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Err, a bit of a dumb question, but why would the camera be damaged when the POE and the external 12 volt supply are used together? Don't the camera designers know how to diode-OR the power supplies? Kind of curious, as I've seen this warning on several cameras, some of which I wouldn't consider to be budget models.

Wow "(Western Digital) Desktop drives are built to run for only short intervals and are not engineered to withstand high-temperature fluctuations and equipment vibrations" That doesn't say much positive about the quality of WD desktop drives. I wouldn't want to use one of those in my desktop! And I'm not sure if I'm kidding or not. I thought surveillance was an easy job for a hard disk: Always on, so minimal temperature fluctuations (where do they think the heat comes from?) Always on, so no start/stop stresses (motor start, and head unpark) Minimal vibrations for surveillance (desktop gets bumped when inserting disks, plugging stuff in, DVR just sits there left alone).

Hi jdr37. It may be difficult to test the camera, as it depends on how the camera receives its power. It could be powered from the reversing lights (which saves the installer from having to run a power lead to the camera), or it could be powered through the coax (which Panasonic sometimes did to make installation cheaper and easier). Given that the camera is mounted "outside", it could be worthwhile to replace the setup with something newer. How old is the camera and monitor? What model is it?

Hello Mrtgreedy I don't know where you'd find one, but a polarised lens would help (similar to some sunglasses): http://www.polarization.com/water/water.html I've never tried using them, but it could be worthwhile for you to look into this.

Hi djolejr. I can't find any information about how much power these cameras require, but suspect you might need nearly 2amps per camera. Their built-in illuminator has 72 LEDs, which probably require a lot of current. The more current you draw from the power supply, the more electrical noise it will create. You might not see any interference during the day, but once the IR LEDs kick in, the increase in load makes the power supply noisy. The current through the ground loop is also increased, which helps to make the interference even worse. The other thing you can try is to use a separate power supply for each camera. This will break the ground loop, although make sure that the power supplies are not grounded. So in summary: 1) Try a bigger supply - 4 or 5 amps. 2) Power the cameras independantly with two supplies - 2 or 3 amps each probably OK.

Hi there. Yes, I've run into one of these isolating transformers in an old Pelco PTZ dome. I reckon they are sometimes used on old equipment to break ground loops, so you can use more than one camera or PTZ on a power supply. These days you get this feature for free by buying cameras that incorporate isolated switch-mode power supplies.

Hello Post What you need to use is a PTZ decoder. It decodes the RS485, and uses it to drive relays, which in turn connect to the "com, left, right, auto" on your mount. Something like this (you'll need to check that the baud rate and protocol that your DVR uses are supported. The Pelco protocol is very popular): http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Universal-Indoor-RS485-Decoder-for-CCTV-PTZ-Camera-Control-CCTV-Security-Accessories-free-shipping/1248605164.html And it's manual: http://www.securitycamera2000.com/download/PT0057-manual.pdf I haven't used one of these myself, but it looks like this would do the trick.

Hi aliciac. Did you try to change the "night to day" setting up from 20? You might want to change the "day to night" setting back down to where you had it (try 3), and set the "night to day" a bit higher (7, maybe 9), and just play with these settings until you are happy, (or get too frustrated). You want the camera to go into night mode when it gets dark (at the 3 setting), and to leave night mode when it becomes lighter (the 7 setting). Logically, the "night to day" setting must be greater or equal to the "day to night" value, so the camera will auto adjust this if you don't set it yourself. The DELAY CNT is a time delay, so that brief bright events (like car headlights) won't make the camera switch out of night mode. It's probably in seconds?? Actually, if you want colour at night, try changing it from "DAY/NIGHT - Auto" to "DAY/NIGHT - day" and see if that's any better. You might have enough light there without the IR LEDs.

Hi vaishali. So does the HDMI to RCA splitter have four RCA outputs, and you're using separate RG6 cables from the splitter to each TV? Or is it one cable from the splitter, and the TVs are tapped into the cable?

Yeah, I think I paid about $30 for one (a bargin on a local auction site). It does have to capture the video, then upscale it to VGA (or Super VGA?), so there's a bit of smarts inside it. If you're fitting a capture card to your PC, there's only a few futher steps required to turn it into a DVR with BlueCherry or ZoneMinder...

No, that's the wrong adapter. That one looks like it's a break-out lead for a video card or something. The composite video to VGA adapters I've seen are a box about the size of a pack of cards - like this randomly picked URL: http://www.lenkeng.biz/ProductDetails_hdmiconvertor_2.html The one's I've used work okay, but you need to adjust the contrast and brightness each time it's turned on. It doesn't remember the settings.

