Couple of questions on Panasonic WV-CS854 (PTZ camera)

[robca 0]

I'm having some problems getting a Panasonic PTZ camera (CS854) to work with my DVR. According to the documentation the camera supports the Pelco-P protocol, and I got the info from Panasonic support on how to enable it (the manual is unclear on that).

 

Even following the instructions, though, I can't get the camera to properly communicate, and I start suspecting other problems (the DVR works with other Pelco PTZ cameras)

 

Can someone familiar with the camera answer the following:

 

What does the initialization of the camera on power on looks like? Mine turns on, zooms in and out, then auto-focuses. There's no activation of the pan and tilt mechanism (my other camera runs a sort of self test on power on, including panning and tilting). I saw the camera move on a "tour", so I know the mechanism works

 

If anyone is using the camera with Pelco protocols, how did you manage to enter the camera menu?

 

Thanks in advance, Rob

[zmxtech 0]

no I tried and posted questions also no luck, you and I are the only people

in the world with these cameras

 

I take it you have a rs485 converter -and 5 volts on the TX [not connected to the cam] comm settings 9600 8N1

 

I ran the dip switches in 2wire mode with the termination on. green and yellow wires

 

the camera should boot up with the config on the screen first then pan and tilt a bit...

 

One kind fellow sent a link to some software that can do panasonic etc.

vidguard ptz server and client -it wrks a treat...

 

how did you get the pelco protocol to work ?

[robca 0]

Nice to know there's 2 of us

 

I take it you have a rs485 converter -and 5 volts on the TX [not connected to the cam] comm settings 9600 8N1

 

Yes, I have TX- and TX- connected to yellow and green (don't remember which is connected to which, I know that reversing the wires prevents transmission). I have another Pelco-compatible camera, and it works well, so I know that the PTZ controller in the DVR and the RS485 converter work.

 

I ran the dip switches in 2wire mode with the termination on. green and yellow wires

 

I have termination on. I tried both configurations (dip switches 2, 3 and 4 all up or all down), and the only one that seems to be working is all dip switches down. Which one works for you? What do you mean with "2 wire mode": full duplex or half duplex?

 

how did you get the pelco protocol to work ?

 

I didn't yet my DVR has a "Panasonic protocol option" and using that I somehow managed to kinda sorta get the camera to PTZ, nothing else (no presets, no menu, etc).

 

According to Panasonic's support, the trick to get Pelco to work is using switch 6 of SW1 on instead of switch 8. So, for example, if you want the camera to be ID=2 as Panasonic, you set SW1 with 2 and 8 on, everything else off (as usual, first you set the communication speed, power cycle, set 2 and 8 on, power cycle again). If you want the camera to be ID2 Pelco, you do the communication speed settings, power cycle, 2 and 6 on, everything else off, power cycle. That should get you Pelco P ID 2. Have you tried that?

 

My problems are compounded by the fact that the camera is used and a bit temperamental (sometimes, when power cycled, doesn't initializes properly, so I'm never sure)

 

Did you try the "switch 6 instead of 8" for Pelco?

[zmxtech 0]

2wire mode 1/2 dup I think

 

SW1 10000001

SW2 1111

 

0=off

1=on

[ace29ace 0]

try this for pelco-p

 

SW1 10000100

SW2 1111

 

0=off

1=on

 

and i have pc software to control panasonic domes eamil me if you want it

[atropine 0]

no I tried and posted questions also no luck, you and I are the only people

in the world with these cameras

 

I take it you have a rs485 converter -and 5 volts on the TX [not connected to the cam] comm settings 9600 8N1

 

I ran the dip switches in 2wire mode with the termination on. green and yellow wires

 

Hello, Would you be able to repeat that in more simple english, as I don't know what you're saying. I think you are talking in CCTV/electronics shorthand, but as I don't know much about CCTV I cant' understand you.

 

I have a RS232 to RS485 connector for my computer, It has 4 terminals on it, they are called D+/A, D-/B, GRND, and +5V.

 

Could you tell me which connect to the yellow and green wires of the panasonic, and I think you're saying I have to connect 2 of the terminals together also? but i'm not sure. I don't know what you mean by "I take it you have a rs485 converter -and 5 volts on the TX [not connected to the cam] "

 

Thanks

 

EDIT: I think I know what you mean, are you saying +5V and D+/A terminal need to be bridged with a piece of wire, and D-/B and GRND need to be bridged with a piece of wire?

[kensplace 0]

I have a RS232 to RS485 connector for my computer, It has 4 terminals on it, they are called D+/A, D-/B, GRND, and +5V.

