808 Camera Best practices

After using the 808 key-chain camera for a while now, here I am sharing my thoughts about how to use it.

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Power and Battery

• The power button turns the camera on or puts it into low power standby that powers the data time clock. The power button does not electrically disconnect the battery module, which means it’s still consuming power. (although it’s very little)
• Also the battery will self-discharge over a period of a few weeks, it’s not good for LIPO battery to get too low in voltage. So it’s a good practice to charge your camera once a while (e.g. every two months)
• To charge the battery, sometimes a 5V USB power device works better (faster) than the computer USB port.

SD Card

• Run Crystal Disk Mark on every micro SD card to benchmark the performance.  If the card is fake, the performance can be terrible.
• Format – Format the micro SD card in an external card reader, not the camera.
• Format – When formatting, do a full format, not a quick format.
• Use a class 4 or faster micro SD flash card.
• Before using the camera, remove any files on the micro SD card, or better yet, format the card.
• Format – If a flash card was used in another device, always format it before using it in an 808 camera.
• Remove or insert the flash card only when the USB cable is not connected and the camera is off.
• If a flash card has files, and one or more file has been deleted, reformat the card before recording video.

USB

• If you have a fault with connecting to the computer, or charging the battery, always suspect the USB cable first. The original USB cable is very bad quality.
• Don’t connect the USB cable for more than one hour.  If the battery is fully charged and the USB is connected the camera produces the most heat.  Since the plastic case does not dissipate heat well, this heat buildup can damage the battery.
• After disconnecting the USB cable, turn the camera off or reset it.

Operation

• While recording video the only acceptable action is to stop the video by short pressing the mode button.
• While recording a video do not long press the mode button, do not press the power button and do not connect the USB cable.
• Do not press the reset button and the power button at the same time.  On some cameras this can smoke some camera parts and permanently damage the camera.
• To clean the lens blow away grit with a bulb or can-of-air, then gently use a lint free lens cleaning tissue.  Avoid any liquid because it could get inside the lens assembly.  The lens is plastic and coated.  Putting the camera in webcam mode might help to see any improvement.