liveinxs 0 Posted May 29, 2011 hello, could underpowering cameras cause damage to them, the reason why i am asking is, i purchased a 8 camera system and received with it a power converter, that had a 8 output Y, one of those power converters like you hook your laptop up to... now this power adapter was rated at 12v and output 3amp, now i know that average cameras require basically .550mah, i have since upgraded to a wall panel that outputs 12v but 1.5 amp each output.. now i notice several of the cameras are experiencing very bad almost un-viewable images, especially at nite, i also purchased two new cameras and the image is perfect... my question is, could the cameras that now display poor images, of been damaged by inadequate powered , especially when the IRs came on... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Numb-nuts 1 Posted May 29, 2011 Post some sample picture so we can at least get an idea what you are talking about. People often expect more from IR than is reasonable. You can damage cameras with over-voltage but the camera needs to have adequate current available to work correctly. 1.5 amp sounds adequate even for an IR camera during IR operation. Anyway lets see some still images. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liveinxs 0 Posted May 29, 2011 my question was, can a camera that is being supplied with LESS then required power be damaged...i thought i made that clear.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Campbell 0 Posted May 29, 2011 hello, could underpowering cameras cause damage to them, the reason why i am asking is, i purchased a 8 camera system and received with it a power converter, that had a 8 output Y, one of those power converters like you hook your laptop up to... now this power adapter was rated at 12v and output 3amp, now i know that average cameras require basically .550mah, i have since upgraded to a wall panel that outputs 12v but 1.5 amp each output.. now i notice several of the cameras are experiencing very bad almost un-viewable images, especially at nite, i also purchased two new cameras and the image is perfect... my question is, could the cameras that now display poor images, of been damaged by inadequate powered , especially when the IRs came on... I wouldn't have thought so, generally, it just means stuff doesn't work as it should. Like a torch with a flat battery, the light isn't as bright. Damage to cameras usually comes when you try to power a 12VDC camera with 24VAC or something silly like that because then you start blowing stuff up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted May 29, 2011 my question was, can a camera that is being supplied with LESS then required power be damaged...i thought i made that clear.... well it depends on your camera. i know that average cameras require basically .550mah, no not the case you mention IR so could be more and also you have what i call a kick in power (the time the IR comes on) to also add i have since upgraded to a wall panel that outputs 12v but 1.5 amp each output.. what size is your power unit. each output may have 1.5 fuse but you need to know total output and how far from your power unit are your cameras. you could still be under powered what power are your cameras or post a link. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rocmay 0 Posted May 30, 2011 I think you could have damaged them.If they were split in power in the y. Was the cameras the exact same that you replaced them with? If you could show a image of what the camera is doing it really might help. Do you have a spot monitor you can view the camera with instead of through the dvr? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liveinxs 0 Posted May 30, 2011 yes the power unit i received with the 8 cameras was a 12v total output 3amp.... the way i see it is, if you take 8 cameras that need at the very least 550mah, then we add in the fact that these are IR cameras, which probably need even more then 550mah and try to power on 3amp total output, its not possible.. its like if we try to run our high performance cars that require 104 octane racing fuel, on 87 octane, parts of the engine are sure to be destroyed and damaged... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cglaeser 0 Posted May 30, 2011 its like if we try to run our high performance cars that require 104 octane racing fuel, Actually, it's nothing like that. Best, Christopher Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liveinxs 0 Posted May 30, 2011 its like if we try to run our high performance cars that require 104 octane racing fuel, Actually, it's nothing like that. Best, Christopher hows that... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cglaeser 0 Posted May 30, 2011 hows that... From the Urban Dictionary for Photographers: Car Analogy - The phrase, "a camera is like a car," is another way of saying, "I have absolutely no idea how a camera works." A common variation is, "camera A is like a Volkswagen and Camera B is like a Ferrari," which should be interpreted to mean, "I make Ferrari noises with my lips when I drive my Volkswagen." Best, Christopher Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rocmay 0 Posted May 30, 2011 well under powering something can be as bad over powering something. And sometimes I had the issue of just powering something down that has been running for a long time and then repowering something and out of no where it blows. I hate when that happens. Then you have to tell someone they have to spend more money and this kinda thing happens... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liveinxs 0 Posted May 30, 2011 well under powering something can be as bad over powering something. And sometimes I had the issue of just powering something down that has been running for a long time and then repowering something and out of no where it blows. I hate when that happens. Then you have to tell someone they have to spend more money and this kinda thing happens... thank you for your input, thats just i believed might be the problem...finally someone who has an idea what their talking about... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rocmay 0 Posted May 30, 2011 Not a problem, that's why for any computers or dvr's, phone switch etc. a battery backup ups cause a brown out is normally what kills a system quicker then a surge it self. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rory 0 Posted May 30, 2011 Yes underpowering it can damage it over time. Also if not getting enough power for the IR, it normally wont work at night when it tries to turn on the IR, generally thats been my experience with IR cameras that have been underpowered or using too thin a power cable, so you normally know to fix it before it gets damaged. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted May 30, 2011 its like if we try to run our high performance cars that require 104 octane racing fuel, Actually, it's nothing like that. Best, Christopher hows that... i thought you came on to ask about your cameras. if you give the info asked for you might be able to get your system working. we need to know your camera power input .... not what you think it is. the size of your new power supply how far are your cameras away from your power supply type of cable used Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Numb-nuts 1 Posted May 31, 2011 He may have a rather terse manner, but unfortunately he's right, you do need to give Factual info if you want assistance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted May 31, 2011 He may have a rather terse manner, but unfortunately he's right, you do need to give Factual info if you want assistance. terse manner. no i dont think so this post has already taken 2 pages and the op has still not answered any ones questions. but when he starts to call good long term members an ass. then things start to change. what new ops need to remember is its them that are having problems with there system and the forum members are here to help. without the forum then its a call to an engineer and that cost money. members on the forum, lots with years of experiance that they have spent in time and $$$$ learning give for free. call me wrong but i think respect is also needed if you want information from an engineer for FREE if not its time to pick up the yellow pages. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
