cwd10

I have an Intellicam G4-RTA, 4 channel DVR and 3 cameras. Right now, two of them are day/night IR capable. The problem is at night, when the IR led's come on, the damn bugs come in droves and are tripping the motion sensors on the DVR, and therefore causing unnecessary recordings. Every single night this happens. I have tried turning down the IR intensity to the lowest level, as well as setting the DVR to the lowest sensitivity, and it still happens. Does anybody have any suggestions? This is really causing me headaches. BTW, big thanks to Mike, from Shoreview for all the help getting the network nightmare figured out with my DVR. I can finally "see" my DVR from work. Woo-hoo!

I think on most of these type of power supplies, the voltage runs a bit high until there is a significant load put on them. In other words, the voltage should be about what you measured with little or no load, and should be pulled down to around 24 volts with a full load. I seriously doubt that any camera would burn out with that little bit of extra voltage. From what you describe, it seems that most or all of the cameras are DOA. If the cameras were functioning properly, they would be putting more of a load on the power supplies and therefore pulling the voltage down more. I suggest unhooking them and testing each one individually. Make sure to hook them up directly to a known good monitor, and try using a different power supply if possible, just to be sure. Just use the good old process of elimination.

Hi all. I have a decent basic knowledge of CCTV systems, but I'm getting interested in more advanced and in-depth stuff. I work in "Engineering" at a TV/Radio station, and am interested in CCTV both professionally and personally. Here to learn as much as I can, and maybe pass on a bit of my knowlege of other related subjects as well. My main goal right now is to research network DVR's, PTZ systems and Outdoor IR camera's for my own home system.

I just bought a Burle TC6410A-1 Pan/Tilt head on ebay really cheap, but it doesn't come with an owners/installation manual. I searched for Burle on the web, but apparently they don't exist anymore. It looks like Bosch bought them out. I sent an email to the tech service dept at Bosch, asking for help with this, but I never got a response. I managed to find some manuals for the Bosch brand heads and they do look exactly the same as the Burle heads, but the part numbers don't match up. I downloaded the manal for the LTC9418/LTC9420 and LTC9440/9441 series heads. Unfortunately, I don't know which one, if any will cross reference to the Burle unit. Does anybody have any idea where I can get an actual Burle manual for this unit. Or, at least tell me which Bosch unit is equivilant? I would be willing to purchase it, but a download would be awesome. Any leads on this would be greatly appreciated. Just point me in the right direction, if nothing else. Thanks.

Ok, I finally got ahold of a tech at Bosch. He said that the Burle unit I have is the same as their LTC9420, with some very minor differences. The wiring is the same. I'm good to go now.

Ok, well I can't help since I'm in Pennsylvania. I would guess that the output amp is blown out, at the very least. The problem with applying power to the video out is that the power can travel backwards, and take out multiple components. With all the surface mount components in electronics these days, any kind of damage is likely to be catastrophic and widespread. I know this is not what you wanted to hear but realistically, they are probably not repairable. Of course, don't take my word for it. Anything is possible. I would send just one of them to a repair facility, and get a diagnosis and repair estimate. It's likely that they will reccomend writing off the entire camera, but you never know.

I'm afraid it's not as simple as "ok just fix this". There could be a multitude of problems with each camera, depending on what the actual cause of damage was. I find it difficult to believe that just pluging in a camera to a live power supply could cause catastophic damage, without some other factor involved. Did he use the wrong polarity? Did he run power into the BNC, instead on the power input? Did he use the wrong voltage? There has to be more to this story. Unfortunately, each camera will have to diagnosed and repaired individually. It is possible that they all suffer from the same problem, but you don't really know that for sure. In order to narrow it down, you need to know EXACLTY what happened, and how it happened. The first, and simplest thing to check would be the input fuses on the cameras, if they have them. After that you will need to have a profesional tech look at them. If that's the case, you might be better off sending them to an authorized repair facility. They can at least determine if they are even repairable, and what it might cost. If you were close to me, I could look at them for you. Where are you located?

The specs look good, but does anybody have any real word experience with these? I noticed that it doesn't mention an I/R cut filter in the specs, but it does list sensitivity down to .002 lx in B/W "sense up" mode. Any good? I'm having a lot of trouble finding a decent day/night cam with remote (RS-485) zoom capability.

Another question about the ZM-400. Under "Communication" in the specs, it says Coaxial/RS-485 (SSP). What is SSP? Is this compatible with the Peco D protocol?

Thanks. I'm definitely leaning towards the ZM-400, as opposed to the Mace 26X and Samsung SCC-C4301 units. They are all pretty close in specs, but the ZM-400 seems to give the most bang for the buck. At least on paper.

Ok. After reading about all these DVR's and a few posts, I'm more confused than ever. I was looking at the AVC-782A, but decided against it because I need good video over internet. I have set a new budget, and a more realistic approach. My system will consist of one or two outdoor PTZ domes with resolution of 480 to 520 TVL, one or two fixed outdoor day/night IR cams with res of 480 to 520 TVL and possibly one indoor day/night 480, at the cost of one of the others. Total of four camera's. I need a 4 channel, with pentaplex operation (if possible), internet view and pelco D PTZ control, best frame rate/resoultion, like 30FPS per source etc. You get the picture. My question is: What's the best DVR for the money, in the $800.00 price range, with an emphasis on video quality over internet. My absolute ceiling is $1000.00 shipped, but I really prefer to keep it at or below $800.00 shipped. I know this subject has been beeten to death here, but I'm getting really frustrated trying to decypher all the different views/threads about these things. Please help. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks.

