GoPro Shutting Down

midlifeflyer

midlifeflyer

Touchdown! Greaser!
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I'll start by saying I'm behind the times when it comes to the GoPro brand. I've been using inexpensive knockoffs - primarily Apeman - which have served me well. But I wanted to do a better job with cockpit audio so I bought a HERO3 on eBay. When that ran into this problem I figured it was the camera and bought a used HERO4. Same issue.

It shuts down after 15-20 minutes. When I've used it in the airplane, basically I get to the runway for takeoff. Both the 3 and the 4 have done this every time.

The setup is external power and an NFlightCam cable to connect to the powerpack and the radio.

Any ideas what is going on? Troubleshooting tips? Things I can do? Is it just overheating and shutting down? A bit frustrated. Glad I didn't buy one new!

I have a trip coming up I really want to record. I'll probably make sure my (reliable) non-GoPro cameras are in position and use an audio recorder to capture the radio.
 
gopros mostly suck. but some models do actually shut down after a period of inactivity. you have to just touch the screen to make it 'come alive' again and reset the shutoff. not sure what model numbers have that tho. check in the settings for auto off or whatever it's called and turn it off if u can.
 
Did you try running them outside the plane with a breeze or a fan and see if the do that?

My insta360 one x2 would overheat on a sunny day if the vents aren’t not fully open and in its general direction. The one RS last bit longer but still shuts if again the vents are not blowing on it.
 
I don't have much productive to add, except to say that when GoPros were new, they seemed to suck badly, and continue to suck, but people use them anyway.

In the 00s, I was more into motorcycling, and GoPros, with the first digital device being introduced in 2006, were being attached everywhere, and I heard nothing but a solid stream of complaints. Lots of "it didn't record my ride", and "it shut off for no reason" stuff. It's because of this, that I've steered well-clear of them, and would use damn-near anything else.

(I'm sad Garmin orphaned the Virb.)

Good luck!!

With all the Youtube contributors we have dumping videos here, one of those people should be able to be helpful. Trouble is, we seldom see them actually come here and participate in any way past using us as a dumping ground.
 
SebIp said:
Did you try running them outside the plane with a breeze or a fan and see if the do that?

My insta360 one x2 would overheat on a sunny day if the vents aren’t not fully open and in its general direction. The one RS last bit longer but still shuts if again the vents are not blowing on it.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I have a feeling that it's about overheating. I have been running the same setup for the past hour. On my desk. I have a feeling it will quit when the SD runs out of space (which I think will be well before the battery runs out).
 
eman1200 said:
gopros mostly suck. but some models do actually shut down after a period of inactivity. you have to just touch the screen to make it 'come alive' again and reset the shutoff. not sure what model numbers have that tho. check in the settings for auto off or whatever it's called and turn it off if u can.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I checked. Auto off is not an issue.
 
I still use an old NFlight camera that has never failed me. The audio isn't the best so I use an external recorder. The camera was made by Contour and packaged with the appropriate filter and audio cable by NFlight about 10 years ago. Thinking about adding one of the GoPro knock offs because they are cheap and people here seem to like them better.
 
Mark,

If overheating is causing the shutdowns, then the solution is - drum roll - cooling! That can be in form of air vents and sun visors guiding fresh air to the cameras in flight, or building a simple shade to keep them cool. If you go to 29:27 of the video below (a recording of a presentation I gave at Sun 'n Fun a few years back), you can see how a simple piece of scrap paper can be very effective. Most airplanes don't have much or any flow through the vents on the ground, so maybe don't turn the camera on until you are ready for departure.

What also helps is to not run the cameras at their highest resolution and bitrate. The more you stress the electronics, the more heat they generate. That's where the newer GoPro models have an advantage - you can scale back to HD resolution (1080p) and still get a great picture without generating much heat. This also drains the battery less.

And speaking of batteries: If you are relying on an original battery that came with a Hero3 or Hero4, those are probably pretty old by now and will only have a fraction of their original capacity left (which wasn't all that great to begin with). You say you are using external power, so maybe that's not the problem here, but it can be confusing whether the external USB power is used just for charging or to support continuous recording.

Regards,
Martin

 
Martin Pauly said:
Mark,

If overheating is causing the shutdowns, then the solution is - drum roll - cooling! That can be in form of air vents and sun visors guiding fresh air to the cameras in flight, or building a simple shade to keep them cool. If you go to 29:27 of the video below (a recording of a presentation I gave at Sun 'n Fun a few years back), you can see how a simple piece of scrap paper can be very effective. Most airplanes don't have much or any flow through the vents on the ground, so maybe don't turn the camera on until you are ready for departure.