 

Could you tell me which connect to the yellow and green wires of the panasonic, and I think you're saying I have to connect 2 of the terminals together also? but i'm not sure. I don't know what you mean by "I take it you have a rs485 converter -and 5 volts on the TX [not connected to the cam] "

 

Thanks

 

EDIT: I think I know what you mean, are you saying +5V and D+/A terminal need to be bridged with a piece of wire, and D-/B and GRND need to be bridged with a piece of wire?

 

I have a very similar sounding adapter, when I got my samsung dome, I had to get it working...

 

Total lack of instructions with the adapter, so I measured the 5v and grdn lines, and found nothing on them.

 

I wired up a 5v supply to the 5v terminal, the other half (ground) to the grnd terminal.

 

Then the other two terminals I wired to the rs485 on the dome (+ to d+/a and - to d-/b if I remember correctly)

 

It worked a treat. I had tried it without the 5v supply wired up and nothing happened...

 

Your adapter may be different, but thats how I did mine.

[atropine 0]

thanks for that reply. I shall get out the multi meter and check my card as well.

[atropine 0]

So has anyone got their Panasonic domes to work with Pelco-P?

 

I think i've got mine wired up properly and power going to my rs485 adapter, but I have no communication.

 

does anyone know of any software or has any software that does the Panasonic protocol?

 

This thread states VidiGuard does Panasonic protocol, but it only does Pelco-D, Pelco-P and CTNCOM. Maybe Panasonic objected to the use or something.

 

I've posted a picture of the setup menu that comes up when you switch the camera on but I don't think that show any glaring fault with the setup.

[zmxtech 0]

no luck I tried the setting to make it `pelco` and all it did was change the cameras address to a larger one -even after re-booting.

 

The beta version of Vidguard now has Panasonic C protocol and it works fine I tested it for the author. -don't know if its out yet -great test program.

 

 

z

[robca 0]

I never managed to get any of the CS854 to work with Pelco P. I did manage to get it to work with my Divis DVR card, though. The INI file in the original Divis program is incomplete, though, and I'm slowly adding functionality, based on a version of the Panasonic protocol I found online.

 

Avermedia and Geovision also seem to support the CS854 (I looked at their configuration files to help me figure out how the Panasonic protocol worked, before I found the full Panasonic specs which, btw, are pretty complex compared to the Pelco)

[ddogg777 0]

Hey Ace29ace, I would like to try your software that controls Panny domes. Are you able to get into the setup and adjust auto tracking?? I desperately need this...

[robca 0]

If you are not afraid of messing around with communication software, there's a way to send commands to a CS854 camera. The Panasonic protocol uses different up/down/left/right commands for the menu and PTZ(unlike Pelco protocols), so many DVR programs can't send menu commands, as they are not configured to use different commands for the menu and PTZ... I spent some time looking over a few programs (Geovision, Avermedia, Chance-I/DivisDVR) and none can easily accommodate the different command structure. I'm creating a configuration file for the Divis DVR program just for the setup menu (so that you can configure a camera called "Panasonic menu", set the menu, then switch back to the standard Panasonic and use it as a PTZ camera). BTW: the Divis DVR configuration file for the Panasonic has some mistakes, I'm also fixing that part.

 

I'm assuming you have a RS232 port connected to a RS485 converter. Download a program called Realterm from Sourceforge (freeware, open source, available as easy-to-install binary). http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=67297

 

Run the program, in the "Port" tab, select port# and communication speed (all other parameters can be left on the default setting: 8 bits, parity none, 1 stop bit, hardware control none), and open the communication port (if the "open" button is depressed, that means the port has already been opened by the program.

 

Assuming your camera is set as camera #1, go to the Send tab, and enter:

 

\x02AD01;GC7:0021940\x03

 

In the box, then press "send ASCII". That opens the Panasonic menu. Sometimes you need to send the command a couple of times in order for the camera to receive it

 

the command format is:

 

\x02 sends ASCII 02, standard for start of transmission

AD01 selects camera #1 (change it to your camera address, as per your dip-switch settings)

GC07: is the command prefix

0021940 is the "open menu command"

\x03 is ASCII 03, end of transmission

 

here are the other commands to move in the menu structure:

 

0021941 menu off

0021942 cursor up

0021943 cursor right

0021944 cursor down

0021945 cursor left

002194A item select (to open a submenu/select an item)

002194B item select2

002194E item select for Special2 menu

 

So, for example, cursor down for Camera 1 would be

 

\x02AD01;GC7:0021944\x03

 

and can be sent using the Send ASCII button

 

hope this helps

[atropine 0]

HI,

 

When you use a 'sens up' value more than 2x, the panasonics no longer do auto focus, you have to manual focus, but panasonic hardware controllers also have a 'auto focus' button that you press which focus's automatically on whatever you're looking at, and then disengages back to manual focus.

