Cooperman

Trust you to come up with a good one Thomas It's certainly an original twist on an old problem. Never having tried to create a cursed earth loop hum, my best guess would be to earth a metal cased monitor using a normal ground connection on the buildings mains supply, and then perhaps using a 24v AC camera, run an earth wire out from it as far as possible to a grounding rod, stuck well into soft well watered soil .... and see what happens. Failing that, if you've got a friendly neighbour in a detached property nearby, you could try running the same set up between the two properties. (Personally, I wouldn't try it with my neighbours )

C7 in CA, A photographer .... yippeeeee. Sorry about that, the stiff upper lip slipped a bit then! Your 50mm lens on 35mm is equivalent to an 8mm on 1/3", and 12mm on 1/2". 50mm on 1/3" is roughly equivalent to approx. 300mm on an SLR. Varifocals are very popular for ease of use, but they generally do not perform quite as well as top notch fixed focal length lenses; (exactly the same principle as for photographic lenses). Good luck with choosing your cameras.

Thomas, If the problem is related to mains frequency induced flicker, you can try this. You mentioned the cameras have manual lenses. If the camera has either manual shutter speed selection (usually internal DIP switches) he can try setting a higher shutter speed to see if that has any effect. Or if they're set to Electronic Iris operation, opening the aperture one stop will kick the camera into a higher speed. If he wants to confirm that the lighting is the problem, simply turn the fluorescents off, and use an alternative tungsten light source, such as an inspection lamp, to see if the problem disappears.

AVCONSULTING, The figures certainly look like they correspond to 1/3" format. C7 in CA The depth of field (DoF) will vary according to the focal length of the lens, the iris setting, and the distance to target. With the example you've provided you would have to use a 16mm lens on a 1/3" camera (or 25mm on a 1/2" camera). At any given distance, the 16mm will provide a greater depth of field than the 25mm, and as with all lenses, the DoF will increase as you close the iris. If you want to cover from 135' up to 160', you will need to set the focus at roughly 144' (DoF works on the principle of 1/3rd in front of focus point, 2/3rds behind). In practice, you will probably have sufficient DoF for what you want, even at maximum aperture (typically f1.4 for a C mount lens). Have you bought any cameras yet, or do you need some advice from others experienced in the North American market? Maybe if you haven't, you could give an indication of how much you want to spend, and then others will be able to advise. Hope the lens stuff makes sense.

Delighted to hear it Thomas, hang on a minute ...... yep, just checked Mrs Cooperman, and it works with hazel eyes too. I'm getting a bit of a funny look though....

Thomas, You call that cranky I can show you cranky, and it's not a pretty sight Robocam, As far as I can remember, IP 66 is shallow immersible, so you probably don't need anything rated that highly. If you do decide to use a clear sealant, try and steer clear of anything that gives off acetic acid as it cures. It could start off corrosion inside the unit. I can't advise you on the Sony as I personally don't use them, but no doubt others will have some advice. Oh and I really don't think you're bugging anyone on this forum. If you were, I'm sure they'd let you know

Thomas, Is it true that it works best with blonde women that have blue eyes .... Personally, I feel an overwhelming urge to throw myself under a bus, everytime I see CCTV in the movies. I did once hire out some gear to a production company for a TV movie. It looked quite impressive on screen, and then they sent the equipment back .... burned to a crisp! The director thought that by setting fire to it, there would be a more impressive artistic effect. I don't think he was that impressed when he got the bill for replacement!!

Robocam, The other guys are giving you correct advice on the problems of moisture and cameras (in fact all cameras in general, whether dome or conventional). I may be wrong, but I get the feeling Thomas is pulling his hair out by the handful. What he says is absolutely correct. Seals, and sealing techniques like (rory suggested) 'caulking' are intended to prevent 'liquid', i.e. rain or spray, from accessing the inside of a camera. That is not to say, that if you accidentally have something like small particles of grit on a seal, then liquid can still be drawn into the camera, either by capillary action or reverse pressure, caused by a temperature differential between the inside and outside, at different times of the day. If you have a rubber / neoprene / plastic seal in place, make sure it's clean and then apply a very thin layer of silicone grease before assembling the unit. This should keep 'liquids' out. As regards condensation, micro droplets of moisture are inside practically every camera, unless they are vacuum sealed or nitrogen filled, as Thomas suggested. For most CCTV cameras (housings) if you use some fresh silica gel, this will absorb the small amount of moisture inside a sealed camera. The purpose of a heater is to a) raise the air temperature to a point where the moisture cannot condense (temperature and convecting air currents prevent this), and also b) to prevent deep air frosts and sub zero temperatures from allowing ice crystals to form on the outside of the camera. Without a heater, some cameras may well generate sufficient heat to have the same effect, but where the 'humidity' inside the camera remains high, even if it is not condensing it will still significantly reduce the life of components and solder joints. In Europe, a camera will only really be regarded as weatherproof if it has an IP rating of 55 or more (i.e. IP55, 56, 65 or 66). Below these ratings, liquid can get in very easily. Note that the level of sealing, i.e. it's weatherproof rating, is totally seperate from the issue of whether a heater is required; that is solely dependent on operating temperatures.