What also helps is to not run the cameras at their highest resolution and bitrate. The more you stress the electronics, the more heat they generate. That's where the newer GoPro models have an advantage - you can scale back to HD resolution (1080p) and still get a great picture without generating much heat. This also drains the battery less.

And speaking of batteries: If you are relying on an original battery that came with a Hero3 or Hero4, those are probably pretty old by now and will only have a fraction of their original capacity left (which wasn't all that great to begin with). You say you are using external power, so maybe that's not the problem here, but it can be confusing whether the external USB power is used just for charging or to support continuous recording.

Regards,
Martin

Click to expand...
Thanks, Martin. I'll check that video and try it. The external battery is for extended recording (is there really a difference? my last post was 2:23 pm. It's still running on my desk.
 
There are many things that can cause a GoPro to shut off. That’s what makes them suck so bad. They are like a hydra. Fix one problem and two more pop up.
 
ktup-flyer said:
DJI Osmo Action.... I've had zero issues with it. The Action 2 is out now, but I havent tried it. @SixPapaCharlie has one, too.
Click to expand...

yeah I'm on their site now checking that out..... fo hundid beans. looks nice tho.

EDIT: and what audio options do u have? I do have a separate audio recorder but the lapel mic is just so quick and easy.....is that an option with those?
 
eman1200 said:
yeah I'm on their site now checking that out..... fo hundid beans. looks nice tho.

EDIT: and what audio options do u have? I do have a separate audio recorder but the lapel mic is just so quick and easy.....is that an option with those?
Click to expand...
Yes. They have a wireless mic system, too, but idk how that would work in a cockpit.
 
Mark, in addition to all the good tips (and accurate critique) above...

I found with the Hero 8 (and 256gb SD card) if I had BOTH an internal battery and a connected external battery (i.e. a charging brick) that I had all sorts of early shutoff issues. However if I remove the internal battery altogether (now my SOP) I get 5+ hours of non-interrupted recording (assuming the unit doesn't overheat... for that see @Martin Pauly's suggestions).

YMMV,
Wayne
 
Last edited:
wayneda40 said:
Mark, in addition to all the good tips (and accurate critique) above...

I found with the Hero 8 (and 256gb SD card) if I had BOTH an internal battery and a connected external battery (i.e. a charging brick) that I had all sorts of early shutoff issues. However if I remove the internal battery altogether (now my SOP) I get 5+ hours of non-interrupted recording (assuming the unit doesn't overheat... for that see Martin's suggestions).

YMMV,
Wayne
Click to expand...
Removing the battery was my next attempt in the theory that less heat is he erased running it than running it and charging it.

Fortunately, I have a week to experiment before my trip
 
wayneda40 said:
Mark, in addition to all the good tips (and accurate critique) above...

I found with the Hero 8 (and 256gb SD card) if I had BOTH an internal battery and a connected external battery (i.e. a charging brick) that I had all sorts of early shutoff issues. However if I remove the internal battery altogether (now my SOP) I get 5+ hours of non-interrupted recording (assuming the unit doesn't overheat... for that see Martin's suggestions).

YMMV,
Wayne
Click to expand...

I have one GoPro and even with new batteries it doesn’t last long. I am going to try removing the internal battery and powering of the power brick I keep connected to other cameras.

Someone mentioned the Garmin VIRB, excellent video camera and audio recording. I would love to have seen the progression over the years.
 
Another vote for GoPro's sucking. I have Garmin VIRB's, but of course they've since been discontinued.
 
My GoPro stops recording sound the very first time I key the mic.
Or:
The sound quality degrades to "Useless" on the meter, the first time I k
ey the mic.
If I connect it to an external battery the noise generated make the radio useless.
 
Removing the battery seems to be an option for the 4 but not the 3. The 3 won't start without a battery in the compartment.
 
Shepherd said:
My GoPro stops recording sound the very first time I key the mic.
Or:
The sound quality degrades to "Useless" on the meter, the first time I k
ey the mic.
If I connect it to an external battery the noise generated make the radio useless.
Click to expand...
Mine records sound only the first track after I boot it up. Drives me nuts because then I have to add some soundtrack for all of the dead air.
 
kaiser said:
Mine records sound only the first track after I boot it up. Drives me nuts because then I have to add some soundtrack for all of the dead air.
Click to expand...
It's been unreliable enough that even if it works I'm going to use my external recorder which I have owned since long before the GoPro existed and has never failed. I'm probably going to try it but only as a backup.
 
midlifeflyer said:
It's been unreliable enough that even if it works I'm going to use my external recorder which I have owned since long before the GoPro existed and has never failed. I'm probably going to try it but only as a backup.
Click to expand...
I’m too lazy and cheap to do anything else. The videos’ target audience is me… even those I push to instagram. It’s still annoying. It should just work.
 
