Itronics ITB-100HD Dashcam Install

M4rk

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I have had my GoPro Hero 960 serving as a dashcam for about 1.5 years now, and while it has done its job just fine, it started to become somewhat of a pain to manually operate. I would always forget if I actually turned it on as I just did it all automatically. The low-light performance of my specific model was also utter crap, so it was time to upgrade.


I picked up the Itronics ITB-100HD off eBay (apple-ct seller) for $195 shipped via EMS (took 4 business days to arrive from S. Korea). I decided to go with it instead of the Blackvue for numerous reasons:

- Doesn't overheat/get damaged from the summer heat
- Wider view angle and sharper video around the edges
- Uses regular sized SDHC cards
- Can disable shock sensing

The camera came with an English .PDF manual, and English software, yay!



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I hard-wired it by using an add-a-circuit mini fuse tap in the passenger footwell fuse box. I used fuse #12, which has power only when the key is in the ACC position, which is how I wanted it. Routed the cable through the headliner (tucked in), down the A-pillar and through a hole in the side of the dash, right above the fuse box. Voila.


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Last photo was taken with a flash. Here is a quick sample clip @720p:


Nice Following Distance - YouTube



And finally, an image comparison between the Itronics and my GoPro (resized):


gopro-itronics.jpg
 
Nice. I like that it is black. I see you mounted it same place as me. Did you experiment with other places or just say F it?

Video quality looks good. Reminds me of my blackvue. Also I have not had problems with my BlackVue for anyone wondering which to get. And I used it DD this year in 100F+ days.

Does the software that comes with this one allow editing, or just viewing/exporting?
 
Nice. I like that it is black. I see you mounted it same place as me. Did you experiment with other places or just say F it?

Video quality looks good. Reminds me of my blackvue. Also I have not had problems with my BlackVue for anyone wondering which to get. And I used it DD this year in 100F+ days.

Does the software that comes with this one allow editing, or just viewing/exporting?

I wanted it to be centered, so it was either that or up in the blue tint strip.

I guess you got lucky, but on one forum, about 15/100 had to be warrantied due to the image sensors burning out and whatnot. Maybe it's your 30% windshield tint that saved it :D

I don't think the software allows editing. You can play the videos, look at the accelerometer info, export them. Speaking of editing though.. this camera produces .AVI files using h.264 codec. Premiere Pro doesn't play this by default, so I am forced to convert them to .MP4 w/ h.264 first, which is a pain. The audio is also pretty trash, mono 8kHz. I might do the mic mod soon, which improves the clarity a little bit. Maybe even retrofit a better mic..
 
Don't you have the box, Black? The dashcam has a GPS antenna built-in.

Also, it turns out I actually tapped into fuse #5 and not #6 like I believed, which is for the airbags. :shifty: ..oops! I switched the tap over to fuse #12, which is for the rain sensor and auto-dimming mirrors.
 
nice install...how does this work with video storage/overwrite?...does it continuously overwrite old data on the SD card, or does it need to be manually wiped clean?

...and does this particular camera have a "parking mode" like the backvue? just curious because i looked into the backvue, but decided it wasnt worth all the potential headache... thanks :cool:
 
nice install...how does this work with video storage/overwrite?...does it continuously overwrite old data on the SD card, or does it need to be manually wiped clean?

...and does this particular camera have a "parking mode" like the backvue? just curious because i looked into the backvue, but decided it wasnt worth all the potential headache... thanks :cool:

It has automatic overwrite. You can also format the card right from the camera, which is very handy as it's recommended to do that once a week.

It also has parking mode, as per pic #2 (features are on the box). Shock sensing can also be fully turned off, unlike on the Blackvue.


No rain sensor on the 06 model. (or the 05, or most of the 04s.)

Most of the time I would rather not have them, TBH.
 
It has automatic overwrite. You can also format the card right from the camera, which is very handy as it's recommended to do that once a week.

It also has parking mode, as per pic #2 (features are on the box). Shock sensing can also be fully turned off, unlike on the Blackvue.

...sry guess i should read next time :shifty:

thanks for the info though :cool:
 
How long do the batteries of these cameras last until the have to be charged?
 
Excellent. Good write up. I also looked at the BlackVue a few days ago and was concerned with the overheating issue (as I live in AZ). I will be curious to hear of any additional feedback on how this works.
Recording in a non-compressed AVI seems as if this might not record a lot (fills up the SD card too quickly), but I guess we'll see. Also, the Itronics seems to look a little more of a "fish eye" lense affect than the GoPro, but it is still very clear and usable.

Nice work and nice find.
 
What are you intentions installing a dash cam? Accident fault proof, anti theft?

Yep, and also for insurance fraud prevention; E.g. guy stops dead in his tracks on the highway, you stop behind him in time. He reverses into you, claiming you actually hit him, and extorts you for cash, threatening to call the police. Now normally, you would be automatically found at fault, and here in Ontario your insurance rates would skyrocket - $200 spent on a dashcam is a lot less than what a rate increase would be. It's a cheap price to pay for the peace of mind IMO.


...sry guess i should read next time :shifty:

thanks for the info though :cool:

No worries :)


How long do the batteries of these cameras last until the have to be charged?

the camera is hard wired into the car....if u read above he tapped a fuse thats only hot when the car is on, which is what most people do.

Yep, it draws the power from the car, BUT I believe there is some sort of a battery built-in to allow for the files to finish writing before it fully powers off. Otherwise the files would come up as corrupted due to them not being "closed off" properly.


Excellent. Good write up. I also looked at the BlackVue a few days ago and was concerned with the overheating issue (as I live in AZ). I will be curious to hear of any additional feedback on how this works.
Recording in a non-compressed AVI seems as if this might not record a lot (fills up the SD card too quickly), but I guess we'll see. Also, the Itronics seems to look a little more of a "fish eye" lense affect than the GoPro, but it is still very clear and usable.

Nice work and nice find.

Thanks! So far so good, no issues at all. Timestamps are right on, GPS is very accurate and just as fast as my TomTom when it comes to acquiring the signal. No complains about the quality, but the microphone is lacking.

The files are actually compressed (H.264), so you can get a few hours of footage with the supplied 8GB SDHC card. 3h 30m @720p, and 3h @1080p according to the product chart. Once full, the oldest files are overwritten first.

The lens does indeed have a fisheye effect to it, while the GoPro doesn't.. I wonder why, as they seem to have a very similar view angle. It is very sharp however, even around the edges, moreso than the Blackvue (and my GoPro as a matter of fact).
 

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