jam

Hello everyone, I've been tasked by my boss to oversee a CCTV installation using a DM DS2 and our existing cameras at one of our buildings. As I'm an IT engineer "obviously I should know everything there is to know about CCTV" Basically our CCTV engineer is on the job at the moment and were having issues. We need to connect our cameras/mounts to the DM DS2 system. The cameras work a treat but we've got some dome cameras that we will want to control and we are unable to control them because we don't have a link via the telemetry??? We have the wires coming in but we have no way of connecting them to the back of the DM DS2. We need to connect them via the RS485 port (which I'm unable to find a crimp tool for) or the serial ports which I can sort out via RS components/Maplins (electrical component superstores). I know frig all about CCTV so please put it in plain dumb terms. What cables will be coming in from the domes to control them and how do I get them into the back of the DMDS2 so I can use them from my desk 20 miles away from where the unit is located? PS the remote dial in ect is sorted and works lovely. Cheers jam

Tried it as a single and it froze. Basically no matter what configuration you have this hard drive in it just freezes, which leaves me to believe that the firmware is capped or at least old enough not to support my 300GB HDD. However theres no firmware update from DM to allow the unit support larger harddrives. Popped another 80GB in for the time being.

Anyone got any ideas? I have got a 320GB 8Mb cache western dig PATA hard drive. When I insert it into the machine it hangs at initialising bootloader. It doesn't go any further than that. The controls don't respond. When I remove it it works fine. Doesn't matter if its a single or Master or Slave it always hangs at that point. I've updated the firmware to the latest. Still does the same thing. I've tried using Norton Ghost and making an identicle disc but with a larger capacity it does the same thing. I've phoned DM and of course got the tough mate really line. All great and wonderful but I need to get a bigger HDD in this unit 16 cameras are burning through the 80GB inside 24 hours which pretty much makes them useless. Helps please!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the reply. I believe that the HDD I'm putting in is just too big for the drive to be recognised. I've dropped in a smaller one as a secondary drive and thats working perfectly. Cheers jam

I got hold of my multimeter and your bang on. However it seems the Bootloader doesn't support my 300GB HDD. I have tried a 80GB hard drive running in series and that works a treat. So I'm on a mission to find out exactly what HDD it will take as DM have no clue as they told me 500GB will be fine. I have registered to go on the DM hard drive replacement course so I can pose some questions to them hoping I can get my answers as DM tech support don't want to know you. jam

Haha issue found. The new HDD is drawing too much voltage/ampage. Therefore the unit it drawing all the power to the HDD and taking it away from the motherboard causing it to die on the initial stages of the bootloader. In steps a spare computer to be used as power only to the new HDD and the old HDD still powered from the DMDS2 Brilliant I can now access the menus ect so I'm going to see if its actually been detected. Wish me luck. jam

My next issue is the hard drive. Its currently running a 80GB HDD with 16 cameras blazing at it constantly its not lasting very long and I don't want to reduce the PPS. So as I'm an IT Engineer I'm going to replace it myself. However has anybody tried putting the new and old HDD into a computer and running Norton Ghost and seeing if it works? It doesn't matter if it doesn't but just wondering as this could save alot of hassle. Cheers jam

OK well here we go. First problem I encountered is that the RS485 port is an odd port I've never seen before certainly not an RJ45 plug nor an RJ11. So binned that idea as I think it may have been made bespoke to DM stuff making you buy more DM stuff. Second problem serial port (DB9 male). After searching I found a plug (currently on another lead) unsoldered it and got it ready to use. Our system however only has 2 DB9 ports as opposed to the manual which states there should be 4. Called DM who then tell me to use the green bus adapter and treat it as a serial port connection for the unit. Third problem. Protocols. The protocols on the cameras were wrong and were adjsuted to Pelco-P now. Fourth problem. ID's. The camera ID's were all wrong. Re-ID'd them. Fifth problem. Wiring. It was all wrong. Instead of being a typical bus system they had wired it in parallel. This obviously didn't work and it took me showing the CCTV engineer the wiring issue by running a fresh cable straight from one camera to the DVR unit and show it working. So now we have him re-wiring the cameras to how they should be wired not how he wants them wired. To be honest I'm wondering what exactly were paying him for as he's done nothing but argue with me and I've been right everytime. This venture into world of CCTV is great I'm really enjoying it. The 'CCTV engineer'is really getting on my nerves though, as were paying for the priviledge of him argueing with me.

Thanks for that guys. I have got an Rj45 crimp tool in my arsenal so why my CCTV engineer didn't just ask me to bring mine into work is beyond me. I honestly don't think he knows which is a little concerning. I would like to keep the serial ports free as from what I read in the instructions they can be used to trigger other events and this may work well as we have an automated gate were currently having issues with so I may interface the 2 together so when the camera is activated by motion the gates open and the doors unlock. But I'll get into more of that later when I have finished figuring out these systems. I have read the manual and the RS485 use a TX+ and a TX-. How do I terminate them, I think theres the setting in the firmware of the DS? Is that how I terminate it? The cameras are a mixture of dome, PTZ and statics. (12 cameras in total). Thanks in advance jam