CCTVINSTALLER, The only thing worse than visiting a show like IFSEC at the NEC, is actually having to work there. Rigging temporary CCTV for security at shows, is an absolute nightmare! You're right about some of the smaller distributors though. They want the business, so some (but by no means all), are more attentive. You may well see me at the next show ... I'll be the one in the suit Rory, If you get here in time for Iipsec 2005, just remember smart dress ... shorts aren't advisable in Warwickshire mid January, it can get a bit testy around the frosticles

For what it's worth,the same principle applies to wireless TX in the U.K. You can generally fit high performance aerials on receiver units without compromising the regs. However, if you try and increase the transmitter power output, that is most certainly in breach of regulations (and can carry a hefty fine on conviction, if found out).

Now there's a thought... Just a final point on the DPA, it isn't actually about recording so much as using CCTV to monitor a subjects 'activities'. If an individual can view a monitor to observe another persons activity, and identify them from that, then DPA notification is required. More barking than Battersea Dogs Home!!! (english humour guys, barking = mad, and BDH is one of the most famous animal rescue centres in the world - lots of dogs there .... you get the picture)

rikky, The short answer is, it depends on the source of available light. If any existing 'white light' sources are low energy / fluorescent based then their is very little IR emitted. If there is any lighting available which uses hot filament bulbs, although the visible light level may be very low, there could still be a usable amount of IR available, which a highly IR sensitive camera would be able to exploit. As for the argument of who's equipment is better than whom, and which manufacturer has been around the longest, I'll just offer this modest contribution to the argument. In the very late 1970's, the main CCTV camera manufacturers were (in no particular order), Ikegami, Panasonic, RCA, Philips, Marconi, JAI, Hitachi Denshi, JVC, Grundig, Cohu, Bosch, General Electric and Sanyo! If I remember correctly, small players like Sharp, Elbex, Microel and Sony, were also joined by a tiny company set up by Mr Baxter and Mr Hall, which we now all know as Baxall. Apologies to any that I've missed out!

baywatch ..... ditto! antdickens, Whenever anyone asks where to get CCTV equipment from, I usually suggest they first look at the product available in the marketplace (you can search manufacturers sites on the web), and then ask the companies to forward a list of their distributors. One quick suggestion, if you're interested? There's a really interesting trade show coming up January 25 - 27th 2005 at Stoneleigh Park, in Warwickshire. http://www.iipsec.com There's a good spread of CCTV manufacturers ( mostly IP product, but some conventional), otherwise the major trade show for the UK is Ifsec held at the NEC Birmingham, late spring. Personally, I hate trade shows, but hey I need the exercise

As long as nobody is able to observe and identify the activity of an individual 'data subject', you should be o.k. I noticed that some of the settings can clearly identify passers by, but unless anyone makes a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner, there's probably more chance of hell freezin' over than that happening! I wonder what Dylan would have made of all these CCTV cameras ....

I promise not to mention about the Data Protection Act, and inadmissable recordings if the time is wrong and .... ooops

Adam, First off, connect the LCD TV using a SCART lead with both video In and Out BNC connections (some leads actually have the labels on the wrong way around, so In is Out, and vice versa .... very confusing). Connect the BNC connector (usually the red lead) directly to the Video Out on the DVR (the output that you know is o.k.). Then using an inline female:female BNC adaptor, connect the monitor lead to the other SCART BNC connector (should be a blue lead). Make sure that the monitor termination switch is set to 75 Ohms. If that doesn't do it, try reversing the SCART output leads, and if it still doesn't work post back and we'll have to try something else.

