jack in oz

Hi fellas, Obviously there's been a misunderstanding here. I now have the info I need to do the job (until the next problem arises!) Thanks for the feedback. Regards, Jack

Hi, I just purchased a stand-alone 8ch DVR for use in my home. I will be using Cat5e with baluns for the video and power supply. I would like to build myself a dedicated power supply to power the 8 cameras. I'm still buying cameras as funds allow, but the ones I have (Samsung box) draw 6W. In that case I need a PSU capable of at least 50W. I should probably allow more for IR LEDS too. Option A is to just put a 24V 50VA transformer in a box with 8 fused outlets. One problem I can see with that is the voltage of the TX may be too high if I don't have it loaded with 8 cameras. One advantage with 24VAC is that the current is halved and therefore the voltage drop over the Cat5e is halved. Option B is to make a 12VDC power supply capable of 5A. I have a few 5A linear voltage regulator chips and some salvaged heatsinks, so that is a simple and cheap option too. Other than those I've highlighted, what are the pros and cons of DC vs AC in a CCTV system? Will IR LED illuminators run off 24VAC? Thanks, Jack

Numb-nuts, If you look at the photo you'll see the other two holes have grilles moulded into the plastic. To insert another cable gland would require me to drill out the grille and make a hole. It's got to be easier to silicone something over the grilles, right? No I didn't buy it cheap. The only bit "missing" is the divider plate , which you said yourself is not "crucial". It came with the cable gland to fit into the hole. Which other bits are you suggesting are missing?

Thanks Guys, I have the cable gland, but not the other bits mentioned (I do have the camera mounting plate tho). I'm not using audio or a thermostat, so I'll silicone up the two extra holes as suggested. I don't have the separating plate you mentioned. I can easily make one out of aluminium sheet. What's it for? Does it have holes for the cable to pass through, or is it only half-height with the cables passing over the top? Jack

Soundy, you're worth your weight in gold! I was able to rotate the lens clockwise to bring the zoom & focus locks to the top. I didn't realise there was a rubber seal that could be compressed. I had just assumed it was metal-to-metal. Thanks, Jack

I've just installed my first camera. It's a Samsung SDN-500 box camera with a Pentax lens in a weatherproof housing. The focus lever on the lens is directly under the lens so I can't get my finger under the lens to adjust the focus. As I understand it, the metal ring that the lens screws into adjusts the back focus, so I can't rotate that to bring the focus lever to the top. Only option seems to be to adjust the focus with the camera removed from the housing. Is that how you guys do it? Given that I'm working up a ladder, I would much prefer to make adjustments with the camera solidly mounted in its housing. jack

Thanks guys, but if I unscrew the lens to bring the focus lever to the top the lens becomes VERY loose and flops about. And the back focus ring locking screws can't be accessed with the camera in the housing. Aaaaaggghhhh!

GB, I agree about the simplicity of 24VAC power supplies. I'll be using 24VAC for the cameras that will take it and adding a 12VDC regulator to power the cameras that won't take the 24VAC. All of the used Big Brand (Samsung, Pana, Bosch, etc) cameras I see on EBay seem to accept 24VAC anyway. Jack

Hi GB, I'm sorry to hear about your cameras being fried. I'm in the process of building a residential CCTV system of my own and I've decided there's no way I'll be using a switchmode power supply. I just don't trust 'em and your sad story has added to my distrust. The good old linear power supplies seem to be quite a bit more expensive, but compared to replacing most of your cameras, I guess they are cheap. All the best. Jack.

Actually, I just had a look at the power supply boards in Soundy's link and they look like really good value. I would buy a few myself, but I suspect postage to Oz would make them uneconomical.

Go the 7812. It's what they are designed for. Mount it on a tiny veroboard with a suitable heatsink.

Yes, that's correct.

It doesn't have a name. The manual has "H.264DVR" printed on it. It is 8ch, records at D1 resolution and has a 1TB HDD in it. I bought it from a place that sells CCTV gear to commercial premises (I picked it up from their warehouse). Irrespective of it's origin, is this normal behaviour for a DVR? I wouldn't have thought so, but then I'm a noob.

I just bought a new DVR. When I switch the unit off with the ON/OFF button all the lights extinguish and the monitor blanks, but the HDD continues to run 24/7. This seems a bit odd to me. The manual gives no clue. To me, if a device is switched OFF it should be off, not half off. I've emailed the seller and I'm waiting for a response. I'm curious to know if anyone else has witnessed this before on their DVR? Jack

Sounds good.

