survtech

What, exactly, are you daisy-chaining? If you are daisy-chaining the control signals between two controllers (the controller and the DVR are likely both controllers), that is a no-no. You can't connect a transmitter to a transmitter. You can daisy-chain multiple receivers (the PTZs). And yes, for serial communication, the final receiver in the chain should be terminated. Most PTZs have a termination switch for the data line.

I think that more likely it would be the control termination; which is 100-120 ohms. Also, most RS422/485 PTZ protocols require 2400-9600 baud, with the port set to 8 bit, no parity and 1 stop bit. I've also seen issues with flow control settings. Try Hardware first, then XON/XOFF, if available.

I think I did that in one casino without problems. It was 7 years ago so my memory is foggy but it seems to me that I determined it doesn't matter. The key is that the protocols match and you make certain that TX+/- on the controller connect to RX+/- on the PTZ (+ to + and - to -). As far as I know, all PTZ controls are terminated with 100 to 120 ohms. In fact, you can daisy-chain a fairly large number of PTZs on a single control wire. In fact, despite recommendations to the contrary, we daisy-chain up to 3 PTZs on a single control cable and leave the terminations "on" for all 3. Although that makes the net termination resistance approximately 33 ohms, we've never had a problem. In fact, I once talked to the owner/engineer at Sennetech (they make code translators) and he told me that a casino in Las Vegas had around 100 terminated PTZs daisy-chained on one control port and the system still worked. That's a net impedance of 1 ohm.

The primary difference between RS422 and RS485 is that RS422 is unidirectional and RS485 is bidirectional; which means one-way vs. two-way. Since PTZs only require one-way communication (except maybe for alarms), the two communication standards are basically the same. Assuming you are sending one-way data only (not two-way), you can use devices like the Kalatel KTD-83 or the Pelco CDU-T for either system. http://www.rs485.com/pfaq.html

They seem to have made some progress in this area. Their DF3000A-DN (the one we "blew up"), now claims "Voltage supply 12V DC, 24V AC +/- 10% (50/60 Hz)". That's a range of 10.8V-13.2V; and it now accepts 24VAC (at the time, it was 12VDC only). http://www.dallmeier-electronic.com/en/cctv-ip-video-surveillance/cameras/models/box-cameras.html It does have an excellent picture and one of the best WDR capabilities I've seen.

Nope. The tolerance was confirmed by Dallmeier - +/-5%. That's 11.4-12.6 volts. 13.2V (actually 13.35V measured voltage under a typical 0.5A camera load) would likely fry the camera; as admitted by Dallmeier.

Spectra III dome drives are notable for failing their power supply boards (inside the dome drive). Pelco has produced a modified board assembly, which includes the cooling fan, heat sink, etc. Part Number: DD53KIT Description: Power Supply Kit, Pelco Spectra III If you have a tech available, the replacement is pretty straight forward. You can purchase parts from Pelco or from Time Lapse Supply - http://www.tlselectronics.com/pelcospectraiii.html. Or you can send the PTZ dome drive(s) to Pelco or an independent repair company. I recommend Moore's Electronics in northern California: http://www.cctv-repair.com/. Also, for outdoor environmental domes, check the dome's heater/blower. Those fans tend to fail after a couple of rough years. Hope this helped.

Not Dallmeier. We fried one hooking it up to a Radio Shack 12V power supply (actual voltage was 13.2VDC). After the smoke came curling out of the camera, we checked its manual: "12VDC +/- 5%". Five percent? In a CCTV environment? I wonder what they were smoking? And Dallmeier is by no means "cheap".

Are they all on the same circuit or do they each connect to separate circuits?

18/2 could be used for 220VAC if the insulation is rated for at least 600V, however, it is probably not wise to do so without involving a certified electrician. If the cameras are powered directly from 220VAC, that can cause a slew of problems, including ground loops, etc. due to lack of any type of isolation.

Where is/are your camera power supplies? You might try isolating it/them from where they are plugged in or use a filter.

We typically buy Video Baluns Unlimited BL3265 but have also tested NVT, Vigitron, GVI and a few others. Neither a "live" resolution comparison nor our CM-1 CCTV tester showed any real difference between the brands using up to 1000 feet of Cat5e.

You're not going to find any dome with a glass bubble, afaik. It is impossible or very expensive to make optical-quality glass in a hemispherical shape.