Can't disagree with you VST_Man, it does sound like a cable problem. Generally speaking, with long runs or poor quality cable, it's always the chrominance (Colour) signal which is stripped off way before the luminance (Black and White) begins to degrade. I would acctually be surprised if it is a power supply issue, as I would expect other problems apart from loss of colour. Time to get the test monitor out joe4; hope you get it sorted.

Now if you'd asked that question twenty years ago There is probably two options in terms of answers to your question, antdickens. Firstly, if you want branded quality products like (in no particular order) Sony, JVC, Panasonic, Baxall, Sanyo, Bosch etc., their are a number of big distributors many of which are part of Norbain. There are also a few smaller independent distributors that handle certain manufacturers. The alternatives are mostly much smaller independent companies that import and distribute product manufactured in the Far East, i.e. China, Taiwan and Korea, some of which is o.k., and some you really wouldn't want to touch with a barge pole. You have to decide what quality of equipment you want to use, and depending on where you are, perhaps look to build a relationship with a 'local' distributor. I know which ones I'd consider, and I know which I loathe with a passion , so for that reason alone, I wouldn't name names in this forum. If you want to elaborate a bit on what type of gear you are looking for, that might be a start, and I could always PM you with a couple of pointers. I'm sure others will have their own personal favourites, and it will be interesting to see their postings.

Nice picture baywatch, Had me worried though; I looked at the time display and thought I was late for an appointment. I think that's the current time at the factory in the Far East

FredB, Surely the choice of monitor will depend on application and budget. There are some really crappy CRT monitors around, and there are some very good LCD flatpanel displays. Admittedly they will be at opposite ends of the price range. Not that long ago, I had to replace a 14" Philips CRT monitor which was sitting on a Reception Desk (composite video input). The client decided they wanted an LCD display, so after much searching they ended up with an LG 15" Flatron TV. The picture quality was very good, and the price comparable to a decent branded 14" CRT. Of course, the prices we pay over here, are probably way over what you're used to (I think from memory the going rate for a quality flat panel is roughly equivalent to about US$ 525). How do prices compare on the west coast?

-12 degrees, no wonder she loves being inside Good to hear the camera is doing what you want creekside, that's the main thing. I Don't know whether the same thing happens in BC, but over here, if the temperature rises a few degrees above the previous week or so, then mares generally hurry up and get on with it; conversely, if you have a cold snap it holds them back. So keep one eye on the weather, and the other on the mare. Rory, Do you ever find that clients who know absolutely nothing about CCTV, will given the choice, often pick a larger camera simply because they think they are getting more for their money? The ironic thing is in many critical applications, installers end up supplying rubbish cameras because that's what the clients wants, and the real quality stuff ends up being used for looking at emergency exits and fire doors!

Fibre Optic Only joking; if you use a plastic armoured RG 59 B/U or RG 6 over what is a relatively short distance, I can't imagine you'd have any problems. Ideally you need to try and get the water out of the conduit. In some situations, you can use 'pull through' ropes left in the pipe to draw out the water by capillary action. It's either that or a very long straw .... Incidentally, another option is to do it part cable and part video transmitter. I generally look at radio / microwave transmission as the last option, but if it's viable, it's certainly worth a thought.

I didn't know you were in to recycling, rory Anyhow w0un, I've dug out some old sheets on a UK standard lens (there may be slight differences for other countries). The C6Z1218M2ESA (1>3) had two cables fitted (we knew that already), the auto iris lead could have five or six conductors. Just to confirm, Red = +ve (DC 8 - 12v), Black = 0v ground, White = Video, Green = Level overide (R/C circuit required; better to leave taped back), Yellow = ALC overide (probably not fitted on a lens of this age). The Zoom and Focus drives were available in 3 versions:- Type 1 - 6v DC, (but I think it may also have been available as 12v DC) uses a four core cable, Red and Green for Zoom, Blue and White for Focus, Type 2 - 12v DC, White = Common, Blue = Focus, Green = Zoom, (yellow and black are for remote operation of ALC, but are not normally used). Type 3 - 6v DC, same colour coding as type 2. If you manage to get the zoom working, don't forget you'll probably need to adjust the back focus, to get a sharp picture. Best of luck!

It's a very good lens though rory, shame to waste it

bruno, If it's just the one cable, then there's no problem with using RG 59B/U over that distance, although plastic armoured would be sensible given the moisture problems (just make sure you don't damage it when you pull it through). Shielding shouldn't be an issue unless you're going to run other cables (mains etc.) alongside.