSD Card Reader - SDDR-B531-GN6NN. It was $13.

 

[Kevy Baby]

Just in case someone needs another suggestion, I found one specifically made for constant writing which comes from dash cams and home monitoring systems. It's been working great since July.

SanDisk 256GB High Endurance Video microSDXC Card with Adapter for Dash cam and Home Monitoring Systems - C10, U3, V30, 4K UHD, Micro SD Card - SDSQQNR-256G-GN6IA

It was $55 on Amazon.

I put the drive in this tiny little adapter since I didn't already have one: SanDisk MobileMate USB 3.0 microSD Card Reader - SDDR-B531-GN6NN. It was $13.

It has been covered elsewhere, there is no need for a "high endurance" drive: the write volume needs of the Tesla (even with four cameras) is well within standard drive write range (we aren't recording 4K video),

At $68, I can buy TWO of the SanDisk CZ600 Cruzer Glide USB 3.0 256 GB Flash Drive for $33 from Costco and still be two bucks ahead.

 

[kkillebrew]

good luck, The only hard part for me was getting the FAT32 format by using some 3rd party formatter. Mine has been working great!

To all the others, I posted this because I have gone through 2 USB drives so far, they eventually turn into read only devices and I need to trash them. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. I'll see how this goes and report back after a while.

The partition gets corrupted for various reasons, improperly ejected during a write maybe, excessive heat perhaps, some USB drives have hidden security partitions, etc. Repartition it then format for FAT32 with Disk Manager or the appropriate Windows software and it will be fine.

 

[XLR82XS]

It's a car software issue

Those fail too. it's a car software issue.

If so, hopefully it is resolved soon.

 

[Knightshade]

If so, hopefully it is resolved soon.

Most of the previous common problems with the cameras have been fixed via SW updates... the "too slow" one allegedly was fixed (for at least some folks) in the recent 40.x update according to some reddit posts- but probably not enough data to know if it's fixed for everyone yet.

 

[sduck]

That confused the hell out of me until I saw that you mentioned that it's an S.

 

[FatherTo1]

Sorry, didn't realize I'm in the wrong forum.

 

[linux-works]

way back when I used to do photography, and sd-cards were just taking over from compact flash, some people had problems formating the sd cards.

this was recommended:

SD Memory Card Formatter 5.0 for SD/SDHC/SDXC

I think it will reset any partition errors (rebuild a new one) and I think it also will support fat32.

maybe that will help rescue some stuck cards (ones that dont want to behave)

 

[XLR82XS]

Most of the previous common problems with the cameras have been fixed via SW updates... the "too slow" one allegedly was fixed (for at least some folks) in the recent 40.x update according to some reddit posts- but probably not enough data to know if it's fixed for everyone yet.

UPDATE: not fixed for me. Sick of dealing with flash drives so I purchased a Pure Tesla drive micro SD package.

 

[fallen888]

The SSDs also work well, they are just more expensive and bulkier than the microSD option.

SSDs will work, but they'll also cause battery drain because they need to be powered (even while car is just sitting there).

 

[sduck]

SSDs will work, but they'll also cause battery drain because they need to be powered (even while car is just sitting there).

That's a new one! I wonder what the actual numbers are, and if they're anything to actually be concerned about.

I've had 2 ssd's in my car for over a year, and have never noticed any undue range loss while parked for long periods.

 

[Knightshade]

That's a new one! People come up with the darndest excuses. What are the numbers?

I actually addressed this a while back... SSDs do draw several times the power a USB key or SDcard will.


The T5 for example has a peak consumption around 3.5 watts.... idle is around .4 watts.

Flash keys and SDcards are typically 1/2 to 1/3 of that consumption or less.


Is that enough to matter to anyone? Probably not...but I guess if you run sentry a lot and don't charge daily or something it might matter?

 

[Kirby64]

SSDs will work, but they'll also cause battery drain because they need to be powered (even while car is just sitting there).

What are you even talking about? When the car is off, the USB connection is not enabled, so the SSD is not powered. Even if it was drawing significantly more power while on (i.e. recording), the upper limit of the USB port would be ~10W. An extra 10W load would be meaningless.

 

[jrweiss98020]

When Sentry Mode is enabled, the USB power has to be enabled even when the car is sleeping.

FWIW, my Samsung Bar 256GB USB drive is still working even through all the updates to 20.12.5 - no problems.

 

[FatherTo1]

The nominal increase in power consumption by the SSD is worth the added reliability and automatic wear-leveling of the memory cells. I have had a USB flash drive fail, as well as Samsung and SanDisk memory cards fail in a card reader. Before we bought the Tesla I never had a memory card fail. Sentry Mode puts flash drives and memory cards through a lot and you can feel them heat up quote a bit. So far, my SSD is holding up much better with Sentry Mode and I'll gladly sacrifice a fraction of a Watt to ensure my video is recorded.

All that said, I haven't noticed a difference in my Wh/m since switching to SSD. Your driving habits will have far more impact on range than deciding between SSD or other flash storage device.