I've also done tests and basically agree with vitHoward, except that I see no noticeable difference at up to 700 feet. Yes, on a scope or meter, there are some differences in the burst levels and frequency response but modern encoders and monitors usually correct the levels and minimize the perceivable differences. An example: we can see playing cards on adjacent table games using identical cameras and lenses with equal clarity on the two systems where we have one table fed by RG59 and an adjacent table fed by twisted-pair.

Oh well. cctvforum has a feature that I rarely use, but in this case...

Perhaps the problem we have is that you were/are not willing to accept our comments that your cameras are the problem.

marquita188, Valid or not, the general opinion among CCTV professionals is that ebay equipment is junk. I can understand and, for the most part agree with, that opinion. So basically, you come onto this board saying that you bought ebay cameras and aren't happy with the picture. That would be the equivalent to someone going to a Mercedes dealership and complaining about the quality of their Yugo.

I think these giant roaches are attracted to IR.

Coaxial power connectors are a notoriously poor connector. I cringe every time I encounter one. In many cases, I have just eliminated them altogether by cutting them off and splicing the power cables directly when dealing with manufacturer "pigtails". Along with Molex connectors (the type formerly used on computer hard drives), coaxial power connectors should have been eliminated years ago.

The HZ20700R ?HZ20700RDC?HZ20700RAI might do. Its 700mm max zoom focal length would see an approximately 240-foot-wide swath at 5 miles with a 1/2" sensor. Of course, at that zoom level, the camera would have to be mounted with extreme care to prevent any movement. Even an infinitesimal movement of the camera would cause extreme "jitter" in the picture! You can also forget about any affordable pan/tilt mechanism for that amount of zoom - too much "slop" in off-the-shelf mechanisms. If cost is no object (and I know it is), you could use something like this: NB Security Systems PTZ-7000SS Stainless steel long range PTZ camera. * Custom built IP66 SUS316 stainless steel long range PTZ camera system. * Endless rotation and variable speed from 0,1° to 7° * Built-in RS485 Pelco D controller and high accuracy of Pan and Tilt * Multiple options, Auto focus, washer, wiper, heating ... "The PTZ-7000SS long range PTZ camera system is custom built to every customer, to meet the application specifications. The basic setup of the ptz system is built around very high level components like: Pan tilt: The IP66 pan tilt with built-in RS485 Pelco D controller is a heavy duty step motor pan tilt. The pan run 360° endless rotation with built-in sliprings to transfeer the signals. The pan/tilt has variable speed from 0,1° to 7° and a very high accuracy of pan and tilt. Housing: The very large IP66 housing made of stainless steel can house the largest motorized lenses up to 1500mm. The housing can be equipped with Wiper, Washer, Heater with fan, circulation fan and other options. Lens: The PTZ system can be ordered with 60X zoom 12,5-750mm with motorized 2X extender (25-1500mm), X55 zoom 10-550mm zoom with motorized 2X extender (20-1100mm), X50 zoom 20-1000mm or other large zoom lenses of your choice. Some lenses can run auto focus. Camera: The normally used camera is a very high sensitive 1/2" Exview ccd camera. For applications where extreme sensitivity is needed a EMCCD camera can be installed." http://www.2bsecurity.com/PTZ-7000SS-stainless-steel-long-range-ptz-camera.html

The issue with long hallways is that if you use a lens with a wide enough field of view to see the closer area of the hallway, it's impossible to see what happens near the opposite end. Contrariwise, if you use a telephoto-type lens you'll see the opposite end better but may miss what happens closer in. I like to use two cameras at opposite ends criss-crossed and zoomed so that each camera sees the opposite end best. The lenses are zoomed so that they each see the full width of the hallway at the halfway point. That makes the hallway appear much shorter. I call it The Alfred Hitch**** "Vertigo" effect.

A loaded question. There should be an option for "None of the Above". There are numerous other brands. For example, we've had good results with the SuperCircuits SC Black Hybrid DVRs and awful results with the Pelco DX8000 POS's (and I don't mean "point-of-sale").

"If you continue doing that, you'll go blind!"

Either would give the same video quality if you are looping through one device to the other. The question is: which is easiest for you? One thing to keep in mind when looping: only the last device in the chain should be terminated.

Try here: Ooops, never mind - broken link there too!