bantham1 0 Posted November 29, 2009 I currently have a block power supply which is 5amp. I have four cameras running on the power supply via a single pigtail to 4 outputs to the cameras. The power supply is UL listed and seems to work fine. My question is if I expand my system past 4 cameras, should I buy another one of these blocks, or replace it with an actual power supply box. I notice the boxes have fuses, but how necessary and useful are the fuses. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WRS_Mark 0 Posted November 29, 2009 I like the power supply boxes a lot better than the 4:1 5A power supplies myself. Number one is that having a fuse on each circuit makes it easy to tell if there is a short in a particular line and also protects the system. Number two is that (the ones which I have used anyway -and that is quite a few) the voltage is very well regulated. Number three is that it makes the whole installation look tidier, more professional and easier to service. Those are just off the top of my head. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cglaeser 0 Posted November 29, 2009 I too prefer a box with fuse on each circuit. Altronix makes a good selection. Best, Christopher Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tailbone215 0 Posted November 29, 2009 I currently have a block power supply which is 5amp. I have four cameras running on the power supply via a single pigtail to 4 outputs to the cameras. The power supply is UL listed and seems to work fine. My question is if I expand my system past 4 cameras, should I buy another one of these blocks, or replace it with an actual power supply box. I notice the boxes have fuses, but how necessary and useful are the fuses. A general rule of thumb is to have a separate power supply for each camera (not practical on large installs) or a multi-circuit unit of 4-8-16-32 (fused) for larger permanent installs. The benefits of a fused PS is if one circuit gets shorted accidentally or intentionally your other cams will be unaffected. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zmxtech 0 Posted November 29, 2009 You can "take out" most CCTV systems just by shorting the supply ! I fuse each camera If I can. this way faults,vandals dont effect the whole system. I even measure the day/night current, Infrared can overload the Power Supply when illuminators turn on this can blow a whole system PS if you forget about it. [And dont design it properly] Its quite normal when using IR the system current can be 1A daytime and 5A at night ! [some IR bullets can go from 300mA to 1A at night] I`ll stop babbling now.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bantham1 0 Posted November 29, 2009 Has anybody ever had a power block cause a failure to all cameras as a result of a short on one camera line? I may upgrade at this point if so, because I am installing 4 Panasonic 484s cameras and would hate for a short to take all 4 of them out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted November 29, 2009 The short shouldn't damage the cameras, but it can easily take out the power supply, which then takes all the cameras offline until it's replaced. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WRS_Mark 0 Posted November 29, 2009 (edited) Has anybody ever had a power block cause a failure to all cameras as a result of a short on one camera line? I may upgrade at this point if so, because I am installing 4 Panasonic 484s cameras and would hate for a short to take all 4 of them out. I had a new power supply overheat and shut down while trying to figure out which cameras worked and which ones didn't on this minor repair: http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=19184 , but I have never heard of a power panel causing damage to the cameras on a system. It shouldn't be possible. Edited November 30, 2009 by Guest Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
suky 0 Posted November 30, 2009 I currently have a block power supply which is 5amp. I have four cameras running on the power supply via a single pigtail to 4 outputs to the cameras. The power supply is UL listed and seems to work fine. My question is if I expand my system past 4 cameras, should I buy another one of these blocks, or replace it with an actual power supply box. I notice the boxes have fuses, but how necessary and useful are the fuses. If you expand your system to a larger one, I will suggest you to change a compatible power box, for it will let all cameras work well... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tsd 0 Posted December 1, 2009 It depends on what type of camera you have and what you plan to install looking at the consumption of each camera Amps and what Max you can get from Power Supply Box You can go with fuse Box Power Supply or go with Fuse "PTC" (Auto Solid State Fuse) so you do not have to replace fuse at all Each channel is protected mostly at 1.1 Amps Max Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