I read this as "the go pro company is closing". My cardiologist thanks you for the business.
 
kaiser said:
I’m too lazy and cheap to do anything else. The videos’ target audience is me… even those I push to instagram. It’s still annoying. It should just work.
Click to expand...
Yeah, 90% of the time they are just for me or to show friends. Sometimes I get a few minutes during a flightI think are interesting and post them.

I'm lazy too. That's the reason I wanted a GoPro to begin with - not having to sync audio.
 
I haven't had problems with my GoPros shutting down, but they're hung out in the slipstream getting plenty of cool air....

Ron Wanttaja
 
Well this is interesting. The 4 works with no battery... but not when using the nFlightCam.
eman1200 said:
then we're back to gopro's sucking.
Click to expand...
Pretty much. We're back to @Martin Pauly' cooling recommendations.

or, of course a $60 Chinese knockoff that works and doesn't have the shut itself down "feature."
 
wanttaja said:
I haven't had problems with my GoPros shutting down, but they're hung out in the slipstream getting plenty of cool air....

Ron Wanttaja
Click to expand...
The goal here is including cockpit audio, so that doesn't help much. And I do that too but I use a camera with a 3 hour battery, not a GoPro.
 
Yes GoPros suck...but I've found they suck less than many other cams...don't get me started on the Drift Ghost POS! Someone mentioned DJI ? I've got a DJI drone that works fantastic, so I'll have to try their cams.
 
midlifeflyer said:
I'll start by saying I'm behind the times when it comes to the GoPro brand. I've been using inexpensive knockoffs - primarily Apeman - which have served me well. But I wanted to do a better job with cockpit audio so I bought a HERO3 on eBay. When that ran into this problem I figured it was the camera and bought a used HERO4. Same issue.

It shuts down after 15-20 minutes. When I've used it in the airplane, basically I get to the runway for takeoff. Both the 3 and the 4 have done this every time.

The setup is external power and an NFlightCam cable to connect to the powerpack and the radio.

Any ideas what is going on? Troubleshooting tips? Things I can do? Is it just overheating and shutting down? A bit frustrated. Glad I didn't buy one new!

I have a trip coming up I really want to record. I'll probably make sure my (reliable) non-GoPro cameras are in position and use an audio recorder to capture the radio.
Click to expand...
Recommend you duplicate your recording setup in a cool room and see if it still shuts off. If so, not a heat issue.

Maybe it's the SD card formatting? Make sure the SD card and format is compatible with that camera.
 
FPK1 said:
Recommend you duplicate your recording setup in a cool room and see if it still shuts off. If so, not a heat issue.

Maybe it's the SD card formatting? Make sure the SD card and format is compatible with that camera.
Click to expand...
That's the problem with coming into a long thread. I already did that and reported it recorded flawlessly for about 6 hours until the SD card filled up.
 
Martin Pauly said:
Mark,

If overheating is causing the shutdowns, then the solution is - drum roll - cooling! That can be in form of air vents and sun visors guiding fresh air to the cameras in flight, or building a simple shade to keep them cool. If you go to 29:27 of the video below (a recording of a presentation I gave at Sun 'n Fun a few years back), you can see how a simple piece of scrap paper can be very effective. Most airplanes don't have much or any flow through the vents on the ground, so maybe don't turn the camera on until you are ready for departure.

What also helps is to not run the cameras at their highest resolution and bitrate. The more you stress the electronics, the more heat they generate. That's where the newer GoPro models have an advantage - you can scale back to HD resolution (1080p) and still get a great picture without generating much heat. This also drains the battery less.

And speaking of batteries: If you are relying on an original battery that came with a Hero3 or Hero4, those are probably pretty old by now and will only have a fraction of their original capacity left (which wasn't all that great to begin with). You say you are using external power, so maybe that's not the problem here, but it can be confusing whether the external USB power is used just for charging or to support continuous recording.

Regards,
Martin

Click to expand...
I've found that they overheat more often when plugged into external power. If on battery not as likely. But agree with shade/screen. The black body placed up in the windscreen gets very hot.
 
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