Cooperman

Hmmmm, Big plans to build 'Super Casinos' here in the U.K. ..... bit of a gamble though

jonk, The only 'peak response' camera at 1150nM that I can immediately think of, is the Hitachi KP-200-EIR. As far as I know it's still in production, but I don't know the price off hand. Have a look at:- http://www.hitachi-denshi-uk.com/frame_sets/main_frameset.html you should find it listed under monochrome cameras. Both Sanyo and Ikegami have (in the past) produced extended IR cameras which work up to 1150, but the response at this higher frequency was from memory rather minimal (maybe 10% or less).

Hi woodrow769, It would probably help if you could provide a bit more information. How big an area do you need to cover? What is the lighting like? What exactly are you looking for in the picture? Do you have an idea on budget that you wish to spend? With a few more details, I'm sure others will be able to come up with some suggestions on what's available in your neck of the woods.

I knew Tecton had an excellent reputation for top end DVR's, but I've just managed to look up the trade price for the standard Darlex. Trust me on this - you do not want to know The lower level 9 channel Miniplex 300Gb is over £ 3k (roughly US$ 5500). Quality, but at a price.

Hey guys, I don't know if this will be of any interest (it may not be available stateside) but I've just seen some info on a new DVR, the "Audio Darlex" manufactured by a UK company called Tecton. http://www.tecton.co.uk > 20 Video inputs + > 14 Audio inputs (mic. input with built in phantom psu, or line level). It's a standalone and doesn't use Windows or Linux. No idea on price. Any one used the standard Darlex?

antdickens, A little bit more information might help. What type of machinery?, Are you looking at a mechanical process? product movement? size of area to watch?, size of targets in the area? speed of machinery or targets, environmental problems (dust, steam, chemicals etc) etc. I'm sure others will have their own questions.

vmaxnick, I think you can order a service manual for this model from Sony's website (it should contain the operator manual information as well). http://www.sonybiz.net

Rory, Typical Brit response might be ... 'how peculier'! What you're describing is, no problem when the camera and lighting are syncronised to the same mains frequency, but when the camera is switched to an internally generated 60Hz reference (as when 12v DC powered), then there appears to be a type of colour fringing possibly caused by the image sampling and lighting being slightly out of sync. That's a new one on me! Some guys have all the fun

CCTVINSTALLER A happy new year to you too .... If I wasn't already depressed about the UK CCTV industry, I am now! Just goes to show what we were saying about people buying in to the hype. Funny but if somebody tried to sell me a big Volvo with a 1.1 litre engine, I'd think they were mad, and yet whacking loads of IP cameras onto a bandwidth restricted network is becoming all the rage ( ), aka 'the way forward', aka ' the future of surveillance'. We all agree that convergence is a comin', but if standards are going to be further affected in the short term, simply because the blind are leading the blind, that's probably not going to do the CCTV industry's reputation any good. Mind you, the next few years should be interesting, to put it mildly.

Rory, Before you connect up anything, why not disconnect the secondary (output) leads from the transformer (at the PCB); that way, if you do anything untoward, you won't damage the power supply board. (Any markings on the transformer?) If the AC connections are showing Brown (Live) and Blue (Neutral), it shouldn't make any difference which way around they are connected to the transformer. If the transformer has just two outer 'pins' or solder tags on the primary input, the chances are it's been wound for 110v AC. If it has four pins, it's possible that the split windings have been arranged to allow 220/240v on the outer, with a bridge link across the two inner tags. Without a bridge link, the two pairs of windings can be connected independently or in parallel for 110v operation. If you power up the transformer, you can check the secondary AC voltage with a test meter to make sure it doesn't exceed 30v AC. If it checks out o.k., you can power down, then reconnect the secondary leads to the power supply board.

So that's where I've been going wrong all these years Happy New Year y'all

Thoughts, prayers and donations ..... it's all we can do

Sad but true Thomas! The biggest problem of course is that IT Managers generally know little if anything about site security, and many Security Managers know just about enough IT to open their e-mail, and rarely if ever do the two departments get on with each other. If anyone thinks convergence is going to be painless, I think they're living in cloud cuckoo land.

With a 1/3" camera at 150' distance, a 3.7mm (1/2" lens) would cover almost 200 feet width, whilst a 2.8mm (1/3" lens) would cover around 250' (from memory, this optic provides around 92 degrees horizontal angle of coverage on 1/3"). Incidentally, I still work (in my head) with 2/3" focal lengths because that's what I was brought up on (I had a troubled childhood, kept throwing my lenses out of the pram ). To relate the coverage to 1/3" format, I generally just multiply by 55%, so a lens giving 100' width on a 2/3" camera, will give about 55' on a 1/3" CCD.