Hi there itaishi. At a guess, that's the power supply and control board for the infra red LEDs (only for the LEDs, not the camera). It turns the LEDs on and off when it gets dark or light. The camera probably has it's own power supply. What's the problem with the camera, and what make and model is it? You could try using the camera with this board unplugged, and see if it works. I think it would force the camera into black and white night mode?

The thin glass is used as picture glass. The trick would be finding someone able to cut an accurate circle that small. I've found the thin stuff is easier to cut and shape than the thick, so not impossible. The watch glass is a good idea, so long as it's flat, and not convex or concave. Not a bad price either.

Hi wkdwrx. You could try some perspex or similar plastic instead of glass. That way you can trim and file it down to size yourself. The places that sell it usually have a box of cheap off-cuts.

Hi there. Have you tried a different power supply? The one you're using might be dodgy.

Hi ayoubtt. I'm prety sure that those aren't baluns. They're for connecting to coax cable. The baluns are a bit larger, like the ones in tomcctv's post above.

Hi jeromephone. Yes, provide protection at the camera end of the cable as well. You need to prevent the surge from getting into the camera. They're probably being induced into your cable from near by strikes.

Hi there k8_fan. The Pelco mount the ChrisL has pointed you to is a fixed speed mount - when moving, it moves at a constant speed. It would also need a Pelco decoder. Or you could hook up a set of push buttons onto the end of a length of Cat5 to remote control it. It also needs 24VAC for the motors, so you'd need access to mains power at your events. BTW, that is a "light duty" mount, weighing a measly 4kg. There are other knock-off copies of this design from China. They cost a lot less, and are probably lighter weight, using plastic instead of steel and aluminium.

Hello Hazim. It's a lot more difficult to use 220V between buildings. You need wire rated for that voltage, and need to protect it in conduit. Also, there is a greater chance of fire or electrocution if things go wrong. You could use 24VAC between the buildings, and a 24VAC to 12VDC switch-mode converter like this one: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/AC-24V-to-DC-12V-Power-converter-amera-Side-24VAC-to-DC-12V-Coverter-power/716488621.html as an example. The best of these power supplies are "isolated", where they have an internal isolating transformer which prevents ground loops. I don't know whether the one in that link is isolating. Measure the resistance between the 12V negative terminal and the coax shield on your cameras. Those that have continuity (low resistance) could have problems with ground loops, so you should use an isolated converter for each camera. If there is no continuity, then you could power several cameras from each converter.

Whirled peas

Hi there. Your description of the glitches sound like compression artifacts. I think you're viewing some heavily compressed mpeg. There are some video conferencing cameras I've used that do the same glitching. How many cameras, and what is the frame rate that the DVR is recording? Are you using composite video cameras? Not megapixel IP? It's possible that the 2TB hard disk has a lower bandwidth than the old disk, so the DVR has increased the compression (lowered the quality) to compensate. Check what the DVR video quality/compression settings are, and see if you can change them for better playback. You might need to stop recording some of the cameras to do this. How many cameras do you have, and what make is the DVR?

Hi again Andy. Nope, you'll need to leave the camera connected when you measure the voltage. You also need the IR LEDs to be on, so that the camera is drawing as much power as possible. Only then will you be able to measure how bad the voltage drop is.

Hi Andy. Yes, you can use the other power supply - its the "output 12V/4A" part that matters. Could you measure the voltage at the camera? With the LEDs turned on, you are probably getting too much voltage drop across the extension cable. You might only have 9 or 10 volts at the camera, which will cause problems for the IR LEDs. The fix is to use a thicker extension cable.

Hi Andy. It could be the wire you've used for the power isn't heavy enough. Try measuring the voltage at night when the IR LEDs are on. You'll need to do this at the camera - not at the power supply! If there's not enough voltage at the camera, the LEDs will be dim, and the camera will reboot. I'm guessing the "no detection" message is created by your DVR when it loses the video feed from the camera (when the camera reboots).

OK, I'm not excessively familiar with Panasonic PTZ and haven't heard of Milestone, so this is the result of a 5 minute serarch and lots of assumptions... Milestone claim to have a plug-in for the WV-CU950, which is the Panasonic PTZ keyboard (see Milestone's website here: http://www.milestonesys.com/Support/Technical-Support/Download-software/, search for "CU950"). The WV-CU950 can control a WJ-HD300 digital video recorder (see here: http://ssbu-t.psn-web.net/Products/System%20component/WJ-CU650%20Series/Manual/English/PAL/o5cu650e.pdf on page 20). The DVR can control the PTZs and wipers. How to get all that to talk and work together would be "interesting", but it at least appears to be possible. Whether it is economical to do it is questionable. What condition are the cameras in? Being old, they might no longer work. What condition are they in? Clean, dusty, or rusty?