purchased EBAY ptz, having some issues with install

[midwestturbos 0]

hello. my problem is that i cannot get ptz to work, it does work when dip switches are set to test, but when set to proper settings, it doesnt communicate. when i command it to do something from software on computer, the indicator light flickers but nothing happens.

ive checked and rechecked settings and everything is correct.

camera itself works very nice, just cant control movement.

 

 

im using pico2000, ebay ptz camera (model dp308a) with rs485 converter thru usb com port.

 

everything SEEMS to be set right, so i am wondering if the rs485 is my problem. if i used a voltmeter...could i troubleshoot the item?

 

any help would be greatly appreciated. its driving me crazy not to be able to figure this one out

 

dan

[shoreviewsecurity 0]

Typically you can use a VOM to check for DC voltage coming out of the RS-485. It may vary but what I have done in the past is take a reading in the neutral position and then send commands to the camera. When sending commands, the voltage should fluctuate.

 

Are you sure the cam address, baud rate, stop bits, etc are set in the software that mirror the cam settings. If you are seeing the light flash then the cam is seeing the command but does not recognize it.

 

Does the camera display a start up menu indicating its' dip settings?? The reason I ask is I have found that by referring to the manual and setting the dip switches on one camera I dealt with they ended up being opposite. I figured this out when I noticed upon cam start up the address was not what I thought the dip switches were set for, etc. Drove me a little crazy. You may want to connect the cam directly to a monitor and not through the DVR as the menu may flash momentarily as any command will make the menu disappear even if you are not trying to move the cam.

 

Oh and one more thing... Insure the polarity is correct. Try swapping the data lines.

 

Hope this helps.

[Tailbone215 0]

hello. my problem is that i cannot get ptz to work, it does work when dip switches are set to test, but when set to proper settings, it doesnt communicate. when i command it to do something from software on computer, the indicator light flickers but nothing happens.

ive checked and rechecked settings and everything is correct.

camera itself works very nice, just cant control movement.

 

 

im using pico2000, ebay ptz camera (model dp308a) with rs485 converter thru usb com port.

 

everything SEEMS to be set right, so i am wondering if the rs485 is my problem. if i used a voltmeter...could i troubleshoot the item?

 

any help would be greatly appreciated. its driving me crazy not to be able to figure this one out

 

dan

 

Sounds like a com problem. Try reversing your wires from the RS485 converter to the PTZ as they sometimes can be polarity sensitive. Of course, check all your com setting on the serial port and verify if they are correct. Also, if all else fails, some serial to USB adapters have that OTHER chipset that doesn't work well and gives conflict. Try another adapter.

[midwestturbos 0]

i double checked settings, all are set correct. i even played around but didnt get any different results. no matter what settings, the light still flickers. how much voltage change will i see? or is it more that i am seeing "any" change...?

 

 

 

im using the rs485 supplied with camera...i shouldnt assume things, but that "should" be the right one. ha

[shoreviewsecurity 0]

It varies but our DVR starts out at 5VDC and fluctuates a few volts down. Any fluctuation will indicate data.

[Tailbone215 0]

i double checked settings, all are set correct. i even played around but didnt get any different results. no matter what settings, the light still flickers. how much voltage change will i see? or is it more that i am seeing "any" change...?

 

 

 

im using the rs485 supplied with camera...i shouldnt assume things, but that "should" be the right one. ha

 

It might be the right one that came with the camera, but that doesn't mean it is compatible with your computer. I'm assuming you are using a PC based DVR instead of a stadalone? If so, what operating system? If you are running a PC the ideal way to do this is use a real serial port (if you have one) and plug your RS485 adapter in there. The problem comes in when using a USB adapter as some simply emulate the serial but provide no actual hardware uart. If you are using a USB serial adapter always confirm that it has the FTDI chipset, all others are crap.

[topherness54 0]

This program doesn't submit the proper PELCO D protocol. I have intercepted the traffic to the serial port on my machine using what is most likely the same setup you have. Devils 4 port capture card with hacked Chinese PEECO2000. The first 2 Bytes have the number 8 in them and should contain 0 invariably according to the PELCO D protocol that I have read (specifically the one that shipped with my PTZ camera). If anyone knows how to mod the command table inside PEECO2000 to insert the correct commands then please let me know as the software would be usable for me if I could simply adjust the words in those two bytes.

[topherness54 0]

I switched to a program called PTZ controller just to test my hardware and right away, the camera worked fine with the same hardware config as was set up for PEECO 2000. When using a program called PORTMON to confirm the traffic to the PC RS-232 (upstream of the RS-485 converter), the characters of the first two or second two bytes transmitted contained the number 8 indicating the last bit being set. When reviewing to the PELCO D protocol described in the data sheet shipped with the camera, those bits are described as "invariably 0" (not a 1 as is in my case). The PTZ Controller program does not set those same bits(as proven when viewed through PortMon. Whether the PEECO2000 is acquired on EBay or through the Canadian Website as a 30 day trial, the results for me are the same. I could swear that I recall (before I learned this) seeing a website describing who to fix this. Anyone know the answer?