MetzLyov, I couldn't agree more about the power supply for the camera; as you say, it shouldn't make a jot of difference to the overall internal operation of the camera; other than perhaps an 'AC' camera may be 'line locked', which could possibly be a minor advantage with some switching or multiplexing equipment. Rory, where their is a problem with conflicting light sources (i.e. different colour temperatures, e.g. daylight and fluorescent), you could try using a colour temperature correction filter, then the camera is only having to deal with light at one setting, or if reflected glare is a problem, try using a small polarising filter to cut down on reflections. From what you're describing, it sounds like the light is actually flaring on the dome cover itself?

My hangovers only just wearing off Thomas, but I'm still very confused. I'm not quite sure what you can do with a 2/3" CCD that you can't do with a 1/3rd (slightly heavier paperweight perhaps?). 60 degrees isn't by any stretch of the imagination an extreme wide angle. How much 'width' do they need at 150'? Hey rory, you don't have to use a zoom lens. If you were looking at a gate from 150' away, a 75mm lens on a 1/3" CCD would virtually fill the screen height with a 6 footer.

If you are in the ceiling, why not use a conventional camera with a 4mm or 6.2mm straight pinhole lens?

foreverjne, Pixel failure probably isn't as rare as we think, it's just that most people don't notice it with static cameras. Coincidentally, I happened to be using a camera last week which turned out to have five pixel failures on the chip. It could be age, or it could be earlier abuse, but as the units about four years old, I guess I'll never know. If a pix failure is obtrusive, then there is no reason at all why you shouldn't ask for the camera to be replaced. At the very least, it could be argued that the unit is less than perfect, and you might be able to squeeze a bit off the price.

I'm guessing it's going to be quite a long 'short list' for that award. Maybe we should start an annual awards ceremony? Most creative use of camera sensitivity ratings? CCTV cameras offering the best new years resolutions? Best English operating instructions, written in a foreign language? Sorry guys, too much saki, I think I'm turning Japanese .....

I've just been catching up on this thread ... great postings guys! The problem I find is that for each one that can see through the hype, there are hundreds of end users that are ready to buy into it, and it doesn't really matter a damn what we think or know, these 'pioneers' are quite happy to throw their money at it. I managed to pin down a heavy weight manufacturer earlier this year, and I asked them straight where they stood on the issue of IP as the future of CCTV. The refreshing answer was .... 1] way too expensive in the short term, 2] a desperate attempt by them (and others) to squeeze a bit more profit out of the established hyper competitive CCTV market place, and 3] the likelyhood of a further 3 -5 years development before the technology matures to become the 'prefered' option, in the majority of situations. Convergence may be on its way, but it ain't here yet

Interesting twist on the portable DVD player theme; I recently spotted a DVD player with TWO x 7" LCD displays for use as an in-car entertainment system. Each Monitor would be ideal for setting up CCTV cameras, and the kit price was something like the equivalent of under $US 400. Mind you, you'd still have to buy a battery to go with it!

Being paid for our knowledge .... now there's an interesting concept I wonder how that works?

Chaps and Chapesses, Before I forget I just thought I'd quickly mention, in case I haven't already done so, wherever you happen to be .... Seasons Greetings and a Happy and Healthy New Year to you all !!! Whatever you're doing, I hope you have a good one !!!!! Cooperman

Thomas The usual term for a light source that enlarges on screen is 'blooming'. My favourite used to be 'comet trailing', but as CCD 's don't suffer from image retention, that term has long since been consigned to the dustbin of history

DVR Expert Australia, Don't you just love making those life changing decisions For what it's worth, although Bosch haven't previously been (instantly) associated with CCTV, they have actually had a presence in the marketplace for decades. The company has a reputation for quality and reliability in Europe, and their product range across many industry sectors, is quite astonishing. That said, as the newest big brand in the CCTV world, they have to do things differently to thrive and survive. The german economy is going through bad times at the moment, so their companies are looking for serious growth overseas. Even from the other side of the world, it doesn't sound like you're doing cart wheels at the prospect of taking up the offer. If you do take the plunge, (and please don't take this the wrong way), you'll probably have to change your thinking .... radically. Selling Bosch equipment won't be so much about shifting boxes (even though that's what the bosses want), it's actually about providing solutions. With top end clients, you're going to have to put togethor an integrated package of equipment, with outstanding quality, reliability and customer focussed support. Only you can tell whether there are going to be enough 'local' top end clients, looking for that level of service, who are prepared to pay top dollar. The money may be good but as we all know, there's no such thing as a free dinner. I wish you luck with that decision