openmv won't save > 1024 images with certain micro-SD cards

[SUPScientist]

Observed behavior

@efarq writes in email "TinyCamMLs Maiden voyage" on 23-Oct-24: "So TinyCamML2,3, and 5 stopped saving images once they hit about 1000 images saved (which was like yesterday) but did keep recording in their datalog. I reset the tinycammls so they are still out there running currently and I’ll probably check on them Friday. TinyCamML1 seems to be totally fine, which is interesting because it is the only one whose sd card is different (picture below) and it has the voltage divider. All of the sd card formats are the same, so I’m thinking this sounds like some sort of specific sd card bug? I’m going to mess around with the extra TinyCamML and see if I can recreate it but let me know if y’all have any ideas."

Expected behavior

TinyCamMLs keep saving images as long as there is available space on micro-SD card

[SUPScientist]

This thread and in particular this comment suggests using ImageWriter rather than save. save evidently spends time finding open space on the SD card that increases as more space is filled up, maybe getting to the point that the save operation isn't completing when the device goes to sleep.

Another quick band-aid solution could be to add a delay or query the result of https://github.com/TinyCamML/Boron-and-OpenMV/blob/bcfeacb64a2c065acb4354f63079edc074f35b6f/Firmware/OpenMV/PublishOpenMV.py#L74 and have a blocking loop below it that doesn't let you proceed (and go to sleep) until it responds or a certain amount of time passes. I don't know if the save method returns anything, but that's worth looking into also.

Lots of forum posts about seemingly related issues! https://forums.openmv.io/t/saving-stream-of-jpeg-images-to-sd-card/1648

[ebgoldstein]

imagewriter is deprecated, so it would be image.ImageIO . this would essentially save a video file, that we would decode later.. this is not that fun, so i suggest a possible hack: new directories every day

so before the while loop:

def get_today_folder():
    """Create and return the folder path for today's date."""
    date_str = utime.strftime("%Y-%m-%d")  # Format: YYYY-MM-DD
    folder_path = f"./images/{date_str}"
    if not os.path.exists(folder_path):
        os.mkdir(folder_path)
    return folder_path

and in teh loop:

    # Read current time from UART
     poll = uselect.poll()
     poll.register(uart, uselect.POLLIN)
     poll.poll()
     curr_time = uart.read().decode('utf-8')

     # Create a file name using the current time and flood state
     file_name = f"{curr_time}_{floodstate}.jpg"

     # Get the path for today's folder and save the image
     today_folder = get_today_folder()
     img.save(f"{today_folder}/{file_name}")

     # Log the data in DataLog.txt
     with open("DataLog.txt", 'a') as file:
         log_entry = f"{curr_time},{floodstate},{gc.mem_alloc()}\n"
         file.write(log_entry)