 

Would you know what the code is for 'auto focus'.

[zmxtech 0]

problem solved...

 

http://www.zmx.com.au/software.htm

 

 

z

[robca 0]

The "one shot autofocus" is 0021A06

 

Funnily enough, I was testing that just earlier today

[atropine 0]

Thanks for that.

 

Thanks to ZMXtech for his software too.

[atropine 0]

Hey, WV-CS85* owners,

 

I've only got this camera recently, and i've noticed a flaw with presets, and that is that AGC and 'sens up' values are always off in the preset value.

 

As i'm currently using this camera as a day/night camera with 'automatic home' and 'automatic roaming' this is big, and annoying issue considering they are 1/4inch CCD cameras so without 'sens up' and AGC they are useless as night mode cameras. Just interested to know if other owners experience the same problem or weather my dome might be slightly faulty?

 

Just to reiterate, whenever you choose a preset position, even if the preset position was set while in night mode with sens up and AGC on, the camera will never activate AGC or sens up, when moving to the preset position, you must press a PZT movement key, for the camera to activate sens up and AGC.

[atropine 0]

problem solved...

 

http://www.zmx.com.au/software.htm

 

 

z

 

Hi Zxmtech,

 

Is there any possibility you could upgrade your software in the future?

 

What I would like is variable speed pan/zoom/tilt and 'auto focus button' while in manual focus mode.

 

By variable speed I mean maybe a layout like this for as an example panning (< & > represent buttons)

 

<<< >>> , where the inner button would equal slow pan, while the outer button would equal rapid pan.

 

Also it would be good if you could choose the com port. I can't use com port1 unfortunately. I don't know why. your software works fine on my laptop but not on my main computer.

 

I have no idea how much effort would be involved in improving the interface , so if i'm asking ridiculously much please disreguard. I'd really like a joystick sense when moving the camera , that is move the joystick a little in direction = slow pan, and a lot = fast pan. Helps you keep a target in frame without having to frantically zoom out and pan to increase the pan rate. Same can be said for tilt, though zoom is not such as issue.

 

I'm sure 850 owners are very grateful with your software as is, so no disrespect meant.

[zmxtech 0]

sure no problem -will look into:

 

-com port selection > the code is out there just have to find it

 

-speed yes variable would be good -maybe better buttons also

will add some in the middle that will do bigger chunks

 

-auto focus I dont think that can be done -unless i run a macro ?

its a menu setting not a command ?

 

-joysticks for sure!!! I am already researching it would be cool.

 

z

[atropine 0]

That would be great!

 

-auto focus I dont think that can be done -unless i run a macro ?

its a menu setting not a command ?

z

 

 

The auto focus in manual mode that i'm trying to explain, is when you're in manual focus mode, and you press a button (not sure weather you keep the button pressed or just press it once on an actual controller)

 

Roba was talking about it up the top of the page, so he should know how that is implemented.

 

["The "one shot autofocus" is 0021A06

 

Funnily enough, I was testing that just earlier today "]

[atropine 0]

I was looking at some online axis cameras, and they seem to do what I want the panasonics do do. You probably know this as I think you're actually a CCTV retailer. but with the Axis software you can click on their bar and go to anywhere in the 360 degree pan range, or the full tilt range or full zoom range, or just pan/zoom or tilt at a normal speed. That seems like a pretty good interferace. know you're a programmer and I know i' m not. so I don't know how easy it would be to steal their code and just replace the sent code with rs485 panasonic code.

[smartycam 0]

This thread has provided me with so much great info on Panasonic PTZ control. I've been able to get my WV-CS850 control working fine on both Panasonic C protocol (Using ZMXtech's great software) and On Pelco D using Vidiguard or PTZ Controller. However, I can't ge the setup menus working properly on Pelco D. They work fine on ZMX on Panasonic protocol but I really want to be able to Select Presets from the control program, which doesn't seem to be available in ZMX.

I'm happy to write my own control program but don't know what the preset select commands are for Panasonic C. Does anyone know these? Or know where I can get a full protocol spec - I've looked eveywhere but can't find anything.

[zmxtech 0]

sorry guys im on a big project, so wont be able to update it for a while.

[it was only meant for basic testing not a full blown app]

 

still looking into a small upgrade -joystick control etc

 

z

[atropine 0]

This thread has provided me with so much great info on Panasonic PTZ control. I've been able to get my WV-CS850 control working fine on both Panasonic C protocol (Using ZMXtech's great software) and On Pelco D using Vidiguard or PTZ Controller. .

 

What dip switches do you use for Pelco D? I didn't even realise it did pelco D, thought only Pelco P, not that I was able to get that to work.