Thanks for the response. I notice many of the Altronix power supplies have both 24VAC and 12VDC outputs. I might build a 24VAC PSU and leave room in the box for a 12VDC circuit board if I ever need it. Cheers, jack

Hi All, I guess this could go in both the camera and DVR forums but I'll just place it here. I want to install a 4 camera + DVR system at my house. The cameras will most likely be analogue (non-IP) to save cost and will be mounted externally (IP66 or better). I'll be using Cat5e cable + baluns as I already have the stuff going everywhere in my house and also out to my garage where one camera will be mounted. Initially I want two cameras. One will be pointed at the swimming pool to allow me to monitor the kids from inside the house (range 20m). The other will be mounted to the garage and point down the driveway (range also about 20m). I want this camera to be good enough to identify any potential intruder and record car licence plates both day and night (my boat is parked in front of the garage and is not easily secured). I will add additional cameras as the budget allows. Nice, but not essential: the ability to monitor the cameras from a laptop or iPad inside the house over the WiFi network. The DVR will be rack-mounted with the RJ45 patch bay that all my Cat5e cables terminate at. I would appreciate any brand/model recommendations for both the DVR and the cameras. As I'm in Australia and most posters on this forum seem to be in the UK or USA, we should probably stick to the larger manufacturers like Panasonic, Sony, Bosch, etc. Budget is whatever is required to achieve my goal without overkill. Thanks in advance.

Thanks Campbell.

Thanks for the responses- very much appreciated. I will keep an eye out for domes too. I haven't seen any used 540 line cameras yet. Most seem to be 420-480 lines. I'll just have to be more patient. I'm only looking for cameras in Australia because postage can be a killer, so that limits the selection a bit. Would anyone care to comment on any of these box cameras? Panasonic WV-CLR924E. 1/2'' CCD, 480 lines/0.3 lux color. 570 lines/0.02 lux B&W. Panasonic WV-BP554E. 1/3'', 570 lines, 0.06 lux (F1.2) Sony SSC-DC30P Regards, Jack

I’m slowly collecting the bits for a CCTV system for my home. All cameras will be externally mounted. I’ve got one Samsung Day/Night camera with a Pentax varifocal lens I bought on eBay. It will be used to monitor the swimming pool by day only. I’ve got my eye on an 8 channel 4CIF analogue DVR. However I’m not sure what the best way to go with cameras is. There seems to be two main groups of cameras for sale on eBay. Namely used box cameras with known brand names like Bosch, Panasonic, Samsung, etc. and new Chinese made bullet cameras of unknown name and quality. As I see it, the upside of the used box cameras is quality and the ability to fit a wide variety of lenses to suit your needs. The downside is that they have to be mounted in a large and fairly ugly weatherproof box. They are also relatively expensive, even though they are used. I guess being a few years old they are also “yesterday’s technology”. The advantages of the bullet cameras seems to be smaller size, lower cost and latest technology. The problem is, they have names I’ve never heard of before and I’m always wary about specs provided by Chinese manufacturers. They do tend to exaggerate! I’m interested to hear what people’s philosophy on this is. One specific question: I occasionally find a ½’’ CCD camera for sale (usually camera only- no lens). Are these better than 1/3’’ cameras? I understand the lenses are more expensive, but I did find one brand of ½’’ zoom lens for around $120. What’s the advantage of 1/2'' cameras? Cheers, Jack

Thanks Soundy, I have the camera manual and you are right, back focus is adjusted with the metal ring. I just wanted to make sure that was the problem before I started messing with it. Jack

Hi, I bought a Samsung SDN-500 colour day/night camera on eBay. It came with a Pentax TS4V214ED lens. Lens is CS mount, 2.8-12mm focal length, F1.4 to F360 auto iris. The camera works great and I can get the camera to focus (using the NEAR-FAR ring) at all zoom settings except full WIDE. Also, if I focus the lens at the full TELE position, then rotate the zoom ring towards WIDE, it goes out of focus, then back into focus, then WAY out of focus as I move towards full WIDE. Is this likely to be a back focus issue or is that normal for this type of lens? Jack

Hi bcarusi, no prob with thread drift. It's all good info. You were lucky to have 110V in your letterbox! I'm not so fortunate. I'll check out the technical info on the website you mentioned. Gotta love those night markets in Hong Kong. If you go back, Appliu St in Sham Shui Po is a good spot for electronic stuff.

OK, thanks for the feedback. I guess I was thinking about daylight, but I hadn't considered headlight glare at night.

Does anyone have any experience with these cameras? http://www.sourcesecurity.com/docs/fullspec/ACF13C2.pdf I might be able to get hold of a used 500P model cheaply. I would like to incorporate it into a home CCTV system with an analogue DVR. appreciate any feedback P.S. How do you insert a hyperlink into a post?