Well, they still make camcorders with Nightshot. It's not just the Nightshot feature itself that gave it the ability. It's the fact the the internal filter was so easily disabled. They don't make them that way anymore, so you can't defeat the filter anywhere near as easily as before. It takes some major hacking of the camera. This involves a lot of precise work with very tiny and fragile parts. I have over 25 years of electronics experience, and it ws a challenge to me. There are about three generations of camera that has this ability. The early gen just required that you move the nightshot switch only halfway between normal mode and Nightshot. The second gen required putting in a switch to interrupt the filter circuit, and the third which required modifying a circuit board, the Nightshot switch AND adding the defeat switch. These models were the DCR series from the early to mid nineties. Mine is a DCR-TRV103 from just after they made the first revision to disable the easy filter removal. Just remember that all of these models require the use of an external filter that cuts visible light and passes IR. I would have to look up the exact model numbers that fall into these categories, but I'm not even sure that's possible anymore.

True, but IDE's will be gone soon. If you want to get one, get it soon. I think they have already stopped making them.

The Sony thing was actually the Nightshot feature. You can mod the cam so that it goes into nightshot mode, but defeats the internal filter. You then put an external IR pass filter on to get the see-thru effect. It works. Don't ask me how I know.

That was my reasoning. If you haven't fried it by now, you won't. I'm still not absolutely sure they are or are not dual voltage now. Their website leads you to believe they are, but it's not definitive.

Newegg has the SATA/EIDE adaptors for around $20.00

That's a dual voltage camera. It automatically senses which voltage you put in, so it will work either way. Added: Their website is very confusing. Did you check your manual? Does it say anything about dual voltage?

Ok. after doing a ton of research on Day/Night outdoor IR camera's, I have come to an impass. I have mostly been looking at bullet style cheapo ($200.00 to $300.00) units, and am a bit dissapointed about the quality and longevity of these after seeing some of the testimonials here and there. My question is: Is there the so-called holy grail of these camera's in terms of quality, features and longevity while still being relatively cheap? Or, should I start looking at the more professional unitized approaches? In other words, go with the "All in one" units, or build a camera system using individual parts like: Camera, Lens, weatherproof housing and external IR lighting? I'm trying to figure out which will be more economical in the LONG run. Here is my intended setup: My own personal home protection system using a 4 channel network DVR, 1 PTZ outdoor cam (Dome?), 2 fixed outdoor IR-day/night cams and one fixed indoor day/night cam at a point of entry. Obviously I'm looking for the most bang for the buck, but I'm willing to spend a little more where it counts. I don't want junk, but I'm trying to keep this at $1800.00 or less if possible. I know it's easier to buy plug and play camera's and such but I don't mind spending some time to build the components, as long as it doesn't cost a fortune. Any suggestions?

Demo doesn't work. I tried the web link and direct using client software. Always comes up with a dead link/no connection. Yes, I have been on your site. Very informative. That's one of the reasons I decided on that one. The ICRealtime stuff looks nice, but unfortunately it's out of my budget. I will try to find a working demo link to better evaluate, but I think I can live with the sub-par web interface on the AVTech stuff, given the price range. CollinR. I think you may have missed my point. I have already taken into consideration, all those factors. The question is weather it is better to try to achieve my goals by buying all-in-one solutions (that meet those requirements) or to build the systems from scratch. Right now, I am leaning towards building box camera systems, even though it looks as though it takes more effort, planning and money to do so. I guess, I may have answered my own question. Thanks a lot for the input guys. It's been helpful.

Scorpion. Thanks for the heads-up on the web server issue. I didn't know there was a problem there. I had planned on using the web feature quite a bit. Unfortunately there aren't any stores near me that would have them. I'm in a rural area, with limited resources. Where can I see an online demo of one? I'm not too concerned about the PTZ part, but I will keep it in mind. Thanks.

Thanks for the replys guys. Noted. I do have to clarify something though. My budget doesn't include any of the the installation hardware, supplies and tools because I already have that stuff. In fact, I have all the cable, connectors, fasteners etc. that I would need. I even have some power supplies and a monitor. I literally won't have to buy anything but the DVR, PTZ/decoder? housings and camera's. This is a really easy install, because it's a newer house with pre run cabling. All six drops terminate in the basement, and come to a central panel. I ran RG-6, CAT-5e, 8 conductor mult, and 18g stranded power from each location. I only plan on using four. I was thinking ahead. I probably won't need to run any more cable, but if I do, I have more than enough of each left over. Yes, I have been shopping around and found some good deals. I have already decided on the DVR (Avtech-AVC782A). I need opinions on weather I should build the PTZ camera system and individual camera's, or buy pre built. Setting the budget aside, I'm assuming that building the system piece by piece is better, but I'm not sure. I will be doing all the work myself, but my time is worth something too. Trust me, I have not approached this in a hasty manner in any possible way. I am also very sceptical of all the overblown specs listed out there. That's why I came here, for all the expert advice. I may have found a decent used Pelco PTZ dome, so my main focus right now is the fixed cams. I just can't decide weather to buy something like the Nuvico CB-SD3895N-L, or just build up the box camera style. I do want something decent, that I won't have to replace in a year because it just doesn't work well enough. I can only afford to do this just once.

If none of those other suggestions PAN out , I would also check the Joystick/gimble to see if it's getting bound up with dirt or debris. They can get pretty gummy sometimes. I have seen this happen a lot in harsh environments. Also could be the pots (potentiometers) gunked up inside. a good electronics cleaner should help with both of those.