The 808 key chain camera is a small color video camera with audio that also takes photos. I have been using this camera a lot on my RC FPV planes and quadcopters, and since then i have had a few problems with it. Not all of this problems are related to product quality but rather user error, so I thought it might be a good idea to put down these issues and solutions somewhere. Here are some of my own quick fix and some are from the internet, hope you can find a solution to your problem.
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. I receive a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these affiliate links. This helps support the free content for the community on this website. Please read our Affiliate Link Policy for more information.This post are about some very basic and simple fixes to some 808 camera problems. You may have issues with turning it on, taking pictures or storing pictures and video. I will start other posts for more technical and specific issues with this camera, and put the links below. Whatever problem you’re experiencing with your 808 keychain camera, you will usually find that, unless the camera is defective or beyond its lifespan, the issue is a mechanical or user error that you can fix with some very basic troubleshoot.
SD Card Related Issues and Fixes
Battery and Power Related Issues and Fixes
User Best Practice
Check that you are pressing the correct buttons on your keychain camera if the device won’t work. The “Shutter” button is on the top near the front; the “On/Off” button is behind it. The buttons at the top back of the camera near the chain are faux and serve no purpose.
Press and hold the “On/Off” button for at least three seconds if your camera won’t turn on. The power button doesn’t work with just one push. The indicator light will turn on and stay on if the button isn’t malfunctioning.
Charge the battery if the camera still won’t power on, if it turns off quickly, or if it turns on but the indicator light flashes slowly. Push the microUSB connector fully into the port on the left side of the camera. Turn on your computer and plug the USB cable into an open USB port on the computer. Wait at least two hours for the camera to charge; then unplug the cable and try again.
The 808 has an automatic power-off feature, so if your camera turns off automatically when idle for some time, it’s totally normal. It will power off after about 20 seconds in standby mode or immediately after saving a picture or video when the battery is too low.
Make sure your micro SD card is inserted in its camera slot correctly. If it won’t take a picture/video, shuts off after about 15 seconds or the indicator light is flashing rapidly, take out the SD card, and put it back in. If everything works correctly the light will stop flashing and the camera will enter standby mode.
If the LED is working correctly, but you are missing the pictures and videos in the SD card, it might be the way you use the camera that causes the issue. The camera takes a few seconds to store the data on the card after you have taken a picture or video, so you need to wait a few seconds between shots.
If this didn’t help, try to reset the camera by Inserting the tip of a pin or metal paper clip into the reset button hole.
Might be a dirty lense, try spraying the camera lens with some compressed air to remove the dust on it. Avoid using the camera in dusty places whenever possible in the future. Any dust on the lens or in the air can reduce picture quality. Remove obstructions from the microphone hole at the front of the camera if your videos contain choppy or low audio. Anything blocking the microphone (including your fingers) can interfere with recording.
This is a very bad description for a problem. BUT! you can always try these tips first see if they do the tricks without having to take the screws off and open the case.
If the above didn’t work, you might have to take the screws off and open the case. After that follow these instructions.
If this does not reflect your problem please check out the links for specific issues above.
If you have a USB connection related problem, or Windows wants to install a driver immediately after USB connection. Or you might have a charging problem with the USB cable. The USB cable that comes with the camera is often bad in quality.
You can try a different USB cable or try a different computer port first. The reason for this could be a USB data problem, high resistance in the USB cable or bad USB cable wires or contacts.
It could be a problem with your built-in Battery, make sure it’s fully charged (connected to USB for at least 2 hours). If this doesn’t work, try some basic troubleshoot.
To troubleshoot this problem, try connect the USB cable and when the LED comes on immediately disconnect the USB cable. Hold down the power button, connect the USB cable, release the power button.
If this did not work, try a hard reset (reset button), this will reset the battery module protection circuit. To hard reset you need to first remove the battery connection from the board, and press the reset button and then connect the battery again. If the battery is hardwired to the board you might need to use a solder iron.
This is usually caused by a bad USB cable or bad computer port that fails to charge the battery, or some flash card problem (too slow or not recently formatted). Short recording can also be caused by a “worn out” battery, a bad battery or a bad charging circuit. Try a different USB cable, USB adapter or USB power source. Maybe try a different computer port or a 5V USB charger. More advanced diagnostics require removing the case (the voltages are live even when the camera is off) and measuring the battery voltage with a digital meter to verify the battery is charged, and that the USB charging is working.
Camera is dead, can’t turn on with or without the USB connection
The Reset switch could be pushed on by the plastic case, so you can’t turn the camera on. Try to remove the plastic case and check. Shave away some plastic that is pushing the reset button.
Green trees look white and other colors are off
The infrared (IR) blocking filter is missing from the internal camera module (Infrared (IR) Filter). Either replace the camera or glue a piece of IR blocking filter to the outside of the 808.
Smoke coming from camera
Can be caused by a loose component inside the camera. Can be caused by pressing the reset and power buttons at the same time. Replace the camera.
Strange colors in both video and photos
Usually a data path connection problem inside the camera. Replace the camera.
LED flashes 15 or 35 times
The camera can’t access the flash card. Possible problems could be an improperly inserted card, a defective card socket, a defective flash card, a flash card that is not FAT32 format, a card that was used in another device and not formatted before use in the 808 camera.
When playing an AVI file, the audio plays but the video does not – The AVI file video format is either the MJPEG or XviD (#7 camera). Some video players can play both. Some video players, like Windows Media Player, play MJPEG video but an XviD video codec must be installed to play XviD. Download and install the XviD video codec.
The missing frame rate is high
In most cameras the reason for missing frame is low light, a very slow micro SD card and large video frames. The missing frame rate is lower in bright daylight.
If you couldn’t find what you need here, try other pages on the top of this page, Under title “specific Issues Troubleshoot”.
There doesn’t seem to be a official customer services from the manufacturer of these cameras, so when there is a technical issue with your key chain camera, you are likely to be only on your own, or if you are lucky you can get a replacement from your seller. If nothing on the internet can adjust your issues, talk to your camera sellers and see if you can get it replaced.