Daluns, Cat5e & Resolution Questions...

[bob332 0]

i am going to be running 4-6 cameras around my condo. these will be on the inside or under eves peering out, not inside looking at the inside.

 

the cameras i have are all b/w and rated at 550-570TVL and the pixel ratings are either 768x492 or 711x494. they are either the regular larger size camera in a body, kind of a box type setup and then i have a few board cameras that i still need to find/make enclosures for that are much smaller, but still appear to look good on the monitor but aren't as good w/ the lower light.

 

for storage i stumbled upon an excellent deal on a dvr (everfocus - from what i have read at least decent for consumer use, please educate if otherwise) at an estate/yard sale so i can get rid of the couple of cameras i currently have up in a "jerry" rigged fashion connected to a multiplexer and s-vhs vcr (finally able to get rid of that ).

 

according to the dvr manual, it can record up to 720x480 and i would like to have as much resolution as possible for the best possible picture. for an output i have a small, i believe 9" pelco b/w monitor or it will be going into my 720p lcd tv via s-vhs (not sure where i am going to put the dvr).

 

i have the lenses i need and also have the install points setup to cover the areas i am looking to cover along w/ the needed light for the cameras and their abilities.

 

i do have some of the rg59 siamese cable (i believe that what it is called - the rg59 w/ 2 copper wires attached to it) but do to its physical size i have held off a bit and then read a bit about daluns. i would much rather run the cat5e cable due to is physical size and the fact that i have hundreds of feet of it that is plenum (if that is even necessary) and don't want it to go to waste, plus i am pretty limited on the coax....

 

all cameras are 24VAC and runs will be at the extreme 100'. i have seen many different prices of the daluns and this is my problem. what do i look for in a dalun as i am assuming that will be the weakest link in losing video quality (again, please educate if this is not accurate). i see what appears to be the same dalun on ebay for ~$10 that i see in a "cctv store" for ~$30 - they appear the same externally and even some of the numbers on them. my question to you is are they the same? what do i need to look for in a dalun? i really can't find info regarding the resolution they pass and many just say compatible w/ coax cctv setups. also, is there any issue if i were to run video and power on the same cat5e cable to each camera? or should i just run video through the cat5e and then have power somewhere as close to the camera as possible - or does it matter as i have read that i really don't need to worry about voltage drop w/ 24VAC cameras and the short distance i will be running - but again, please educate.

 

the other option is i guess i could just use regular rg6 and crimp on the bnc connectors and then run power that is close to the cameras too, if that would offer a better solution than the cat5e/balun setup. again, my main goal is the highest quality images as possible. there have been some interesting people around the neighborhood so i don't want to skimp in the area of the video quality in regards to the cabling.

 

thanks and i look forward to reading your responses

[Erron S. 0]

Wow Bob, sounds like you found some some great deals! Great questions by the way, I'll do my best to answer them. Concerning the baluns, the most important factor when selecting them is the bandwidth they will pass. Most manufactures will post the bandwidth but not the resolution they can pass. Here's the simple equation for this 1 MHz = 80 lines of resolution. So a balun that can pass 5MHz is good for a 400 lines of resolution camera. Just fine for a standard 380 line camera, but not so great for what you have, 570 lines of res. There are a number of reasons to use baluns, easy wire pulls, long wire runs, wires in close proximity to transformers and other sources of RF energy and the like. I would use CCTV coax in your 100 foot application for sure. Especially since you already have it. It sounds like you have a siamese CCTV cable, but double check to make sure it's not copper covered aluminum or raw aluminum.

 

Let me know if I can help buddy, good luck on the install!

 

Erron S.

[bob332 0]

thanks for the info. thanks for the compliments, been a couple years of collecting parts to get what i have w/out paying lots of $$$, but i am glad i have stuck w/ i and can get rid of that old vcr

 

since i am a bit scarce on the siamese cable, is it ok to run just regular rg6 or rg59 and then zip tie the power cables to it? i am assuming it is but want to make sure. also, would i notice a difference between rg6 and rg59? do i need to make sure it is pure copper because i have seen some that is "18AWG Solid .040â€

[Erron S. 0]

Yes sir, you are correct, you can use pull multiple feeds from one power supply or transformer. The best 'rule of thumb' to follow is don't exceed 80% of its total current output. This is more a reliability issue than anything else. It's best not to exceed 80% because if you run it at 100% of it's designed current output, how long is it going to last? Probably not very long. It's always good to use surge protection as well as a power line conditioner. You would be surprised to see how much more consistant the cameras will function on a proper power line conditioner. Just some food for thought anyway.

[bob332 0]

excellent to hear that i can cut back on the amount of camera power supplies.

 

and, fwiw, the entire system will be on a ups except maybe the monitor, but the dvr and all cameras will be on one

[Erron S. 0]

Fantastic Bob! Looks like you have it all handled.

[bob332 0]

one more question -

 

the transformers i have are 24VAC 10VA, not A.....

 

again, the cameras are 4W each, so how does this change stuff? what is VA= to? how do i figure out w/ VA and not A.

 

if i did the math correctly, then each camera pulls .17A (4W/24VAC=.17), i don't think it is 24VAC/4W=6VA?, i don't know, maybe it is? i am doing this math from what i know which is dc, not ac, so not sure how that changes w/ things.....

[survtech 0]

VA = Watts (approximately).

[bob332 0]

after really looking at the cable pulls, i am kind of leaning towards cat5e....where do i find baluns that are 8MHz so i am not losing from the cameras? due to the way my condo is laid out, some of the runs are going to be a pita so figure the smallest, most flexible wire would be best.

 

on the happy side, made my first mount yesterday and placed it in my front window sill (sp?) and this is going to work out excellent just getting the dvr setup the way i like. fun, fun, fun